almoft bald, befet with very few, and thofe fmall Feathers of a white Colour. At the End of this bald Part, almost in the Middle of the Neck, grow fmall Feathers like certain rough, curled Hairs, ftanding up above the rest of the Plumage, as it were, very fine, flender, long Briftles. It hath on the Back a kind of Hood, reaching to the Middle thereof, ending in a fharp Peak. The Colour of the whole Body is a dark Chefnut, inclining to black; the Tail long; the Feet and Legs white, and the Claws dusky. 6. THE VULTURE is somewhat bigger than an Eagle. Its Beak is large, and crooked at the End. It is faid, that the Vulture has an excellent Sagacity of Smelling, above all other Birds; fo that it can perceive the Savour of dead Carcaffes from far. The Antients have delivered, that the Vulture is content only with dead Carcaffes, abstaining from the Rapine and Slaughter of living Animals. But fome Moderns affirm, that it purfues living Birds, and preys upon living -Fawns, Hares, Kids, Lambs, &c. Its Neck is, for the most Part, bare of Feathers. The Craw hangs down, like a Bag, before the Stomach, or Breast. Under the Throat it has a Space of about an Handbreadth, clothed rather with Hair, like to thofe of a Calf, than with Feathers. That the Female, contrary to the Manner of other Birds of Prey, doth not exceed the Male in Bignefs. That all the Infide of the Wings is covered with a foft Fleece of Down, which is peculiar to the Vulture alone, among rapacious Birds. 7. THE Common BUZZARD, or Puttock, is about the Bignefs of a Pheafant, or young Pullet. The Head is great, the Crown broad and flat, the Beak fhort, hooked, and of a dark blue. Its Tongue is thick, fleshy, blunt, as in the rest of this Kind. The Colour of all the upper Part is of a dark dun, approaching to black, or a rufty black. Some Birds of this Kind have many white Spots in the covert Feathers of the Wings, which, when the Wings are fpread, appear like a white Line: The like white Spots it hath in the long Feathers fpringing from the Shoulders, which cover the whole Back. The Edges of thefe Feathers are of a dirty yellow; the lower E Side Side of the Body of a yellowish white. The Breaft is ftained with rufty Spots. Between the Eyes and Noftrils grow long black Briftles. On the Middle of the Back grow no Feathers, but only Down; for the fcapular Feathers cover the whole Back. The Thighs are long, ftrong, and fleshy: The Legs fhort, thick, and ftrong, feathered down a little below the Knees. The Legs and Feet yellow, and covered with Scales. It feeds upon Mice, Moles, and Birds, and is a great Deftroyer of Rabbets. Buzzards Eggs are white, ftained with a few great reddish Spots; fometimes all over white without Spots. 8. THE MERLIN is one of the leaft Birds our Falconers ufe for Hawking; it being not much bigger than a Black bird. The Back and upper Part are party-coloured, of a dark blue and brown; the flag Feathers of the Wings black, with rufty Spots. The Train is about five Inches long, of a dark brown or blackish Colour, with tranfverfe white Bars. The Breaft and Belly are of a rufty white, with brown Spots. The Legs are long, flender, and yellow; the Talons black. Below the Head it has a Ring of yellowish white, incircling the Head like a Coronet. the Male the Feathers on the Rump, next the Tail, are bluer; by which Note, and its Bignefs, Falconers difcern the Sex; for the Female in this, as in other Eirds of Prey, is greater than the Male, being for Colour lefs red, with a certain Mixture of blue. The Merlin, tho' the leaft of Hawks, yet for Spirit and Mettle gives Place to none. It ftrikes Partridges on the Neck, with a fatal Stroke, killing them in an Inftant. No Hawk kills her Prey fo foon. In 9. THE HONEY-BUZZARD for Bignefs equals or exceeds the common Buzzard; and is also like it in Figure or Shape of Body. The Head is ashcoloured; the Crown flat, broad, and narrow toward the Beak. The Bottoms of the Feathers in the Head and Back are white. The Colour of the Back is of a Moufe-dun; the Tips of the fag Feathers, as also thofe in the second and third Rows in the Wings, are white. The Feathers under the Chin and Tail are white; the Breaft and Belly alfo white, fpotted with black 1 black Spots; the Legs are feathered down below the Knee, fhort, ftrong, and yellow, as are alfo the Feet. The Talons long, trong, sharp and black. It builds its Neft of fmall Twigs, laying upon them Wool, and upon the Wool its Eggs. This Bird runs very fwiftly, like a Hen. 10. THE MOOR-BUZZARD is leffer than the common Buzzard, of about the Bignefs of a Crow. The Crown of the Head is of a Kind of clay Colour; the whole Body, as well tower as upper Side, is of a dark rufty Colour; only at the middle Joint of both Wings there is a Spot of the fame reddish clay Colour with the Head; and the Feathers at the Root or Rife of the Tail are dun. The Tail is about nine Inches long, being party-coloured, of a dark and light yellow, or bay; the Legs are about an Hand-breadth long, feathered down a little below the Knee, longer, and flenderer, for the Bignefs of the Bird, than in others of this Kind; the Legs and Feet yellow; the Talons black, 11. THE GOSHAWK is bigger than the common Buzzard. The Colour of the Head, Neck, Back, and upper Side of the Wings, is of a dark brown. The whole Breaft and Belly white, with tranfverfe black Lines, ftanding very thick; the Thighs are covered over with reddish Feathers, having a black Line in the Middle down the Shaft; the Legs and Feet are yellow; the Talons black, the Beak blue. The Wings, when clofed, fall much fhort of the End of the Train, by which Note alone, and its Bignefs, it is fufficiently diftinguished from all other Hawks; the Train is long, of a dun Colour, with four or five crofs blackish Bars, ftanding at a great Distance from each other. It takes not only Fartridges and Pheasants, -but alfo greater Fowl, as Geefe and Cranes; fometimes alfo it catches Rabbets. 12. THE SPARROW-HAWK is about as big as a large Wood-Pigeon. Its Beak is fhort, hooked, blue, and black toward the Tip; the Tongue thick, black, and a little cleft; the Eyes of a mean Size; the Crown of the Head is of a dark brown. Above the Eyes, and in the hinder Part of the Head fometimes, are white Feathers. The Bottoms of the Feathers in the |