WINGED QUADRUPEDS. Bat. This fingular animal is diftinguished from every other quadruped by being furnished with wings, and feems to poffefs a middle nature between four-footed animals and birds: it is allied to the one by the faculty of flying only, to the other both by its external and internal ftructure: in each respect it has the appearance of an imperfect animal. In walking, its feet feem to be entangled with its wings, and it drags its body on the ground with extreme aukwardnefs. Its motions in the air do not feem to be performed with ease: it raises itfelf from the ground with difficulty, and its flight is laboured and ill directed; from whence it has very fignificantly been called the Flitter Moufe. There are feveral varieties of the bat kind, feveral of which are found in different parts of the continent of America.-See Birds. HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF AMERICA. IN the following account of the birds of America, nothing more is attempted than an enumeration of the species of the different genera found on that continent; the divifion and order of Mr. Pennant is followed, and defcriptive characters of each genus, in general attended to. As it was impoffible in a work of this kind to enter into a description of the different fpecies of each genus, we hope the method adopted will prove more acceptable and advantageous than a mere catalogue of either popular or systematic names. DIV. I. LAND-FO W L. ORDER I. RAPACIOUS. Bill, ftraight, hooked only at the end; edges cultrated, base covered with a thin skin.-Noftrils, differing in different fpecies.-Tongue, large and fleshy.-Head, cheeks, chin, and often neck, either naked or covered only with down or fhort hairs; the neck retractile.-Claw, often hanging over the breast.Legs and feet, covered with geat fcales; the first joint of the middle toe connected to that of the outmoft by a strong membrane.-Claws, large, little hooked, and very blunt.-Infides of the wings covered with down. GEN. 1. VULTURE. Characters.-Bill, ftraight, blunt at the tip.-Head, featherlefs, covered behind with naked fkin or foft down.-Neck, retraftile.-Legs, covered with fcales.-The firft joint of the middle toe connected to the outermoft by a ftrong membrane. Of this genus there are five fpecies in America, three of which are found in the United States, and the other two in South-America. GEN. 2. FALCO. Character.-Bill, hooked, furnished at its bafe with a ftrong membrane or cere.-Head and neck covered with feathers.Legs and feet covered with fcales. Middle toe connected with the outmost by a ftrong membrane.-Claws, long, much hooked, that of the outmoft toe the leaft.-Female larger than the male. This genus admits of four divifions, of which there are in America as follows: eagles, ten fpecies; hawks, fifteen; falcons, thirteen; kites, two; of these some are peculiar to South-America, others to the North, and fome common in both. GEN. 3. STRIX. Character. Bill, hooked, without a cere.-Noftrils, oblong. -Eyes, very large and protuberant, furrounded by a circle of feathers. Head, large, round, and full of feathers.-Ears, large and open.-Outmoft toe versatile. This genus contains the owls, which are ranged in two di vifions, the eared and the earlefs; of the former there are three fpecies, and of the latter fourteen species known in America, ORDER II. PIES. GEN. 1. LANIUS. This genus includes a clafs of birds that form the connecting link between the rapacious birds of the preceding order and the pies; they are called Shrieks, or Butcher birds; their bills are ftraight, hooked only at the ends.---Tongue jagged at the point.Toes divided at the origin.---And tail cuneiform. Of this genus there are fourteen fpecies known in America and the Weft-Indies. This genus contains the whole race of parrots, parroquets, &c. Bill, hooked from the bafe: upper mandible moveable.--Noftrils, round, and placed in the bafe of the bill.---Tongue, broad and blunt at the end.---Head, large; crown flat.---Legs, fhort.---Toes, two backward and two forward. Of this there are nearly fifty fpecies known in South-America, and we believe only one or two in North-America. The character of this genus is--- Bill, exceeding large, hollow, convex, ferrated outwards; both mandibles curved at the tip.Norils, fmall and round, placed clofe to the head. |