HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF AMERICA. IN the following account of the birds of America, nothing more is attempted than an enumeration of the fpecies of the different genera found on that continent; the divifion and order of Mr. Pennant is followed, and descriptive characters of each genus, in general, attended to. As it was impoffible in a work of this kind to enter into a defcription of the different species of each genus, we hope the me thod adopted will prove more acceptable and advantageous than a mere catalogue of either popular or fyftematic names. DIV. I. LAND-FOWL. ORDER I. RAPACIOUS. Bill, ftraight, hooked only at the end; edges cultrated, bafe covered with a thin skin.-Noftrils, differing in different species.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 breaft.-Legs and feet, covered with great scales; 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 wing covered with down. GEN. 1. VULTUR. Characters.-Bill, ftraight, blunt at the tip.-Head, featherless, covered behind with naked fkin or foft down.-Neck, retractile.Legs, covered with fcales.-The first joint of the middle toe connected to the outermoft by a strong 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. DEN. 2. FALCO. Character. Bill, hooked, furnished at its bafe with a strong membrane or cere.---Head and neck covered with feathers.---Legs and feet covered with fcales. Middle toe connected with the outmoft by a strong membrane.---Claws, long, much hooked, that of the outmost toe the leaft.---Female larger than the male. This genus admits of four divifions, of which there are in Ame rica 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.--Qutermoft toe versatile. This genus contains the owls, which are ranged in two divifions, the eared, and the earless; of the former there are three species, and of the latter fourteen fpecies known in America. ORDER II. PIES. GEN. I. 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 straight, 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 West-Indies. GEN. 2. PSITTACUS. 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 NorthAmerica. The character of this genus is---Bill, exceeding large, hollow, convex, ferrated outwards; both mandibles curved at the tip... Noftrils, fmall and round, placed clofe to the head....Tongue, long, and and feathered on the edges.---Feet, in most of the species, scanfory. It contains the Toucans and Motmots; of the former there are nine peties, and of the latter only one; they are fuppofed to be peculiar to South America. The characters of this genus are-Bill, compreffed, greatly arched, half oval, thin, cùltrated at the top.---Noftrils, round.---Toes, two backward and two forward.--Ten feathers in the tail. The only bird in this genus is the Ani, of which there are only two fpecies; it is, we believe, peculiar to America. GEN. 5. CORVUS. Bill, ftrong, upper mandible a little convex, edges cultrated.--Noftrils, covered with bristles, reflected over them.-Tongue, divided at the end.-Toes, three forward and one backward, the middle joined to the outmost as far as the first joint. This genus includes the ravens, crows, rooks, jays and magpies, most of which occur in every climate. There is one fpecies of the raven; four of the crow; four of the daw; fix of the jay; and four of the magpie. Found in America and the Weft-Indies. GEN. 6. CORACIAS. Bill, ftraight, bending a little towards the end, edges cultrated.Nofirils, narrow and naked.-Toes, three forward, divided to their origin; one backward. This genus contains the Rollers, of which there are two fpecies found in South-Americh. GEN. 7. ORIOLUS. Bill, straight, conic, very harp-pointed, edges cultrated, inclining inwards, mandibles of equal length.-Noftrils, fmall, placed at the bafe of the bill, and partly covered.-Tongur, divided at the end.-Taes, three forward and one backward; the middle joined near the base to the outoft one behind. The Oriolus are in general inhabitants of America; there being twenty-feven fpecies enumerated on that continent, out of forty-five, all that are known.* GEN. Of this genus the Baltimore Oriole deferves particular notice; the head, throat, ́neck, and upper part of the back of the make, is defcribed to be black; the letter co werts of the wings orange; the greater black, tipt with white; the breaft, belly, lower part of the back, and coverts of the tail, of a bright orange; the primaries dulky, edged with white; the two middle featliers of the cul black; the lower part of the fame colour, the remaining past orange; and the legs black. The head and back of the fe male |