Going, for Perching, for Catching and Holding of Prey (4), or for Hanging by the Heels to gather their Food (1), or to fix themfelves in their Places of Retreat and Safety. And the latter, name ly the Legs, all curved for their eafy Perching, Roofting, and Reft, as alfo to help them upon their Wings in taking their Flight, and to be therein commodioufly tucked up to the Body, fo as not to obftruct their Flight. In fome long, for Wading and Searching the Waters; in fome of a moderate Length, anfwerable to their vulgar Occafions; and in others as remarkably fhort, to an fwer their efpecial Occafions and Manner of Life (m). To all which let us add the placing these laft men tioned

Woob

Name of Mudfuckers, two of the Toes are fomewhat joins ed, that they may not eafily fink in walking upon boggy Places. And as for fuch as are whole-footed, or whofe Toes are webbed together (excepting some few) their Legs are generally fhort, which is the most convenient Size for Swimming. And 'tis pretty enough to fee how artificially they gather up their Toes and Feet when they withdraw their Legs, or go to take their Stroke; and as artificially a gain extend or open their whole Foot, when they prefs upon, or drive themselves forward in the Waters.

(k) Some of the Characteristicks of Rapacious Birds, are, to have hooked, strong, and sharp-pointed Beaks and Talons, fitted for Rapine, and tearing of Flesh; and ftrong and brawny Thighs, for friking down their Prey. Willughby Ornith. L. 2. c. 1. Raii Synopf. Av. Method. p. 1.

6

(4) Such Birds as climb, particularly thofe of the Wood-pecker Kind, have for this Purpose (as Mr. Willughby observes, L. 2. c. 4) 1. Strong and mufculous Thighs. 2. Short Legs and very strong. 3. Toes ftanding two forwards and two backwards. Their Toes alfo are clofe joined together, that they may more trongly and firmly lay hold on the Tree they climb upon. 4. All of them have a hard ftiff Tail bending alfo downwards, on which they lean, and fo bear up themfelyes in climbing.

(m) Swifts and Swallows have remarkably fhort Legs, especially the former, and their Toes grafp any Thing very

ftrongly.

Book VII. tioned Parts in the Body. In all fomewhat out of the Center of the Body's Gravity (n), but in fuch as fwim, more than in others, for the better rowing their Bodies through the Waters, or to help them in that Diving (0) too.

ftrongly. All which is useful to them in building their Nefis, and other fuch Occafions as neceffitate them to hang fre quently by their Heels. But there is far greater ufe of this Structure of their Legs and Feet, if the Reports be true of their hanging by the Heels in great Clufters (after the manner of Bees) in Mines and Grotto's, and on the Rocks by the Sea, all the Winter. Of which latter, I remember the late learned Dr. Fry told this Story at the University, and confirmed it to me fince, viz. That an ancient Fisherman, accounted an honeft Man, being near fome Rocks on the Coaft of Cornwal, faw at a very low Ebb, a black Lift of fomething adhering to the Rock, which when he came to examine, he found it was a great Number of Swallows, and, if I mifremember not, of Swifts alfo, hanging by the Feet to one another, as Bees do; which were covered commonly by the Sea-Waters, but revived in his warm Hand, and by the Fire. All this the Fisherman himself affured the Doctor of. Of this, fee more, Chap. 3. Note (d) of this Book.

(2) In Birds that frequent not the Waters, the Wings are in the Center of Gravity, when the Bird lies along, as in Flying; but when it ftands or walks, the Erection of the Body throws the Center of Gravity upon the Thighs and

Feet.

(e) See Chap. 4. Note ().

CHA P. II.

T

Of the HEAD, STOMACH, and other
Parts of Birds.

TH

Hus having difpatched the Parts principally concerned in the Motion of the Feather'd Trile, let us proceed to fome other Parts not yet

J

animadverted upon. And we will begin with the Head, concerning which I have already taken notice of its Shape for making way through the Air; of the make of the Bill, for gathering Food, and other Ufes; the commodious Situation of the Eye; and I might add that of the Ear too, which would be in the way, and obftruct Flight, if 'twas like that of most other Animals: Alfo I might fay a great deal of the Conformation of the Brain, and of the Parts therein wanting, and of others added, like to what is obfervable in Fifhes; whofe Pofture in the Waters resembles that of Birds in the Air (a), and both very different from Man and Beafts; and laftly, to hint at no more, I might furvey the peculiar Structure of the Larynx (b), the Tongue,

(a) Cerebra Hominum & Quadrupedum in plerifque fimilia exiftunt, Capitibus Volucrum & Pifcium contenta, ab utrifque prioribus longè diverfa, tamen inter fe, quoad praci-. puas iynepáns partes, Symbola reperiuntur. The Particulars wherein the Brains of Birds and Fifhes agree with one another, and wherein they differ from the Brain of Man and Beafts, fee in the fame juftly famous Author, Willis Cereb. Anat. C. 5.

(b) Circa bifurcationem Afpera Arteria, elegans Artificis liberè agentis indicium detegitur ex Avium comparatione cum Quadrupedibus: cùm Vocis gratia in diverfis Avibus diverfam mufculorum fabricam bifurcationi Afpera Arteria dederit, quorum nullum veftigium extat in Homine & Quadrupedibus mihi vifis, ubi omnes vocis mufculos capiti Arteria junxit. In Aquila, &c. fupra bifurcationem, &c. Steno in Blaf. Anat. Animal. P. 2. c. 4.

The Afpera Arteria is very remarkable in the Swan, which is thus defcribed by T. Bartholin, viz. Afpera Arteria admiranda fatis ftructura. Nam pro Colli longitudine deorfum OeSophagi comes protenditur donec ad fternum perveniat, in cujus capfulam fe incurvo flexu infinuat & recondit, velut in tuto Loco theca, moxque ad fundum ejufdem cavitatis delata furfum reflectitur, egrediturque anguftias Sterni, & Claviculis mediis contenfis, quibus ut fulcro nititur, ad Thoracem fe flectit Miranda hercle modis omnibus conftitutio & Refpirationi

23

infer vit

Tongue (c) the inner Ear (d), and many Matters

befidess

ads or h

infervit Voci. Nam cùm in ftagnorum fundo edulia pro vittu quarat, longiffimo indiguit collo, ne longa mora fuffocationis incurreret periculum. Et certè dum dimidiam fere boram toto Capite & Collo pronis vado immergitur, pedibus in altum elatis coloque obverfis, ex eâ Arteria que pectoris dicta vaginas reclufa eft portione, tanquam ex condo promo fpiritum baurit.i Blaf. ib. c. 10.

(c) The Structure of the Tongue of the Wood-Pecker is very fingular and remarkable, whether we look at its great Length, its Bones and Mufcles, its encompaffing part of the Neck and Head, the better to exert it felf in Length; and again, to retract it into its Cell; and laftly, whether we look ar its fharp, horny, bearded Point, and the glewy Matter at the end of it, the better to ftab, to ftick unto, and draw out little Maggots out of Wood. Utilis enim Picis (faith. Coiter) ad Vermiculos, Formicas, aliaque Infecta venandata Lis Lingua foret. Siquidem Picus, innata fua fagacitate cùm deprehendit alibi in arboribus, vel carie, vel alia de causâ cavatis, Vermes infectaque delitefcere, ad illas volitat, fefeque digitis, ungulifque pofterioribus robuftiffimis, & Cauda pennis ris gidiffimis fuftentat, donec valido ac peracuto Roftro arborem pern sundat arbore pertusâ, foramini roftrum immittit, acique art nimacula ftridore excitet percellatque, magnam in arboris cavo emittit vocem, infecta vociferatione hâc concitata hut illucque repunt; Piens v. linguam fuam exerit, atque aculeis, bamif que animalia infigit, infixa attrahit & devorat. Vid. Blafiue bi fupra. P. 2. c. 24.

(d) I have before, in Book IV. Chap. 3. Note (u), taken notice of what others have obferved concerning the inner Ear of Birds, referving my own Obfervations for this Places Which I hope may be acceptable, not only for being some of them new, but also fhewing the Mechanifm of Hearing in general. sloquu9 ym

In this Organ of Birds, I fhall take notice only of three Parts, the Membranes and Cartilages; the Columella ;fand the Conclave: The Drum, as fome call it, or Membrana Tympani, as others, confifts of two Membranes, the Outer, which covers the whole Meatus, Bafon or Drum, (as fome call it) and the inner Membrane. To fupport, diftend and relax the outermoft, there is one fingle Cartilage, reaching from the Side of the Meatus,utos near the middle of the Membrane. On the top of the Columella is another Cantilage, confifting of three Branches,Vayb.c.in Fig. 23. The

longeft

longeft middle Branch a. is joined to the top of the fingle upper Cartilage before fpoken of, and affifts it to bear up the upper outer Membrane: The two Branches, b. e. are joined to the Os Petrofum, at fome diftance from the outer Membrane: Upon this inner Cartilage, is the inner Membrane fixed, the two outer Sides of which, a. b, and a. ..., are joined to the outer Membrane, and make a kind of three-fquare Bag. The Defign of the two Branches or Legs of the Cartilage, b. c. are I conceive to keep the Cartilage. and Columella from wavering fide-ways, and to hinder them from flying too much back: There is a very fine flender Ligament extended from the oppofite fide, quite cross the Me atus or Bason, to the Bottom of the Cartilage, near its joining to the Columella. Thus much for the Membrana Tympani, and their Cartilages.

The next Part is the Columella (as Schelhammer calls it.) This is a very fine, thin, light, bony Tube; the Bottom of which spreads about, and gives it the Refemblance of a wooden Pot-lid, fuch as I have seen in Country-Houles. It exactly thuts into, and covers à Foramen of the Conclave, to which it is braced all round, with a fine fubtile Membrane, compofed of the tender Auditory Nerve. This Bottom or Bafe of the Columella, I call the Operculum.

The laft Part, which fome call the Labyrinth and Cochlea, confifting of Branches more like the Canales Semicirculares in Man, than the Cochlea, I call the Conclave Auditus. It is (as in most other Animals) made of hard context Bone. In most of the Birds I have opened, there are circular Canals, fome larger, fome leffer, croffing one another at right Angles, which open into the Conclave. But in the Goofe it is otherwife, there being cochleous Canals, but not like those of other Birds. In the Conclave, at the Side oppofite to the Operculum, the tender Part of the Auditory Nerve enters, and lineth all those inner retired Parts, viz. the Conclave and Canals.

As to the Paffages, Columna, and other Parts obfervable in the Ear of Birds, I fhall pass them by, it being fufficient to my Purpose, to have defcribed the Parts principally concerned in the Act of Hearing. And as the Ear is in Birds the moft fimple and incomplex of any Animals Ear; fo we may from it make an eafy and rational Judgment, how Hearing is performed, viz. Sound being a Tremor, or Undulation in the Air, caused by the Collifion of Bodies, doth as it moves along, ftrike upon the Drum, or Membrana Tympani of the Ear: Which Motion, whether ftrong or languid, fhrill or foft, tuneful or not, is at the fame Inftant impressed upon the Cartilages, Columella, and Operculum, and so communicated to the Auditory Nerve in the Conclaves

And