[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS an univalve shell-fish, the shape of which is pyramidal; it adheres to the rock with such strength that no human force can make him leave his hold, unless it is crushed by a strong blow. The apex of the shell is sometimes sharp, sometimes obtuse, and often surrounded with … Continue reading The Limpet, pp.299-300. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THE Snipe, a shell fish, so called on account of the curious length of a certain prominency coming out of the shell. It is surrounded with blunt prickles, and the colour of the whole is elegantly variegated.  The Wilk.     BELONGS to the family of the Turbines. It is the … Continue reading The Snipe and Wilk, p.298-299. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    LIKE the oyster, the Muscle inhabits a bivalve shell, to which he adheres, as others of that species, by a strong cartilaginous tye. His name means in Latin a small rat, from the shape of the fish. The shells of several muscles are beautiful; some of them, chiefly those of … Continue reading The Muscle and Admiral, pp.297-298. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THE first is a well known small crustaceous fish of the lobster kind. It has long slender feelers, between which are two projecting laminæ. It has three pair of legs and five fins, but no claws. All the sandy shores of Great Britain breed this insect and its flavour is … Continue reading The Shrimp and Prawn, p.296. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a curious animal, and ought to be recorded here for the wonderful singularities of his habits. This animal, when divested of its shell, is somewhat like a lobster; it is about four inches in length, has no shell on the hinder part, but is covered down to the tail … Continue reading The Soldier Crab, pp.295-296. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS an amphibious animal; living on land and in water. The common Crab obtains various sizes, some weighing several pounds and others not one ounce, all of different species. They move not forward, but on one side as it suits them best. They have no tail, which is a considerable … Continue reading The Crab, pp.293-284. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS the lobster of fresh water, and is reckoned a very strengthening food. They are caught in shallow brooks, hid under large stones, out of which they crawl backwards, to seek for their prey, which consists of small insects; they are easily baited with liver or flesh, to which they … Continue reading The Cray Fish, p.293. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    HAS a cylindric body, the antennæ long, and a broad tail. This fish, for it is one of the crustaceous kind, begins the class of water insects. His large claws enable him to seize on his prey and to fix himself at the small prominencies of rocks in the sea, … Continue reading The Lobster, pp.292-293. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    HAS long been in favour with man for the delicacy of its food; the Lac Lucrin used to be as much in renown among the Romans for the choicest kind of Oysters, as the Cancale shores with the French, and the Colchester beds with us. It is a bivalve shell … Continue reading The Oyster, pp.290-291. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS reckoned a very delicate food, specially the green, and the logger head. Some of them are so large that they weigh near four hundred pounds, and some eight hundred pounds. They generally ascend from the sea, and crawl on the beach, either for food or for laying their eggs, … Continue reading The Sea-Tortoise, or Turtle, pp.259-260. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a distinct genus of animals, of the class of amphibious, and of the reptile order. It is a quadruped, but with these two essential distinctions, that it is covered with a kind of strong arched crust or shell, and that it is oviparous. They are found of all sizes … Continue reading The Tortoise, p.288-289. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    OF which the figure above is an exact representation, is of a most extraordinary form. The body is not unlike that of a mackerel for the shape and colour, but the nose or upper jaw, is protracted out in a kind of lance, nearly as long, in itself, as the … Continue reading The Garfish, p.287. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    A CETACEOUS fish caught in the icy sea, and very remarkable for a horn or tooth of seven or eight feet in length, proceeding from the nose; it is white like ivory and curiously wreathed and twisted; the substance is still much heavier than ivory or any sort of bone, … Continue reading Sea Unicorn, or Narval, pp.285-287. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS of a coarse nature, and full of bones; it seldom exceeds the weight of five pounds. The body is of an oblong shape nearly round; the head, which is large, and the back, are of a deep dusky green, the sides silvery, and the belly white; the pectoral fins … Continue reading The Chub, pp.284-285. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    BELONGS also to the cyprinus order, and is remarkable for its numerous progeny. It is a deep yet thin made fish, in shape nearly resembling the bream, but approaching to the carp by the breadth and shape of its scales, which are large and deciduous. The soundness of the flesh … Continue reading The Roach, pp.283-284. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    SELDOM grows to any great size, and the largest of which we have any account is said to have weighed nine pounds. The body is deep, the scales rough, the back arched, and the side lines placed near the back. For beauties of colours, the Perch vies with the gaudiest … Continue reading The Perch, or, Pearch, pp.282-283. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    BELONGS to the elegant order of the cyprinus. It is of a thick short body and seldom exceeds ten or eleven inches in length. The irides are red, the back, dorsal and ventral fins, dusky; the head, sides, and belly of a greenish hue, mixed with gold, and the tail … Continue reading The Tench, pp.281-282. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    ABIDES in the Mediterranean, and is not more than three inches in length; he has a large snout, long and narrow at the end; the eyes are large, the irides red, and the body is covered with rough cinerous scales. The anterior part of the body has two bony substances … Continue reading The Trumpet Fish, p.280. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THE figure of the animal above bas been correctly copied at the foot of Blackfriars Bridge in the month of May, 1812, from a specimen exhibited there for several days by the fishermen, who had caught it below the river; it is about three feet and a half long, the … Continue reading The Toad Fish, pp.278-280. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    How admirable is nature! how extensive her power, and how various the forms with which she has surrounded the united elements of animated matter! From the uncouth shape of the wallowing whale, of the unwieldly hippopotamus, or ponderous elephant, to the light and elegant form of the painted moth or … Continue reading The Flying Scorpion, pp.276-277. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS of the nature of harmless serpents; it lives in fresh water rivers, lakes, and ponds. It is a very voracious fish, feeding on worms, the young fry of fish, and even carrion and putrid flesh. The eyes are placed near the end of the nose, the teeth are small … Continue reading The Eel, p.275. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS to the whale as the humming bird is to the Condor, and the mouse to the elephant, in their respective bulks. It is a small fish found in gravelly fresh-water streams in this island. The back is olive, the sides and belly either red, blue, or white, being of … Continue reading The Minnow, p.274. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    HAS been gifted by Providence with the same power as that of the preceding fish. It is about three feet in length and twelve inches in circumference in the thickest part of the body. The head is broad, flat, and large, the rostrum obtuse and rounded; the eyes are small … Continue reading The Electric Eel, pp.273-274. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a most wonderful marine animal, endowed by Providence with an electric power, the nature of which it has not been yet possible to ascertain. It gives a smart shock to the person who handles the fish, similar to that produced by the electrical machine. The body of this fish … Continue reading The Torpedo, pp.272-273. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IT would be an inexcusable neglect to pass this fish unnoticed, not on account of its disputing with the haddock the honour of having been pressed by the fingers of the apostle, nor of its having been trod upon by the gigantic foot of St. Christopher, when he carried on … Continue reading The John Doree, pp.271-272. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THIS genus is divided into several species. The red Gurnard, the fins and body of which are of a bright red colour, is not unfrequent on the southern shores of England; it is often seen exposed at the fish markets of the maritime towns of Dorset and Devonshire, as well … Continue reading The Gunnard, pp.270-271. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a species of the Ray. This fish had long been disregarded in this country as coarse, bad-tasted food, but for some time past it rose into fashion, and appears now with no unbecoming grace upon our best tables. The body is broad and flat, of a brown colour on … Continue reading The Skate, pp.267-269. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a flat fish, not unlike the carp in several points, but much broader in proportion with its length and thickness. They abide in the deepest parts of rivers, lakes and ponds. The scales are large and of a bright colour; the tail has the form of a crescent. They … Continue reading The Bream, p.267. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS an odd shaped fish; its colour is blackish with faint red, in spots; the belly is red; it has no scales but on all sides sharp black tubercles, in shape like warts; on each side are three rows of sharp prickles, and on the back two distinct fins. It … Continue reading The Lump, or Sea Owl, p.266. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    A WELL known fresh-water fish, generally found in gentle streams; it is between five and six inches in length. The back brown, the belly white, the sides tinged with red, and the tail forked. They spawn three or four times in summer, and feed upon wasps and any flies which … Continue reading The Gudgeon, pp.265-266. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS in length about eight or nine inches, and nearly one broad; the body is of a light olive green, inclining to silver white. The smell of this small fish when fresh and raw is not unlike that of ripe cucumbers, but it goes off in the frying pan, and … Continue reading The Smelt, p.265. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    A WELL known marine fish, between four or five inches in length, the back fin very remote from its nose; the lower jaw longer than the upper, the eyes blood-shot, like those of the Herring, and in shape so much like that fish that several clever ichthyologists have took the … Continue reading The Sprat, pp.264-265. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    COMES next after the mackarel in shape as well as in delicacy of taste, although it differs much in flavour. It is about nine or ten inches long, and about two and a half broad, and has blood shot eyes; it has large roundish scales; a forked tail; the body … Continue reading The Herring, pp.262-264. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS taken and well known in all parts of the world. It is usually about a foot in length, or more; the body is thick, firm, and fleshy, slender towards the tail; the snout sharp, the tail forked, the back of a lovely green, beautifully speckled, or, as it were, … Continue reading The Mackarel, p.261. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    RESEMBLES the chub in its form, but is less and of a lighter colour; it is a gregarious fish, frequenting the same places, and remarkably prolific. The body seldom extends ten inches in length, and like the rest of the leather-mouth kind, it has no teeth in its jaw, but … Continue reading The Dace, p.260. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    HAS a great fame for the sweetness of its flesh, and appears often with great repute on our tables, when measuring twelve inches between the eye and the beginning of the tail. The scales are large with a golden gloss upon a dark green ground. They grow sometimes to a … Continue reading The Carp, pp.258-259. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a small fish of a curious shape. The length is about two inches; the head bears some resemblance to that of a horse, whence originates its name; a long dorsal fin runs from the head to the tail, which is spirally turned inside. They are often seen in cabinets … Continue reading The Cavallo-Marino, or Sea-horse, p.258. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THE regions of fresh water have their sharks as well as the empire of the seas. This fish lives in rivers, lakes, and ponds: and, in a confined piece of water, he will soon destroy all other fish, as he generally does not feed upon any thing else and often … Continue reading The Pike, pp.256-258. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS very beautiful, about the same size and shape as the silver fish, except that it has not such long fins. This animal was originally brought from China, and first introduced into England in 1661; but they are now become quite common in this kingdom, and will breed as freely … Continue reading The Gold Fish, pp.254-255. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a noble inhabitant of the seas; not only on account of his size, but also for the goodness of his flesh, either fresh or salted. The body measures sometimes above three and even four feet in length, with a proportionable thickness. The back is of a brown olive colour, … Continue reading The Cod Fish, pp.253-254. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS well known as a most excellent fish, whose flesh is firm, delicate and of a pleasing flavour. They grow to the length of eighteen inches, and even more in some of our seas. They are often found of that bigness and superiority in Torbay, from whence they are sent … Continue reading The Sole, pp.251-252. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    DIFFERS from the plaice by its being a little longer in the body, and, when full grown, somewhat thicker. The back is of a dark olive colour, spotted; some of them, with round reddish spots on the back and fins. In taste they are reckoned by some more delicate than … Continue reading The Flounder, p.251. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    A WELL known English fish; and a species of the pleuronectes. It has smooth sides, an anal spine, and the eyes and six tubercles are placed on the same side of the head. The body is very flat, and the upper part of the fins of a clear brown colour, … Continue reading The Plaice, p.250. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    AS to its figure resembles the salmon; it has a short roundish head, and a blunt snout. Trouts breed and live constantly in small rivers, whose transparent stream frets along upon the clean pebbles and beds of sand which cover the bottom of the water; they feed on river flies … Continue reading The Trout, pp.249-250. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    ALSO called the Bull Trout or Sea Trout, is thicker than the common trout in the body, weighing about three pounds; it has a large smooth head, which as well as the back is of a bluish tint, with a green gloss; the sides are interspersed with black spots, the … Continue reading The Salmon Trout, pp.248-249. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS not unlike the trout; the scales are very small; the colour of the back varied with spots; the belly white, the snout bluish. This fish is esteemed very delicate by all nations, and chiefly by the Italians. They have it plentifully in Lago di Gardo, near Venice, and it … Continue reading The Char, or Gilt Charre, pp.247-248. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS the boast of large rivers, and one of the noblest inhabitants of the sea, if we esteem him by his bulk, his colour, or the sweetness of his flesh. They are found of a great weight, and sometimes measure five feet at least in length. The colour is beautiful, … Continue reading The Salmon, pp.246-247. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS longer than the trout, and measures sometimes twenty inches in length. The back and sides are of a silvery grey, and when the fish is first taken out of the water, slightly varied with blue and gold. The coverts of the gills are of a glossy green, and the … Continue reading The Grayling, pp.245-246. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS from three to four feet in length, and some have been caught much longer. The body is long, the head flat, the teeth in the upper jaw small and numerous, and a small beard on the chin; it has two dorsal fins, two pectoral ones, and one ventral.     … Continue reading The Ling, pp.244-245. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS seldom more than twelve inches in length, and of a slender and tapering form. The scales are small and fine. The back is silvery, and when just taken out of the sea, reflects the rays of light with great lustre and gloss. The flesh is light, wholesome, and gently … Continue reading The Whiting, pp.243-244. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS much less in size than the cod fish, and differs somewhat from it in shape; it is of a bluish colour on the back, with small scales; a black line is carried on from the upper corner of the gills on both sides down to the tail; in the … Continue reading The Haddock, pp.242-243. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    SOMETIMES grows to the length of eighteen feet, and has been found to weigh five hundred pounds. It has along slender pointed nose, small eyes, and a small mouth, destitute of teeth, placed beneath and unsupported by the maxillæ; so that when the animal is dead the mouth remains always … Continue reading The Sturgeon, pp.241-242. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    RESEMBLES the dolphin in outward appearance, but in fact is essentially different. The length of the Porpesse is, from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail, three or four feet; and the width about two feet and a half. The figure of the whole body is … Continue reading The Porpesse, Porpus, or Porpoise, pp.240-241. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    WHAT can be the use of the curious apparatus with which the snout or beak of this fish is provided? It looks like an offensive piece of armour, yet we do not see what occasion the animal can have for it. However, let us admire Providence behind the veil which … Continue reading The Saw Fish, p.239. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    HAS his name from his long snout resembling the blade of a sword. He weighs sometimes above one hundred pounds, and is sometimes fifteen feet in length. The body is of a conical form, black on the back, white under the belly, a large mouth and no teeth; the tail … Continue reading The Sword Fish, pp.238-239. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a well known and much esteemed fish for the delicate taste, firmness, and sweetness of his flesh. Juvenal in his fourth satyre gives us a most ludicrous description of the Roman Emperor Domitian assembling the senate to decide how and with what sauce this marine monster should be eaten. … Continue reading The Turbot, pp.237-238. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS very voracious and feeds upon all kind of flat fish, as soles, flounders, &c. he is often caught on the coasts of Great Britain, and of such a size as to weigh sometimes a hundred pounds. This fish seems to be of a middle nature between the Rays and … Continue reading The Monk Fish, or Angel Fish, pp.236-237. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IT would be a comfort for the writer upon natural history to be able to give a rational and satisfactory etymology of all names; but this is, in many circumstances, utterly impossible. The whimsical denomination of Father Lasher given to this fish cannot be easily accounted for, unless we take … Continue reading The Father Lasher, p.236. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS often caught at Heligoland, an island not far from the mouth of the Elbe; it is about three feet in length, and has a bigger and flatter head than the shark. The back, sides, and fins are of a bluish colour, the belly is nearly white; the whole skin … Continue reading The Sea Wolf, p.235. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    GROWS to a large magnitude, some of them weighing sometimes eighty pounds, and measuring fifteen or sixteen feet, upon a breadth of two. In colour it resembles the eel, and has no scales; one only small fin on the back, and a forked tail; its flesh is esteemed next to … Continue reading The Sheat Fish, p.234. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS slender and long with a large staring eye. The body is in shape, scales, and colour like one of our mullets. The fins on each side of the back are so long and spread so as to answer the purpose of wings, and, aided by them, he flies nearly … Continue reading The Flying Fish, p.233. →

Described as "so like the porpus" yet this is the picture that accompanies this chapter...

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    RESEMBLES the herring; his head is thick, naked, depressed, and marked on the upper side with transverse rough lines, or striæ. The fins are seven in number; the under jaw is longer than the upper, and both furnished with teeth. He is provided by nature with a strong adhesive power, … Continue reading The Remora, or Sucking Fish, pp.227-228. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THE body is long, the head compressed, rounding off in front, without scales as far as the operculum. The mouth is small, the jaws of equal length and furnished with small teeth; the palate has a curved row of similar teeth in front, and the tongue has teeth all along. … Continue reading The Pilot Fish, pp.226-227. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THERE are several species of this monster, for his boldness and voracity may allow us to style him so. The greatest and most audacious of this destructive tribe of the sea-fish is called the white Shark. He represents the vulture, as the whale does the eagle, among the inhabitants of … Continue reading The Shark, pp.224-226. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    ACCORDING to the relations of navigators the Whale produces one or two cubs at a time, which she suckles with her teats, for the whole space of one year. At the moment of their birth the young are about ten feet in length, and follow the dam as calves do … Continue reading The Spermaceti Whale, pp.223-224. →

Trigger Warning for this Chapter

[Scanned Images Contents] This came through the door courtesy of a super attentive and enthusiastic Patron who heard the Black Book of Paisley mentioned in my Updated Introduction to the Site and what we do here at Random Scottish History. It's such a fabulous find, and I believe will make for an excellent addition, which … Continue reading ‘Notes on the Black Book of Paisley’ (1885) →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents] This is another offspring of the lively and fruitful fancy of man. Surely there is variety enough in the real works of nature; why should we conceive monsters, and hatch them out of our imagination? The word Unicorn is found in the Psalms, and it is not certain what animal is … Continue reading The Unicorn, pp.363-364. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THE existence of an animal, half a man and half a fish, has long been talked of, believed, disbelieved, and doubted. Homer is the first who speaks of such beings, which he styles Sirens; but we do not find that he gives any description of their shape; however, it was … Continue reading The Mermaid, or Siren, pp.360-363. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    WAS originally an emblem of life. It was used to adorn funeral monuments and sepulchres. The anterior part of this allegorical animal resembles the eagle, the king of the birds; and the rest the lion, as the king of beasts, implying that man, an inhabitant of the earth, who lives … Continue reading The Gryphon, or Griffin, pp.358-359. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THE fruitful imagination of man knows hardly any bounds. The being that bears the name of Basilisk was originally supposed to be a serpent, with a sort of comb or crown on its head: but that was not sufficiently marvellous. It was supposed also to be hatched from a cock’s … Continue reading The Cocatrice or Basilisk, pp.357-358. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THIS is also a fabulous animal, and much in shape, as generally represented, like the dragon, except that instead of four, it has only two legs, which are armed with claws, and webbed. There is no doubt that this imaginary being was originally conceived in the brains of poets, of … Continue reading The Wivern, pp.356-357. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THIS fabulous animal, well known in the works of ancient poets and romancers, was supposed the tutelary genius of fresh water springs in the bosom of dark forests and enchanted rocks. Dragons were harnessed to the car of Ceres; they were the guardians of the golden apples of the Hesperides; … Continue reading The Dragon, p.355. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    PROVIDENCE has ordered that the plains of Egypt, which on account of their latitude, and some other causes, were not visited by showers, should be fertilized by the overflowing of the Nile. This noble river, which, like the hand of real and unostentatious generosity, conceals the origin of the good … Continue reading The Sphinx, pp.352-354. →

[Scotland's National Animal Contents] Now we come to the crux of our investigation. Heraldry and how the unicorn made it into ours becoming our national animal.   Shepard’s ‘Lore of the Unicorn’ which has given us so much of the information related so far, annoyed me with it’s anglo-centricity, especially as it was written by an … Continue reading The Unicorn in Heraldry →

[Scotland's National Animal Contents] From the Dundee Evening Telegraph, 12th May, 1902, it tells us;  “There was a time - not so long ago - when the existence of the unicorn was as implicitly believed in as the camel or any other animal not seen in these latitudes; and the translators of the Bible set … Continue reading Unicorns in Religion →

[Scotland's National Animal Contents] We’ve seen the old descriptions of it being white, black, and red. A solid spear and floppy, like a Cockerel’s comb. This last idea is maintained by a French consular agent who states that the unicorn is in possession of,  “a single, mobile horn capable of erection in the sense that … Continue reading The Unicorn’s Horn →

[Scotland's National Animal Contents] Well, really it depends who you ask, where, and when.  “Chinese writers enumerate six different sorts of unicorns: the King, the Kioh Twan, the Poh, the Hiai Chai, the Too Jon Sheu, and the Ki-lin; but it seems probable that all six are derived from a single original...   The ki-lin, moreover, … Continue reading What is a Unicorn? →

[IndyLive Contents] In January I was asked to provide montly episodes on my topic of choice, this page is for what I've provided so far. They air on the IndyLive YouTube Channel on the last Friday of every month and a month later my own Patreon version goes live on the RSH YouTube Channel. - … Continue reading RSH Monthly IndyLive Videos →

[Guest Articles Contents] Colleague and a good friend of Random Scottish History, Paul Burns, fiddler extraordinaire, has been producing some of the old Scottish tunes for us and I'm excited to be able to bring you his work, to be able to hear some old, possibly forgotten, music from Scotland's past. Please Thank Paul for … Continue reading Old Scottish Music →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents] IS reckoned by true observers of the wonderful operations of the Creator, a link between the bird and the fish, and we place here his description in order to exhibit more explicitly and conspicuously the uninterrupted chain of beings which constitute the whole sum of created nature. These birds have very … Continue reading The Auk, or Northern Penguin, p.216. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS called by some Ornithologists the Moor-Cock and Red Game. The beak is black and short; over the eyes there is a bare skin of a bright red. The general colour of the plumage is red and black, variegated and intermixed with each other, except the wings, which are brownish, … Continue reading The Gor-Cock, p.215. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    THIS bird, which is called also the Guinea-Hen, or Pearled-Hen, was originally brought from Africa, where the breed is common, and seems to have been well known to the Romans who used to esteem the flesh of this fowl as a delicacy, and to admit it at their banquets. She … Continue reading The Pintado, pp.213-214. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS like the jack daw in shape and colour of body, but bigger in size. The bill and legs are in the former of a red colour, and are generally painted so in heraldry, where the bird has been for centuries a very common bearing. He is not only an … Continue reading The Cornish Chough, pp.212-213. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    HAS been called so, we may fairly suppose, on account of his being generally seen on the wing, and flying in the tropic zone at a small distance from the land. Its appearance being most welcome to the tired sailor and longing passenger, generally causes much happiness by its foretelling … Continue reading The Bird of Paradise, pp.211-212. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a large water bird of the order of anseres, or geese, and has been cursed, if we may say so without blasphemy, with a most voracious appetite; for he is of a very rapacious disposition. He lives upon all sorts of fish; the fresh water and the briny waves … Continue reading The Cormorant, p.210. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS in bigness nearly equal to a swan; the colour of the body is white, inclining to a pink hue; the beak is straight and long, with a sharp hook at the end; the gullet or skin of the lower mandible is so capable of distension that it may be … Continue reading The Pelican, pp.208-209. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS the least of the duck kind, weighing only twelve ounces. The breast and belly are of a dirty white, inclining to a grey tint. The back and sides under the wings are curiously varied with lines of white and black; the wings are all over brown, and the tail … Continue reading The Teal, p.207. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS bigger than the plover, and also called the Water-Hen. The breast is of a lead colour, and the belly inclining to grey or ash colour; the back all over blackish. As she swims or walks she often flirts up her tail. They feed upon watry grass and roots, and … Continue reading The Moor-Hen, p.206. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS proverbially accounted a foolish bird, and it is hardly possible to decide why, or upon what ground. This bird seems to be migratory, and makes his appearance in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Derbyshire in April, but, finding very likely nothing much to his liking, soon leaves those countries and retires … Continue reading The Dottrel, p.205. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS about the bigness of the lap-wing, the head, back, and coverts of the wings are black, with tips of a greenish grey; the chin white, the throat spotted with brown or dusky spots; the breast, belly, and thighs white. The taste of the flesh when the bird is caught … Continue reading The Grey Plover, pp.204-205. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS somewhat less than a partridge. The upper side of the body is partly coloured of red, black, and grey very beautiful to the sight. From the bill almost to the middle of the head, he is of a reddish ash-colour. The breast and belly are grey, with transverse brown … Continue reading The Woodcock, pp.203-204. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a large fowl; the colour of the whole body is white, and the resemblance of the bill to a spoon has caused the denomination of the bird. In some species the plumage inclines from white to pink colour. On the hind part of the head is a beautiful white … Continue reading The Spoon Bill, p.202. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a pretty large fowl, weighing about twenty-four or five ounces. He is found on the sea shores on all sides of England. The middle parts of the feathers of the head, neck, and back, are black, the borders or outsides ash coloured, with a mixture of red; the rump … Continue reading The Curlew, pp.201. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS much like, and in size equal to, if not somewhat bigger than, the woodcock. He abides and seeks for his food on sandy shores, where he dextrously extracts with his slender beak, the imprudent worm that wriggles himself out as soon as the tide has retired. A peculiarity belonging … Continue reading The Godwit, p.200. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    WEIGHS about four ounces. A pale red line divides the head in the middle longways; the chin under the bill is white; the neck is a mixture of brown and red; the breast and belly are almost wholly white. The back and wings are of a dusky colour. The flesh … Continue reading The Snipe, p.199. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a species of the wild duck. The manner in which they build their nest is very ingenious. They form it of interwoven watery weeds, and place it among the rushes, in such a way that it may occasionally rise with, but not be washed away by, the stream; and … Continue reading The Coot, pp.198-199. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IT is curious to see, in our observations upon natural objects, how the creative power of Providence seems to have tryed all forms and shapes in the composition of species. In the cock bird a circle or collar of long feathers, somewhat resembling a ruff, encompasses the neck under the … Continue reading The Ruff, p.197. →

[Three Hundred Animals Contents]    IS a small bird whose head and back are of a dusky ash colour, or dark grey. The rump white and varied with black lines. The breast and belly white. The sides under the wings spotted with brown. He weighs about four ounces and a half, and generally makes his … Continue reading The Knot, p.196. →