Supplement to the General Synopsis of Birds
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Smithsonian Institution Libraries ^1 JViarcia BradyTucker «:'^t^«s». ^:i>^^^^>. /^^ 'y^^^3.^''-^ "^y^-x^s^j-. ^t| JoKjv kai^tr>»-i<v>. to tlie 7^^ -X of LONDON: Printed for LeigK &c Sotliebj- Yorlc Street, Cogent Garden. MDCCLXXXVII. PREFACE. tM S H E Author of the following Iheets intends, by the pub- "*- lication of them, to fulfil his pronnifes to the public of clofins;o therewith his General Synopsis of Birds. In order to form this fupplemental Volume, every fpecies in the former ones has been revifed j and to fuch of them as wanted correflion, or where any new remark feemed neceflary to be added, it has been done : after which, thofe defcribed as new follow, at the end of each Genus j making in the whole work not fewer than 3000 birds ; a number never imagined, by former writers in ornithology, to exift in nature. It has been by fome thought, that fuch an undertaking as the prefent might have been rendered more complete, if fhort generic and fpecific defcriptions had been added; but as fuch, ifjoined to the work, could not, with propriety, have been placed any where except at the head of the defcriptions at large, it would nor, in the author's opinion, have elucidated the fubjed in the fame propor- a tion ii PREFACE. tion as it mufl have added to the bulk of the volumes. A per- formance of this kind, therefore, to be of real utility, mufl: be in a feparate publication; as, in that cafe, the defcriptions being compreffed into a fmaller fpace, might be curforily perufed, in the fame manner as in the Syjiema Naturie of Linricsus, after whofe elegant model it fhould alfo be formed. This, however, cannot be in a very little compafs, as it mufl: exceed the limits of .the ornithologic part of that author's work, in-the fame proportion as the fpecies defcribed in this Synopjis do •thofe in ih& Syftema ; for at the time of iL/«KdfKj's writing, the number of birds treated of by him did not greatly exceed 900, for all of which (excepting between 30 and 40 which were new, and defcribed by him as luch) he was able to refer to one or more writers who had given a full account of them ; but in the prefent undertaking more than 2000 others have likewife been de- fcribed, the greater part of which has been noticed by various writers fince the lafl: edition o^ Linnaeus' % work ; the reft, between 5 and 600 in number, only to be found in the feveral volur^es of this work. - , That concife generic and fpecific defcriptions have been thought necelTary, need not, in this place, be further infifted on, when it is known that the author of thefe Iheets haftily penned 4 fuchs PREFACE. m fuchj for his own ufe, as faft as the volumes were publifhedj but to give them a fjfficicnt revifalj fo as to merit the public infpec- tion-j would, perhaps, require more time than he has immedi- ately in his power to fpare for the purpofe. For the prefent, he will only add moft fincere thanks to his former friends for the continuation of their affiftance, as well as to thofe feverally mentioned in the prefent Supplement, who have contributed theirs, and by whofe means he has been enabled to add defcriptions of many new and curious fubjedls. Rejoicing not a little to have at laft finifhed his promifed tafk, he wiflies nothing more than to find hereafter, that his well-intended labours may be received by the Public with its former can- dour. JOHN LATHAM. Dartford, May i, 1787. SUPPLEMENT. X SUPPLEMENT, BIRDS. Div. I. LAND-BIRDS. Order I. RAPACIOUS. Gekus I. VULTURE. N'i8*. Plaintive V. N'2i. Pondicherry V. 19. Cheriway V. 22. Indian V. 20. Crowned V. 23. Gingi V. Condur i. V. Gen. Syn. vol. p. 4. CONDUR. Laemmer-geyer, Z>cr. RuJJ'. v., pi. '6, in p. 3S7 ? THE Laemmer-geyer is mentioned by feveral authors as a moft voracious and deftruftive bird, and that, among other things, it preys on calves and Jheep, and is common about Ghilan, in Perfta ; but they differ greatly in fize. Gmelin calls the length only four feet, and the breadth five. SprungU defcribed it as weighing twelve pounds, and extending, from wing to wing, * The fpecies in this Supplement, not before defcribed in the Sjmpjts, will be placed at the head of their refpeftive genus, as in that work. SUPPL. B eight — VULTURE, fight feet three quarters j but obferves, that a Vulture has beei> killed in Switzerland, meafuring twelve feet from the tip of one wing to that of the other : however, it ftill remains dubious whe- ther the Laemmer-geyer be the fame with the Condur, or a mere variety of the Bearded Vulture, as fome think ; for the firft is not mentioned as having a comb on the head, which travellers furnilb ^t Condur w'xth. In SfiH/urgen'sVoysLge*, it is faid, that " in " the ifland Loubes\, they took two fowls, in beak, wings, and " talons, refembling an Eagle ; and combs on their heads, like " Cocks. They were two ells high, and three in breadth, from *' wing to wing, when ftretched out."—It is much to be feared^ that other authors, as well as myfelf, have greatly confounded the fpecies of Vultures; for being, like the Falcon tribe, long-lived, their plumage puts on a great variety of drefs, fufficient to de- ceive thofe who have hitherto attempted to difcriminate them. vol. 1. ArSi.- Ztioh 86. 5. Carrion Vulture, Gm. Syn. p. ^.-— N" Damp^ CARRION V. Fey. ii. pt. 2d, p. 67. Strunt-vogel. or Dung-Bird, Kcli. Cap.W. p. 136 ? D\AMPIER obferves, that the fcent of this bird is fo nice, that very foon after a beaft is killed, two or three hundred will flock together from all parts in lefs than an hour's time,, though before not one was to be feen thereabouts. Kolben remarks, that an hundred or more will attack an Ox or Cow retired from labour, fick, and faint ; and falling all at oniEC upon him, foon devour him : they begin by making a hole in the * See Harris, Coll'. Voy. vol.i. p. 3J. f This is not far diftantfrom Pejta, in Ssxth America. belly, : VULTURE, belly, and, thrufting in their heads, pick the fielhfrom the bonesj ftill leaving the Ikin to cover them. Alpine V. Gen. Syn. vol. i. p. 12. N*/. 7. Vultur percnopterus, Limai, Faun. Arag. p. 67. ALPINE \ . "DUILDS in high rocks, about Arragon in Spain", is called there Boleta : is fometimes driven by tempeft from Ferfia to JJlrachan, in the Ruffian dominions; as fome have been Ihot thereabouts. Cinereous V^ Gen. Sytt. i. p. 14. N'S. 8. V.^ Vultur totus fufcus. Faun. Arag. p. 67. CINEREOUS fpOUND in Arragon : faid to vary, fometimes of a blackifli co- lour : called in Spaing Vuitre, Bengal V. Gen. Syn. i. p. 19. N« 16. pi. I. 16. Vultur percnopterus (fern.) Hajfelq. Fay. p. 194. (Eng.ed.)? BENGAL V. TT has been hinted to me, that this bird is no other than the female of the above-quoted, from Uajelquifi *, which appears not unlikely. This author obferves, that it has an horrid appear- ance : the face naked and wrinkled : the eyes large and black the beak black and hooked : the talons large: the whole body polluted with filth. He adds, that they arc bold birds; and that all the places round Cairo are filled with the dead bodies o{ AJfes and Camels, and thoufands of thefe birds fly about, and devour * Not the F. percnopterus of Linnarus. —My ajh -coloured V. p. 13, is moft pro-, bably the male to that of HaJJelquiJi, B 2 the VULTURE. the carcafes before they putrify and fill the air with noxious esr- halations. -»7- Secretary V. Gen. Syn. i. p. 20. N" 17. pi. 2. SECRETARY Slaangen-vraater, Sparrm, Voy, i. p. 154. jR. Sparrman fays, that this is not a ifhy bird j but when feared, it firft tries to fave itfelf by hopping and fcudding very fwifcly ; and, if this method fails, takes to flight. It feizes Serpents, by firfl; holding the point of one wing forward. to parry off the bite; fometimes fpurning and treading upon it; at other times taking it on its pinions, and throwing it into the air; and after wearying out the adverfary, kills and fwal'iows it at leifure, without danger. The above account. Dr. Sparrman does not doubt the truth of, though it did not fall under his own obferva- ^tion. ^ 18. Plaintive Eagle, Gen. Syn. i. p. 34. PLAINTIVE V. Br. Muf. DSSCRIPTIGN. T ENGTH two feet four inches. Bill two inches long, and not greatly hooked, the colour black ; the cere extends to within one inch and a quarter of the tip, and the noftrils are placed obliquely near the top ; the bare part extends backward round the eyes, almoft to the top of the head ; and the colour of the whole of the bare parts yellow : the fore-part of the neck is nearly deltitute of feathers : the top of the head and hind part of the neck are brown : the upper part of the body barred brown and white : the wings brown: the tail white, crofled with blackifh bars, and the end, for one inchj of this laft colour ; the bafe of the four firfl quills VULTURE. 5 quills marked as the tail : the legs yellow ; claws black, mode- rately hooked, and blunt at the tips.