Order ANSERES. Genus ?nas. A. cygnus, the wild swan. A. olor, the tame swan : this bird is the princi pal ornament of the artificial waters and lakes of our nobility and gentry ; and.they are seen in great plenty on the Thames, where they are royal property : it is felony to steal their eggs. In the reign of Edward whoever did not possess a freehold of the clear annual value of five marks, was prohibited from keeping a swan. Formerly, there was a noble swannery at Ab botsbury in Dorsetshire, but the collection is now much diminished. A. tadorna, the shieldrakc. A. nigra, the scoter: in very severe weather, during winter, this bird is sometimes seen on the English coast. A. albifrons, white-fronted goose : this species visits the fens and other parts of England, during winter, in small flocks : none are seen after the middle of March. A. anscr, the wild goose. The domestic goose will be considered when we conic to treat of the agriculture of England. A. segetum, the bean goose : this bird migrates to England in autumn, from the Hebrides, where it breeds. A. moschata, Muscovy (luck : this bird, a native of the Brazils, (and not of Muscovy, as its name would seem to indicate,) is domesticated in this country. A. ely peata, the shoveller, remains with us all the year. A. rubcns, the red-breast shoveller, is an uncommon bird even in Lincolnshire, where all the species of this genus most abound. A. strepera, the gadwall, or gray. A. clangula, the golden eye. A. glaucion, the morillon. This species is seldom seen except on the sea coast. A. glocitans, bimaculated duck. This bird is not common in England. A. penelope, the wigeon, migrates from England to the north for the purpose of breeding, and returns in November it is sometimes domesticated. A. acuta, the pin tail. A. ferruginea, ferruginous duck ; this is a rare bird in England. A. glacialis, the long tailed duck, is only a transient visitor here. A. fcrina, the pochard ; this bird is very common in the poulterers shops in London, where they are called dun-birds. A. querquedula : The garganey continues in England only during the summer months, after which it migrates southward. A. crecea, the teal ; birds of this species are common in the London markets. A. domestica, the tame duck, will be properly considered under.the agri culture of England. A. boschas, wild duck, is taken in great numbers in the fens of Lincolnshire. A. fuligala, tufted duck.
Genus Met as. M. merganser, the goosandcr. M. Minutus, the lough diver: this bird is seen only in the north of England, and there only during the winter.
Genus Alec. A. arctica, the puffin : this bird is seen on the shores of the north of England, about the mid dle of April, for the purpose of breeding. A. torda, the razorbill, breeds in some parts of this country, but more commonly prefers the western islands of Scot land.
Genus Procellaria. P. pclagica, the stormy petercl ; and P. puffinus, the shcarwater, arc occasionally seen off the coasts of England.
Genus Pelicanus. P. carbo, the corvorant : this bird is not uncommon round the high rocks of the Isle of Wight, where the sailors give them the name of the Isle of Wight Parsons; it was formerly domesticated in this country, and trained to fish for the service of its master. Even so late as the reign of Charles I. it ap pears that there was an officer of the royal household, entitled master of the eorvorants. P. hassanus. the gannets, or solan goose: this bird, in following its prey, is sometimes seen as far south on our coasts as Corn wall.
Genus Colynibus. C. grylle; the spotted guillemot : this bird, common off the coast of Scotland, is sometimes seen off the shores of England. C. septentrionalis. the
red-throated diver, is never seen, except in the hardest winters. C. stellatus, speckled diver: while the sprats are in the Thames, this bird accompanies them, from which circumstance they are called sprat-loons. C cristatus, the crested grebe, breeds in the fenny districts of Lincolnshire, Ste. C. auritus, the eared grebe, or dobchick, also breeds in this country, though its regular abode is in the lakes of the north of Europe. C. obscu rus : dusky grebe, like most others of this genus, is met with in great numbers in the fens, where it breeds. C. urinator, greater dobchick, or loon, is not a common bird in England.
Genus Larus. L. tridactylus, the tarrock ; L. hy bernus, the winter gull ; L. canus, the common gull ; I.. cinerarius, the ledlegged gull ; L. crythropus, the brown-headed gull, breeds not only in the fens in Lin colnshire, but also near the mouths of rivers, n other parts of England. L. fuscus, the herring gull ; L. ridi bundus, the black-headed gull ; this species breeds in great numbers in the pools and fens of this country.
Genus Sterna. S. hirundo, the sea-swallow ; S. mi nuta, the lesser sea swallow ; S. fissipes, the black tern, abounds in the fens and in fresh water lakes.
Order Guer.i.x. Genus ?irdea. A. grus, the com mon crane, often visits England, and is sometimes seen in vast flocks in the fens of Lincolnshire and Cambridge shire. A. ciconia, the common stork ; A. major, the common heron. Heronries are yet met with in some parts of this country, though they are not nearly so nume rous, or so carefully attended to, as they formerly were. A. stellaris, the bittern; about the time of Henry VIll this bird was esteemed a delicious dish at the tables of the great. A. alba, the white heron, is not common in this country. A minuta, the little bittern ; this also is a rare bird.
Genus Scolopax. S. arquata, the common curlew, is very frequent on our sea coasts, and in the fens during the winter season. S. phaeopus, the whimbrel, is not nearly so common here as the former species. S. rusti cola, the woodcock : these birds begin to appear in Eng land early in October, but the great body do not arrive till November or December, when they disperse them selves over the country ; towards the middle of March, they may be observed to be preparing themselves for their departure to their breeding places, coming down to the sea coasts ; as soon as the wind is favourable, they leave this country, but a few sometimes remain behind and breed here ; from the progress of cultivation, they are observed to be becoming gradually more scarce in England. S. major, the great snipe, is a rare bird in England. S. gallinago, the snipe ; S. galinula, the jack snipe, is much less frequent here than the former. S. pusilla, the dunlin, is common on the coasts of York shire, but seldom met with elsewhere. S. glottis, the green-shank, appears in the winter time, in small flocks. S. calidris, the red-shank, is common in the fens of Lincolnshire. S. totanus, the spotted snipe, is a rare bird ; as are also S. limosa, the stoneplover ; and S. laponica, the red godwit. S. xgocephala, the common godwit, appears in the month of September on the coasts of Lincolnshire, in small flocks ; they are taken in the fens and fattened, when they sell for five shillings a piece. S. canescens, the cinereous godwit, is also com mon in Lincolnshire. S. cantabrigiensis, the Cambridge godwit, is generally met with in the vicinity of the town from which it takes its name.