The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay: With an Account of the Establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson and Norfolk Island (1789)Phillip, Arthur
History
The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay: With an Account of the Establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson and Norfolk Island (1789)
Phillip, Arthur
Natural history -- Australia -- New South Wales; New South Wales -- Discovery and exploration; Norfolk Island
The size of this bird is nearly that of a cuckow: length fourteen inches
and a half: the bill one inch long, and of nearly the same shape and size
as in the Poe Bird; the colour black: the general colour of the plumage
is brown, palest on the under parts; most of the feathers are pointed in
shape, and have a streak of white down the middle: the fore part of the
head, as far as the eyes, is smooth, but the rest of the head appears
full, the feathers being longer: from the gape of the bill a broad streak
of silvery white passes under the eye, and beneath this, on each side of
the throat, hangs a pendulous wattle, about half an inch in length, and
of an orange colour: the wings, when closed, reach about one third on the
tail, which is about half the length of the bird, and cuneiform in shape:
both the quills and tail feathers are of a darker brown than the rest of
bird, and have the tips white: the middle of the belly is yellow: the
legs are of a pale brown, the hind toe very stout, and the outer toe
connected to the middle one as far as the first joint.
The above inhabits New Holland; it was received from Port Jackson, and is
no doubt a non-descript species.
PSITTACEOUS HORNBILL. Order II. Pies. Genus VIII.
The bird is about the size of a crow: the total length two feet three
inches: the bill is large, stout at the base, much curved at the point,
and channelled on the sides; the colour pale brown, inclining to yellow
near the end: the nostrils are quite at the base, and are surrounded with
a red skin, as is the eye also, on the upper part: the head, neck, and
under parts of the body are pale blue-grey; the upper parts of the body,
wings, and tail, ash colour; and most of the feathers are tipt with dusky
black, forming bars of that colour across the wings: the wings, when
closed, reach to near three-quarters of the length of the tail: the tail
itself is long, and cuneiform, the two middle feathers measuring eleven
inches, and the outer one on each side little more than seven; a bar of
black crosses the whole near the end, and the tips of all the feathers
are white: the legs are short and scaly, and the toes placed two
forwards, and two backwards, as in those of the toucan or parrot genus:
the colour of legs and claws black.*
[* Mr. Latham, who has been kind enough to give his sentiments on this
occasion, is of opinion that this bird does not strictly belong to any of
the present established genera. The make indeed is altogether that of an
hornbill, and the edges of the mandible are smooth, but the toes being
placed two forwards and two backwards, seem to rank it with the Parrots
or Toucans; and it has been unlucky that in the specimen from which the
description was taken, the tongue was wanting, which might in a great
measure have determined the point: but the inducement for placing it with
the hornbills has had the greater weight, as not a single species of the
toucan tribe has yet been met with in that part of the world.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account