. Edinburgh journal of natural history and of the physical sciences . The GoATsrcKER. — Of the birds which abound in the Maremme of Patria, savs Colonel Maceroni, in his Memoirs, in which I frequently used to pass weeks to^-ether, many varieties of the Bittern and of the Goatsucker abound. Of the Bitterns, one very small variety is remarkable for its Alephistopheles-like appearance, and accounts for the frequent appearance of its representation upon Egyptian obelisks and mo- numents; its body is nut so large as a Pigeon, but the beak is a foot long, and the usual atti ude of the bird mounted o
. Edinburgh journal of natural history and of the physical sciences . The GoATsrcKER. — Of the birds which abound in the Maremme of Patria, savs Colonel Maceroni, in his Memoirs, in which I frequently used to pass weeks to^-ether, many varieties of the Bittern and of the Goatsucker abound. Of the Bitterns, one very small variety is remarkable for its Alephistopheles-like appearance, and accounts for the frequent appearance of its representation upon Egyptian obelisks and mo- numents; its body is nut so large as a Pigeon, but the beak is a foot long, and the usual atti ude of the bird mounted on its equally long legs, is with the sharp sword- like beak pointed vertically upwards. Of Caprimulgi, 1 have shot a very great va- riety; the most remarkable of which is one that has the exact representation of a white moth depicted on each side of the expanded tail of the bird, so that when flyinf^ about in the night, the moths, which constitute its principal food, seeing the moths upon the tail, come fluttering round their devourer. instead of avoiding him. 1 for^^et whether it is in this same specimen of ihe Goatsucker or in another, that I have re- marked a very curious arrangement for the purpose of enabling the bird to see into its own mouth when extended wide open ; and their mouths are enormous, so that they cannot easily miss their flying prey. Upon opening the mouth of this kind of Goatsucker, which thoy can do so as to place each half of their beaks at a straight line with the other, a large portion of the skin beneath the eyes becomes stretched and quite free of feathers ; is as transparent as glass, so as to allow the eyes to see directly througli it into the mouth, or farther on in that direction. The operations of the Caprimulgi being carried on during the darkness of the night, have not been so much noticed by naturalists as they deserve.—This extract affords a good example of the ridiculous fancies which authors indulge in when they choose to imagine them-
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade, bookpublisheredinburgh, bookyear1835
