B I R
B I R
laft author affirms, that the kinds of birds known and dfe- fcribed, are about 500 d . Boyle has given pneumatical ex- periments on birds in -vacuo e .— [ a Fabric. Bib!. Gra^c. 1. 6. e.g. T. 13. p. 37. & Ornithol. Lond. 1676. fol. V. Phil. Tranf. N° 1 zo. p. 482, feq. c Synopf. Method. A- vium, &c. "Vid. Ray, Phil. Lett. p. 278. Ejufd. Collect. Local Words, p. 8r, feq. d Id. Wifd. of God, P. r. p . 28. e Philof. Work. Abr. T. 2. p. 467, feq. 524, feq. 534, feq. 543, 594, 599-J
Prefcience, or knowledge of futurity, was fuppofed, among the antients, a natural faculty of birds, owing, pei'haps, to their nearer intercourfe with heaven c , or their breathing a purer and more celeftial air than other animals. Hence it was, that Divination by birds obtained among the anticnt Greeks and Romans, being performed by obferving, and interpreting the flight, chirping, and feeding of divers birds (l . — [ c Mem. Acad. Infcrip. T. 2. p. 384. Item, T. 6. p. 283. d Pitifc. Lex. T. 1. p. 226. feq. voc. aufpidum.. Sale, not. to Ko- ran, c. 17. p. 229.] See augury and Auspicium, Cycl. This kind of divination is faid to have been invented by Pro- metheus, or Melampus, the fon of Amithaon and Dorippe ; tho' Pliny reports that Car, from whom caria received its name, was the firft who made predictions by means of birds, as Orpheus by other animals. Paufanias affuies us, that Par- nafius, from whom the mountain of that name was denomi- nated, firft obferved the flight of birds, Clemens Alcxandri- nus fays the fame of the Phrygians-. The art, however, ap- pears to have been much improved by Calchas ; and at length gained fo much credit, that nothing of moment was under- taken, either in war or peace, no honours conferred, nor ma- giftrates created, without the approbation of birds. At Lace- demon the king and fenate had always an augur at. ending
them, to advife with ; and Caelius reports, that kings them- felves ufed to ftudy augury. Potter, Archseol. Grsec. 1. 2. c.
s 5. T. 1 . p. 320. feq.
Birds, with regard to augury and divination, were of divers
kinds, viz.
Aves aujpicatce, or felices, thofe which naturally portended
good ; Such were the dove, fwan, c?V.
Aves' imufyicatee, dirts, ominofs, thofe which boded
fome evil or mifchief : Such were the kite, raven, crow,
and owl, every where, except at Athens. Crinit. de Ho
neft. Difcipl. 1. 21. c. 15. Straw. Synt. Ant. Rom. c. 6.
p. 262. Lakcmak. Antiq. Grac. Sacr. P. 3. c. 9. §. 2, p. 545.
Admijjiva, that which excites and encourages the confulter to
execute what he has -in view. Feji. in voc. Pitifc. Lex. Ant.
voc. avis, Siruv. lib. cit. p. 263.
Arciva, or arcula, that which forbad a thing to be done ; o-
therwife called clivia, clamatorin, and prohibitoria, inebra, and
inhiba, Sttuv. ib. p. 263.
Incend'taria, that which gave omen of a fire, or other calamity ;
or which is feen carrying a fire-brand from the funeral pile to
a houfe. StruvAh. p. 264.
Rcmova, that which flays, or delays an action.
Sbnjira, that on the left hand, denoted a happy or profperous
omen; and was alio called fecunda, prof era. Serv. ad./En. 1. 2.
v. 693.
Allies, thofe which gave omens by their wings and flight.
Pitifc T. 1. p. 72. voc. aUtes.
Ofcincs, thofe by their fmging or chirping.
Pulli, by their pecking.
Prttpites, thofe which by their flight, or perching gave happy
omens. Serv. ad JEn 1, 2. v. 361. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T.
2. p. 510. voc. pro-petes. A* Gell. 1.6, c. 6. Crinit.de Ho-
jieft. Difcipl. I. 21. c. 15.
Infer te, or inebra, thofe which in the like manner gave ill
omens. Bird, in falconry, denotes a hawk, or falcon. See Falcon. Niais Birds, aves nididariee, thofe taken while in the neft. Ramage Birds, arboraria aves, thofe only arrived at ftrength
fufficicnt to fly from branch to branch. Uagard Bird, that which has lived at liberty, and is thence
more wild and untraceable. Bird of the pfl, that which having been reclaimed, returns to,
and perches on the hand, without the help of a lure. Bird of lure, that which comes to the lure, and by that means
to the hand. Baftard Bird, a hawk, for inftance, bred of a hawk and a la- mer. Or a faker, bred of a faker and a lanier. Coward Birds, thofe which only purfue their game for their
own belly, and winch are not to be reduced to juft fport. As
ravens, kites, &c. Birds, in medicine-, are chiefly the goofe, duck, hen, peacock, and pidgeon ; of which the fat, eggs, and dung, are inufe.
Sextus Placidus treats at large concerning remedies from birds.
T)c Medicina ex Animal. P. 2. Vid. Fabric. Bibl. Grsc. 1.
6. c. 9. T. 13. p. 416.
Birds, confidered as foods, are of a dry warm nature, as
feeding chiefly on dry meats, and drinking little a . They are
fuppofed to abound much in fait and fulphur ; whence Kircher accounts for the bright colours of their feathers b . Some have
denied the exiftence of any volatile fait in birds. Borrichius eftablifhes it c . [ a Caff. Lex. Med. p. 92. voc. oves. •> Kirch. Mund. Subterr. 1.8. §. 1. T. 2. p. 17. 'Vid. Bartbol. A&. Med. T. 2. Obf. 67. p. 169.]
The peacock has been called avis incdicc, or the medicinal bird, on account of its great efHcacy in divers difeafes. Schrbd>. Pharm. I. 5. cl. II. 1. n. 65. Birds, in husbandry, are to be guarded againft as deftrucrive. Kites and hawks, to chickens; crows and pidgeons, to corn 3 jays, fparrows, and other fmall birds, to fruits, &e. Waters in hufcandry prefcribe divers methods of fearing a- way, or deftroying noxious birds a . Some prevent birds from eating the feed when firft fown, by liming, and mixino- it with foot b . — [ a Mortimer, Syft. of Hidband. I. 7. c. 3. T. r. p. 320. b Plott, Nat. Hift. Staffordf. c. 9. §. 40. p. 352.] Bird, in ajlronomy, avis indica, or apoda, is one of the \n new conftellations of the fouthern hemifphere, confifting of i2ftars of the fifth magnitude. Trev. Diet T. 4. p. 264. Bird of Phcebus, the raven, one of the fouthern conftellations, containing feven ftars ; five of the third magnitude, one of the fourth, and one of the fifth. Trev. Diet. T. 4. p. 264. Birds, in heraldry, are figures frequently born in arms.
Birds arc efteemed a more honourable bearing than fifties ; and wild and ravenous birds, than tame ones. Birds, according to Leigh, are to be numbered as far as ten ; according to CbaiTaneus to 16 ; after which they are to be blazoned, without number. When their bills and feet are of a different colour from the reft, they are faid to be membred. Birds of prey are more properly faid to be armed. Birds born of their natural colour, are to be blazoned by proper, without mention of the colour. In the blazoning of fowls much exercifed in flight, if the wings be not difplayed, they are faid to be born clofe, e. gr. he beareth an eagle, a hawk, or a fwallow, clofc. In the general, wherever a bird is found in any action or pofturc, to which nature docs not ordinarily incline it, fuch action or pofture is to be named, otherwife not. Coats, Her. Die!:, p. 53, feq. Bird of the wife, among chemirts, is the philofophical mercury; and, in genera], fublimations or fubftances fpirkualized by the feparation of their terrcftrial part. Golden Bird, the hermetic matter partly matured. Green Bird, the philofopher's ftone, at the time when its oreen
colour appears. Diet. Trev. T. 4. p. 264. BiRD-call, a little flick cleft at one end, in which is put a leaf of fome plant, wherewith to counterfeit the cryer's call of fe- veral birds, and bring them to the net, orfnare, or limc-twicr, to be taken. Vid. Savar. Diet. Comm. T. 1. p. 11 6. voc. appeau. See Call.
A laurel leaf fitted on the bifd-call, counterfeits the voice of lapwings; a leak that of nightingales, &c. Diet. Trev. T. 4. p. 660. voc pipeau. Cox, Gent. Recreat. P. 3. p. 23. Cyprinn Birds, avesCypr'tcte, or avicula Cyprice, is a denomina- tion given to a kind of odorous candles, made of the matter 1 of troches, and burnt for the fake of their fumes, called alfo from their figure bacilli, or flicks. Caffel. Lex. Med. Bird of hermes, avis, or avicida hermeiica. All chemifts fpeak much of that which flies in the night without wings. Dor?u Tranfmut.Metall. c. 2. in Theat. Chym. T. 1. p. 72;. and T. 4. p. 355. Libav. T. 2. p. 333. Caflei. Lex. Med. Some will have the avicula hermetlca to be an univerfal fait pre- pared from dew. Ephem.Acad. Nat. Cur. T. 1, ann. 3. p.452. It alio denotes red lead. Caflel. Lex. Med. B1RD-//W (Cy/.)— This is a verv peculiar vegetable juice, of the bark of the holly ; but if trials were made, it feems pro- bable, that many other juices would be found to have the fame clammy nature. The mi fletoe affords a juice, even fuperior to that of the holly ; and if a young fhoot of the common el- der be cut thro', there will a ftringy juice draw out in threads, and follow the knife like bird-lime, or the juice of holly. It feems in this tree to be lodged, not in the bark, but in certain veins juft within the circle of the w 7 ood. The roots of all the hyacinths alfo afford a tough and ftringy jjice of the fame kind, and fo does the afphodel, the narciflus, and the black bryany root, in a furprifing quantity.
Bird-lime is a fubftance very apt to be congealed, and rendered unferviceable by frofts ; to prevent which, it is proper, at the cold feafons, to incorporate fome petroleum with it, before it is ufed. The method of ufing it is to make it hot, and dip the ends of a bundle of rods in it; then turn them about, and play- ing them together, till a fufKcient quantity is extended over them all. If firings, or cords, are to be limed, they are to be dipped into the bird-lime, while very hot. The cords may be put in cold, but the rods ftiould he warmed a little. Straws are to be limed, while the matter is very hot ; they are to be put into a large bundle at a time, and worked about in it, till they are well befnieared. When thus prepared, they fhould be put into a leather bag, till they are ufed. When the twigs, or cords, are to be put in places fubject to wet, the common bird-lime is apt to have its force foon taken away. It is neceffarv, therefore, to have recourfe to a parti- cular fort, which, from its property of bearing water unhurt, is called water bird-lime-, and is prepared thus. Take a pound of. ftrong and good bird-lime, wafh it tho- roughly in fpring-water, till the hardnefs is all removed ; and then beat it well, that the water maybe clean feparated, fo as not a drop remains ; then dry it well, and put it into an earthen pot; add to it, as much capon's greafe as will make ifi run. Then add two fpoonfuls of ftrong vinegar, one fpoonful
of
