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The SPOTTED                GREENLA'ND                 DoV E.
T      H I S Bird is here figur'd of its natural Bignefs, by comparing it
with the Green-
JL      land Dove of I'fillughby, I find it agrees exadly in Shape and Size
with that,
the Bill and Legs being the very fame as to Make, tho' different in Colour,
therefore I
believe it to be a young Bird, before it has molted its firfr Feathers, the
old ones being
Black, except a large white Spot in each Wing, and the Legs and FRet of a
fine Red.
The flying Bird, in this Plate, ffiews the Black Greenland Dove, at a Diftance,
by way
of comparing it with this; the Bill is pretty long, of a dark or black Colour,
a little
bowed or hooked toward the Point ; the whole under-fide, from Bill to Tail,
is white,
having very faint tranfverfe Bars of Afih-colour; the Top of the Head, upper
Side of the
Neck, Back and Tail, are of a dusky Black, with tranfverfe Bars of a deep
Black,
the Quills are wholly Black, the Coverts above them tip'd with White ; then
lucceeds
a Row of Black, the leffer Coverts form a large Spot of White in the upper
Part of
the Wing, fprinkled with Black, the Ridge and upper Part of the Wing is border'd
round with Black, the Legs and Feet are of a dirty Flelh-colour; it hath
three Toes
only, all flanding forward, armed with fmall Claws and webed together ; it
hath alfo
Fins bordering on the infides of the inner Toes. Albin has figur'd a Bird
in his Second
Vo/. p. 73. which he calls the Cock Greenland Dove, and another in Vol. i.
p. Si.
which he calls the Hen; I believe he may have met with fomething like this
Hen, there
being fuch a fort of Bird, but not the Hen of the Greenland aDove. Now I
fuppofe
he wanting a Cock to his Hen, and feeing in Jillllugby the Colours were few
and
fimple, thought he might eafily make it out without feeing the Bird; fo he
made a
Plate for the Cock, which is only the dire& reverfe of his Hen, and has
colour'd it by
Jl/ozighhy's DeIcription, and having never feen the Cock, he fuppofed it
to have a Bill
like that he calls the Hen; whereas the Greenland Dove is a bigger Bird,
and hath a
pretty long flender Bill, more than double the Length of his in Proportion.
I thought
it not amifs to redify this Miflake in Mr. A'lbin's Works.
I had this Bird of Sir Hans Sloane, who kept it forne time alive: It was
prefented to
hiim by Captain Cr.Vcott, who brought it dircly from Gru oI.,d.
If it be true, that this Bird changcs White in Winter, as fAfl' 'hbTy's Defcription
rnentions, this might perhaps be taken in the Time it was charging from Black
to White
or from White to Bl.ck. See this Bird in JVilkighby, T. 326. Tab.  . 8tho'
to me
there items no good Proof of its changing from one Colour to another.


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