IT weighed seven ounces. Its length from the point of the Bill to the end of the * 1.1 Tail was fourteen inches; to the end of the Feet but twelve and an half: The distance between the extremities of the Wings spread twenty one and an half. The Bill black, strong, from the tip to the Angles of the mouth about or near an inch and * 1.2 half long: The Tongue black, thin, pellucid, and cloven at the tip: The Irides of * 1.3 the Eyes white. The feathers of the Head and Body in this bird are taller, slenderer, and stand more staring or erect than ordinary. Near the lower Chap of the Bill are two black spots, on each side one: The Chin and lower part of the Belly whitish: Else the Breast and Belly are of a colour mixt of cinereous and red. The Rump above is white: The Back red, with a certain mixture of blue: The feathers on the crown of the Head variegated with black and white.
The Sails of the Wings are in number twenty: Of which the first is shorter by half * 1.4 than the second: The fourth the longest, being by measure six inches and a quarter. As for their colours, the first or outmost is black, the bottom or lower part being white, which is proper to it alone: The six next-following have their exteriour Vanes of an ash-colour; the three next likewise, but more obscure and mingled with blue, being also marked toward their bottoms with transverse black and white strokes. The five succeeding have their exteriour Vanes half white, half black, viz. the lower half white, the upper black, but so that each extremity of the white is terminated with blue. The sixteenth in place of the white of the four precedent hath trans∣verse blue, black, and white spots: The seventeenth is black, having one or two blue spots: The eighteenth is black, with some little red: The nineteenth red, with the tip black. The undersides of all the feathers of the Wing are of a dark or dusky colour. The covert-feathers of the fifteen exteriour Sails are very beautiful, being variegated or chequered with black, white, and lovely shining blue lines: The rest of the covert-feathers being black.
The Tail is six inches and a quarter long, consisting of twelve feathers, wholly * 1.5 black, except toward their roots: Under the Rump there is something of blue ming∣led with cinereous.
The Feet and Toes are of a ferrugineous, dusky colour. The middle Toe is the * 1.6 longest, the outmost is equal to the back-toe. The lower internodium of the outmost Toe is joyned to the middlemost. The back Claw is greatest.
The Eggs are cinereous, with darker spots scarce appearing. The Guts twenty * 1.7 four inches long; the blind Guts but half an inch. It hath a Gall, and a long Spleen: The Stomach or Gizzard not very fleshy, and having its Echinus: Wherein we found * 1.8 Acorns, &c. Yet it feeds not only on Acorns, (whence it got the name of Pica glan∣daria) * 1.9 but also upon Cherries (of which it is very greedy) Goose-berries, Rasps, and other fruit.
It differs from that described by Aldrovandus, in that it hath no transverse spots in * 1.10 the Tail.
The Female differs little or nothing from the Male either in bigness or colour, so that it is very difficult to know them asunder.
It learns to imitate mans voice, and speak articulately as well as a Jackdaw. * 1.11