The ornithology of Francis Willughby of Middleton in the county of Warwick Esq, fellow of the Royal Society in three books : wherein all the birds hitherto known, being reduced into a method sutable to their natures, are accurately described : the descriptions illustrated by most elegant figures, nearly resembling the live birds, engraven in LXXVII copper plates : translated into English, and enlarged with many additions throughout the whole work : to which are added, Three considerable discourses, I. of the art of fowling, with a description of several nets in two large copper plates, II. of the ordering of singing birds, III. of falconry / by John Ray ...

§. VIII. * The Brasilian Curucui of Marggrave.

IT is a very elegant and beautiful bird, almost of the bigness of a Pie: Hath a short broadish Bill, of a brimston colour: A wide mouth, and, when open, or a trian∣gular figure: Fair blue eyes with a golden circle [I suppose he means encompassing the Pupil] and under each Eye a spot of white skin, like a Hen: In the Eye-lids above and beneath black, stiff hairs: The Neck not long: The Legs short and fea∣thered almost to the Feet, with black feathers. It hath a Tail five inches and an half long, of a good breadth. Under the lower Bill, in the middle, and at both sides, is as it were a beard, made up of black bristles, yet shining with a gloss of blue as in the Necks of Mallards. Under the Throat the feathers are only black. The whole Breast and lower Belly are of an excellent Vermilion colour: The whole Back and upper side of the Tail are of a shining green, with a gloss of blue, and golden, or igneous colour, The end of the Tail hath a black border. Underneath the Tail it hath white feathers elegantly straked with cross black lines. The beginning of the Wings is of that shining green we mentioned: The middle part is hoary, the black feathers being poudered with very little grey specks, as Mallards use to be: The ut∣most part, that is, the longest feathers, are of a dark dusky or blackish colour. The Legs, as I said, are almost wholly cloathed with black feathers: What is bare, toge∣ther with the Feet, is of a dusky ash-colour. The Toes are so disposed as the Par∣rots. The feathers under the Wings are grey.