( S6; )

Birdi. But since, in my Anatomie* in the Country, in a Rook I firffc ob-£rved two Nerva that came down betwixt the Eyes into the Upper Bili ;but confiderably smaller than any of the three Pair os Nerva in the Bilis ofDuckt, but larger than the Nerva in any other Round Bili d Birds. And’tis remarkabie, thesc Birds more than any other Round-Bill'd Birds scemko Grope for their Meat in Cow-Dung and the like. Since, I have foundin several Round-BilPd Birds the like Nerves coming down betwixt theEyes, but so very small,- that had not I seen them sirst in a Rook, lfhould sorice have made the Discovery. In the Lower-Bill also there areNerva that have much the fame Situation with the Flat-Bill'd Birds ;but very fmall, and scarce disoernable, unless to the Cautious and Curi-ous.

The Ears of Birds differ much from thofe of Men or Eeafis ; there’s al- ib. p. 955,most a dire6b Pafläge from one Ear to the other of Birds , so that prick butthe fmall Membrane call’d the Drum on either Ear, and Water poured in atone Ear will run out at the other. But what is much more Remarkabie,they have no Coclea, but instead thereof, there’s a fmall C ocleous or Twifi-ing PaJJage that Opens into a large Cavity, that runs betwixt Two Skulls,and pafles ali round the Head. The Upper Scull is fupported by manyHundreds of fmall Thred-like Pillars, or Ftbres ■ which, as we fupposed, hadanother Use also, vtz,. to Break the Sound from making any Conrufed Ec-cbo, and to make it One, and Distinct. This Paßage we observed was muchLarger in Singmg Birds than in others that do not Sing , so very Remarka-bly, that any Person that has been but stiow’d this, raay casily Judge by theNad what Bird is a Singing Bird, or has Aptitude thereto, tho’ he neverfaw the Btrd before, nor knew what Bird it were. This has osten mademe Reflecf how much the Modification of Voices depends upon the Accuracyof the Ear, and how Deas Perfons become Dumb: And ßnce, I haveobserved that many Children that have an Acute Wit enough, that areSlov) of Speech , that is long before they Speak, are much Langer beforethey can Pronounce thofe Letters that are fharp, as g. h. r. and never havean Aptitude to Learn to Sing.

I have also Anatomized most forts of Creatures, and never found any Fom-foeted Creature with an Ear like a Bird, unlesi a Mole ; and a Mole has anEar much Like them, with a very Thin Double Skull, and a great Cavitylike a Bird, and is very Acute of Hearing. The Skull by reason of thisLarge Cavity, being very flender is eafily Crufhed so that a Mole is quick-ly Kill’d with a Bruise on the Skull like a Lark, and upon the Bruile theMembrane s of the Skull turn Black ; but when I have taken care not toBruise the Skull, the Membrane s were not Black at all.

XCVU. I have Observed, by Inflation into the slfpera Arteria of Fowls, that tthere is a Continuation of many Veficles extended from the Bronchia through pg wh^pplfedthe Sibdomen to the Anus. This, I conceiveto be the Cause ofthe Constant Mo- m Malignanttion of the Anus in Fowles ; the Air having Ingrefs and Egrefs there : and alsothat to be the Reason why the Antts’s of Fowls are in Malignant Distempers Ap • n. 86. p. 50 j 1.

• lied