1820 21,817
1821 11,751
1822 10,103
1823 9,823
1824 14,313
1825 8,884
1826 5,800
1827 10,500
——————
92,991
——————
11,624 average.
* * * * *
In the river Beaulie, below the falls, is a valuable salmon fishery, and
in the months of July and August many of these come to the foot of the
falls. When a flood occurs, they endeavour to get up the stream, but as
the water in which they swim is constantly agitated and frothy, on
account of the height from which it descends, they cannot see before
them, often mistake their direction, and leap upon the dry rock. It is a
constant practice with the people in the neighbourhood to lay branches
of trees along the side of the water, to prevent the fish tumbling back
into the river. Twenty salmon have by these means been frequently taken
in a morning. The last Lord Lovat is said to have performed a curious
experiment here. He made a fire upon the rock, and placed on it a large
pot of water; speedily a salmon, making a leap, tumbled into the pot
where it was soon boiled, and no doubt eaten. This was done that his
lordship might be enabled to boast in the south of the wonders that
existed in the Highlands, which were then little known, and to say that
in his country provisions abounded so much, that if a fire was made, and
a pot set to boil on the banks of the river, the salmon would of
themselves leap into the pot to be boiled, without requiring to be
caught by a fisherman.
* * * * *
The fifteenth of February, 1809, Harry Fenn, a fish-salesman at
Billingsgate, sold an uncrimped Severn salmon, weighing nineteen pounds,
for the immense sum of one guinea per pound to Phillips, the fishmonger
in Bond Street. N.B. It was the only salmon at market.
* * * * *
La Fontaine gives an anecdote of a gourmand, who having despatched an
entire salmon with the exception of the jowl, was taken so ill that the
physician pronounced his recovery to be impossible. “Is it so?” said the
dying fish-fancier—the doctor gave a desponding nod—“Bring me then the
remainder of my salmon.”
* * * * *
_Salmon Colour._—Take two ounces of annotto, tie it up in a bag, then
throw it into clean cold water, and squeeze it in the rag often, till
you melt a quantity of it down; pour off some of this liquor into your
dye-pot, put in your stuff and boil it, and if it is pretty red, put in
some madder, a little at a time, and if you see it is come to the
colour, draw, squeeze out the remainder, put it into your pot, and
sparingly add more madder. By using Brazil instead of madder, you will
get flesh colour.
* * * * *
_Salmon fishing._—In salmon fishing you must alter your manner of moving
the fly. It must not float quietly down the water; you must allow it to
sink a little, and then pull it back by a gentle jerk, not raising it
out of the water, and then let it sink again till it has been shown in
motion, a little below the surface, in every part of your cast.
* * * * *
Salmon often in this season haunt the streams in pairs; but so far from
rising again after being pricked, they appear to me to learn when they
have been some time in the river, that the artificial fly is not food,
even without having been touched by the hook. In the river at Galway, in
Ireland, I have seen above the bridge some hundreds of salmon lying in
rapid streams, and from five to ten fishermen tempting them with every
variety of fly, but in vain. After a fish had been thrown over a few
times, and risen once or twice and refused the fly, he rarely ever took
any notice of it again in that place. It was generally nearest the tide
that fish were taken, and the place next the sea was the most successful
stand, and the most coveted; and when the water is low and clear in this
river, the Galway fishermen resort to the practice of fishing with a
naked hook, endeavouring to entangle it in the bodies of the fish; a
most unartist-like practice. In spring-fishing, I have known a hungry,
half-starved salmon rise at the artificial fly a second time, after
having been very slightly touched with it; but even this rarely happens,
and when I have seen it the water has been coloured.
* * * * *
I made several unsuccessful casts—“A bad look out, friend Julius; Heaven
forefend that the cook has placed any dependence on the angle!” Again I
tried the pool, and, like all disappointed fishermen, began to
prognosticate a change of weather. “I had remarked mares’ tails in the
sky yesterday evening, and there was rain over head, for a hundred.” My
cousin smiled; when suddenly my nebulous speculations were interrupted
by a deep sluggish roll at the dropper. “Monamondiaoul!” exclaimed
Mortien Beg, as he caught a momentary glance of the broad and fan-like
tail, “he is fifteen pound weight!” Obedient to the directions of my
Mentor, I left the spot the salmon leaped in, and commenced casting a
dozen yards below it. Gradually I came over him again. “A light cast,
Frank, and you have him.” I tried, and succeeded gallantly. I sent the
fly across the water with the lightness of the thistle’s down—at the
same moment the breeze eddied up the stream, and curled the surface
deliciously. A long, dull ruffle succeeded. Whish, span the wheel:
wish-h-h-h-h, whish-h-h, whish—I have him!
Nothing, my dear George, can be more beautiful than the play of a
vigorous salmon. The lubberly struggles of a pond fish are execrable to
him who has felt the exquisite pleasure that attends the conquest of
“the monarch of the stream.” His bold rushes—his sudden and rapid
attempts to liberate himself from the fisher’s thrall—the energy with
which he throws his silver body three or four feet above the surface of
the water, and the unwearied and incessant opposition he makes until his
strength is exhausted by the angler’s science. All this must be
experienced, to be adequately conceived. In ten minutes I mastered my
beautiful victim; and Mortien Beg gaffed and landed a splendid summer
fish, which, if the cook’s scales be correct, weighed thirteen pounds
and seven ounces.
* * * * *
_Salmon laws._—The Scotch in early times had most severe prohibitions
against the killing of the salmon. In the Regiam Majestatem are
preserved several laws relating to their fisheries, couched in terms
expressive of the simplicity of the times. From Saturday night until
Monday morning they were obliged to leave a free passage for the fish,
which is called the “Saterdaye’s sloppe.”
Alexander I. enacted “that the streame of the water sal be in all parts
swa free, that ane swine of the age of three years, well feed, may turn
himself within the stream round about, swa that his snowt nor taile sal
not tuch the bank of the water.” By a law of James IV. the third offence
was made capital (before that, the offender had power to redeem his
life). “Slayers of reide fish, or smoltes of salmond, the third time are
punished with death; and sic like he quha commands the samine to be
done.” Salmon were in the reign of Henry VI. thought a present worthy of
a crowned head, for in that reign, the Queen of Scotland sent to the
Duchess of Clarence ten casks of salted salmon, which Henry directed to
pass duty free.
_Salmon Rod._—The salmon rod is, all but the top, made of ash, as being
the lightest wood. The structure of the trout or fly rod has been
variously recommended; the most ancient is, the butt to be made of
yellow deal, seven feet long; next, a straight hazel, of about six feet;
and then a delicate piece of fine-grained yew, exactly tapered, and
ending in a point of whalebone, both making about two feet: to colour
the stock, a feather dipped in aquafortis, and rubbed into the deal,
gives it a cinnamon colour; for a nut-brown colour, a quartern of spirit
lacquer, half an ounce of gamboge, the like quantities of gum sandarach
and dragon’s-blood (the three last to be powdered very fine), and as
much of each of them as will lie upon a sixpence, put into the spirit
lacquer, which must be kept stirring, until properly mixed: the phial
must be warmed as well as the wood, and the mixture gradually laid on
with a camel’s-hair brush; after it is dried, a second and third coat is
to be applied. To make the colour redder put double the quantity of
dragon’s-blood; to make the rod mottled, get green copperas and dissolve
in spring water; dip linen tape in the liquid, and while wet twist it
round about, and let it remain on the rod eight or ten hours in the
cool; unbind the tape, which will be dry, and use the above-mentioned
varnish, which will give the desired effect. The varnish also preserves
the rings and the bindings that fix them to the rod. To fasten a fly rod
of the above make properly, a piece of shoemaker’s wax was rubbed upon
each splice; a handle of a knife, or any hard thing, was rubbed over
them, until they were smooth; they were then tied neatly together, and
were as firm as any part of the rod.
* * * * *
The following comparison is made by Sir Humphry Davy, between trout and
salmon:—The salmon is broader, has a tail rather more forked, and teeth
in proportion are rather smaller. The trout, likewise, has larger and
more black-brown spots on the body; and the head of the trout is a
little larger in proportion. The salmon has fourteen spines in the
pectoral fins, ten in each of the ventral, thirteen in the anal,
twenty-one in the caudal, and fifteen in the dorsal. The salmon measures
thirty-eight inches and a half in length, and twenty-one inches in
girth; and his weight, as you see, is twenty-two pounds and a quarter.
The trout has one spine less in the pectoral, and two less in the anal
fin, and measures thirty inches and a quarter in length, and sixteen
inches in girth, and his weight is eleven pounds. When opened, the
stomach of the salmon contains nothing but a little yellow fluid, and,
though the salmon is twice as large, does not exceed much in size that
of the trout. The stomach of the trout, unlike that of the salmon, will
be found full of food.—_Daniel_—_Wild Sports_—_Lloyd_—_Davy, &c._
SALMON-TROUT, _s._ A trout that has some resemblance to a salmon.
[Illustration]
The salmon trout is handsome in its form, is more richly adorned, and is
longer, thicker, rounder in proportion than a salmon; the scales are
small, beautifully intermixed on both sides of the lateral line, and
also the covers of the gills, with spots; the fins are strong, and the
tail shorter, but not so much forked as the salmon’s; the flesh is
exceedingly rich, and in some countries better esteemed than any fish of
the salmon kind; they are generally from two to six pounds weight, some
run larger; they are often taken when angling for salmon or large trout,
their haunts being the same. Early in the spring they enter the rivers,
are in prime season from the end of April until July, and spawn chiefly
in September; but that period varies in different waters; the rod should
be as for salmon, the reel line strong, and foot length about three
yards of fine twisted silkworm gut, or the strongest single, with the
knots well whipped.—_Daniel._
SALT, _s._ Salt is a body whose two essential properties seem to be
solubility in water and a pungent sapor.
SALT, _a._ Having the taste of salt, as salt fish; impregnated with
salt; abounding with salt.
SALT, _v._ To season with salt.
SALTCAT, _s._ A contrivance to attach pigeons to their dovecot.
The last dietetic, or rather, perhaps, medicinal article necessary to be
described, is the saltcat, so called from an old fancy of baking a real
cat with spices for the use of pigeons, which, however, I never observed
to eat animal food. In compliance with this custom, I caused to be
placed in the middle of the pigeon loft a dish of the following
composition:—Loam, sand, old mortar, fresh lime, bay-salt, cummin,
coriander, caraway seed, and allspice, moistened into a consistence with
urine. The pigeons were constantly pecking at this, and were in a
constant state of good health; how much of which may be attributed to
the use of the cat I cannot determine; but certainly they are extremely
fond of it, and if it have no other merit, it prevents them from pecking
the mortar from the roof of the house, to which otherwise they are much
inclined. The cat was mixed and heaped up in the dish, a piece of board
being placed upon the summit to prevent the birds from dunging upon it;
when become too hard it was occasionally broken for them.
The regular old formula for this cat is as follows: gravel or
drift-sand, unctuous loam, the rubbish of an old wall, or lime, a gallon
of each—should lime be substituted for rubbish, a less quantity of the
former will suffice—one pound of cummin-seed, one handful of bay-salt;
mix with stale urine. Inclose this in jars, corked or stopped, holes
being punched in the sides, to admit the beaks of the pigeons. These may
be placed abroad—_Moubray._
SALTPETRE, _s._ Nitrate of potash. The chief ingredient in the
composition of gunpowder.
SALTWATER, _s._ The water of the sea.
When on the sea, always use linseed oil for every part of your gun,
except the works of the locks; because sweet oil has not body enough to
repel the effect of the salt water.
If the salt water should have stained your barrels, you will, I think,
find yellow soap and warm water the best recipe to restore their
colour.—_Hawker._
SALVE, _s._ A glutinous matter applied to wounds and hurts, a
plaster.
SAMLET, _s._ A little salmon; a par. _Vide_ PAR.
SANABLE, _a._ Curable, susceptive of remedy.
SANDBLIND, _a._ Having a defect in the eyes, by which small
particles appear before them.
SANDCRACK, _s._ A disease in the horse’s hoof.
This is an accident that happens to dry brittle hoofs, and is in fact a
breaking or fracture of the horn in the weakest part, that is, at the
upper part of the inner quarter. A sandcrack almost always extends to
the sensible parts, and can seldom be cured if the horse is kept in
work. The first thing to be done is to open the crack with a drawing
knife, for it generally runs obliquely under the horn, and cut out every
hollow part completely, however far it may extend under the crust. Every
particle of horn that is hollow or detached from the sensible parts must
be completely cut away; some tar ointment should then be applied, or at
first a solution of blue vitriol. If there is much lameness or
inflammation in the foot, it should be poulticed for several days or a
week, and then the horse should be turned to grass without shoes, or
with a bar shoe, for three weeks at least, or until an inch of new hoof
appears above the crack. A little blister ointment just above the crack
often does good, and tar ointment on the crack and adjacent horn.
Observe, too, that the quarter where the crack is must be rasped away as
thin as possible. In this way sandcracks may be always cured without
difficulty. The brittle state of the hoof, however, must be corrected
when the horse returns from grass, by paring the soles rather thin,
applying a wide hollow shoe, and keeping the foot stopped, not with
cow-dung or clay, as has been advised, but with the tar ointment; this
will be absorbed through the horn, stimulate the secreting vessels, and
cause a plentiful effusion of that odorous vapour which is constantly
escaping from the bottom of the foot. The vessels being thus unloaded,
the temperature of the foot will be reduced, and the secretion of horn
will be at the same time so increased, that the horse will soon be able
to go with a narrower shoe.—_White._
SANDERLING, TORVILLEE, or CURWILLET (_Charadrius Calidris_, LINN.;
_Maubeche_, BUFF.) _s._ A bird.
[Illustration]
This bird weighs almost two ounces, is about eight inches in length, and
fifteen in breadth from tip to tip. The bill is an inch long, slender,
black, and grooved on the sides nearly from the tip to the nostril; the
brow, to the eyes, white; the rest of the head, pale ash-colour, mottled
in brown streaks from the forehead to the hinder part of the neck, and
on each side of the upper part of the breast; back scapulars and greater
coverts brownish ash, edged with dull white, and irregularly marked with
dark brown spots. The pinions, lesser coverts, and bastard wings, dark
brown; the quills, which extend beyond the tail, are of the same colour
on the exterior webs and points, except four of the middle ones, which
are white on the outer webs, forming, when the wing is closed, a sharp
wedge-shaped spot; the inner webs brownish ash; the secondary quills
brown, tipped with white; the rump and tail coverts are also brown,
edged with dirty white; the tail feathers brownish ash edged with a
lighter colour—the two middle ones much darker than the rest; the
throat, fore part of the neck, breast, belly, thighs, and vent, are
white; the toes and legs black, and bare a little above the knees. This
bird is of a slender form, and the plumage has a hoary appearance among
the stints, with which it associates on the sea shore in various parts
of Great Britain. It wants the hinder toe, and has, in other respects,
the look of the plover and dotterell, to which family it belongs.
Latham says, this bird, like the purre, and some others, varies
considerably, either from age or the season; for those he received in
August had the upper parts dark ash-coloured, and the feathers deeply
edged with ferruginous colour; but others sent to him in January were of
a plain dove-coloured grey. They differ also in some other trifling
particulars.
SANDPIPER, _s._ A bird.
[Illustration]
The tongue of the sandpiper is slender; toes divided, or very slightly
connected at the base by a membrane; hinder toe weak; their bills are
nearly of the same form as those of the preceding species, but shorter:
their haunts and manner of life are also very similar. Latham has
enumerated thirty-seven species and nine varieties of this genus,
seventeen of which are British, exclusive of those which, in this work,
are placed among the plovers; but the history and classifications of
this genus are involved in much uncertainty.
_Common Sandpiper._ (_Tringa hypoleucus_, LINN.; _La Guignette_,
BUFF.)—This bird weighs about two ounces, and measures seven inches and
a half in length. The bill is about an inch long, black at the tip,
fading into pale-brown towards the base. The head, and hinder part of
the neck, are brownish-ash, streaked downwards with dark narrow lines:
the throat is white, and a streak of the same colour surrounds and is
extended over each eye; the cheeks and auriculars are streaked with
brown; the forepart of the neck, to the breast, is white, mottled and
streaked with spots and lines of a brown colour, pointing downwards; in
some the breast is plain white; belly and vent white. The ground-colour
of all the upper parts of the plumage is ash, blended with glossy olive
bronze; the coverts, scapulars, lower part of the back, and
tail-coverts, are edged with dull white, and most elegantly marked with
transverse dark-coloured narrow, waved lines; the first two quills are
plain brown; the next nine are marked on the middle of their inner webs,
with white spots; the secondaries are also marked in the same manner, on
both webs, and tipped with white. The tail consists of twelve feathers;
the four middle ones are of an olive brown, dark at the tips; those next
to them, on each side, are much lighter coloured, mottled with
dark-brown and tipped with white; the two outside ones are edged and
tipped in the same manner, but are barred on their webs with dark-brown;
legs pale dull-green, faintly blushed with red.
This elegant little bird breeds in this country, but the species is not
numerous; yet they are frequently seen in pairs during the summer
months; and are well known by their clear piping note, by their flight,
by jerking up their tails, and by their manner of running after their
insect prey on the pebbly margins of brooks and rivers. The female makes
her nest in a hole on the ground near their haunts; her eggs, commonly
five in number, are much mottled and marked with dark spots, on a
yellowish ground. They leave England in the autumn; but whither they go
is not particularly noticed by ornithologists. Buffon says they retire
far north; and Pennant and Latham, that they are met with in Siberia and
Kamtschatka, and are also not uncommon in North America.
_Brown Sandpiper._ (_Fusca._)—Pennant describes this bird, which, he
says, was bought in a London market, and preserved in the collection of
the late M. Tunstall, Esq., of Wycliffe:—Size of a jacksnipe; the bill
is black; the head, upper part of the neck, and back, are of a
pale-brown, spotted with black; coverts of the wings dusky, edged with
dirty white; under side of the neck white, streaked with black; the
belly white; tail cinereous: legs black.
_Greenwich Sandpiper._ (_Greenovicensis._)—Size of the redshank; weight
nearly eight ounces; length twelve inches and a half; bill an inch and a
half long, black; crown of the head reddish-brown, streaked with black;
nape, cheeks, and neck, ash-colour; the middle of the feathers dusky,
down the shaft; lower part of the neck and back, black; the feathers
margined on the sides with pale ferruginous, and some of those of the
back at the tips also; chin nearly white; forepart of the neck very pale
ash-colour, as far as the breast, which is a dusky white; belly, sides,
vent, and upper tail-coverts on each side, and the whole of the under
ones, white; lesser wing-coverts ash-colour; the greater, the same,
obscurely margined with pale ferruginous; greatest tipped with white;
under wing coverts pure white; prime quills dusky, the shafts more or
less white; secondaries and scapulars nearly the colour of the back; the
secondaries and primaries very little differing in length; the lower
part of the back, rump, and middle of the tail-coverts, ash-colour; tail
a little rounded at the end, brownish ash-colour, somewhat mottled with
brownish near the tips, and fringed near to the end with pale
ferruginous; legs dusky olive-green, bare an inch above the knee; the
outer and middle toe connected at the base.
_Black Sandpiper._ (_Tringa cinerea._)—Size of a thrush; the beak short,
blunt at the point, and dusky; nostrils black; the irides yellow: the
head small, and flattened at the top; the colour white, most elegantly
spotted with grey; the neck, shoulders, and back, mottled in the same
manner, but darker, being tinged with brown; in some lights these parts
appeared of a perfect black, and glossy; the wings were long; the quill
feathers black, crossed near the base with a white line; the throat,
breast, and belly white, with faint brown and black spots of a longish
form, irregularly disposed, but on the belly become larger and more
round; the tail short, entirely white, except the two middle feathers,
which are black; legs long and slender, and of a reddish brown colour.
_Spotted Sandpiper._ (_Tringa macularia_, LINN.; _La Grive d’Eau_,
BUFF.)—This bird measures about eight inches in length; the bill is
black at the tip, and fades into a reddish colour towards the base; a
white streak is extended over each eye, and a brownish patch between
them and the bill; the whole upper part of the plumage is of a glossy
lightish brown, with green reflections; the head and neck are marked
with longish small dark spots; on the back, scapulars, and wing coverts,
the spots are larger, and of a triangular shape; the rump is plain; the
greater quills are dusky; secondaries tipped with white, as are also the
greater and lesser coverts, which form two white oblique lines across
the extended wings; the two middle feathers of the tail are greenish
brown; the sides ones white, crossed with dusky lines; the breast,
belly, and vent, are white, but in the female spotted with brown; legs
of a dirty flesh colour. This species is not common in England.
_Red-legged, Sandpiper._ (_Tringa erythropus._)—This bird measures from
the tip of the beak to the end of the tail ten inches; the bill is an
inch and three-eighths long, black at the tip, and reddish towards the
base; the crown of the head is spotted with dark brown, disposed in
streaks, and edged with pale brown and grey; a darkish patch covers the
space between the corners of the mouth and eyes; the chin is white; the
brow and cheeks pale brown, prettily freckled with small dark spots; the
hinder part of the neck is composed of a mixture of pale brown, grey,
and ash, with a few distinct dusky spots; the forepart and breast are
white, clouded with a dull cinnamon colour, and sparingly and
irregularly marked with black spots, reflecting a purple gloss; the
shoulder and scapular feathers are black, edged with pale rust colour,
and have the same glossy reflections as those on the breast; the
tertials are nearly the same length as the quills; the ridges of the
wings are a brownish ash colour; the coverts, back, and rump, are nearly
the same, but inclining to olive, and the middle of each feather is of a
deeper dusky brown; the primary quills are deep olive brown; the
exterior webs of the secondaries are also of that colour, but lighter,
edged and tipped with white, and the inner webs are mostly white towards
the base; the tail coverts are glossy black, edged with pale rust
colour, and tipped with white, but in some of them a streak of white
passes from the middle upwards nearly the whole length. The tail
feathers are lightish brown, except the two middle ones, which are
barred with spots of a darker hue; the belly and vent are white; legs
bare above the knees, and red as sealing-wax; claws black. The female is
less than the male, and her plumage more dingy and indistinct; an egg
taken out of her previous to stuffing was surprisingly large considering
her bulk, being about the size of that of a magpie, of a greenish white
colour, spotted and blotched with brown, of a long shape, and pointed at
the smaller end. This bird is a constant inhabitant of the fens, and is
known to sportsmen by its singular notes, which are very loud and
melodious, and are heard even when the bird is beyond the reach of
sight.
The description of this bird, which, it seems, is common in the fen
countries, has been more particularly attended to, because it has not
been described in any of the popular works on ornithology; at least not
so accurately as to enable a naturalist to distinguish it by the proper
name.
_Red Sandpiper_, _Aberdeen Sandpiper_. (_Tringa Icelandica_,
LINN.)—Latham describes this bird in the following manner:—Length from
eight to ten inches; bill brown, one inch and a half long, and a little
bent downwards; head, hinder part of the neck, and beginning of the
back, dusky, marked with red; forepart of the neck and breast cinereous,
and mixed with rust colour, and obscurely spotted with black; lesser
wing coverts cinereous; quills dusky; secondaries tipped with white; the
two middle tail feathers dusky; the other cinereous; legs long and
black.
_Ash-coloured Sandpiper._ (_Tringa Cinerea_, LINN.)—This bird weighs
between four and five ounces, and measures ten inches in length, and
about nineteen in breadth. The whole upper parts of the plumage are of a
brownish ash-colour: the head is spotted, and the neck streaked with
dusky lines: the feathers of the back, scapulars, and wing coverts, are
elegantly marked or bordered on their ridges and tips, with two narrow
lines of dull white, and dark brown. Some specimens have black spots on
the breast, but most commonly the whole under parts are pure white; the
tail is cinereous, edged with white, and its coverts are barred with
black; legs dirty green; toes edged with a fine narrow scalloped
membrane.
The ash-coloured sandpiper, it is said, breeds in the northern parts of
both Europe and America. Pennant says they appear in vast flocks on the
shores of Flintshire in the winter season; and Latham, that they are
seen in vast numbers on the Seal Islands, near Chateau Bay; and also
that they breed and remain the whole summer at Hudson’s Bay, where they
are called by the natives sasqua pisqua nishish.
_Shore Sandpiper._ (_Tringa Littorea_, LINN.; _Le Chevalier Variée_,
BUFF.)—Under this name Latham describes this bird, which it is said
migrates from Sweden into England at the approach of winter. He makes it
a variety of the last species, and says it does not differ materially
from it. “The spots on the back are ferruginous instead of white: the
shaft of the first quill is white, as in the green sandpiper; and the
secondaries have white tips: the legs are brown.” Brunnich mentions a
further variety, wherein the first quill has a black shaft, and the
spots on the back and wings are less; and observes, that they differ in
age and sex.
_Green Sandpiper._ (_Tringa Ochropus_, LINN.; _Le Becasseau, ou
Cul-blanc_, BUFF.)—This bird measures about ten inches in length, to the
end of the toes nearly twelve, and weighs about three ounces and a half:
the bill is black, and an inch and a half long: a pale streak extends
from it over each eye; between which and the corners of the mouth; there
is a dusky patch. The crown of the head and hinder part of the neck are
of a dingy brownish ash-colour, in some specimens narrowly streaked with
white; the throat white; fore part of the neck mottled or streaked with
brown spots, on a white or pale ash-coloured ground. The whole upper
parts of the plumage are of a glossy bronze, or olive brown, elegantly
marked on the edge of each feather with small roundish white spots; the
quills are without spots, and are of a darker brown; the secondaries and
tertials are very long; the inside of the wings are dusky, edged with
white grey; and the inside coverts next the body are curiously barred,
from the shaft of each feather to their edges, with narrow white lines,
formed nearly of the shape of two sides of a triangle. The belly, vent,
tail coverts, and tail, are white; the last broadly barred with black,
the middle feathers having four bars, and those next to them decreasing
in the number of bars towards the outside feathers, which are quite
plain: the legs are green.
This bird is not any where numerous, and is of a solitary disposition,
seldom more than a pair being seen together, and that chiefly in the
breeding season. It is a scarce bird in England, but is said to be more
common in the northern parts of the globe as far as Iceland. It is
reported that they never frequent the sea shores, but their places of
abode are commonly on the margins of the lakes in the interior and
mountainous parts of the country.—_Bewick_—_Latham._
SANGUINE, _a._ Red, having the colour of blood; abounding with blood
more than any other humour.
SAP, _s._ The vital juice of plants, the juice that circulates in
trees and herbs.
SARCELLE, (_Clangula Glacialis_, FLEM.) _s._ A bird of the duck
tribe.
This species is about the size of a widgeon, length twenty-two inches,
including the long feathers of the tail; the bill is black; down the
middle and across the tip, orange; irides red; the fore part and sides
of the head are reddish grey; on each side of the neck, just below the
head, is an oval black spot; the hind part of the head, the throat, and
remaining part of the neck and breast, white; back and rump black; sides
of the upper tail coverts white, the middle black; the lower belly and
vent white; the scapulars white long, and pointed; the wings chiefly
black, with a mixture of chestnut; the four middle tail feathers are
black, the others white; the two middle ones are narrow, and exceed the
others three inches and a half; legs of a dull red; claws black.
Such is the description of the male; but in some the black spots are
more or less of a chocolate colour, and the spot on the neck occupies
half of it. The length of the tail also varies.
The female has been described by some authors for a different species.
The bill, however, which is the same in this sex, seems to be an
unerring guide. The sides of the head are white, behind cinereous; the
rest of the head, the neck, breast, and back, dusky black; the lower
part of the breast and scapulars chestnut; belly white; upper tail
coverts and wings like the male; legs dusky reddish brown. This sex is
also subject to some variation; most commonly, the middle tail-feathers
are not much longer than the rest. It is seldom met with in England, but
is frequent in the north of Scotland and the Orkneys in winter, where
they assemble in large flocks; it is common in Sweden, Lapland, and
Russia, and is said to breed in Greenland and at Hudson’s Bay, where it
makes a nest of grass near the sea, and lays ten or more bluish-white
eggs. The down of this bird is said to be as valuable as that of the
eider duck.—_Montagu._
SAVAGE, _a._ Wild, uncultivated; uncivilised, barbarous.
SAVIN, _s._ A plant formerly used in veterinary and canine diseases.
SCAB, _s._ An incrustation formed over a sore by dried matter; the
itch or mange of horses.
SCABBED, _a._ Covered or diseased with scabs; paltry, sorry.
SCAD, _s._ A kind of fish, probably the same as shad.
SCALE, _s._ A balance, a vessel suspended by a beam against another;
the small shells or crusts which, lying one over another, make
the coats of fishes; anything exfoliated; a thin lamina; regular
gradation; anything marked at equal distances.
SCALE, _v._ To climb as by ladders; to measure or compare; to take
off a thin lamina; to pare off a surface; to clean fishes.
SCALED, _a._ Squamous, having scales like fishes.
SCALLOP, _s._ A fish with a hollow pectinated shell.
SCALP, _v._ To deprive the skull of its integuments.
SCALY, _a._ Covered with scales.
SCAPULA, _s._ The shoulder blade.
SCAPULARS, _s._ _In ornithology_, are feathers which take their rise
from the shoulders, and cover the sides of the back.
SCAR, _s._ A mark made by hurt or fire, a cicatrix.
SCAR, _v._ To mark as with a sore or wound.
SCARFSKIN, _s._ The cuticle; the epidermis.
SCARIFICATION, _s._ Incision of the skin with a lancet, or such like
instrument.
SCARLET, _a._ Of the colour of scarlet.
SCATE, _s._ A kind of wooden shoe on which people slide; a fish of
the species of thornback. Scates are exceedingly abundant on the
Irish coasts: they are a coarse fish, and little valued.
SCATE, _v._ To slide on scates.
SCATING, _a._ The art of sliding.