The pintado-bird
is as big as a duck; but appears, as it flies, about the bigness of a
tame pigeon, having a short tail, but the wings very long, as most
sea-fowls have; especially such as these that fly far from the shore, and
seldom come nigh it; for their resting is sitting afloat upon the water;
but they lay, I suppose, ashore. There are three sorts of these birds,
all of the same make and bigness, and are only different in colour. The
first is black all over: the second sort are grey, with white bellies and
breasts. The third sort, which is the true pintado, or painted-bird, is
curiously spotted white and black. Their heads and the tips of their
wings and tails are black for about an inch; and their wings are also
edged quite round with such a small black list; only within the black on
the tip of their wings there is a white spot seeming as they fly (for
then their spots are best seen) as big as a half-crown. All this is on
the outside of the tails and wings; and, as there is a white spot in the
black tip of the wings, so there is in the middle of the wings which is
white, a black spot; but this, towards the back of the bird, turns
gradually to a dark grey.
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