GREAT BUSTARD.
• L'Outarde, Buff. , and • Otis ^* tarda, All the Naturaliſts. 

WHEN we undertake to clear up the hiſ⯑tory of an animal, our firſt buſineſs is to examine, with a critical eye, the various names which it has received in different lan⯑guages, and at different times; and to endeavour, as much as poſſible, to diſtinguiſh the ſeveral ſpe⯑cies to which theſe have been applied. This is the only way of reaping benefit from the know⯑ledge acquired by the ancients, and of con⯑necting it uſefully with the diſcoveries of the moderns; and conſequently, the only way of [2] making real progreſs in Natural Hiſtory. For how could, I ſhall not ſay one man, but a whole generation, or even a ſucceſſion of generations, complete the hiſtory of a ſingle animal? Al⯑moſt all animals fear man and fly from him. The character of ſupremacy, which the Moſt High has ſtamped on his brow, inſpires them with terror rather than reſpect. They ſhrink from his eye; they ſuſpect his ſnares, and they dread his arms. Even thoſe that are able to defend themſelves by their ſtrength, or reſiſt an attack by their bulk, retire in⯑to deſerts for which we diſdain to contend, or entrench in the faſtneſſes of impenetrable foreſts. The ſmall animals, ſecure in eſcaping our vigilance by their diminutive ſize, and em⯑boldened by their weakneſs itſelf, live in the midſt of us, in ſpite of our endeavours to extir⯑pate them, feed at our expence, and ſometimes even prey on our own ſubſtance, though not on that account better known. Among the great number of intermediate claſſes included between theſe two extremes, ſome dig for themſelves ſubterraneous retreats, ſome plunge into the depths of the ocean, others diſappear in the aërial expanſe, but all of them fly from the tyrant of Nature. How then is it poſſible, in a ſhort ſpace of time to view all the animals in all the ſituations neceſſary for diſcovering com⯑pletely their inſtincts, their diſpoſitions, their habits, and in a word, the principal facts of [3] their hiſtory. It is well to collect at great ex⯑pence numerous ſeries of theſe animals, to pre⯑ſerve carefully their external coat, to add their ſkeletons artfully combined, to give each indi⯑vidual its proper attitude and native air, but all this only repreſents the ſurface of nature dead and inanimate. If ſome monarch would adopt the truly grand idea, of contributing to the ad⯑vancement of this beautiful part of ſcience, by forming vaſt collections, and aſſembling, under the eyes of obſervers, a great number of living ſpecies, we ſhould ſtill acquire but imperfect ideas. Moſt animals, intimidated by the pre⯑ſence of man, teaſed with his obſervations, and further tormented by the uneaſineſs inſeparable from captivity, would exhibit manners that are altered, conſtrained, and hardly worthy the at⯑tention of a philoſopher, who admires Nature only when free, independent, or even wild.

To ſtudy animals with accuracy then, we ought to obſerve them in the ſavage ſtate, to ac⯑company them into the retreats which they have choſen for themſelves, to follow them into the deep caverns, to attend them on the frightful precipices, where they enjoy unbounded liberty. Nor ſhould we be perceived by them while we contemplate their habits; for the eye of an obſerver, if not concealed from their view, would, in ſome mea⯑ſure, diſconcert their motions. But there are few animals, eſpecially of the winged tribe, that [4] can be thus ſurveyed: it requires a ſucceſſion of ages, and innumerable fortunate occurrences, to aſcertain all the neceſſary facts; and it needs the cloſeſt attention to refer each obſervation to its proper ſubject, and conſequently to avoid the confuſion of names. Without theſe precautions the moſt profound ignorance ſhould be preferred to a pretended ſcience, which at bottom is but a web of uncertainty and error. The Great Buſ⯑tard is a ſtriking inſtance. The Greeks named it Otis; and Ariſtotle mentions it by this name in three places^*; and his deſcription perfectly agrees with our Great Buſtard. But the Latins, deceived probably by the reſemblance of the words, confounded it with otus, which is a noc⯑turnal bird. Pliny, after properly ſaying that the bird named otis by the Greeks, is called avis tarda in Spain, which character applies to the Great Buſtard, ſubjoins, that its fleſh has a rank taſte^†, which agrees with the otus, ac⯑cording to Ariſtotle and to fact, but has no reference to the Great Buſtard; and this miſ⯑take can be the more eaſily ſuppoſed, ſince [5] Pliny, in the following chapter, evidently con⯑founds the otis with the otus; that is, the Great Buſtard with the Eared Owl.

Alexander the Myndian, as quoted by Athe⯑naeus^*, falls into the ſame error, aſcribing to the otus or otis, which he takes for the ſame individual bird, the circumſtance of having hairy feet; which is true of the otus, or eared owl; in which, as in moſt of the nocturnal birds, the legs and feet are covered with hair, or rather clothed to the nails with feathers, that are parted into threads; and not to the otis, which is our Great Buſtard; and in which, not only the foot, but the lower part of the leg, immediately over the tarſus, is quite bare.

Sigiſmundus Gelenius, having found in Heſy⯑chius the name of [...], the meaning of which was not aſcertained, has beſtowed it, from mere fancy, on the Great Buſtard^†; and ſince his time, Maehring and Briſſon have, without aſſigning their reaſons, applied it to the Dodo.

The modern Jews have arbitrarily taken the Hebrew word anapha, which denoted a kind of kite, to ſignify the Great Buſtard^‡.

Briſſon gives the word [...] for the Greek name of the Great Buſtard, according to Belon; but afterwards adopts [...] from Aldrovandus. He does not advert that [...] is the accuſative [6] of [...], and conſequently is the ſame individual name. It is juſt as if he had ſaid, that ſome call it tarda, and others tardam.

Schwenckfeld pretends that the tetrix, noticed by Ariſtotle^*, and which was the ourax of the Athenians, is alſo our Great Buſtard. But what little Ariſtotle mentions with reſpect to the te⯑trix, does not apply to the Great Buſtard. The tetrix builds its neſt among low plants, and the Great Buſtard among growing corn; which Ariſtotle probably did not mean to include in the general expreſſion, "low plants." Secondly, This great philoſopher explains himſelf in this manner: ‘The birds which fly little, as the partridges and quails, do not conſtruct neſts, but lay their eggs on the ground, on ſmall heaps of leaves which they gather; the lark and tetrix do the ſame.’ The leaſt attention to this paſſage will convince us, that it alludes to thoſe tardy birds which fly little; and that the lark and tetrix are mentioned, becauſe they neſtle on the ground like theſe, though apparently more agile, ſince the lark is of the number. If Ariſtotle had meant our Great Buſtard by the name tetrix, he would certainly have ranged it as a ſluggiſh bird with the partridges and quails, and not with the larks, which, from their lofty flight, have merited, according to Schwenckfeld himſelf, the epithet of coelipetes.

[7] Longolius^* and Geſner^† are both of opi⯑nion, that the tetrax of the poet Nemeſianus is nothing but the Great Buſtard; and it muſt be allowed that theſe nearly reſemble each other in ſize^‡ and in plumage^§. But theſe analogies are not ſufficient to fix the identity of the ſpe⯑cies; and the leſs ſo, as I find, by comparing what Nemeſianus relates of his tetrax, with what we know of our Great Buſtard, two diſ⯑tinct differences: 1. The tetrax appears tame from ſtupidity, and heedleſsly falls into the very ſnare which has been laid for it^‖; but the Great Buſtard is intimidated at the approach of man, and quickly flies out of his view^¶. 2. The tetrax built its neſt at the foot of the Apennines; whereas Aldrovandus, who was an Italian, aſſures us poſitively, that the Great Buſ⯑tards are never ſeen in Italy, except when they are driven thither by a guſt of wind^**. It is [8] true, indeed, that Willoughby ſuſpects they are not rare in that country; becauſe, when he paſſed through Modena, he ſaw one in the mar⯑ket. But I ſhould conceive that a ſingle Great Buſtard brought to market in ſuch a city as Mo⯑dena, agrees better with the aſſertion of Aldro⯑vandus than with the conjecture of Willoughby.

Perrault imputes to Ariſtotle the ſtory that the otis of Scythia does not ſit on its eggs like other birds, but covers them with a hare's or fox's ſkin, concealing them at the root of a tree, on whoſe top it is perched. Yet Ariſtotle does not apply this at all to the Great Buſtard, but only to a certain Scythian bird, probably a bird of prey, which could tear off the ſkins of hares and foxes, and which was only of the ſize of a Buſtard, as Pliny and Gaza^* tranſlate it; beſides, however little Ariſtotle was acquainted with the Buſtard, he could not fail to know that it never perches.

The compounded name trapp-gantz, which the Germans have beſtowed on this bird, has given riſe to other miſtakes. Trappen ſignifies to walk; and cuſtom has connected to its derivatives the acceſſory idea of tardineſs, in the ſame manner as in the caſe of the Latin word gradatim and the Italian andante; and hence the epithet trapp can, with propriety, be applied to the Buſtard, which, when not purſued, walks ſlow⯑ly [9] and heavily. The application would ſtill be juſt, though we did not affix the notion of ſlug⯑giſhneſs; ſince to deſcribe a bird with the habit of walking, contains an implication that it ſeldom flies.

With reſpect to the word gantz, it may admit of a double acceptation. Here it ought perhaps to be written, as I have done, with a final z; and then it ſignifies much, and marks the ſuper⯑lative: but if it be written gans with an s, it means a gooſe. Some authors, taking the word in the laſt ſenſe, have tranſlated it by the Latin anſer trappus, and miſled by this interpretation, have alleged that the Great Buſtard is an aqua⯑tic bird which delights in marſhes^*. Aldro⯑vandus himſelf, though informed by a Dutch phy⯑ſician of the ambiguity of the word, and though inclined to give it the ſame meaning that I do, has yet made Belon ſay, in his Latin tranſlation of the paſſage, that the Great Buſtard is fond of wet ſituations; and yet that naturaliſt affirms di⯑rectly the contrary^†. This error has produced another; and they have applied the name of Great Buſtard to a bird that is really aquatic, to the black and white gooſe which is found in Canada, [10] and in ſeveral parts of North America^*. It was undoubtedly from the ſame miſtake, that Geſner received the figure of a palmipede bird from Scotland by the name of Guſtard, which is in that country the real name of Great Buſtard^†, and which Geſner derives from tarde, ſlow, and guſs or gooſe, which has the ſame ſignification in Dutch and Engliſh. Here then is a bird which is entirely confined to the land, converted into an aquatic bird; and this ſtrange metamor⯑phoſis has been occaſioned by the equivocal meaning of words alone. Thoſe who have ven⯑tured to juſtify or palliate the name of anſer trap⯑pus, or trapp gans, have been obliged to ſay, ſome of them, that theſe fly in flocks like the geeſe^‡; others, that they are of the ſame ſize^‖; as if theſe circumſtances were ſufficient to diſcriminate a ſpecies. For the ſame reaſon, the vultures and wood-grous might be claſſed together. But I need not inſiſt on an abſurdity; I haſten to cloſe this liſt of errors and this criticiſm, which may already be conſidered as rather tedious, though I am convinced that it is neceſſary.

Belon pretends that the tetras alter of Pliny^§ was the Great Buſtard; but there is no founda⯑tion for this opinion, ſince Pliny mentions the [11] avis tarda in the ſame place. It is true, that Belon, ſupporting this error by another, aſſerts, that the avis tarda of the Spaniards and the otis of the Greeks mean the owl. But he ought to have prov⯑ed: 1. That the Great Buſtard inhabits lofty moun⯑tains, as Pliny affirms of the tetras alter, (gignunt eos Alpes,) which contradicts the aſſertions of all the naturaliſts with reſpect to this bird, ex⯑cept Barrere^*. 2. That the owl, and not the Great Buſtard, has really been known in Spain by the name of avis tarda, and in Greek by that of otis; but this is totally inadmiſſible, as it is contrary to the teſtimony of almoſt all writers. What may have deceived Belon is, that Pliny mentions his ſecond tetras as one of the largeſt birds after the oſtrich, which, according to Be⯑lon, is true only of the Great Buſtard. But we ſhall find in the ſequel, that the wood grous ſome⯑times exceeds in bulk the Great Buſtard; and ſince Pliny ſubjoins, that the fleſh of this avis tarda has a rank taſte, which correſponds much better with the otus, the long-eared owl, than with the otis, the Great Buſtard, Belon ſhould have ſuſpected that the naturaliſt confounds here the otis with the otus, as I have before remarked; and that he aſcribes to the ſame ſpecies the qua⯑lities of two ſpecies widely different from each [12] other, though expreſſed in his compilation by nearly ſimilar names; but he was not entitled to conclude that the avis tarda was really the long-eared owl.

The ſame Belon would believe, that his aedic⯑nemus was an oſtardeau, or ſtone-curlew; and in⯑deed this bird has only three toes, all of them an⯑terior, like the Great Buſtard; but its bill is widely different, the tarſus thicker, the neck ſhorter, and it ſeems to have more analogy to the plover than to the Great Buſtard. But we ſhall after⯑wards conſider this ſubject more fully.

Finally, We may obſerve that ſome authors, deceived probably by the reſemblance of words, have confounded the name ſtarda, which in Ita⯑lian ſignifies a buſtard, with the name ſtarna, which in the ſame language ſignifies a par⯑tridge.

From theſe diſcuſſions we may conclude, that the otis of the Greeks, and not otus, is our Great Buſtard; that the name [...] has been applied to it from inattention, as it has afterwards been to the dodo; that that of anapha, given by the modern Jews, belonged formerly to the kite; that the avis tarda of Pliny, or rather of the Spaniards in the time of Pliny, was ſo called on account of its ſlowneſs, and not as Nyphus would have it, becauſe it was late before it was known at Rome (tardus); that it is neither the tetrix of Ariſtotle, nor the tetrax of the poet Neme⯑ſianus, nor the Scythian bird mentioned by [13] Ariſtotle in his Hiſtory of Animals, nor the tetras⯑alter of Pliny, nor an aquatic bird; and laſtly, that it is the ſtarda, and not the ſtarna, of the Italians^*.

To perceive the importance of this inveſtiga⯑tion, we need only figure in our imaginations the ſtrange and ridiculous idea which a beginner would form of the Great Buſtard, who had col⯑lected indiſcriminately and with blind confidence all that has been aſcribed to this bird by authors, or rather to the different names by which it is [14] diſtinguiſhed in their works: at one time a diur⯑nal bird, at another a nocturnal; ſometimes an inhabitant of the mountains, at other times an inhabitant of the plains; ſometimes a native of Europe, at other times a native of America; now a land bird, then an aquatic one; ſome⯑times granivorous, at other times carnivorous; ſometimes extremely large, at other times very ſmall: in a word, a monſter and a chimaera. But, to diſcriminate the true qualities, it is neceſſary, as we have done, to draw a critical compariſon between the deſcriptions of former naturaliſts.

But we have dwelt long enough on words; it is now time to proceed to things. Geſner exults in being the firſt who perceived that the Great Buſtard might be referred to the gallinaceous claſs. It is true indeed, that it reſembles this claſs in its bill and its weight; but it differs in its thick⯑neſs; in its legs, which have three toes; in the ſhape of its tail; in the lower part of its legs be⯑ing naked; in the great aperture of its ears; in the beards of feathers which hang under its chin, in place of thoſe fleſhy membranes with which the gallinaceous tribes are furniſhed; not to men⯑tion the difference of the internal ſtructure.

Aldrovandus is not more fortunate in his con⯑jectures, when he takes the frugivorous eagle, mentioned by Aelian^*, for a Buſtard, becauſe of [15] its ſize: as if the attribute of magnitude were alone ſufficient to conſtitute the idea of an eagle. It appears to me much more probable, that Aelian⯑meant the great vulture, which is a bird of prey, as well as the eagle, and even ſtronger than the common eagle, and which feeds on grain in caſes of neceſſity. I opened one of theſe birds which had been wounded by a ſhot, and which had paſſed ſeveral days in fields of growing corn, and I found nothing in the ſtomach but a green liquor, which was evidently half-digeſted herb⯑age.

We can more eaſily trace the characters of the Great Buſtard in the tetrax of Athenaeus, which is larger than the biggeſt cocks, (and we know that ſome of theſe are of a prodigious ſize in Aſia,) has only three toes on the feet, has beards hang⯑ing on each ſide of the bill, a mailed plumage, a deep cry, and whoſe fleſh has the taſte like that of the oſtrich, which reſembles the Great Buſtard in many other reſpects^*. But this tetrax can⯑not be the Great Buſtard, ſince, according to Athenaeus, it is a bird nowhere mentioned in the writings of Ariſtotle; whereas this philoſopher ſpeaks of the Great Buſtard in ſeveral places.

We might alſo ſuſpect with Perrault, that thoſe partridges of India mentioned by Strabo as equal to the gooſe in ſize, are a ſpecies of Buſtards. [16] The male is diſtinguiſhed from the female by the colours of its plumage, which are differently diſtributed and more vivid; by thoſe beards of feathers which hang from both ſides of the neck, which it is ſurpriſing that Perrault has not men⯑tioned, and with which Albin has improperly ornamented the figure of the male; by its ſize, which is almoſt double that of the female, a greater diſproportion than has been remarked in any other ſpecies.

Belon, and ſome others who were not acquaint⯑ed with the caſſowary, the touyon, the dodo, or perhaps the great vulture, conſidered the Great Buſtard as a bird of the ſecond magnitude, and as the largeſt next to the oſtrich. But the peli⯑lican, which was not known to them, is much larger, according to Perrault. Perhaps, however, Belon only ſaw a large Buſtard and a ſmall pelican; and in that caſe, his miſtake will be the ſame with that of many others, the aſſerting with reſpect to ſpecies, what is true but of an indi⯑vidual.

Edwards accuſes Willoughby of being groſsly deceived, and of drawing Albin, who copied him, into the ſame error, in aſſerting that the Great Buſtard is ſixty inches in length, from the point of the bill to the end of the tail. In fact, thoſe which I have meaſured were only three feet and a half; and ſuch was that of Briſſon. The one examined by Edwards, was three feet and a half long, or three feet nine inches from the point [17] of the bill to the extremity of the tail. In the Britiſh Zoology, it is ſtated at four Engliſh feet. The expanſion of the wings varies more than one half in different ſubjects. It is reckoned ſeven feet four inches by Edwards, nine feet by the authors of the Britiſh Zoology, and four French feet by Perrault, who declares that he never ex⯑amined the males, which are always larger than the females.

The weight of this bird admits of conſiderable variations; ſome are only ten pounds, others twenty-ſeven or even thirty. But it alſo varies in its proportions; and the individuals of the ſpecies ſeem not all formed after the ſame model. Per⯑rault obſerved ſome whoſe neck was longer, and others where it was ſhorter, than the legs; ſome whoſe bill was more pointed, others whoſe ears were ſhaded with longer feathers; and all of them had a much longer neck and legs than thoſe examined by Geſner and Aldrovandus. In the ſubjects deſcribed by Edwards, there were on each ſide of the neck two naked ſpots, of a violet colour, but which appeared covered with fea⯑thers, when the neck was much extended; a circumſtance that has been remarked by no other obſervers. Finally, Klein mentions that the Great Buſtards in Poland are not exactly like to thoſe in France and in England; and indeed we find, by comparing the deſcriptions, ſome dif⯑ferences in the colours of the plumage, in the bill, &c.

[18] In general, the Great Buſtard is diſtinguiſhed from the oſtrich, the caſſowary, the touyon, and the dodo, by the circumſtance, that its wings, though little proportioned to its maſs, are yet able to raiſe it from the ground, and ſupport it for ſome time in the air; whereas theſe four birds are totally incapable of flying. It is alſo diſcriminated from all the others by its ſize; its feet, which are furniſhed with three toes, that are parted and without membranes; its bill re⯑fembling that of the dodo; its roſe-coloured down, and the nakedneſs of the lower part of the feet; not indeed by any one of theſe cha⯑racters, but by the conjunction of them all.

The wing conſiſts of twenty-ſix quills, ac⯑cording to Briſſon; and of thirty-two or thirty⯑three, according to Edwards, who perhaps in⯑cludes thoſe of the falſe wing. The only thing I have to remark on theſe quills, and which can hardly be perceived from the inſpecting of the figure, is that, at the third, fourth, fifth, and ſixth feathers of each wing, the exterior webs become at once ſhorter, and conſequently theſe quills are narrower, where they project from un⯑der the coverts.

The quills of the tail amount to twenty, and the two middle ones differ from all the reſt.

Perrault^* imputes to Belon the aſſerting that the upper part of the wings of the Great Buſtard [19] is white, contrary to the obſervations of the aca⯑demicians, and to what is commonly remarked in theſe birds, in which there is more white on the belly and the under part of the body, and more brown and other colours on the back and wings. But I am inclined to think, that Belon may be eaſily juſtified on this head; for he ſays exactly what the academicians do, that the Great Buſtard is white under the belly and below the wings; and when he deſcribes the upper part of the wings as black, he undoubtedly means thoſe quills of the wing which are next the body, and which are really over the wing when it is cloſed and the bird in an erect poſture. But in this ſenſe the aſſertion is true, and conformable to the deſcription of Edwards, where the twenty⯑ſixth quill, and thoſe that follow, incluſive to the thirtieth, are perfectly white.

Perrault has made a more accurate obſervation. It is, that ſome feathers of the Great Buſtard are covered with down, not only at their baſe, but even at their extremity; ſo that the middle of the feather, which conſiſts of cloſe connected webs, is ſituated between two parts, where there is no down. But what is very remarkable, the down at the origin of all theſe feathers, except the quills at the end of the wing, is of a bright red, approaching to roſe colour, which is a character common to the Great and the Small Buſtard. The end of the quill is alſo of the ſame colour.

[20] The foot, or rather the tarſus, and the lower part of the foot, which articulates with the tar⯑ſus, are covered with very ſmall ſcales, thoſe of the toes being long narrow tablets; they are all of a grey colour, and ſheathed with a cuticle, which it caſts like the ſlough of a ſerpent.

The nails are ſhort and convex, both above and below, like thoſe of the eagle, termed Ha⯑liaetos by Belon; ſo that a ſection perpendicular to their axis, would be nearly circular.

Salerne was miſtaken, in aſſerting, that the Great Buſtard, on the contrary, had nails con⯑cave below.

Under the feet, we can perceive behind a callous prominence, which ſerves inſtead of a heel^*.

The breaſt is thick and round^†; the width of the aperture of the ears is probably ſubject to variations; for Belon found, that it was larger in the Great Buſtard than in any other land bird^‡, while the academicians could perceive nothing unuſual. Theſe apertures are concealed under the feathers; and internally we diſcover two ducts, one of which may be traced into the bill, and the other leads to the brain.

In the palate and the lower part of the bill, there are ſituated, under the membrane that co⯑vers [21] theſe parts, ſeveral glands which open into the cavity of the bill by very diſtinct mouths^*.

The tongue is fleſhy without; and within it is furniſhed with a cartilaginous nut, fixed to the os hyoïdes, as in moſt birds; its ſides are beſet with points, that conſiſt of a ſubſtance interme⯑diate between membrane and cartilage. The tongue is hard, and terminates in a point; but is not forked, as alleged by Linnaeus, who, with others, has undoubtedly been miſled by a wrong punctuation in Aldrovandus^†.

Under the tongue, appears a kind of ſac, con⯑taining about ſeven Engliſh pints, and which Dr. Douglas, who firſt diſcovered it, ſuppoſes to be a reſervoir, which the bird fills with water, to ſerve as a ſupply, while it wanders in the midſt of thoſe vaſt and parched plains which it naturally pre⯑fers. But this ſingular reſervoir is peculiar to the male^‡, and I ſuſpect has given riſe to a miſtake of Ariſtotle's. That great naturaliſt aſ⯑ſerts, that the oeſophagus of the Great Buſtard is wide through its whole length^‖; but the moderns, and particularly the academicians, have obſerved, [22] that it enlarges only as it approaches the gizzard^*. Both theſe aſſertions, which ſeem to be contra⯑dictory, may yet be reconciled, if we ſuppoſe that Ariſtotle, or the obſervers who were em⯑ployed to collect the facts for the compoſition of his Hiſtory of Animals, had miſtaken for the oeſophagus that bag, or reſervoir, which is really very broad through its whole extent.

The true oeſophagus, where it expands, is be⯑ſet with glands regularly arranged. The gizzard, which comes next, (for there is no craw,) is about four inches long and three inches broad: it is as hard as that of ordinary hens; which is not owing, as in theſe, to the thickneſs of the fleſhy part, which is here very thin, but to the internal membrane, which is extremely hard and thick, and folded and interwoven in various di⯑rections, ſo as to increaſe much the bulk of the gizzard.

This internal membrane appears not to be con⯑tinuous, but only connected cloſely to that of the oeſophagus. Further, this is white, while the internal membrane of the gizzard is yellow like gold^†.

The length of the inteſtines is about four feet, excluſive of the caecum; the internal coat of the ileon is ſtriped with longitudinal folds, and mark⯑ed at its end with ſome tranſverſe wrinkles^‡.

[23] The two caeca take their riſe about ſeven inches from the anus, and ſtretch forwards. Ac⯑cording to Geſner, they are unequal in all their dimenſions; the narroweſt is the longeſt, and bears to the others the ratio of ſix to five. Per⯑rault ſays only, that the right one, which mea⯑ſures about a foot, is a little longer than the left.

Near an inch from the anus, the inteſtine contracts and then expands, forming a bag, which could admit an egg, and into which are inſerted the ureters and the vas deferens. This inteſtinal bag, called Fabricius's purſe^*, has alſo its caecum, two inches long and three inches broad; and the hole by which they communi⯑cate is covered by a fold of the internal mem⯑brane, which ſerves for a valve^†.

It follows from theſe obſervations, that the Great Buſtard, far from having ſeveral ſto⯑machs, and a great extent of inteſtines, like the ruminating animals, has, on the contrary, a very ſhort and narrow alimentary canal, and which is furniſhed with only a ſingle ventricle. The opinion of thoſe, therefore, who pretend that this bird ruminates, would be refuted by this circumſtance alone^‡. Nor can we believe with Albert, that the Great Buſtard is carnivorous, that it feeds on dead bodies, and even wages [24] war againſt the feeble kinds of game; and that it never eats herbage or grain but in caſes of extreme want: far leſs ought we to conclude from theſe ſuppoſitions, that the bill and claws are hooked. Theſe errors, collected by Albert from a paſſage of Ariſtotle which is miſunder⯑ſtood, have been admitted by Geſner, with ſome modifications, but rejected by all the other na⯑turaliſts^*.

The Great Buſtard is a granivorous bird; it lives on herbs, grain, and every kind of ſeed; on the leaves of coleworts, of dandelions, of turnips, of mouſe-ear, of vetches, of ſmallage, of carrots, and even on hay, and on thoſe large worms which, during the ſummer, ſwarm be⯑fore ſun-riſe on downs. In the depth of winter, and when the ground is covered with ſnow, they feed on the bark of trees; and at all times, they ſwallow ſmall ſtones, or even bits of metal, like the oſtrich. The academicians, on open⯑ing the ſtomach of one of the Great Buſtards which they obſerved, found it filled partly with ſtones, ſome of which were of the ſize of a nut, and partly with doubloons, to the number of ninety, all worn and poliſhed where they were expoſed to the attrition, but without the leaſt appearance of eroſion.

Willoughby found in the ſtomach of theſe birds, which were killed in the harveſt ſeaſon, [25] three or four grains of barley, with a large quantity of hemlock ſeed; which indicates a decided preference, and ſhews that theſe ſeeds would make the beſt bait for enſnaring them.

The liver is very large; the gall-bladder, the pancreas, the number of pancreatic ducts, their inſertion, and that of the hepatic and cyſtic ducts, are liable to ſome variation in different ſubjects.

The teſticles are ſhaped like a ſmall white al⯑mond, and pretty firm; the vas deferens is in⯑ſerted in the lower part of the ſac of the rectum, as I have already mentioned; and, on the upper margin of the anus, we find a ſmall appendix, which ſupplies the place of a yard.

To theſe anatomical obſervations, Perrault adds this remark: That among all the ſubjects diſſected by the academicians, not a ſingle fe⯑male occurred; but we have already anticipated, at the article of the oſtrich, what reflections we ſhould here make.

In the pairing ſeaſon, the male ſtruts round the female, and ſpreads his tail into a ſort of wheel^*.

The eggs are not ſo large as thoſe of a gooſe; they are of a pale olive brown, ſprinkled with ſmall dark ſpots, in which reſpect their colour bears a great reſemblance to that of the plu⯑mage.

[26] This bird does not build any neſt, but only ſcrapes a hole in the ground^*, and drops into it two eggs, which it hatches for thirty days, as uſual with large birds, according to Ariſtotle^†. When the anxious mother dreads the viſits of the ſportſmen, ſhe takes her eggs under her wings, (it is not deſcribed how,) and tranſports them to a ſafe place^‡. She commonly chooſes fields of corn in the ear, from an inſtinct which prompts all animals to bring forth their young in ſitua⯑tions that ſupply the proper food. Klein pre⯑tends, that ſhe prefers oats as having the ſhorteſt ſtalks, and that while ſhe ſits on her eggs, her head is ſo elevated as to glance along the plain and notice what is going forward. But this aſſertion agrees neither with the general opinion of naturaliſts, nor with the inſtinct of the Great Buſtard, which, as it is wild and timid, muſt ſeek for ſafety rather by concealing itſelf in tall corn, than by over-topping it, in or⯑der to obſerve the ſportſmen at a diſtance, and incur the danger of being itſelf diſcovered.

She ſometimes leaves her eggs in queſt of food, and if, during her ſhort abſence, one handle or even breathe on them, it is ſaid that ſhe perceives it on her return, and abandons them.

The Great Buſtard, though a very large bird, is exceſſively timorous, and ſeems neither [27] conſcious of its ſtrength, nor animated by the proper ſpirit of exerting it. Sometimes they aſſemble, to the number of fifty or ſixty; but they gain as little confidence from their multi⯑tude, as from their ſtrength or their ſize; the ſlighteſt appearance of danger, or rather the leaſt novelty, alarms them; and they can hardly pro⯑vide for their ſafety, but by flight. Dogs they dread moſt, eſpecially as theſe are generally uſed to hunt them; but they are alſo afraid of the fox, the pole-cat, and every other animal, however ſmall, which has courage to attack them. They ſhrink from the ſierce animals, and even the birds of prey. So daſtardly they are, that, though only ſlightly hurt, they die through fear, rather than from the effect of their wounds^*. Yet Klein aſſerts that they are ſometimes irritated, and inflate a looſe ſkin, which hangs below the neck. If we believe the ancients, the Great Buſtard has no leſs affection to the horſe, than antipathy to the dog^†. As ſoon as the timorous bird perceives that noble animal, it flies to meet him, and generally places itſelf under his feet^‡. If we admit this ſym⯑pathy between ſuch different animals, we might explain the fact, by ſaying, that the Great Buſ⯑tard finds in horſe-dung ſome grains that are half-digeſted, and which prove a reſource when preſſed by hunger.

[28] When it is hunted it runs exceedingly faſt, and ſometimes proceeds ſeveral miles without the leaſt interruption^*. But as it with diffi⯑culty takes wing, and never unleſs aſſiſted carried by a favourable wind, and as it can⯑not perch on account of its weight, or by rea⯑ſon of the want of a hind toe, with which it might cling on a branch and ſupport itſelf; we may admit, on the teſtimony of both the an⯑cients and moderns^†, that it can be caught by grey-hounds. It is alſo chaſed by a bird of prey^‡; or nets are ſpread, into which it will be decoyed by leading out a horſe, or by merely diſguiſing one's ſelf in a horſe's ſkin^§. Every kind of ſnare, how artleſs ſoever, muſt ſucceed, if it is true, as Aelian affirms, that in the kingdom of Pontus, the foxes attract them by lying on the ground, raiſing their tail, and moving it like the neck of a bird; the Buſtards, he ſays, miſtake this object for one of their own ſpecies, advance to it without heſitation, and become the prey of the inſidious animal. But this implies much ſubtlety in the fox, much ſtupidity in the Buſtard, and perhaps more credulity in the writer.

I have already mentioned, that theſe birds ſometimes flock together, to the number of fifty or ſixty: this happens in Great Britain, eſpe⯑cially [29] in autumn; they ſpread over the turnip⯑fields and commit great havock^*. In France, they are obſerved to arrive and retire regularly in the ſpring and autumn, but in ſmaller flocks; and they ſeldom halt, except on the moſt ele⯑vated ſpots. They have alſo been remarked on their paſſage through Burgundy, Champagne, and Lorraine.

The Great Buſtard is found in Lybia, near Alexandria, according to Plutarch^†; in Syria, in Greece, in Spain, in France, in the plains of Poitou and Champagne^‡; in the open coun⯑tries ſituated on the eaſt and ſouth of Great Britain, from Dorſetſhire to the Mers and Lo⯑thians in Scotland^§; in the Netherlands and Germany^‖; in the Ukraine and Poland; where, according to Rzacynſki, it paſſes the winter in the midſt of the ſnow. The authors of the Britiſh Zoology affirm, that theſe birds ſeldom leave the place where they were bred, and that their greateſt excurſions never exceed twenty or thirty miles; but Aldrovandus aſſerts that, towards [30] the end of autumn, they arrive in flocks in Hol⯑land, and limit their haunts to the fields remote from cities and inhabited places. Linnaeus ſays, that they travel into Holland and England. Ariſtotle alſo mentions their migrations^*; but this point requires to be elucidated by more ac⯑curate obſervations.

Aldrovandus accuſes Geſner of a kind of con⯑tradiction on this ſubject; that he affirms, that the Great Buſtard migrates with the quails^†, though he had mentioned before that they never leave Switzerland, and are ſome⯑times caught in that country during winter^‡. But theſe aſſertions may be reconciled, if we admit, with the authors of the Britiſh Zoology, that this bird only flits. Beſides, thoſe found in Switzerland are few and ſtraggling, and ſuch as by no means repreſent the ſpecies; and is there any proof that thoſe which are ſometimes caught at Zurich in the winter, are the ſame individuals that lived in the country during the ſummer?

What appears moſt certain is, that the Great Buſtard is but rarely found in mountainous or populous countries; as in Switzerland, Tyrol, Italy, many provinces of Spain, France, Eng⯑land, [31] and Germany; and that when it does occur, this happens generally in the winter^*. But though it can live in cold countries, and, according to ſome authors, is a bird of paſſage, it would ſeem that it has never migrated into America by the north; for though the accounts of travellers are filled with Buſtards found in the New Continent, it is eaſy to perceive that theſe pretended Buſtards are aquatic birds, as I have before remarked, and entirely dif⯑ferent from that which we at preſent conſider. Barrere mentions, indeed, in his Eſſay on Ornithology, a cinereous Buſtard of America, which he ſays he obſerved; but in the firſt place, it does not appear that he had ſeen it in America, ſince he takes no notice of it in his ac⯑count of Equinoctial France; in the ſecond place, he is the only one, except Klein, who ſpeaks of an American Buſtard; and that of Klein, the [32] macucagua of Marcgrave, has not the characters that belong to the genus, ſince there are four toes on each foot, and the lower part of the leg is feathered to its articulation with the tarſus; it wants the tail, and bears ſcarcely any relation to the Great Buſtard, unleſs that it is heavy, and never flies or perches. With reſpect to Barrere, his authority is not ſo great in natural hiſtory, that his teſtimony can outweigh that of all others. And, finally, his cinereous Ame⯑rican Buſtard is probably the female of the African Buſtard, which, according to Linnaeus^*, is of an aſh-colour.

It will be perhaps aſked, how a bird, which, though bulky, is furniſhed with wings, and ſometimes makes uſe of them, has never mi⯑grated into America by the ſtraits on the north, as many quadrupeds have done? I would anſwer, that though it flies, this is only when it is purſued; that it never makes a diſtant ex⯑curſion, and, according to the remark of Belon, has an averſion to water, and therefore could never venture to croſs the wide expanſe of the ocean; for, though the continents approach each other towards the north, the interval is ſtill prodigious, compared with the ſhort and tardy flight of the Buſtard.

The Great Buſtard may then be conſidered as a bird appropriated to the ancient continent, [33] but attached to no particular climate; it inhabits the burning ſands of Lybia, and the frozen ſhores of the Baltic, and occurs in all the inter⯑mediate countries.

Its fleſh is excellent. That of the young ones, after being kept a ſhort time, is remark⯑ably delicate; and if ſome writers have main⯑tained the contrary, this ariſes from their con⯑founding otis with otus, as I have before ob⯑ſerved. I know not why Hippocrates forbids perſons ſubject to the falling ſickneſs to taſte it. Pliny recommends the fat of the Buſtard to allay the pain in the breaſts after child-birth. The quills of this bird, like thoſe of the gooſe and the ſwan, are uſed for writing; and anglers are eager to fix them to their hooks, becauſe they believe that the little black ſpots with which they are mottled, will appear to the fiſh as ſo many little flies, and attract them by this deception. ^A

The LITTLE BUSTARD^*.
• La Petite Outarde, vulgairement La Canepeticre, Buff. , • Otis-tetrax, Linn. Gmel. Mull. and Bor. , • Otis Minor, Briſſ. Ray, and Will. , • Tarda Nana, Klein. , • Tetrax, Belon and Aldrov. , • Gallina pratojuola, Cet. , and • The French Field Duck, Albin. 

THIS bird is diſtinguiſhed from the Great Buſtard only by ſome variations in the co⯑lours of its plumage, and in being much ſmaller. Like the Great Buſtard, alſo, it has received the epithet of duck (cane), though it has no ana⯑logy to that aquatic bird, and is never found near ſtreams or marſhes. Belon pretends that this name has been applied, becauſe it ſquats on the ground as the ducks do in the water^†; and Salerne imagines that it is on account of its re⯑ſembling in ſome meaſure the wild duck, and flying in the ſame manner. But theſe etymo⯑logical conjectures are vague and uncertain; they reſt on a ſingle point of analogy, and are inconſiſtent with each other; and the name is therefore apt to convey a falſe idea. The epi⯑thet [35] which we have adopted is not liable to the ſame objections.

Belon ſuppoſes that this bird is the tetrax of Athenaeus; reſting his opinion on a paſſage of the ancient, where it is compared, in point of ſize, to the ſpermologus ^*, which he takes for the freux, a kind of large crow; but Aldrovandus affirms, on the contrary, that the ſpermologus is a ſpecies of ſparrow, and conſequently cannot ſignify the Little Buſtard: and Willoughby even aſſerts that this bird had no name among the ancients.

Aldrovandus too informs us, that the fiſhers at Rome gave the name of ſtella, for what rea⯑ſon he does not know, to a bird which at firſt he took for the Little Buſtard, but afterwards, on more minute inſpection, he diſcovered to be different. Yet, notwithſtanding this expreſs de⯑claration, Ray and Salerne ſay, that the Little Buſtard and the ſtella avis of Aldrovandus appear to be the ſame ſpecies, and Briſſon places it without heſitation among the ſynonyms; he ſeems even to allege that Charleton and Wil⯑loughby had the ſame idea, though theſe authors have been very attentive not to confound the [36] two kinds of birds, which it is moſt probable they had never ſeen^*. On the other hand, Barrere, claſſing it with the rail, beſtows on it the name of ortygometra melina, and gives it a fourth toe to each foot; ſo true is it, that the multiplicity of ſyſtems, without increaſing our real knowledge, only ſerves to give birth to new errors.

This bird is a real Buſtard, as I have ſaid, but formed on a ſmaller ſcale; and for this reaſon Klein terms it tarda nana, dwarf buſtard. Its length, from the point of the bill to the end of the nails, is eighteen inches, or it is leſs than half that of the Great Buſtard. This meaſure will ſerve as a ſtandard of compariſon, from which all the other dimenſions may be deduced; but we muſt not conclude with Ray, that its bulk is to that of the Great Buſtard as one to two; it is as the cubes of theſe numbers, or as one to eight. It is nearly the ſize of a pheaſant^†, and it has, like the Great Buſtard, only three toes on each foot. The lower part of its leg is naked, the bill is ſimilar to that of the gallinaceous tribe, [37] and there is a roſe-coloured down under all the feathers on the body; but it has two pennae fewer in the tail, one more in each of the wings; and when theſe are cloſed, the laſt ones ſtretch almoſt as far as the firſt, or thoſe moſt remote from the body. Further, the male has not thoſe beards of feathers as the male of the great ſpecies; and Klein adds, that its plumage is not ſo beautiful as that of the female, contrary to what is moſt uſually remarked in other birds. Excepting theſe ſlight differences, the two ſpecies are per⯑fectly analogous; they have the ſame ſhape, the ſame internal diſpoſition of parts, the ſame in⯑ſtincts, the ſame habits; and it would ſeem that the ſmall one was produced from the egg of the large, when it had not force ſufficient to effect a complete developement.

The male is diſtinguiſhed from the female by a double white collar, and by ſome other va⯑rieties in point of colour; but the plumage on the upper part of the body is almoſt the ſame in both ſexes, and, as Belon has remarked, is much leſs liable to vary in different individuals.

According to Salerne, they have a particular call in the love ſeaſon, which begins in May. It is the ſound, broo or proo, which they repeat the whole night, and are heard at a great diſtance. The males fight obſtinately, and contend for the dominion of a certain tract; one male takes a number of females under his protection, and the [38] place of their amours is trodden like a barn floor.

The female lays, in the month of June, three, four, or even five eggs, which are extremely beautiful, and of a ſhining green. When the young are hatched, ſhe leads them as a hen does her chickens. They begin to fly about the middle of Auguſt; and when they hear a noiſe, they lie flat on the ground, and ſuffer themſelves to be cruſhed, rather than ſtir from the ſpot^*.

The males are caught in ſnares, into which they are decoyed by a ſtuffed female, whoſe cry is imitated. They are often hunted by means of the falcon; but in general it is difficult to get near them, for they are always on the watch on ſome riſing ſpot in fields of oats; though never, it is ſaid, among thoſe of rye or wheat. To⯑wards the cloſe of the ſummer ſeaſon they pre⯑pare to quit the country, and are then obſerved to aſſemble in flocks, and the young ones are no longer diſtinguiſhable now from the old^†.

According to Belon, they feed like thoſe of the great ſpecies on herbs and grain, and alſo on ants, beetles, and ſmall flies; but Salerne main⯑tains that they live chiefly on inſects, and only [39] eat ſometimes in the ſpring the moſt tender leaves of the ſow-thiſtle.

The Little Buſtard is not diſperſed through ſo wide a range as the large ſpecies. Linnaeus ſays, that it is found in Europe, and particularly in France. This aſſertion is rather vague; ſince there are ſome extenſive countries in Europe, and even large provinces in France, where it is un⯑known. We may refer the climates of Sweden and Poland to the number of ſuch as are unfa⯑vourable to its nature; for Linnaeus takes no notice of it in his Fauna Suecica, nor Rzaczynzki in his Natural Hiſtory of Poland; and Klein ne⯑ver ſaw more than one at Dantzic, and it came from the menagerie of the Margrave of Ba⯑reith.

Nor can it be more common in Germany; ſince Friſch, who undertakes to deſcribe and figure the birds in that country, and who is minute on the ſubject of the Great Buſtard, never mentions a word of this ſpecies; and Scwenckfield never names it.

Geſner only inſerts its name in the liſt of thoſe birds which he had never ſeen; and what in⯑deed ſhews this is, that he ſuppoſes its feet are hairy as thoſe of Attagas, which affords a ſuſpicion that it is at leaſt very rare in Switzerland.

The authors of the Britiſh Zoology, whoſe view it was to take notice of no animal but what was Britiſh, or at leaſt of Britiſh origin, con⯑ceive, that they would not have conformed to [40] their plan, if they had deſcribed a Little Buſtard that was killed in Cornwall; but which they con⯑ſider as a ſtray bird, and by no means a native of Great Britain. So totally unknown is it in that country, that a ſpecimen being preſented to the Royal Society, none of the members then preſent could recogniſe it, and they were obliged to apply to Edwards to diſcover its ſpecies^*.

On the other hand, Belon informs us, that, in his time, neither the ambaſſadors from Venice, Ferrara, and the Pope's dominions, to whom he ſhewed one, nor any in their train, could decide what it was, and that ſome of them even took it for a pheaſant. From this circumſtance he pro⯑perly infers that it muſt be at leaſt very uncom⯑mon in Italy; and the concluſion is ſtill very probable, though Ray, in paſſing through Mo⯑dena, ſaw one in the market. We may there⯑fore reckon Poland, Sweden, Great Britain, Ger⯑many, Switzerland, and Italy, as countries where the Little Buſtard is not found. It is even likely that the range is confined with in narrower limits, and that France is the region peculiar to this bird, and the only climate ſuited to its nature; for the French naturaliſts deſcribe it the beſt, and all the others, except Klein, who ſaw one, mere⯑ly copy Belon. Nor muſt we conclude that the Little Buſtard is equally common in every part of France; there are large provinces in the King⯑dom where it is never ſeen. Salerne informs us, [41] that it is pretty common in Beauce (where it is only a bird of paſſage); that it arrives about the middle of April, and retires on the approach of winter: he ſubjoins, that it delights in poor ſtoney lands, and from this circumſtance it de⯑rives the epithet of canepetrace, or rock duck. It alſo occurs in Berri, where it receives a ſimilar name^*. It muſt be common in Maine and Nor⯑mandy; ſince Belon, judging of the other pro⯑vinces from theſe with which he was beſt ac⯑quainted, aſſerts, that there is not a peaſant in the country who does not know its name.

The Little Buſtard is naturally cunning and ſuſ⯑picious; inſomuch that it has given riſe to a proverb. When it is apprehenſive of danger, it immediately quits the ſpot, and, keeping cloſe to the ground, flies ſwiftly 200 or 300 paces forward, and then runs ſo faſt that a man can hardly overtake it^†.

The fleſh of the Little Buſtard is black, and is excellent food. Klein aſſures us, that the eggs of the female in his poſſeſſion were very palat⯑able, and that the fleſh was better than that of the female of the black grous.

Its internal ſtructure is nearly the ſame, ac⯑cording to Belon, as that of the common grani⯑vorous birds. ^A

FOREIGN BIRDS THAT ARE ANALOGOUS TO THE BUSTARDS.

The COCK.
• Le Coq, Buff. , and • Phaſianus Gallus ^*, Gmel. 

THIS bird, though a domeſtic, and the moſt common of all, is ſtill, perhaps, not ſuffi⯑ciently known. Moſt perſons, if we except the few who beſtow particular attention on the pro⯑ductions of Nature, need ſome information with reſpect to the peculiarities of its external form, and of its internal ſtructure; its habits, original and acquired; the differences occaſioned by ſex, climate, or food; and concerning the various races which ſooner or later have branched from the primitive ſtock.

The Cock is a heavy bird, whoſe gait is com⯑poſed and ſlow. His wings are very ſhort, and hence he flies ſeldom, and ſometimes his ſcreams indicate the violence of the effort. He crows either in the night or day, but not regularly at certain hours; and his note differs widely from that of the female. Some hens make a kind of crowing, though fainter and not ſo diſtinctly articulated. He ſcrapes the ground to ſeek his food, and ſwallows, with the grains, little peb⯑bles, which rather aſſiſt digeſtion. He drinks, by taking a little water into his bill, and raiſing his head at each draught. He ſleeps ofteneſt with one foot in the air^*, and his head covered by the wing on the ſame ſide. In its natural ſituation, the body is nearly parallel to the [57] ground, and ſo is the bill; the neck riſes verti⯑cally, the forehead is ornamented with a red fleſhy comb, and the under-part of the bill with a double pendant of the ſame colour and ſub⯑ſtance; this however is neither fleſh nor mem⯑brane, but of a peculiar nature, different from every thing elſe.

In both ſexes the noſtrils are ſituated on either ſide of the upper mandible, and the ears on either ſide of the head, and below each ear a white piece of ſkin is ſpread. The feet have commonly four toes, ſometimes five, but always three of them placed behind. The feathers riſe two and two from each ſhaft; a remarkable character, which has been noticed by few na⯑turaliſts. The tail is nearly ſtraight, but admits of a ſmall elevation and depreſſion. In thoſe gallinaceous tribes where it is ſingle, it con⯑ſiſts of fourteen feathers, which are parted into two unequal planes that join at their upper mar⯑gin, making an angle more or leſs acute. But what diſtinguiſhes the male is, that the two fea⯑thers in the middle of the tail are much longer than the reſt, and are bent into an arch; that the feathers of the tail and rump are long and narrow, and that the feet are armed with ſpurs. It is in⯑deed true, that ſome hens alſo have ſpurs, but this rarely occurs; and in ſuch hens there are many other points of reſemblance to the male; their comb and tail are arched the ſame way; they imitate the crowing of the cock, and would even [58] attempt to perform his office^*. But we ſhould be miſtaken, were we to infer that they are hermaphrodites; they are unfit for procreation, and averſe to the male embrace; we muſt re⯑gard them as imperfect degenerate individuals, wherein the ſexual character is obliterated.

A good Cock is one whoſe eyes ſparkle with fire, who has boldneſs in his demeanour, and freedom in his motions, and all whoſe proportions diſplay force. Such a bird would not indeed ſtrike terror into a lion, as has often been ſaid and written, but would command the love of the females, and place himſelf at the head of a numerous flock of hens. To ſpare him, he ought not to be allowed more than twelve or fifteen. Columella recommends that theſe ſhould not exceed five; but, though the Cock ſhould have fifty a-day, it is ſaid^† that he would not neglect one. Yet no one can be certain that all his embraces are efficatious, and ſuffici⯑ent to fecundate the eggs of the female. His luſt ſeems to be as fiery as his gratifications are frequent. In the morning, the firſt thing he does, after he is let out from his rooſt, is to tread his hens. Food ſeems to him only a ſe⯑condary want; and if he is deprived for ſome time of the company of his family, he makes his addreſſes to the firſt female that he meets, [59] though of a very different ſpecies^*, and even courts the firſt male that occurs. The firſt fact is mentioned by Ariſtotle; the ſecond is proved by an obſervation of Edwards^†; and by a law mentioned by Plutarch, in which it was enacted, that a Cock convicted of this unnatural act, ſhould be burnt alive^‡.

The hens muſt be ſelected for the Cock, if we would have a genuine race; but if we want to vary and improve the ſpecies, the breed muſt be croſſed. This obſervation did not eſcape the an⯑cients: Columella expreſsly mentions, that the beſt poultry is produced by the union of a Cock of a foreign family with the ordinary hens; and we find in Athenaeus, that this idea was im⯑proved, a cock-pheaſant being given to the com⯑mon hens^‖.

In every caſe we ought to chuſe thoſe hens which have a lively eye, a flowing red comb, and [60] have no ſpurs. The proportions of their body are in general more ſlender than the males; yet their feathers are broader, and their legs ſhorter. Sagacious farmers prefer black hens, becauſe they are more prolific than the white, and more eaſily eſcape the piercing ſight of the birds of rapine which hover near the farm-yard.

The Cock is extremely watchful of his fe⯑males, and even filled with inquietude and anxie⯑ty; he hardly ever loſes ſight of them; he leads them, defends them, and threatens them with his menaces; collects them together when they ſtraggle, and never eats till he has the pleaſure of ſeeing them feeding around him. To judge from the different inflexions of his voice, and the various ſignificant geſtures which he makes, we cannot doubt but theſe are a ſpecies of lan⯑guage that ſerves to communicate his ſentiments. When he loſes them, he utters his griefs. Though as jealous as he is amorous, he abuſes not his wives, but turns his rage againſt his rivals. When another Cock is preſented, he allows no time for feduction; he inſtantly ruſhes forward, his eyes flaſhing fire, and his feathers briſtled, and makes a furious attack on his rival, and fights obſtinately till one or the other fall, or the interloper leave the field. The deſire of poſſeſſion, ever exceſſive, not only prompts him to drive away every rival, but to remove the moſt inoffenſive obſtacles; he beats off and ſometimes kills the chickens, that he may enjoy the mother more at his eaſe. Is [61] this appetite the ſole cauſe of his furious jea⯑louſy? In the midſt of a ſubmiſſive ſeraglio, how can he apprehend any bounds to his gratifica⯑tion? But how ardent ſoever be his paſſions, he ſeems to be more averſe to ſhare the pleaſures than eager to taſte them; and as his powers are greater, ſo his jealouſy is more excuſable and better founded than that of other ſultans. Like them alſo, he has his favourite female, whom he courts with greater aſſiduity, and on whom he beſtows his favours as often nearly as on all the reſt together.

What proves that in Cocks jealouſy is a paſ⯑ſion founded on reflection is, that many of them are perpetually fighting with each other in the court-yard, while they never attack the capons, at leaſt if theſe are not in the habit of following the hens.

Man, who is dexterous in drawing amuſe⯑ment from every quarter, has learnt to ſet into action that invincible antipathy which Nature has implanted in one Cock to another. So much have they foſtered this native hatred, that the battles of two domeſtic birds have become ſpec⯑tacles fit to attract the curioſity of people even in poliſhed ſociety; and at the ſame time, theſe have been conſidered as the means of calling forth or maintaining that precious ferocity, which is, they ſay, the ſource of heroiſm. Formerly, and even at preſent in more than one country, men of all ranks crowd to theſe groteſque com⯑bats, [62] divide into parties, grow heated for the for⯑tune of their favourite Cock, heighten the in⯑tereſt of the exhibition by the moſt extravagant bets; and the fate of families is decided by the laſt ſtroke of the victorious bird. Such was an⯑ciently the madneſs of the Rhodians, the Tan⯑grians, and the people of Pergamus^*; and ſuch at preſent is that of the Chineſe^†, of the in⯑habitants of the Philippine iſlands, of Java, of the iſthmus of America, and of ſome other na⯑tions in both continents^‡.

But Cocks are not the only birds that have been thus abuſed: the Athenians, who allotted one day in the year^‖ to cock-fighting, employed quails likewiſe for the ſame diverſion; and even at preſent the Chineſe breed for that purpoſe certain ſmall birds reſembling quails or linnets. The mode of ſighting varies according to the dif⯑ferent ſchools where they are formed, and the different weapons, offenſive or defenſive, with which they are armed; but it is curious that [63] the Rhodian Cocks, though larger, ſtronger, and better fighters than the others, were not ſo ar⯑dent for the females, and had only three hens, inſtead of fifteen or twenty; whether becauſe their fire was extinguiſhed in the conſtrained ſo⯑litude in which they were accuſtomed to live, or becauſe their rage, being too often rouſed, had ſtifled in them the ſofter paſſions, which, however, were at firſt the principle of their cou⯑rage and the ſource of their hoſtile diſpoſition. The males of that breed were therefore leſs vi⯑gorous, and the females leſs prolific and more in⯑dolent, both in laying eggs and watching their chickens.—So ſucceſsful has Art been in degrading Nature! and ſo unfavourable are the talents for war to the buſineſs of propagation!

Hens need not the embrace of the Cock to pro⯑cure eggs; theſe are continually detached from the bunch in the ovarium, which grows independent of the union with the male. As they enlarge, they acquire maturity, ſeparate from their calyx and pedicle, paſs through the whole length of the oviductus, and in their road aſſimilate, by a cer⯑tain power that they poſſeſs, the lymph with which the duct is filled, and form it into their white, their coats, and their ſhell. There they remain till the ſenſible and elaſtic fibres being ſtretched and ſtimulated by theſe ſubſtances, which have now become foreign, contract and extrude them, the large end being foremoſt according to Ariſtotle.

[64] Theſe eggs are all that the prolific quality of the female can produce alone and unaſſiſted; ſhe exudes an organized body, indeed, ſuſceptible of a kind of life, but not a living animal ſimilar to the mother, and in its turn capable of con⯑tinuing the race. This requires the union of the male, and intimate mixture of the ſeminal li⯑quors of both ſexes; but when once this has taken place, its effects are durable. Dr. Harvey obſerved, that the egg of a hen, which had been ſeparated twenty days from the Cock, was not leſs prolific than one laid newly after treading, and that the embryo was not on that account more advanced, and required the ſame length of incubation; a certain proof that heat alone can⯑not produce or promote the developement of the chick, but that the egg muſt be formed, or at leaſt placed where it can perſpire, in order that the embryo incloſed may be ſuſceptible of in⯑cubation, otherwiſe all the eggs which remain in the oviduct twenty-one days after fecunda⯑tion would hatch, ſince they would have the proper time and heat; and, in this caſe, hens would be ſometimes oviparous, ſometimes vivi⯑parous^*.

The mean weight of the egg of an ordinary hen is one ounce ſix grains. If we open it care⯑fully, [65] we may perceive, immediately under the ſhell, a common membrane which lines the whole of the inner cavity; then, the external white, which has the form of this cavity; next, the in⯑ternal white, which is rounder than the preced⯑ing; and laſtly, in the centre of this white, we find the yolk, which is ſpherical. All theſe dif⯑ferent parts are incloſed, each in its proper mem⯑brane; and all the membranes are connected to⯑gether at the chalazae ^*, or cords, which form the two poles of the yolk. The little lenticular ve⯑ſicle, called the cicatricula ^†, appears very near its equator, and is firmly attached to the ſur⯑face^‡.

With reſpect to its external form, it is too well known to need any deſcription; but it is often altered by accidents, which it is eaſy to account [66] for from the hiſtory of the egg itſelf and its formation.

It is not uncommon to find two yolks included in the ſame ſhell. This happens when two eggs alike formed are detached at the ſame time from the ovarium and paſs together through the oviduct, forming their white without parting, and become inveſted with the ſame external coat.

If by any accident, which may eaſily be ſup⯑poſed, an egg that has been ſome time diſengaged from the ovarium, is checked in its growth, and when formed as much as it can be, comes within the ſphere of action of another vigorous egg, it will coaleſce with it, and form an egg within an egg^*.

In the ſame manner, we may conceive how a pin, or any other ſubſtance, which has penetrated as far as the oviduct, will be found incloſed with⯑in^† an egg.

Some hens lay eggs that have no ſhell; whe⯑ther from the defect of the proper ſubſtance for forming the ſhell, or becauſe they are extruded from the oviduct before their complete maturity: theſe never produce chickens; and this happens, it is ſaid, to hens that are too fat. The oppoſite circumſtances occaſion the eggs to have too thick ſhells, or even double ſhells. Some re⯑tain the pedicle by which they are fixed to the ovarium; others are bent into the form of a creſ⯑cent; [67] others are ſhaped like a pear; ſome have had on their ſhells the impreſſions even of a ſun, a comet^*, an eclipſe, or whatever has operated powerfully on the imagination; nay, ſome have appeared luminous. What has been real in the alterations in the ſhape of the egg, and the marks on the ſurface, muſt be aſcribed to the different preſſures which it receives while the ſhell is ſtill ſoft and pliant, and yet of ſuch a conſiſtence as to retain the impreſſions. It will be more diffi⯑cult to account for the luminous appearance^† of ſome eggs. A German doctor obſerved ſuch un⯑der a white hen which had been fecundated, he adds, by a very vigorous Cock. We cannot de⯑cently deny the poſſibility of the fact; but, as it is ſingle, it would be prudent to repeat the obſerva⯑tion before we venture to explain it.

With regard to the pretended Cocks eggs that have no yolk, and include, as the vulgar imagine, a ſerpent^‡, they are nothing elſe but the imma⯑ture productions of an infant hen, or the laſt effort of one exhauſted by exceſſive fecundity; or, finally, they are imperfect eggs that have loſt their yolks in the oviduct, either from accident or from the wrong conformation of the parts, but that have ſtill retained their cords or chalazae, which the lovers of the marvellous have fancied converted into a ſerpent. M. de la Peyronie has [68] put this beyond all doubt, by the diſſection of a hen which laid ſuch eggs; but neither M. de la Peyronie nor Thomas Bartholin, who diſſected theſe pretended oviparous Cocks, could diſcover eggs, or ovaria, or any thing analogous^*.

Hens lay through the whole year, except the time of moulting, which generally laſts ſix weeks or two months, about the end of autumn and the beginning of the winter. This moulting is nothing but the ſhedding of the old feathers, which are detached like the old leaves of trees and the antlers of ſtags, being excluded by the growth of the new. The Cocks alſo ſuffer this renovation; but it is remarkable that the new feathers ſometimes aſſume a different colour. One of our obſervers has noticed this fact in a hen and a cock, and every perſon may remark it in many other kinds of birds, particularly in thoſe that are brought from Bengal, which change their tints at almoſt every moulting; and, in ge⯑neral, the colours of the firſt feathers, in by far the greateſt number of birds, are different from what they afterwards become.

The ordinary fecundity of hens is limited to the laying an egg each day. There are ſome, it is ſaid, in Samogitia^†, Malacca^‡, and other places, that lay twice a-day. Ariſtotle mentions certain hens of Illyria, which laid ſo often as thrice a-day; [69] and it is probable that theſe were the ſame with the Adrian or Adriatic hens, of which he ſpeaks in another place, and which were noted for their prolific quality. Some add, that there is a peculiar mode of feeding common hens, which gives them this prodigious fecundity. Heat is very favourable; hens can be brought to lay in winter by keeping them in a ſtable, where there is always warm dung on which they can ſit.

As ſoon as an egg is laid it begins to perſpire, and loſes every day ſome grains of its weight by the evaporation of the more volatile juices: in pro⯑portion, it thickens, hardens, and dries; or it con⯑tracts an offenſive ſmell, and becomes totally un⯑fit for hatching. The art of long preſerving eggs conſiſts in checking the perſpiration^*, by cover⯑ing the ſhell completely with a coat of any kind of greaſe ſhortly after it is laid. By this ſingle precaution we can preſerve them for ſeveral months, and even years, in a condition for eating, and capable of being hatched, and, in a word, retaining all the properties of freſh eggs^†. The inhabitants of Tonquin keep them in a kind of [70] paſte made of ſifted aſhes and brine; other In⯑dians in oil^*; varniſh is alſo proper, when the eggs are intended for the table; but greaſe is equally fit for this purpoſe, and is much better for preſerving eggs that are to be hatched, be⯑cauſe it can be more eaſily ſeparated than the varniſh, and the coating muſt be completely de⯑tached in order that the incubation ſucceed; for whatever obſtructs the perſpiration prevents alſo the development of the chick^†.

I have ſaid, that the union of the Cock was neceſſary to the fecundation of the eggs; and this fact is founded on long and conſtant expe⯑rience. But the details of this act, ſo eſſential in the hiſtory of animals, have been too ſlightly obſerved. It is indeed known, that the male or⯑gan is double, and is only the two paps which terminate the ſpermatic veſſels, where they are inſerted in the gut; that the female vulva is placed over the anus, and not under as in the quadrupeds^‡: that he advances to his female with an oblique quickened pace, dropping his wings, like the turkey, and even partly ſpreading his tail, uttering a certain expreſſive murmur, with a trembling motion, and with all the ſigns [71] of ardent deſire; that he darts upon the hen, who receives him, bending her legs, ſquatting on the ground, and laying aſide the two fans of feathers which compoſe her tail; that then he ſeizes with his bill the creſt or tuft on the head of the female, either by way of careſſing her, or of keeping his balance; that he bends the hind part of his body, where his double yard is lodg⯑ed, and applies it briſkly where the correſpond⯑ing orifice is placed; that this copulation laſts the ſhorter time the oftener it is repeated, and that the Cock ſeems to boaſt of his performance by clapping his wings, and by a kind of crowing of joy or victory; that he has teſticles, and that his ſeminal liquor is contained, like that of the quadrupeds, in ſpermatic veſſels. I have aſcer⯑tained, by my own obſervations, that the ſemen of the hen is lodged in the cicatricula of each egg, as that of the female quadrupeds is in⯑cluded in the glandular bodies of the teſticles; but I am uncertain whether the double penis of the Cock, or only one of them, penetrates the female orifice, and even whether there is a real inſertion or only a ſtrong compreſſion or mere contact. It is not yet known what muſt be the preciſe condition of an egg in order to its fecun⯑dation, nor to what diſtance the male influence can extend.—In a word, notwithſtanding the infinite number of experiments and obſervations that have been made on this ſubject, we ſtill re⯑main [72] unacquainted with ſome of the principal circumſtances of the impregnation.

Its firſt known effect is the dilation of the cicatricula, and the formation of the chick in its cavity; for it is this cicatricula which contains the true germ, and occurs in eggs whether fer⯑tile or not, and even in thoſe pretended Cocks eggs which I have already ſpoken of^*; but it is ſmaller in the eggs that are not fecundated. Malpighi, having examined fertile eggs that were newly laid and before they were covered, diſcovered in the centre of the cicatricula a ſpeck ſwimming in a liquor, in the midſt of which he could trace the rudiments of a chick diſtinctly formed; but the cicatricula of barren eggs, pro⯑duced by the hen alone without the intercourſe of the male, ſhewed merely a ſmall ſhapeleſs globule, furniſhed with appendices filled with a thick juice, though ſurrounded with ſeveral con⯑centric circles; and he could perceive no em⯑bryo of an animal. The intimate and complete organization of a ſhapeleſs maſs is only the inſtantaneous effect of the mixture of the two ſeminal liquors; it requires but a moment for Nature to give the firſt form to this tranſparent [73] glareous ſubſtance, and to diffuſe the principle of life through all its points; ſhe requires time and conſpiring circumſtances to finiſh the rude ſketch. She has entruſted this charge chiefly to the mother, by inſpiring the inſtinct of cover⯑ing the eggs. In moſt hens this propenſity is felt as ſtrongly, and marked by as ſignificant ſigns as copulation, to which it ſucceeds in the order of nature, and even though it is not ex⯑cited by the preſence of an egg. A hen that has juſt laid, is kindled with tranſports that are communicated to others which are only mere ſpectators, and they all join in the repeated clamorous burſts of joy; either becauſe the ſud⯑den ceſſation of the pains of delivery is always accompanied with a lively pleaſure, or that the mother then anticipates all the delights of pro⯑geny. Whatever be the cauſe, certain it is, that when ſhe has laid twenty-five or thirty eggs, ſhe deliberately prepares to ſit on them. If they be continually taken from her, ſhe will per⯑haps lay twice or thrice as many, and become exhauſted by the mere exceſs of fecundity. But the time at laſt comes, when ſhe is driven by the force of inſtinct to ſeek to hatch, and expreſſes her wants by a particular ſort of clucking, and by certain unambiguous motions and attitudes. If ſhe cannot find her own eggs, ſhe will rea⯑dily cover thoſe of any other hen, or thoſe of the female of any other ſpecies, or even balls of ſtone or chalk. She will continue ſtill to ſit, [74] after every thing is removed, waſte herſelf in vain plaints and idle movements^*. If ſhe is ſucceſsful in her ſearch, and finds eggs that are either real or reſembling ſuch in a retired and convenient ſpot, ſhe immediately ſeats herſelf on them, covers them with her wings, foſters a genial warmth, and conſtantly changes them gently to heat all the parts equally. She is ſo intent in her occupation, as to neglect food and drink. One would almoſt ſay, that ſhe perceives the importance of her employment; ſhe omits no care, overlooks no precaution, to complete the exiſtence of the little incipient beings, and to guard againſt the dangers that threaten^†. It may perhaps be worthy of remark, that the condition of ſitting hen, however inſipid it appears to us, is perhaps not a tedious ſituation, but a ſtate of continual joy, the more delicious as it is the more choice; ſo much has Nature connected raptures with whatever relates to the multiplication of her creatures!

The effect of incubation is confined merely to the development of the embryo of the [75] chick, which, as we have already ſaid, exiſts al⯑ready formed in the cicatricula of the fecundated egg. The following is nearly the order in which this developement is made, or rather as it appears to the obſerver; and as I have elſewhere given a pretty full account of the facts relating to this ſubject, I ſhall only repeat the more important circumſtances.

At the end of five or ſix hours, the head of the chick is diſtinctly ſeen joined to the dorſal ſpine, ſwimming in the liquor, with which the ſpeck in the centre of the cicatricula is filled; and to⯑wards the cloſe of the firſt day, the head is al⯑ready bent back by its enlargement.

On the ſecond day are perceived the firſt traces of the vertebrae, which are like ſmall globules diſpoſed on the two ſides of the middle of the ſpine; the wings and umbilical veſſels alſo begin to appear, diſtinguiſhed by their dull colour; the neck and breaſt are unfolded, and the head conſtantly increaſes; the outlines of the eyes, and the three encircling coats, as well as the ſpine and membranes, are now ſeen. The life of the foetus is decided; the heart beats, and the blood circulates.

On the third day, the whole is more diſtinct and expanded. It is remarkable, that the heart hangs out of the breaſt, and beats three times in ſucceſſion; once, in receiving from the auricle the blood contained in the veins; a ſecond time, in diſcharging it into the arteries; and a third [76] time, in forcing it into the umbilical veſſels; and this motion continues for twenty-four hours after the embryo has been ſeparated from the white of its egg. We alſo diſcover the veins and arteries on the veſicles of the brain, and the rudiments of the ſpinal marrow beginning to extend along the vertebrae. Laſtly, we ſee the whole foetus enveloped in a part of the ſur⯑rounding liquor which has acquired a greater conſiſtence than the reſt.

On the fourth day the eyes are conſiderably advanced; we can diſtinguiſh the pupil, the cryſtalline lens, and the vitreous humour. We alſo perceive in the head five veſicles filled with a fluid which, approaching each other, and gradually coaleſcing on the following days, form at laſt the brain inveſted with its coats. The wings grow, the thighs begin to appear, and the body to acquire bulk. On the fifth day the whole body is covered with an unctu⯑ous fleſh; the heart is confined by a very thin membrane, which ſpreads over the cheſt; and the umbilical veſſels riſe out of the abdo⯑men^*.

The ſixth day the ſpinal marrow, being di⯑vided into two parts, continues to ſtretch along the trunk; the liver, which was before whitiſh, [77] is now become of a duſky colour; the heart beats with its two ventricles; the body of the chick is covered with a ſkin, and even the feathers begin to ſprout.

It is eaſy, on the ſeventh day, to diſtinguiſh the bill; the brain, the wings, the thighs, and the legs, have acquired their perfect ſhape; the two ventricles of the heart appear like two bubbles, contiguous and joined above to the ſubſtance of the auricles. Two ſucceſſive mo⯑tions are obſerved in the ventricles, as well as in the auricles, which reſemble two ſeparate hearts.

About the end of the ninth day the lungs appear, and are of a whitiſh colour. On the tenth day the muſcles of the wings are com⯑pletely formed, and the feathers continue to ſhoot. It is not till the eleventh day that we per⯑ceive the arteries, which were before at a diſtance from the heart, cohere to it; and this organ is now perfect and united into two ventricles.

The following days are ſpent in the farther expanſion of the parts, which continues till the chick breaks its ſhell; and this happens com⯑monly the twenty-firſt day, ſometimes the eighteenth, and at others, the twenty-ſeventh.

All this train of phaenomena, which pre⯑ſents ſo intereſting a ſpectacle to the obſerver, is the effect of incubation by a hen; and hu⯑man induſtry has found it not beneath its no⯑tice to imitate the proceſs. Formerly, the rude [78] peaſants of Egypt, and in our own times phi⯑loſophers, have ſucceeded in hatching eggs, as well as the moſt careful ſitter, and have given birth to amazing numbers at once. The whole ſecret conſiſts in keeping the eggs at a tempera⯑ture which nearly correſponds to the warmth of the hen, and in preventing every kind of humi⯑dity and pernicious exhalations, ſuch as thoſe of charcoal, burning fuel, and even that of tainted eggs. By obſerving theſe two conditions, and being attentive in repeatedly ſhifting the eggs, and varying the place of the oven or ſtove where the baſkets are placed, ſo that not only each egg, but every part of it may enjoy alike the requiſite heat, we ſhall ſucceed in hatching mil⯑lions of chickens.

Every kind of heat is favourable; nor is the warmth of the hen better than that of any other animal, not even excepting man^*, nor than the ſolar or terreſtrial fires, or the heat of a bed of oak-bark or dung. The eſſential point is to be able to regulate the heat; to increaſe or dimi⯑niſh at pleaſure. We can always know the degree by means of good thermometers placed in different parts within the oven or ſtove; we [79] can preſerve the heat, by ſtopping the openings and ſhutting the regiſters of the lid; we can augment it with warm aſhes, if it be an oven, or by adding wood, if a ſtove; or uſing chafing⯑diſhes, if it be a bed; and we can diminiſh it, by opening the regiſters to give acceſs to the external air, or at leaſt by introducing into the oven cold bodies, &c.

But, whatever attention be beſtowed in regu⯑lating the furnace, it is hardly poſſible to main⯑tain conſtantly, and without interruption, the 32d^* degree of heat, which is that of the hen. Fortunately, this limit is not very determined; and a heat varying from the 38th^† to the 24th^‡ degree, is found to occaſion no incon⯑venience. But it is to be obſerved, that the exceſs is more to be dreaded than the defect, and that a few hours at the 38th degree, or even the 36°^§, is more injurious than ſome days at 24°. And a proof that a ſtill leſs heat would occaſion no inconvenience is, that a par⯑tridge's neſt being diſcovered in a meadow that was mowing, they were kept in the ſhade for thirty-ſix hours, (no hen being found during that time to cover them,) and yet they all hatched at the end of three days, except thoſe which were opened to perceive what condition they were in. They were indeed very far ad⯑vanced, [80] and it undoubtedly required a greater degree of heat at the beginning than near the cloſe of the incubation, when the heat of the little chick was almoſt alone ſufficient for its de⯑velopment.

With regard to humidity, as it is very hurt⯑ful to the progreſs of incubation, we muſt be furniſhed with certain means of diſcovering whether it has penetrated into the oven, and be able to expel it, if it has penetrated, and pre⯑vent its return.

The hygrometer, which is the ſimpleſt and fitteſt for eſtimating the humidity of the air in theſe ſorts of ovens, is a cold egg introduced and kept ſome time, till it acquire a proper heat. If, at the end of a quarter of an hour or more, the egg is covered with a light dew, ſuch as that formed by the breath on poliſhed glaſs, or what falls on the outſide of a tumbler in which a freez⯑ing mixture is made, this is a proof that the air of the oven is too humid; and the more ſo, the longer time the moiſture takes to diſſipate. This happens chiefly in a tan-bed, and in dung com⯑poſts incloſed in a confined place. The beſt way to remedy this inconvenience is to renew the air, where it is cloſe, by means of currents produced by oppoſite windows; or, inſtead of theſe, by fixing ventilators proportioned to the ſpace. Sometimes the mere perſpiration of the immenſe number of eggs occaſions an exceſs of humidity in the oven itſelf: in this caſe [81] the baſkets with the eggs ought to be taken out, for a few minutes, every two or three days, and fanned with a hat, waving it in different di⯑rections.

But it is not enough that the moiſture which collects within the oven be expelled; we muſt prevent the entrance of humidity from without, by lining the inſide with ſheet-lead, good ce⯑ment, plaſter, a proper mixture of pitch and tar, or at leaſt by ſpreading it over with ſeveral coats of oil, and allowing this to dry, and glu⯑ing on the interior ſurface ſtripes of bladder or of grey paper.

To theſe few eaſy practical operations is re⯑duced the whole art of artificial incubation; and hence are deduced the ſtructure and dimen⯑ſions of the ovens or ſtoves, the number, ſhape, and diſtribution of the baſkets, and all the little manoeuvres which the circumſtances require, or the occaſion ſuggeſts, which have been deſcribed with a profuſion of words, but which we ſhall compriſe in a few lines, without omitting any thing eſſential.

The ſimpleſt oven is a caſk lined within with glued paper, and ſtopped at the head with a cover which joins into it, and which is perforated in the middle by a large opening, that ſhuts with a grooved lid, to allow an opportunity of exa⯑mining the oven. There are ſeveral other ſmall holes round this, which ſerve as regiſters to re⯑gulate the heat, and which can alſo be ſtopped [82] with grooved covers. This caſk is buried three⯑fourths of its height in warm dung. In the inſide there are placed, one above another, at proper diſtances, two or three wide-ribbed baſ⯑kets, in each of which two rows of eggs are piled, taking care that the upper layer be thinner than the lower, ſo that this may be eaſily ſeen through the other. Small holes may be made, if we chuſe, in the centre of each baſket; and well-graduated thermometers ſuſpended there, and others placed in different parts of the circumference. Thus the requiſite heat may be maintained, and the chickens uſhered into life.

If we would be oeconomical of heat, and draw utility from what is commonly loft, we may employ, for artificial incubation, that of the ovens for bakers and paſtry-cooks, of forges, and glaſs-houſes, and even that of a chamber-ſtove, or a kitchen-grate, conſtantly keeping in mind that the ſucceſs will depend chiefly on the equal diſtribution of heat, and the total exclu⯑ſion of humidity.

When the ovens are large and well-managed, they exclude thouſands of chickens at a time. This profuſion would be rather inconvenient in a climate like ours, if we had not as well diſ⯑covered a method of rearing the brood indepen⯑dently of the aſſiſtance of the hen, as of hatch⯑ing them without her incubation. This conſiſts in a more or leſs perfect imitation of the man⯑ner [83] in which the mother treats her young after they have emerged from the ſhell.

We ſhall eaſily conceive, that the mother which ſhews ſo ſtrong an inclination to cover her eggs, ſits on them with ſuch unre⯑mitting aſſiduity, and takes ſo lively a con⯑cern for embryos that have yet no being, will not cool in her attachment after her chickens are hatched. Her affection is heightened by the ſight of theſe little creatures, that owe to her their exiſtence; it is every day increaſed by the repetition of cares which their feebleneſs re⯑quires. Continually employed in watching over them, ſhe ſeeks food, merely to ſatisfy their craving wants. If ſhe cannot find it, ſhe ſcrapes the earth with her nails to extract the nouriſhment concealed in its boſom, and freely beſtows it on her young. She recals them when they wander, ſpreads her wings over them to defend them againſt the inclemency of the wea⯑ther, and broods a ſecond time. She enters into theſe tender concerns with ſo much ardour and anxiety, that her health is viſibly impaired, and ſhe can be diſtinguiſhed from every other hen by her ruffled feathers, her trailing wings: and the hoarſeneſs of her voice, and the different inflections, are all expreſſive of her ſituation, and mark ſolicitude and maternal affection.

But if ſhe neglects herſelf in preſerving her young, ſhe expoſes herſelf to every danger in their defence. If a ſparrow-hawk appear in the [84] air, this mother, ſo feeble, ſo timid, and which in every other circumſtance would conſult her ſafety by flight, becomes intrepid, from the warmth of attachment, darts before the dreaded talon, and by her repeated cries, the clapping her wings, and her undaunted reſolution, ſhe often intimidates the rapacious bird, which, re⯑pulſed by the unexpected reſiſtance, retires to ſeek eaſier prey. She then ſeems to poſſeſs all the qualities of a generous mind; but what re⯑flects no leſs honour on her inſtinct is, that if ſhe has been made to ſit on ducks eggs, or thoſe of any other water-foul, her affection is no leſs ardent for theſe ſtrangers than for her own progeny. She does not perceive that ſhe is only their nurſe, and not their mother; and when, directed by nature, they plunge into the neighbouring ſtream, it is amuſing to obſerve the aſtoniſhment, uneaſineſs, and vexation of the poor nurſe, who fancies ſhe is ſtill a mo⯑ther; impelled on the one hand by the deſire of following them into the midſt of the water, checked on the other by the invincible repug⯑nance to that element, teaſing herſelf with fruitleſs buſtling along the margin, trembling, forlorn, beholding her family in imminent dan⯑ger, and not daring to afford them help.

It would be impoſſible to ſupply all the aſſi⯑duities of the hen in raiſing her young, if the ſame degree of attention were required, and an equal affection with that of the mother. We [85] ſhall ſucceed by noticing the principal circum⯑ſtances in the conduct of the hen to her pro⯑geny, and by imitating them as much as we can. For example, it being obſerved, that the chief object of the mother's attention is to lead the chickens where they can find food, and to guard them againſt cold and the inclemency of the weather; a plan has been formed to effect this, and with even more advantage than from the aſſiſtance of the hen herſelf. If they be hatched in winter, they are kept a month or ſix weeks in a ſtove, heated to the ſame degree with the ovens for incubation, and only let out five or ſix times a-day to eat in open air, and eſpecially to enjoy the ſun. The warmth of the ſtove pro⯑motes their growth, and the expoſure to the air ſtrengthens and braces them. Crumbs of bread, yolks of eggs, and millet ſeeds, are their firſt food. If the incubation be performed in ſum⯑mer, they are kept in the ſtove only three or four days; and in all ſeaſons they are brought out of the ſtove only to be put into the crib, which is a kind of ſquare cage, ſhut with a front of grating made of iron wire, or ſimple netting, and cloſed above with a hinged lid. In this cage the chickens are fed; but after they have eaten enough, and taken ſufficient exerciſe, they muſt be ſheltered ſo as to allow them to enjoy warmth and repoſe. Hence the chickens that are led by their mother are accuſtomed to aſſemble under the covert of her wings. For this purpoſe Rea⯑mur [86] contrived an artificial mother; this is a box formed of ſheeps ſkin, the bottom of which is ſquare, and the upper part ſloped like the top of a deſk. He places this box on one of the ends of the crib, in ſuch a ſituation that the chickens may enter eaſily, and walk round the three ſides at leaſt; he warms it below by means of a foot⯑ſtove, which he refreſhes occaſionally. The in⯑clination of the cover of this kind of deſk allows the chickens to place themſelves according to their different ſizes; but as they have a practice, eſpecially when they are cold, of preſſing toge⯑ther, and even climbing on each other, and in this crowd the weak and ſmall ones run the riſk of being ſmothered, this artificial mother is kept open at both ends, or rather both ends are co⯑vered with a net which the leaſt chicken can remove, ſo as eaſily to eſcape when it feels itſelf too much ſqueezed; and it can then, by going round to the other hole, chuſe a leſs dangerous place. Reamur endeavours to avoid even this inconvenience by another precaution, which is to keep the cover ſloped ſo low as to prevent the chickens from climbing on each other; and he raiſes it gradually as they grow. He improves ſtill on this idea, by dividing his largeſt cribs into two, by means of a tranſverſe partition, ſo as to be able to ſeparate the chickens of different ſizes. He even places the cribs on wheels, that they may be eaſily tranſported; for they muſt be brought into a chamber always in the even⯑ings, [87] and even during the day-time when the weather is bad; and in winter this chamber muſt be warmed. But when it is neither cold nor rainy, the cribs ought to be expoſed to the open air and the ſun, only taking the precau⯑tion of ſheltering them from the wind. The doors may even be left open, and the chickens will ſoon learn to come out to ſcrape the dung, or peck the tender graſs, and return to their food, or to recover their warmth under their artificial mother. If we would not hazard their ſauntering at will, we may place at the end of their crib an ordinary hen-crib, which, com⯑municating with the firſt, will allow them a con⯑ſiderable ſpace to roam in, and at the ſame time prevent accidents.

But the more we confine them, the more re⯑gular we ought to be in giving them food. Be⯑ſides millet-ſeeds, yolks of eggs, ſoup, and crumbs of bread, young poultry are fond of rape-ſeed, hemp-ſeed, and other ſmall grains of that kind; peaſe, beans, lentils, rice, ſhelled barley and oats, chopped turkey beans, and buck-wheat. It is proper, and even oeconomical, to burſt moſt of theſe in boiling water, before we offer them; the ſaving amounts to a fifth on the wheat, two fifths on the barley, one half on the turkey beans, but is nothing on the oats and buck-wheat. It would even be a loſs to ſoak the barley; but this grain is what the chickens ſhew the moſt indif⯑ference for. Laſtly, after they have grown, we [88] may give them every thing that we eat ourſelves, except bitter almonds^* and coffee-beans^†. Eve⯑ry kind of chopped fleſh, whether raw or boiled, but particularly earth-worms, are proper; they diſcover ſo great a liking for this ſort of food, that one would imagine that they are carni⯑vorous, and perhaps nothing is wanting to them, as well as to many others, but a hooked bill and claws, to conſtitute them real birds of prey.

It muſt however be admitted, that poultry differ from birds of prey, no leſs by their mode of digeſtion and the ſtructure of their ſtomach, than by their bill and their nails. In theſe the ſtomach is membranous, and digeſtion is effected by means of a ſolvent, which varies in different ſpecies, but the action of which is well aſcer⯑tained^‡; whereas the gallinaceous tribe may be conſidered as having three ſtomachs; viz. 1. The craw, which is a kind of membranous bag, where the grains are firſt macerated and be⯑gin to be reduced to a pap: 2. The wideſt part of the canal, lying between the craw and the gizzard, but neareſt the laſt; it is lined with a [89] number of ſmall glands, which furniſh a liquor that the food imbibes in its paſſage: 3. Laſtly, The gizzard, which yields a liquor that is mani⯑feſtly acid, ſince the internal coat, being ſoaked in water, becomes an excellent runnet for curd⯑ling milk. This third ſtomach completes, by the powerful action of its muſcles, what had only been begun in the two firſt. The force of its fibres is greater than could be conceived; in leſs than four hours a ball of glaſs, which could ſuſtain a preſſure of four pounds, is reduced to an im⯑palpable powder. In forty-eight hours, ſeveral tubes of glaſs, four lines in diameter and one line thick, were divided longitudinally into two kinds of rents; and, at the end of that time, all the ſharp edges were ground down, and the po⯑liſh deſtroyed, particularly on the convex part. The gizzard was alſo able to flatten tubes of tinned iron, and, in the ſpace of twenty-four hours, to cruſh ſeventeen nuts; and this was effected by repeated compreſſions and alternate attrition, the mechaniſm of which it is difficult to perceive. Reaumur, who made ſeveral trials to diſcover it, never could diſtinguiſh but once any conſiderable motions in that part. He ſaw in a capon the gizzard, of which he had brought into view portions, contracting and ſink⯑ing, and again ſwelling; he obſerved a kind of fleſhy chords which formed on the ſurface, or ra⯑ther appeared to be forming, becauſe he made in⯑ciſions between them which ſeparated them; and [90] all theſe motions appeared to be propagated in waves, and very ſlowly.

What proves that, in gallinaceous birds, di⯑geſtion is performed chiefly by the action of the muſcles of the gizzard, and not by the power of any ſolvent, is, that if one of theſe be made to ſwallow a ſmall lead tube, open at both ends, but ſo thick as to reſiſt the compreſſion of the giz⯑gard, and into which a grain of barley be intro⯑duced, the tube will be found in the ſpace of two days to have loſt conſiderably of its weight; but the grain incloſed, though it were boiled and ſhelled, will then be diſcovered to be ſomewhat ſwelled, but as little altered as if it had been left the ſame time in another place equally humid; whereas the ſame grain, and others that are much harder, if not protected by a tube, would be di⯑geſted in much leſs time.

One circumſtance which may aſſiſt the action of the gizzard is, that birds keep the cavity as full as poſſible, and thus the four muſcles of which it conſiſts are thrown into play. When grain is wanting, they cramb it with herbage, and even ſmall flints, the hardneſs and rough⯑neſs of which contribute to bruiſe the grain againſt which they are inceſſantly rubbed. I ſay by their roughneſs; for, when they are poliſh⯑ed, they quickly paſs through the body, and thoſe with rugged ſurfaces only remain. They are the more numerous in the gizzard the ſcarcer the food is, and they continue in it a longer [91] time than any other ſubſtance, whether digeſt⯑ible or indigeſtible.

We ſhall not be ſurpriſed that the inner coat of this ſtomach is ſtrong enough to reſiſt the re⯑action of ſo many hard bodies on which it con⯑ſtantly grinds, if we conſider that it is really very thick, and of a ſubſtance analogous to horn. Be⯑ſides, we know that bits of wood and leather, which are rubbed with an extremely hard pow⯑der to poliſh bodies, laſt for a very long time.

We may alſo ſuppoſe that this membrane is renewed in the ſame manner as the callous ſkin of labourers hands.

But though the ſmall ſtones may aſſiſt di⯑geſtion, it is not aſſerted that the granivorous birds have a decided view in ſwallowing them. Redi having ſhut up two capons, with water and little pebbles for their food; they drank much water, and died; the one in twenty days, the other in twenty-four, and both of them with⯑out having ſwallowed a ſingle ſtone. Redi found many in the gizzard, but theſe were what had been ſwallowed before.

The organs that are deſtined for reſpiration, conſiſt of lungs, ſimilar to thoſe of the land ani⯑mals, with ten air cells, eight of which are with⯑in the breaſt, and communicate directly with the lungs; and two larger ones in the lower belly, and which communicate with the eight preced⯑ing. When in inſpiration the thorax is dilated, the air enters by the larynx into the lungs, thence [92] into the eight upper air cells, which dilating in⯑hale that alſo of the two cells of the lower belly, and theſe ſuffer a proportional collapſe. When, on the contrary, the lungs and upper cells, con⯑tracting during expiration, preſs the air included in their cavity, it eſcapes partly through the larynx, and partly returns from the eight cells in the breaſt into the two in the lower belly, which then dilate by a mechaniſm nearly ana⯑logous to that of a double bellows. But this is not the proper place to explain the mechaniſm; it will be ſufficient to obſerve, that in thoſe birds which never fly, as the caſſowary, the oſtrich, &c. and in thoſe that fly tardily, ſuch as the gallinaceous tribe, the fourth cell on each ſide is the ſmalleſt^*.

All theſe differences in the ſtructure neceſſari⯑ly imply many others, not to ſpeak of the mem⯑branous tubes that are obſerved in ſome birds. Duverney has ſhewn, from an experiment made on a living cock, that the voice in theſe birds is formed not near the larynx, as in the quadru⯑peds, but below the trachea arteria, near the forking, at which place Perrault perceived an in⯑ternal larynx. Heriſſant obſerved, in the prin⯑cipal bronchial veſſels of the lungs, ſemilunar membranes placed tranſverſely one above ano⯑ther, in ſuch a manner that they only occupied the half of the cavity of theſe veſſels, and allow⯑ed [93] the air a free paſſage through the other half; and he juſtly concludes, that theſe membranes muſt contribute to the formation of the voice, though their aſſiſtance is not ſo eſſential as that of the oſſeous coat of the creſcent, which ter⯑minates a conſiderable cavity above the ſuperior and internal part of the breaſt, and which has alſo ſome communication with the upper air cells. This anatomiſt affirms, that he has aſcertained, by repeated trials, that if this coat be perforated, the voice is immediately impaired, and can be reſtored only by cloſing the hole accurately to vent the eſcape of the air^*.

After obſerving ſuch wide differences in the conformation of the organs of the voice, will it not appear ſingular, that birds, with a tongue of cartilage, and lips of horn, ſhould imitate our ſongs, and even our ſpeech, more eaſily than thoſe among the quadrupeds that reſemble man the moſt? So difficult it is to judge of the uſe of the parts from their mere ſtructure, and ſo true, that the modification of the voice and of ſounds depends almoſt entirely on the ſenſibility of the ear.

The inteſtinal canal is very long in the gal⯑linaceous tribe, and exceeds about five times that of the animal, reckoning from the point of the bill to the anus. We find two caeca, about ſix inches in length, which take their riſe where the [94] colon joins the ileon; the rectum widens towards its extremity, and forms a common receptacle, into which the ſolid and fluid excrements are ſeparately diſcharged, and from which they are ejected together, though not intimately mixed. The organs characteriſtic of the ſexes are alſo perceived; viz. in hens, the vulva or oriſice of the oviductus, and in Cocks the two yards, that is, the paps of the two ſpermatic veſſels. The vulva, as we have before mentioned, is placed above the anus, and conſequently the diſpoſition of theſe parts which obtains in quadrupeds is re⯑verſed.

It was known in the time of Ariſtotle, that the Cock had teſticles concealed within its body. The ancients even aſcribed to this ſituation the fiery paſſion of the male for the female, who is leſs ardent, they alleged, becauſe the ovarium be⯑ing placed near the diaphragm, is more apt to be cooled by the acceſſion of the air reſpired^*. But the teſticles are not ſo excluſively appro⯑priated to the male as not to be found in the fe⯑males of ſome ſpecies of birds, as in the little buſtard, and perhaps in the great buſtard^†. Sometimes the male has only one, but generally two; the bulk of theſe kinds of glands is far from being proportioned to that of the bird. In the eagle, they are only of the ſize of peas; in [95] a Cock of four months old, they are as large as olives. The bulk varies not only between one ſpecies and another, but between different indi⯑viduals of the ſame ſpecies, and is moſt expanded in the ſeaſon of love. But how diminutive ſoever be their ſize, they produce mighty effects in the animal oeconomy, as is evinced by the wonder⯑ful changes effected by their extirpation. This operation is commonly performed when the bird is three or four months old. After emaſculation it grows plumper, and its fleſh becomes more juicy and delicate; and when ſubjected to a che⯑mical analyſis, yields different products from what it would have given before caſtration^*. The capon is no longer liable to moult; in the ſame manner as the buck, when degraded from his ſex, never caſts his antlers. The note is al⯑tered, his voice is broken, and ſeldom heard: treated roughly by the Cocks, with diſdain by the females, deprived of all the appe⯑tites related to generation, it is not only ex⯑cluded from the ſociety of its equals, but ex⯑truded, as it were, from its ſpecies. It is an idle ſolitary out-caſt, all whoſe powers are directed on itſelf, and whoſe ſole object is its individual [96] preſervation: to eat, to ſleep, to fatten, are its principal employments, and conſtitute the ſum of its wants. But, by a little attention, we can draw advantage from its weakneſs, and even its conſequent docility, by giving it uſeful habits. For inſtance, we can teach it to rear and tend young chickens. For this purpoſe it muſt be kept ſome days in a dark place, only bringing it out at regular hours to feed, and accuſtoming it gradually to the ſight and company of a few chickens that are pretty ſtout; it will ſoon con⯑tract a fondneſs for them, and will lead them with as much affection and aſſiduity as their mother. It will even conduct a greater number than a hen; for its wings ſpread and afford more ſhel⯑ter; and the hen, freed from its toil and ſoli⯑citude, will ſoon begin again to lay; and thus the capon, though condemned to ſterility, will ſtill contribute indirectly to the preſervation and multiplication of its ſpecies.

So great a change produced in the character of the capon, by a cauſe ſo weak and apparently ſo inadequate to the effect, is the more remark⯑able, as it is confirmed by an immenſe number of trials which men have made on other ſpecies, and have even dared to extend to their brethren of the human race.

The Cock has been the ſubject of another ex⯑periment that is far leſs cruel, but perhaps no leſs important for the ſcience of phyſiology: it [97] is, after cutting the comb^* as uſual, to ſubſtitute in its ſtead one of the young ſpurs which has juſt begun to ſhoot; thus engrafted, it gradually ſtrikes root into the fleſh, thence extracts its nouriſhment, and often grows more luxuriantly than it would in its natural place. Some have attained to two inches and a half in length, and more than three lines and a half in diameter at the baſe; ſometimes they are twiſted round like the horns of a ram, at other times bent back⯑wards like thoſe of a he-goat^†.

This is a kind of animal engrafting, the ſuc⯑ceſs of which would appear very doubtful when firſt tried, but from which, ſince the ſucceſs is known, it is aſtoniſhing that no practical in⯑formation has been derived. In general, the de⯑ſtructive experiments have been more ſtudied, and purſued with more ardour, than thoſe which are directed to preſervation; becauſe man is fonder of pleaſure and expence, than the acqui⯑ſition of knowledge and the exerciſe of bene⯑ficence. Chickens are not hatched with that creſt and thoſe reddiſh membranes which diſ⯑tinguiſh them from other birds. It is a month after they have left the ſhell before theſe parts begin to unfold; at two months old, the young [98] Cocks crow, and fight with one another. They feel that they muſt hate each other, though the ſource of their diſlike has yet no exiſtence. It is commonly five or ſix months before they ſhew any paſſion for the hens, and that theſe begin to lay. In both ſexes, the complete term of their growth is a year, or fifteen months. The young hens, it is ſaid, lay more; but the old ones are better ſitters. This period of their growth would imply that the ordinary extent of their life does not exceed ſeven or eight years, if the ſame proportion ſubſiſted in birds as in quadrupeds. But we have ſeen that this is much longer; a Cock will live twenty years in the domeſtic condition, and perhaps thirty years in the ſtate of liberty. Unfortunately for them, we have no intereſt in ſuffering them to reach to a great age. The hens and capons that are deſtined for the table, never enjoy above one year's exiſtence; and moſt of them have only one ſeaſon. Thoſe which are ſelected for the multiplication of the ſpecies, become ſoon exhauſted, and none are permitted to finiſh the period aſſigned by nature; ſo that it is a ſingular accident, that cocks have ever been ſeen to die of age.

Poultry can ſubſiſt in all places under the protection of man, and accordingly they are ſpread over the whole inhabited world. The better ſort of people breed hens in Iceland^*, [99] where they lay as in other parts; and the warm countries abound with them. But, according to Dr. Thomas Hyde^*, Perſia is the native region of Cocks; there they are numerous, and held in great eſtimation, eſpecially by certain der⯑viſes, who conſider them as living clocks; and it is well known that a clock is the ſoul of every ſociety of derviſes.

Dampier ſays, that he ſaw and killed, in the iſlands of Poulocondor, wild Cocks, that were not larger than our crows; and whoſe crow was much like that of our dunghill Cocks, only ſhriller. In another part he adds, that there are ſome in the iſland of Timor, and at St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verd iſlands. Gemelli Carreri relates that he obſerved ſome in the Philippines; and Merolla aſſerts that there are wild hens in the kingdom of Congo, which are more beautiful, and have a more delicate fla⯑vour, than our domeſtic kind; but that the Negroes ſet little value on theſe birds.

From their native climate, whereſoever it be, theſe birds have ſpread over the extent of the ancient Continent, from China to Cape Verd; and from the Southern Ocean to the Seas of the North. Theſe migrations were performed in remote ages, far beyond the reach of hiſtorical [100] tradition. But their ſettlement in the New World ſeems to be a much more recent event. The hiſtorian of the Incas informs us, that there were none at Peru before its conqueſt, and that after a reſidence of more than thirty years, the hens could not be habituated to hatch in the valley of Cuſco. Coreal poſitively aſſerts, that poultry were introduced by the Spaniards into Brazil, and that the inhabitants of that country would eat none of them, and looked upon their eggs as a kind of poiſon. Nor, according to the teſtimony of F. Charlevoix, had the natives of St. Domingo any; and Oviedo conſiders it as a certain fact, that they were carried from Europe to America. Acoſta indeed maintains the oppoſite opinion, that hens exiſted in Peru before the arrival of the Spaniards; and alleges as a proof, that the natives call the bird, in their language, gualpa, and its egg ponto. But the antiquity of the word is not ſufficient to eſtabliſh that of the thing denoted; for it is eaſy to con⯑ceive, that ſavages, the firſt time they ſaw a ſtrange bird, would naturally give it a name, either from its reſemblance to ſome bird with which they were acquainted, or from ſome other analogy. What would determine me in favour of the firſt opinion is, the conformity to the law of the climate. This law, though it cannot be applied in general to birds, eſpecially thoſe which are vigorous on the wing, and to which all countries are open, yet regulates thoſe [101] which, like the poultry, being bulky and hav⯑ing an averſion to water, can neither waft their courſe through the air like the birds that ſoar, nor croſs the ſeas, nor even the large rivers, like the quadrupeds that ſwim, and would therefore be for ever excluded, but for the inter⯑ference of man, from thoſe countries which are ſeparated by an immenſe ocean. The Cock is then an animal which belongs peculiarly to the Ancient Continent, and ought to be added to the liſt that I have given, of all thoſe animals which exiſted not in the New World before it was diſcovered.

In proportion as hens are removed from their native region, and accuſtomed to another cli⯑mate and different food, they muſt ſuffer ſome alteration in their ſhape, or rather in the parts moſt ſuſceptible of change. Hence undoubt⯑edly thoſe varieties that conſtitute the different breeds which I am to deſcribe; varieties which are conſtantly perpetuated in each climate, whe⯑ther from the continued action of the ſame cauſes that produced them at firſt, or from the attention that is paid in matching the individuals ſelected for propagation.

It is to be wiſhed that we could here form, as in the caſe of the dog, a kind of genealogical tree of all families of the Cock, which would point out the primitive ſtock, and its different branches, and repreſent the various orders of alterations and changes correſponding to its dif⯑ferent [102] ſtates. But this would require more ac⯑curate and more minute accounts than thoſe in our poſſeſſion. I ſhall therefore content myſelf with giving my opinion in regard to the hen of our own climate, and ſhall endeavour to exa⯑mine into it's origin; but previous to this inquiry, I ſhall enumerate the foreign breeds that have been deſcribed by naturaliſts, or only mentioned by travellers.

1. The Common Cock. That of our own climate.

2. The Creſted Cock. It is diſtinguiſhed from the Common Cock by a tuft of feathers riſing on the head, and by its comb, which is gene⯑rally ſmaller; probably becauſe the food, in⯑ſtead of being ſpent on the comb alone, is partly diſtributed to nouriſh the feathers. Some tra⯑vellers aſſert that the Mexican poultry are creſted; theſe, as well as all the reſt on the con⯑tinent of America, have been introduced from the ancient continent. The breed of the creſted hens is that which the curious have moſt culti⯑vated, and what generally happens when things are cloſely examined, they have obſerved a great number of differences, particularly in the co⯑lours of their plumage; which ſerve to diſtin⯑guiſh a multitude of races, that are the more eſteemed in proportion to the beauty and rare⯑neſs of their tints. Such are the gold and ſilver ones; the black-creſted white ones; the white⯑creſted black ones; the agate, the chamois, and [103] the ſlaty; thoſe with fiſh-ſcales, and the er⯑mined; the widow-hen, which has ſmall white tears ſprinkled on a ſallow ground; the flame⯑coloured; the ſtony ſort, whoſe plumage has a white ground ſpotted with black, chamois, ſlaty, or golden, &c. But I ſuſpect that theſe differences are not ſo invariable, or ſo deeply impreſſed, as to conſtitute real diſtinct ſpecies, as ſome curious people pretend, who aſſert that many of the above breeds never intermix.

3. The Wild Cock of Aſia. This is undoubt⯑edly what approaches the neareſt to the original ſtock of our common kind; for never being fet⯑tered by man, or thwarted in the choice of its food or mode of life, what could ever alter its native purity? It is neither the largeſt nor the ſmalleſt of its ſpecies, but is intermediate between the extremes. It is found, as we have already obſerved, in many countries of Aſia, in Africa, and in the Cape de Verd iſlands. We have no deſcription of it ſo complete as to enable us to compare it with our Cock. I muſt here recom⯑mend to travellers who have an opportunity of ſeeing this wild breed, to inquire if they con⯑ſtruct neſts, and in what manner. Lottinger, phyſician of Straſburg, who has made many important obſervations on birds, informs me, that our hens, when left to themſelves, build neſts, and with as much care as the par⯑tridges.

[104] 4. The Acoho, or Madagaſcar Cock. This ſpecies is very ſmall, and the eggs ſtill leſs in proportion, for the birds can hatch thirty at a time^*.

5. The Dwarf Hen of Java. It is of the ſize of a pigeon^†; probably the Little Engliſh Hen, which is ſtill ſmaller than the Dwarf Hen of France, is of the ſame kind. We may, per⯑haps, add the Small Hen of Pegu, which tra⯑vellers deſcribe as not larger than a middle-ſized turtle; its feet ſcaly, and its plumage beau⯑tiful.

6. The Hen of the Iſthmus of Darien. It is ſmaller than the common ſort; has a circle of feathers round its legs, an exceeding thick tail, which it carries erect, and it crows before break⯑of-day.

7. Cambogia Hens. Carried by the Spaniards from that kingdom into the Philippines. Their feet are ſo ſhort that their wings trail on the ground. It is very like the Dwarf Hen of France, or perhaps that Dwarf Hen that is reared in Britanny, on account of its fecundity, and which conſtantly hops in its gait.

8. The Bantam Cock. It has much reſem⯑blance to the Rough-footed Cock of France. Its feet are covered with feathers, but only on the [105] outſide. The plumage of the legs is very long, and forms a ſort of boots which reach a conſi⯑derable way beyond the claws. It is courageous, and reſolutely fights with one ſtronger than itſelf. Its iris is red. I have been informed that moſt of this breed have no tuft. There is a large kind of rough-footed Cocks that comes from England, and another ſmaller, termed the Engliſh Dwarf Cock; which is of a fine gold colour, with a double comb.

There is ſtill another ſort of dwarfs, which exceeds not the ſize of a common pigeon, and whoſe plumage is ſometimes white, ſometimes mixed with white and gold colour.

9. The Dutch ſpeak of another kind of Cocks peculiar to the iſland of Java, where they are ſeldom reated but for fighting; they call it the Half-Hen of Java. According to Willoughby, it carries its tail nearly like the turkey. To this family we muſt refer thoſe ſingular hens of Java, mentioned by Mandeſlo, which reſemble the common and Indian kinds, and that fight deſ⯑perately with each other like cocks. The Sieur Fournier informs me, that one of this ſpecies is ſtill living at Paris; it has, according to him, neither comb nor ruff; the head is ſimple like that of the pheaſant. This hen is very high on its legs; its tail is long and pointed, and the feathers of unequal length; and in general, the colour of the feathers is auburn, like thoſe of the vulture.

[106] 10. The Engliſh Cock is not larger than the Dwarf Cock, but is much taller than our Common Cock, and this is what principally diſtinguiſhes it. We may alſo claſs with it the Xolo ^*, a kind of Philippine Cock, which has very long legs. Beſides the Engliſh Cock excels the French in fighting; it has rather a tuft than a creſt; its neck and bill are more ſlender; and above the noſtrils there are two fleſhy protuberances, which are red like the comb.

11. The Turkiſh Cock is remarkable only for its fine plumage.

12. The Hamburgh Cock, named alſo the Vel⯑vet Breeches, becauſe its thighs and belly are of a ſoft black. Its demeanour is grave and ſtate⯑ly; its iris is yellow, and its eyes are encircled with a ring of brown feathers, from which riſes a black tuft that covers the ears. There are other feathers nearly like theſe behind the comb and beneath the barbils, and broad round black ſpots on the breaſt. His legs and feet are of a lead colour, excepting the ſole of the foot, which is yellowiſh.

13. The Frizzled Cock, whoſe feathers have a reverſed poſition. They are found in Java, Japan, and the whole of the ſouth of Aſia. This bird belongs more peculiarly to the warm coun⯑tries; for chickens of this breed are extremely ſenſible to cold, and can hardly ſupport that [107] of our climate. The Sieur Fournier aſſures me, that their plumage aſſumes all ſorts of colours, white, black, ſilvery, golden, and ſlate tints.

14. The Silky Hen of Japan. The feathers are white, and their webs are parted, and pretty much reſemble hair. Its feet are clothed with plumage on the outſide, as far as the nail of the outer toe. This breed is found in Japan, China, and in ſome other countries of Aſia. To propagate it in all its purity, requires that both the parents be covered with down.

15. The Negro Cock has its comb, barbils, epi⯑dermis, and perioſteum abſolutely black. Its plumage alſo is generally black, but ſometimes white. It is found in the Philippines, in Java, Delhi, and at St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verd iſlands. Becman affirms that moſt of the birds in the laſt mentioned place have bones as black as jet, and a ſkin black like that of a negroe^*. If this fact be true, we muſt impute it to the tinging quality of their food. We know the effects of madder, and other plants of that genus, and we are informed, that in England the veal is whiten⯑ed by feeding the calves with grain and other ſoft aliments, mixed with a certain earth or chalk found in the county of Bedford^†. It would therefore be curious to diſcover at St. Jago, among the different ſubſtances which theſe birds eat, that which tinges the perioſteum black. This negroe hen is alſo known in France, and pro⯑pagates [108] there; but as its fleſh, after being dreſſed, is black and unpalatable, it is not likely that the race will be multiplied. When it croſſes the breed with others, varieties of different colours are produced, but which commonly retain the comb and the ruffs, or black barbils; and even the membrane that forms the little ear is tinged with a blackiſh hue on the outſide.

16. The Rumpleſs Cock, or the Perſian Cock of ſome authors. Moſt of the hens and Cocks in Virginia have no rump, and yet they are un⯑doubtedly of the Engliſh breed. The inhabi⯑tants of that colony affirm, that when theſe birds are imported, they ſoon loſe the rump^*. If this be admitted as a fact, the variety in queſtion ought to be called Virginian, and not Perſian Cocks; eſpecially as they were unknown to the ancients, and the moderns have not noticed them till after the diſcovery of America. We have mentioned that the European dogs, which have pendulous ears, loſe their voice, and that their ears become erect, when they are carried into tropical climates. This ſingular change, pro⯑duced by the exceſſive heat of thoſe torrid re⯑gions, is not however ſo great as the loſs of the rump and tail in the gallinaceous tribe. But it appears to me much more curious, that as theſe two tribes of animals are the moſt domeſtic of all, and therefore the wideſt removed from their [109] natural condition, ſo there is breed of dogs with⯑out a tail, as there is of Cocks without a rump. Several years ago, I was ſhewn one of theſe dogs that had been whelped without a tail, but which I then conceived to be a degraded individual, a monſter; and for that reaſon I took no notice of it in the hiſtory of the canine genus. I have again conſidered the ſubject, and I am now con⯑fident that it is a conſtant and invariable race, like that of the Rumpleſs Cock. This breed of Cocks has a blue bill and feet; a ſingle or double comb, but no creſt; the plumage is variegated with all the colours; and the Sieur Fournier aſſures me, that when it couples with the ordinary kind, a half-rumped ſort are produced, with ſix feathers in the tail inſtead of twelve.—This may be true, but I can hardly believe it.

17. The Hen with five toes is, as we have ſaid, a powerful objection to the ſyſtem of claſſifica⯑tion founded on the number of toes. This kind has five on each foot, three before and two be⯑hind; there are even ſome individuals that have ſix.

18. The Hens of Sanſevara. The eggs of this ſort are ſold in Perſia for three or four crowns a-piece; and the Perſians amuſe themſelves in ſtriking them againſt one another, as a kind of play. In that country there are alſo Cocks much more beautiful and larger, which are ſold ſo high as 300 crowns^*.

[110] 19. The Cock of Caux, or of Padua. Its diſtin⯑guiſhing character is its magnitude. Its comb is often double, and in the ſhape of a crown; and there is a kind of tuft, which is more conſpicu⯑ous in the hens. Their voice is ſtrong, hollow, raucous, and their weight is from eight to ten pounds. To this fine breed we may refer the large Cocks of Rhodes, Perſia^*, Pegu^†, the bulky hens of Bahia, which do not begin to be covered with feathers till they have attained half their ſize^‡. It is well known that the hens of Caux are not ſo ſoon feathered as the ordinary ſort.

It may be obſerved, that a great number of birds, mentioned by travellers by the names of Cock and Hen, are of a quite different ſpecies. Such are the patonardes or palonardes found near the Great Bank, and which are ſo fond of cods liver^‖; the Cock and hen of Muſcovy, which are the male and female grous; the red hen of Peru, which is like the pheaſant; that large tuft⯑ed hen of New Guinea, whoſe plumage is of an azure blue, which has a pigeon's bill and feet like thoſe of the common poultry, and which neſtles in trees^§, and is probably the Banda phea⯑ſant; [111] the hen of Damietta, which has a red bill and feet, a ſmall ſpot on the head of the ſame colour, and plumage of a violet blue, and which muſt be conſidered as a great water-fowl; the hen of the Delta, the rich colours of whoſe plumage Thevenot extols, but which differs from the common ſort, not only by the ſhape of its bill and tail, but by its natural habits, ſince it is fond of marſhes; the Pharaoh hen, which the ſame traveller affirms is not inferior to a fat hazel grous; the hens of Corea, which have a tail three feet long, &c.

Amidſt the immenſe number of different breeds of the gallinaceous tribe, how ſhall we deter⯑mine the original ſtock? So many circumſtances have operated, ſo many accidents have con⯑curred; the attention, and even the whim of man have ſo much multiplied the varieties, that it appears extremely difficult to trace them to their ſource. The Wild Cocks found in the warm countries of Aſia may indeed be conſidered as the primeval ſtem in thoſe regions. But as in our temperate climates there is no wild bird that perfectly reſembles the Domeſtic Cock, we are at a loſs on which of the varieties to confer the priority. The pheaſant, the grous, the wood⯑hen, are the only birds in the ſtate of nature which are analogous to our poultry; but it is uncertain if they would ever intermix, and have prolific progeny; and they have conſti⯑tuted diſtinct and ſeparate ſpecies from the moſt [112] remote times. Beſides, they want the combs, the ſpurs, and the pendulous membranes of the gallinaceous tribe. If we exclude all the fo⯑reign and wild kinds, we ſhall greatly diminiſh the number of varieties, and the differences will be found to be ſlight. The hens of Caux are al⯑moſt double the bulk of the ordinary ſort; the Engliſh Cock, though exactly like the French, has much longer legs and feet; others differ on⯑ly in the length of their feathers; others in the number of their toes; others are diſtinguiſhed by the beauty and ſingularity of their colours, as the Turkiſh and Hamburgh hen: and of theſe ſix varieties, to which the common breed may be reduced, three are to be aſcribed to the in⯑fluence of the climate; that of Hamburgh, that of Turkey, and that of England; perhaps alſo the fourth and fifth, for the hen of Caux moſt probably came from Italy, ſince it is alſo called the hen of Padua, and the hen with five toes was known in Italy in the time of Columella. Thus there only remain the Common Cock and the Creſted Cock as the natural breed of our country, and even in theſe the two ſexes admit of all the variety of colour. The conſtant cha⯑racter of the tuft ſeems to mark an improved ſpecies; that is, one better kept and better fed; and conſequently the common breed, which has no tuft, muſt be the true parent of our poultry. It would appear that the primitive colour was white, and that all the intermediate ſhades be⯑tween [113] it and black were ſucceſſively aſſumed. What ſeems to corroborate this conjecture is, an analogy which no perſon has yet remarked, that the colour of the egg generally reſembles that of the plumage of the bird. Thus a raven's eggs are of a green brown, ſpotted with black; thoſe of the keſtril are red; thoſe of the caſſowary dark green; thoſe of the black crow are of a ſtill duller brown than thoſe of the raven; thoſe of the variegated magpie are alſo variegated and ſpotted; thoſe of the great cinereous ſhrike, ſpot⯑ted with grey; thoſe of the woodchat, ſpotted with red; thoſe of the goatſucker, mottled with bluiſh and brown ſpots on a cloudy whitiſh ground; thoſe of the ſparrow, cinereous entire⯑ly, covered with cheſnut ſpots on a grey ground; thoſe of the blackbird, blackiſh blue; thoſe of the grous, whitiſh ſpotted with yellow; thoſe of the pintados, ſpeckled like their plumage, with white round ſpots, &c. In ſhort, there ſeems to be an invariable relation ſubſiſting between the colour of the egg and that of the plumage. The tints are indeed much more dilute on the eggs, and in moſt of them the white predomi⯑nates; but white is alſo in moſt caſes the pre⯑vailing colour of the plumage, eſpecially in fe⯑males: and ſince hens of all colours, white, black, grey, tawney, and mottled, have white eggs, there is reaſon to conclude, that if they had remained in the ſtate of nature, white would at leaſt have predominated in their plumage. Domeſtication [114] has introduced various ſhades on the feathers; but as theſe are only accidental and ſuperficial, they have not been able to penetrate internally, or operate any change in the eggs. ^A

The TURKEY^*.
• Le Dindon, Buff. , • Meleagris-Gallopavo, Linn. Gmel. &c. , • Gallina Indiana, Zuin. , and • Il Gallinacio, Cett. 

IF the Cock be the moſt uſeful bird in our court-yards, the Turkey is the moſt diſtin⯑guiſhed, by its bulk, by the ſhape of-its head, and certain natural habits poſſeſſed by few ſpe⯑cies. Its head is very ſmall in proportion to its body, and is deſtitute of the uſual decoration; for it is almoſt entirely featherleſs, and, together with a part of the neck, is only covered with a bluiſh ſkin, beſet with red fleſhy papillae on the fore part of the neck, and whitiſh papillae on the hind part of the head, with ſome ſmall ſtrag⯑gling black hairs, and a few feathers ſtill more rare on the arch of the neck, and which are thicker in the lower part, a circumſtance which has not been noticed by naturaliſts. From the baſe of the bill, a kind of red fleſhy caruncle falls [116] looſely over a third part of the neck, which at firſt ſight appears ſingle; but when examined is found to be compoſed of a double membrane. A fleſhy protuberance, of a conical ſhape and furrowed with deep tranſverſe wrinkles, riſes from the bottom of the upper mandible. This protuberance is ſcarcely more than an inch long in its natural ſtate of contraction; that is, when the Turkey, ſeeing no objects but thoſe to which it is accuſtomed, and feeling no inward agita⯑tion, walks calmly ſeeking its food. But, on any unuſual appearance, eſpecially in the ſeaſon of love, this bird, which in its ordinary ſtate is humble and tame, ſwells with inſtant rage; its head and neck become inflated, the conical pro⯑tuberance expands, and deſcends two or three inches lower than the bill, which it entirely co⯑vers. All theſe fleſhy parts aſſume at the ſame time a deeper red; it briſtles up the feathers on its neck and back, ſpreads its tail like a fan, while its wings drop and even trail on the ground. In this attitude, he ſometimes ſtruts around his fe⯑male, making a dull ſound, produced by the air eſcaping from the breaſt through the bill, and followed by a long gabbling noiſe. Sometimes he leaves his female to attack thoſe who diſturb him. In both theſe caſes, his motions are compoſed; but they become rapid the inſtant he utters the dull ſound which we have mention⯑ed. He vents a ſhrill ſcream, which every body knows, which intermits from time to time, and [117] which he may be made to repeat as often as one chooſes, by whiſtling, or by forming any ſharp tones. He then begins again to wheel round, which action, according as it is directed to his fe⯑male, or pointed at the object that has provoked his diſpleaſure, expreſſes attachment or marks rage: and it is obſerved, that his fits are the moſt vio⯑lent at the ſight of red clothes; he is then in⯑flamed and becomes furious; ruſhes on the per⯑ſon, ſtrikes with his bill, and exerts himſelf to the utmoſt to remove an object whoſe preſence he cannot endure.

It is a curious and very ſingular fact, that the conical caruncle, which lengthens and is relaxed when the bird is agitated by the violence of paſ⯑ſion, is relaxed in the ſame manner after death.

Some Turkies are white, others variegated with black and white, others with white and ruſty yellow, others are of an uniform grey, which are the moſt uncommon of all. But in the greater number the plumage verges on black, with a little white near the ends of the feathers: thoſe which cover the back and the upper ſur⯑face of the wings are ſquare at the extremities; and among thoſe of the rump, and even of the breaſt, there are ſome with rainbow colours, oc⯑caſioned by the different rays being reflected according to the various degrees of incidence. As they grow older the tints become more gloſſy, and the reflections more diverſified. Many people imagine that white Turkies are the hardi⯑eſt; [118] and, for this reaſon, that breed is preferred in ſome provinces: there are numerous flocks in Pertois in Champaign.

The naturaliſts have reckoned twenty-eight quills in each wing, and eighteen in the tail. But what is much more ſtriking, and what will readily diſtinguiſh this ſpecies from any other yet known, is a lock of hard black hair, five or ſix inches long, which, in our temperate cli⯑mates, riſes from the lower part of the neck in the grown male Turkey on the ſecond year, and ſometimes about the end of the firſt; and before it appears, the place where it emerges is marked by a fleſhy prominence. Linnaeus ſays, that this hair does not ſprout till the third year in the Turkeys bred in Sweden. If the fact be certain, it would follow that this production is the ſlower in proportion to the rigour of the climate; and indeed one of the principal effects of cold is, to check every ſort of growth. This lock of hair is the foundation of the epithet of bearded, (pectore barbato,) which has been ap⯑plied to the Turkey; an expreſſion in every reſpect improper, for it does not grow from the breaſt, but from the lower part of the neck; and, beſides, it is not ſufficient that there are hairs; they ought never to receive the name of beard, unleſs they riſe from the chin, as in Edwards's bearded vulture.

We ſhould form an inaccurate idea of the tail of the Turkey-cock, if we imagined that all the [119] feathers of which it is compoſed can equally be ſpread like a fan. In fact, he has two tails, an upper and an under one; the firſt conſiſts of eighteen broad feathers inſerted round the rump, and which are erected when the bird ſtruts about; the ſecond, or lower one, is formed of others which are not ſo broad, and remains always in a horizontal poſition. The male is alſo diſtinguiſhed by a ſpur on each foot, which is of various lengths, but always ſhorter and ſofter than in common cocks.

IN the female, not only the ſpurs, and the lock of hair hanging from the lower part of the neck, are wanting, but alſo the conical caruncle is ſhorter, and admits of no extenſion; both this caruncle barbil, and the glandulous fleſh that ſheaths the head, are of a paler red; ſhe is ſmaller alſo, and has leſs expreſſion, leſs reſolution, and leſs vigour of action; her cry is only a plaintive accent; ſhe never ſtirs but to ſeek food or to fly before danger: finally, ſhe cannot perform the ſtrutting evolutions, not becauſe ſhe has not the double tail of the male, but on account of the want of the elevator muſcles which erect the very large feathers that compoſe the upper fan.

In the male, as in the female, the noſtrils are ſituated in the upper mandible; the ears are placed behind the eyes, thickly covered, and, as it were, darkened by a multitude of little divided feathers, pointed in different directions.

[120] It will readily be ſuppoſed, that the beſt Cock is the ſtrongeſt, the livelieſt, and the moſt vigorous in all his movements. Five or ſix females may be entruſted to his care. If there are ſeveral males, they will fight with each other, but not with the furious obſtinacy of or⯑dinary cocks; theſe even attack Turkies which are double their ſize, and kill them in the com⯑bat. The ſubjects of the contention are equally compliant to the males of both ſpecies, if, as Sperling ſays, the Turkey-cock, when deprived of his females, pays his addreſſes to the com⯑mon hens; and the Turkey-hens, in the ab⯑ſence of their males, offer their favours to the ordinary cock, and eagerly ſolicit his potent embrace^*.

The battles which the Turkey-cocks fight among themſelves are far leſs vigorous; the van⯑quiſhed does not always fly from the field of battle, and ſometimes he is even preferred by the females. It has been obſerved, that though a white Turkey was beat by a black one, all the chickens were white.

The Turkies perform copulation nearly in the ſame way as ordinary cocks, only it laſts longer. Hence, perhaps, the reaſon that the male is not equal to ſo many females, and is ſooner worn out. I have already mentioned, on the authority of Sperling, that he ſometimes [121] mixes with common hens; the ſame author aſſerts, that when his females are taken from him, he not only couples with the pea-hen (which may happen), but alſo with the ducks (which ſeems to me to be leſs probable).

The Turkey-hen is not ſo prolific as the com⯑mon hen. She muſt, from time to time, be fed with hemp-ſeed, oats, and buck-wheat, to make her lay: and after all, ſhe ſeldom has more than one hatch of fifteen eggs a-year. When ſhe has two, which is very uncommon, the firſt is about the end of winter, and the ſecond in the month of Auguſt. The eggs are white, with ſome ſmall ſpots of reddiſh-yellow; and their ſtructure is nearly the ſame as in thoſe of the common hen. The Turkey-hen will alſo hatch the eggs of all ſorts of birds. We may know when ſhe wants to ſit, for ſhe remains in the neſt; and in order to fix her attachment, the place muſt be dry, with a good aſpect, ac⯑cording to the ſeaſon, and not too much ex⯑poſed; for inſtinct leads her to conceal herſelf with the greateſt care when ſhe covers.

Thoſe of a year old are generally the beſt ſitters, and they are ſo intent, that they would die upon their eggs from mere inanition, if we were not at pains to remove them once a-day, and give them food and drink. This paſſion for hatching is ſo powerful and ſo du⯑rable, that they ſometimes have two neſts in ſuc⯑ceſſion, without the leaſt interruption; but, in [122] ſuch caſes, they muſt be ſupported by richer food. The cock has a very oppoſite inſtinct; for if he ſees the female covering, he breaks the eggs, which he regards, probably, as an ob⯑ſtacle to his pleaſures^*; and for this reaſon it is, perhaps, that the female is ſo induſtrious in concealing her neſt.

After the full time, when the young Turkies are about to burſt into day, they pierce with their bill the ſhell of the egg in which they are incloſed; but it is ſometimes ſo hard, that they would periſh if not aſſiſted by cruſhing it; and this muſt be effected with great caution, following as cloſely as poſſible the natural proceſs. If roughly handled in their tender moments, if ſuffered to endure hunger, or if expoſed to in⯑clement weather, though they may ſurvive for the time, they will pine away and ſoon periſh. Cold, rain, and even dew, occaſions lingering ſickneſs; the rays of a bright ſun ſtrike them with inſtant death; and ſometimes they are cruſhed even under the feet of their mother: ſuch are the dangers which threaten the life of this delicate bird. This cauſe, joined to the inferior fecundity of the Turkey-hens in Eu⯑rope, is the reaſon why this ſpecies is much leſs numerous than that of the common poultry.

After their extrication from the ſhell, the young Turkies ought to be kept in a warm and [123] dry place, where there is ſpread a broad layer of dung well trodden; and when we would bring them out into the open air, we ſhould do it by degrees, and chuſe the fineſt days.

The young Turkies inſtinctively prefer pick⯑ing out of the hand, to feeding in any other way. We judge by their chirping when they want to eat, which is frequent. They ought to be preſented with food four or five times a-day; their firſt nouriſhment ſhould be wine and water, which muſt be blown into their bill, and afterwards a few crumbs of bread may be mixed with it. On the fourth day, eggs ſpoiled in hatching may be given, beat up with bits of bread; and theſe addled eggs, whether they be hens or Turkies, are found to afford a ſalutary nouriſhment^*. Towards the tenth or twelfth day, the eggs are omitted, and in their ſtead are uſed chopped nettles mixed with millet, or with the flour of Turkey beans, of barley, of wheat, or of buck-wheat; or at leaſt, if we would ſave the grain without hurting the brood, with curdled milk, burdock, a little ſtinking camomile, nettle-ſeed, and bran. Afterwards, it will be ſufficient to give them all ſorts of decayed fruits cut into bits^†, eſpecially the berries of brambles and of white mulberries, &c. When we perceive them having a languiſhing appear⯑ance, [124] we muſt dip their bills into wine, to make them drink a little, and at the ſame time oblige them to ſwallow a grain of pepper. Sometimes they appear benumbed and motionleſs, when they have been overtaken by a cold rain; and they would infallibly die, if we were not careful to wrap them in warm rags, and blow repeatedly into them warm air through their bill. They muſt be viſited from time to time to pierce the ſmall bladders that collect under the tongue and about the rump, and to give them ruſt-water; it is even recommended to bathe their head with this water, to prevent certain diſeaſes to which they are ſubject; but in that caſe, it muſt be wiped and dried very carefully; for it is well known that humidity of every kind is hurtful to Turkies in their tender age.

The mother leads them with the ſame ſolici⯑tude that the hen leads her chickens; ſhe warms them under her wings with the ſame affection, and protects them with the ſame courage. It would ſeem that tenderneſs for her offspring gives quickneſs to her ſight; ſhe deſcries a bird of prey at a prodigious diſtance, when it is yet inviſible to every other eye. As ſoon as ſhe perceives her dreaded enemy, ſhe vents her fears by a ſcream that ſpreads terror through the whole brood; each little Turkey ſeeks refuge under a buſh, or ſquats in the herbage, and the mother keeps them in that ſituation by her cries [125] ſo long as danger is impending; but when her apprehenſions are removed, ſhe informs them by a different note, and calls them from their concealments to aſſemble round her.

When the Turkies are newly hatched their head is ſhaded with a kind of down, but they have ſtill no glandulous fleſh or barbils. It requires ſix weeks or two months till theſe parts develope, or, as it is vulgarly ſaid, before the Turkies put forth the red ^*. This is as critical a period with them as that of dentition is with children; and then eſpecially wine ought to be mixed with their ordinary food to ſtrengthen them. A ſhort while before this they have begun to perch.

It is ſeldom that Turkies are ſubjected to caſtration as ordinary cocks are; they fatten very well without ſuffering that operation, and their fleſh is no leſs delicate: another proof that their temperament is not ſo hot as that of com⯑mon poultry.

When they have grown hardy, they leave their mother, or rather they are abandoned by her. The more tender and delicate they were in their infancy, they become in time the more robuſt and the more capable of ſupporting the inclemency of the weather. They are fond of perching in open air, and thus paſs whole nights in the rigours of winter; ſometimes reſting on [126] one foot and drawing up the other to keep it warm, as it were, under the ventral feathers; at other times, on the contrary, crouching on the branch, and keeping their bodies in equi⯑librium. They lay their head under the wing when they go to ſleep, and, during their re⯑poſe, the motion of reſpiration is very percep⯑tible.

The beſt way of training Turkies after they are grown ſtout is, to allow them to ramble in the fields where nettles, and other plants which they are fond of, are plentiful, or to admit them into the orchards when the fruit begins to drop, &c. But we muſt be attentive to reſtrain them from thoſe paſtures that bear plants hurtful to them, ſuch as the great fox⯑glove with red flowers; this plant is a real poiſon to Turkies; thoſe that eat it are thrown into a kind of intoxication, vertigoes, and con⯑vulſions, and when the quantity is large they languiſh and die. We cannot therefore be too careful in extirpating this noxious plant from thoſe places where Turkies are raiſed^*.

We ſhould alſo be careful, eſpecially in their early infancy, not to ſuffer them to go abroad in the morning till the ſun has dried the dew, and to ſhut them up before the fall of the evening damps; they muſt likewiſe be confined [127] in the ſhade during the violent heats of the ſum⯑mer's day. Each evening, when they return to rooſt, they muſt be fed on paſte of grain, or on ſome other food, except in harveſt, when they have gathered enough in the fields. As they are extremely timid, they are eaſily led: the very ſhadow of a ſwitch is ſufficient to drive large flocks, and they will often run from an animal that is much ſmaller and much weaker than themſelves. There are occaſions, how⯑ever, when they diſcover courage, eſpecially in their defence againſt the aſſaults of pole-cats, and other foes of the poultry. Sometimes even they ſurround a hare in his ſeat, and ſtrive to kill him by ſtriking with their bill^*.

They have different tones, and different in⯑flexions of voice, according to their age, their ſex, and the various paſſions by which they are influenced; their pace is ſlow, their flight tardy; they drink, eat, and ſwallow ſmall pebbles nearly as the cocks do, and have alſo a double ſtomach, that is, a craw and a gizzard; but, as they are much larger, the muſcles of the gizzard are alſo much ſtronger.

The length of the inteſtines is nearly qua⯑druple that of the bird, reckoning from the tip of the bill to the end of the rump; they have two caeca, both turned forwards, and which, taken together, conſtitute more than a fourth of [128] the whole alimentary canal; theſe take their riſe near the extremity, and the excrements contained in their cavity differ but little from thoſe included within the colon and rectum; theſe excrements do not remain at all in the common cloaca, as the urine, and that white ſediment which is always found where the urine paſſes, and they have conſiſtence enough to receive ſhape in their extruſion from the anus.

The parts of generation are nearly the ſame in Turkies as in common cocks; but they ſeem to be much leſs vigorous in their performance. The males are not ſo ardent for the females; their embraces are leſs frequent and leſs expedi⯑tious; and the females, at leaſt in our climate, lay much later, and have much fewer eggs.

As the eyes of birds have in ſome reſpects a different organization from thoſe of man and of quadrupeds, it may be proper to mention the chief diſtinctions. Beſides the upper and under eye-lids, the Turkies, as well as moſt other birds, have ſtill a third, called the internal eye-lid, membrana nictitans, which draws itſelf back into the ſhape of a creſcent in the large angle of the eye, and whoſe quick and frequent twink⯑lings are effected by a curious muſcular con⯑trivance. The upper eye-lid is almoſt entirely immoveable, but the lower can ſhut the eye by riſing to the upper, which ſcarcely ever hap⯑pens, except when the animal is aſleep. Theſe two eye-lids have each a lachrymal point, but [129] no cartilaginous margins; the cornea is tranſ⯑parent, encircled by an oſſeous ring, conſiſting of about fifteen ſcales over-lapping each other like the tiles of a roof. The cryſtalline lens is harder than in man, but ſofter than in the quadrupeds or fiſhes^*, and its poſterior ſurface is the moſt convex^†. Laſtly, the optic nerve ſends off, between the retina and the choröid coat, a black membrane of a rhomboidal figure, conſiſting of parallel fibres, which ſtretch through the vitreous humour, and are attached ſome⯑times directly to the interior angle of the cryſ⯑talline capſule, and ſometimes are connected by the intervention of a filament branching from it. It is to this ſubtile and tranſparent membrane that the academicians have given the name of purſe, though it has ſcarcely any reſemblance to that in the Turkey, and ſtill leſs in the cock, the gooſe, the duck, the pigeon, &c.; and its uſe, according to Petit, is to abſorb the rays of light that come from the lateral objects, and which, intermingling with the others, would render viſion obſcure^‡. However this may be, certain it is, that the organ of ſight is more complex in birds than in quadrupeds; and as we have before ſhewn that this ſenſe is poſſeſſed by the feathered race in a higher degree than what obtains in other animals, we muſt [130] aſcribe the ſuperiority to its difference of ſtruc⯑ture, and to its more perfect organization; but to ſtate the preciſe effect would require a more profound ſtudy of comparative anatomy and of the animal oeconomy.

If we compare the relations of travellers, we cannot heſitate to conclude, that Turkies are na⯑tives of America and of the adjacent iſlands; and that before the diſcovery of the New Conti⯑nent, there exiſted none in the Old.

Father du Tertre obſerves, that the Antilles are their congenial abode; and that, if a little care be beſtowed, they will there hatch three or four times in the year^*. But it is a general prin⯑ciple, that all animals multiply faſteſt and grow largeſt and ſtouteſt in their original reſidence: and this is exactly what takes place with regard to the Turkies in America. Immenſe numbers, we are told by the Jeſuit miſſionaries, inhabit near the river Illinois^†; flocks of an hundred, ſome⯑times even of two hundred, are ſeen at once. They are much larger than thoſe in Europe, and weigh even thirty-ſix pounds: Joſſelin affirms, that ſome are ſixty pounds^‡. They are no leſs plentiful in Canada (where, according to Fathers Theodat and Recollet, the ſavages call them Ondettouta⯑ques), in Mexico, in New England, in the vaſt country watered by the Miſſiſſippi, and in the [131] Brazils, where they paſs by the name of Arig⯑nanouſſou ^*. Dr. Hans Solane ſaw ſome in Ja⯑maica; and he remarks, that in almoſt all theſe countries they are in the wild ſtate, and ſwarm at ſome diſtance from the plantations, and but gradually retire from the encroachments of the European ſettlers.

But if moſt travellers and obſervers agree that Turkies are natives of America, eſpecially of the northern part of that continent, they are no leſs unanimous in opinion that there are extreme⯑ly few or none of theſe birds in the whole of Aſia.

Gemelli Careri informs us, that not only there were none originally in the Philippine Iſlands, but that thoſe introduced by the Spaniards from Mexico did not thrive.

Father du Halde aſſures us, that none are to be found in the empire of China, except what have been carried thither^†. It is true, indeed, that this Jeſuit ſuppoſes in the ſame place, that theſe birds are common in the Eaſt Indies; but it would ſeem that this is only a ſuppoſition found⯑ed on report; whereas he was an eye-witneſs of the fact that he relates with reſpect to China.

Father de Bourzes, another Jeſuit, ſays, that there are none in the kingdom of Madura, which lies in the peninſula on this ſide of the Ganges; and he therefore concludes, with probability, that [132] it is the Weſt Indies that have given name to this bird^*.

Dampier ſaw none at Mindanao^†; Chardin and Tavernier, who travelled over Aſia, affirm poſitively, that there are no Turkies in the whole of that vaſt country^‡. According to Tavernier, the Armenians introduced them into Perſia, where however they have not ſucceeded well; the Dutch carried them to Batavia, where they have thrived exceedingly.

Finally, Boſman and ſome other travellers tell us, that if Turkies be ever ſeen in the country of Congo, on the Gold Coaſt, at Senegal, or in other parts of Africa, it is only at the factories and with ſtrangers, the natives mak⯑ing little uſe of them. According to the ſame travellers, their Turkies are evidently deſcended from thoſe carried thither by the Portugueſe and other Europeans, along with other poultry^‖.

I will not diſſemble, that Aldrovandus, Geſ⯑ner, Belon, and Ray, have affirmed that Turkies were natives of Africa or of the Eaſt Indies; and though their opinion on this ſubject is at preſent little regarded, I conceive that it is a duty which I owe to theſe great names not to reject it with⯑out ſome diſcuſſion.

[133] Aldrovandus has attempted to prove at great length, that Turkies are the Meleagrides of the ancients, or the African or Numidian Hens, whoſe plumage was covered with round ſpots, like drops (Gallinae Numidicae guttatae); but it is evi⯑dent, and every body is now agreed on the ſub⯑ject, that theſe are really our pintados, which in⯑deed come from-Africa, but which are quite different from Turkies. It would therefore be needleſs to dwell more particularly on the opi⯑nion of Aldrovandus, which in fact carries its refutation along with it; and yet Linnaeus ſeems inclined to perpetuate or renew the error, by applying to the Turkey the name of Meleagris.

Ray, who maintains that Turkies have derived their origin from Africa or the Eaſt Indies, ſeems to have ſuffered himſelf to be deceived by names. That of the bird of Numidia, which he adopts, implies an African deſcent; that of Turkey and the Bird of Calecut, denotes an Aſiatic extraction. But no proof can be drawn from the name beſtowed by ill-informed people, or even the ſcientific term impoſed by philoſophers, who are not al⯑ways exempted from prejudices. Beſides, Ray himſelf admits with Dr. Sloane, that theſe birds delight in the warm countries of America, and there multiply prodigiouſly^*.

With regard to Geſner, he admits indeed that moſt of the ancients, and among others Ariſtotle [134] and Pliny, were totally unacquainted with Tur⯑kies; but he ſuppoſes that in the following quo⯑tation Aelian had them in view: ‘India,’ ſays this ancient, ‘produces a ſort of very large cocks, whoſe comb is not red like that of ours, but ſo rich and variegated as to reſemble a crown of flowers; the feathers of the tail are not arched nor bent into circles, but flat, and when they are not erected, they trail like thoſe of the peacock; their plumage is of an emerald colour.’

But it does not appear that this paſſage relates to Turkey Cocks; for, 1. The ſize does not prove the point, it being well known that in Aſia, and eſpecially in Perſia and at Pegu, the common cocks are exceedingly large.

2. This comb, compoſed of various colours, is alone ſufficient to overturn the opinion, ſince Turkies have never any comb; and what is here deſcribed is not a tuft of feathers, but a real comb, ſimilar to that of the ordinary cock, though of a different colour.

3. The manner it holds its tail, reſembling the peacock, is equally inconcluſive; for Aelian po⯑ſitively ſays, that the bird which he is deſcribing carries its tail like the peacock, when it does not erect it; and if there had been an erection, ac⯑companied with a wheeling motion, Aelian would not have omitted a character ſo ſingular, and which forms ſo ſtriking a reſemblance to the pea⯑cock, [135] with which he was at the ſame inſtant drawing a compariſon.

4. Laſtly, The emerald colour of the plumage is not ſufficient to decide whether the deſcription refers to the Turkey, though ſome of its feathers have that tinge, and in certain ſituations reflect that ſort of light, ſince many other birds have the ſame properties.

Nor does Belon ſeem to reſt his opinion on better foundation, when he attempts to diſcover Turkies in the writings of the ancients. Colu⯑mella had ſaid in his treatiſe De re ruſtica: Afri⯑cana eſt meleagridi ſimilis, niſi quod rutilam ga⯑leam et criſtam capite gerit, quae utraque in me⯑leagrida ſunt coerulea ^*, ‘The African hen is like the meleagris, only its tuft and comb are red, but in the other both are coerulean.’ Belon takes this African hen for the pintado, and the meleagris for the Turkey; but it is evident from the paſſage itſelf, that Columella ſpeaks here only of two varieties of the ſame ſpecies; ſince the two birds mentioned are perfectly alike, except in colour, which is liable to vary in the ſame ſpecies, eſpecially in that of the pintado, of which in the males the membranous appendices that hang on both ſides of the cheeks are of a blue colour, while in the female the ſame parts are red. Beſides, is it likely that Columella, wiſhing to diſtinguiſh two ſpecies ſo remote from each other as the pintado and the Turkey, [136] would be contented in ſelecting a ſlight differ⯑ence of colour, inſtead of marking obvious and ſtriking characters?

But if the attempts of Belon to beſtow on Turkies, from the authority of Columella, an African origin, are without foundation, his ſucceſs is not greater, when he ſeeks, from the following paſſage of Ptolemy, to give them an Aſiatic origin:—‘Trigliphon Regia, where the common cocks are ſaid to be bearded.’ This Trigliphon is ſituated indeed beyond the Ganges; but there is no reaſon to be⯑lieve that theſe bearded cocks are Turkies; for, 1. The very exiſtence of theſe cocks is uncertain, reſting merely on hearſay. 2. This deſcription cannot refer to Turkies, ſince, as I have before obſerved, the word beard, applied to a bird, can mean only a tuft of feathers, or hairs, placed under the bill, not the lock of ſtiff hair which the Turkies have on the under part of the neck. 3. Ptolemy was an aſtronomer and geographer, and not a naturaliſt; and it is evident that he wiſhed to render his charts more intereſting, by introducing, and not always with judgment, accounts of the peculiarities of each country. In the very ſame page he ſpeaks of three iſlands of ſatyrs, whoſe inhabitants had tails; and he tells us, that the Manioles are ten iſlands ſituated nearly in the ſame climate, where loadſtone abounds ſo much, that iron cannot be employed in the conſtruction of ſhips, [137] becauſe of the danger of their being attracted and held by the magnetic force. But theſe human tails, though aſſerted by ſeveral tra⯑vellers, and by the Jeſuit miſſionaries, ac⯑cording to Gemelli Careri, are at leaſt very doubtful; and the mountains of loadſtone, or rather their effects on the iron of veſſels, are no leſs ſo: ſo that little confidence can be put in facts mingled with ſuch uncertain rela⯑tions. 4. Laſtly, Ptolemy, in the place above quoted, ſpeaks expreſsly of ordinary cocks, which cannot be confounded with Turkey⯑cocks, neither in their external form, their plumage, their cry, their natural habits, the colour of their eggs, nor the time of incuba⯑tion, &c. It is true that Scaliger, while he admits that the meleagris of Athenaeus, or ra⯑ther of Clytus, who is quoted by Athenaeus, was an Aetolian bird that loved wet ſituations, which was averſe to hatching, and whoſe fleſh had a marſhy taſte, none of which characters belong to the Turkey; which is not an inha⯑bitant of Aetolia, which avoids watery ſpots, which has the greateſt affection to its young, and whoſe fleſh has a delicate flavour; yet ſtill maintains that the meleagris is the Turkey. But the anatomiſts of the Academy of Sciences, who were at firſt of the ſame opinion, have, after examining the ſubject with more attention, aſcertained and proved that the pintado was the real meleagris of the ancients. In ſhort, we [138] muſt conſider it as an eſtabliſhed point, that Athenaeus, or Clytus, Aelian, Columella, and Ptolemy, have no more ſpoken of Turkies than Ariſtotle or Pliny; and that theſe birds were totally unknown to the ancients.

Nor can we find the leaſt mention of the Turkey in any modern work, written prior to the diſcovery of America. A popular tradition refers the period of its firſt introduction into France to the ſixteenth century, in the reign of Francis I.; for this was the time when Ad⯑miral Chabot lived. The authors of the Britiſh Zoology ſtate it as a well-known fact, that they were introduced into England in the time of Henry VIII. the contemporary of Francis I.; which agrees exactly with our opinion. For America having been diſcovered by Chriſto⯑pher Columbus towards the end of the fifteenth century, and theſe ſovereigns having aſcended the throne about the beginning of the ſixteenth century, it is natural to ſuppoſe, that the Turkies brought from the New World would under their reigns be regarded as novelties in France and England. This is confirmed too by the expreſs teſtimony of J. Sperling, who wrote before 1660; he affirms, that they had been in⯑troduced from the New Indies into Europe more than a century prior to his time^*.

Every thing, therefore, concurs to prove that the Turkies are natives of America. As they are [139] heavy birds, and cannot riſe on the wing, or ſwim, it would be impoſſible for them to croſs the ocean which ſeparates the two continents. They are in the ſame ſituation with the qua⯑drupeds, which, without the aſſiſtance of man, would not have been diſperſed through the Old and New Worlds. This reflection gives addi⯑tional weight to the teſtimony of travellers, who aſſure us, that they have never ſeen Wild Turkies either in Africa or Aſia, and that none are found there but ſuch as are domeſtic, and brought from other parts^*.

[140] This determination of the natal region of the Turkey leads to the deciſion of another queſtion, which, at firſt ſight, ſeems to have no connec⯑tion with it. J. Sperling affirms, in his Zoo⯑logica Phyſica, p. 369, that the Turkey is a monſter (he means an hybrid) produced by the union of the two ſpecies, that of the peacock and of the ordinary cock; but as it is aſcer⯑tained that the Turkey is of American ex⯑traction, it could not be bred by the inter⯑courſe of two Aſiatic ſpecies; and what com⯑pletely decides the point is, that no Wild Turkies are found through the whole extent of Aſia, though they abound in the foreſts of America. But it will be ſaid, what means the term gallo⯑pavus, which has ſo long been applied to the Turkey? Nothing is ſimpler: the Turkey was a foreign bird which had no name in any of the European languages; and as it bore ſeveral ſtriking reſemblances to the common cock and the peacock, a compound word was formed expreſſive of theſe analogies. Sperling and others would have us believe that it is really the croſs-breed of theſe two ſpecies; yet the inter⯑mixture [141] conſiſts entirely in the names.—So dangerous it is to beſtow upon animals com⯑pounded epithets, which are always ambi⯑guous.

Edwards mentions another hybrid produced between the Turkey and the pheaſant^*. The individual which he deſcribes was ſhot in the woods near Hanford in Dorſetſhire, where it was ſeen in the month of October 1759, with two or three other birds of the ſame kind. It was of a middle-ſize between the pheaſant and the Turkey, its wings extending thirty-two inches; a ſmall tuft of pretty long black feathers roſe on the baſe of the upper mandible; the head was not bare like that of the Turkey, but covered with little ſhort fea⯑thers; the eyes were ſurrounded with a circle of red ſkin, but not ſo broad as in the pheaſant. It is not ſaid whether this bird could ſpread the large feathers of the tail into the wheel-ſhape; it only appears from the figure, that it carried the tail in the ſame way as the Turkey generally does. It muſt alſo be obſerved, that this tail is compoſed of ſixteen quills, as in the grous; while that of the Turkey and of the pheaſant conſiſts of eighteen; alſo each feather on the body ſhot double from the ſame root, the one branch ſtiff and broad, the other ſmall and co⯑vered with down, a character which belongs [142] neither to the pheaſant nor the Turkey. If this bird was really a hybrid, it ought to have had, like other hybrids, 1ſt, The characters common to the two primitive ſpecies; 2dly, The qualities intermediate between the extremes; a circum⯑ſtance that in this caſe does not take place, ſince this individual had a character not to be found in either (the double feathers), and wanted others that occur in both (the eighteen quills of the tail). Indeed, if it be inſiſted that it was hybridous, we ſhould more reaſonably infer, that it was produced by the union of the Turkey with the grous; which, as I have remarked, has no more than ſixteen feathers in the tail, but has the double feathers.

The Wild Turkies differ not from the do⯑meſtic ſort, except that they are much larger and blacker; they have the ſame diſpoſitions, the ſame natural habits, and the ſame ſtupidity. They perch in the woods on the dry branches, and when one falls by a ſhot, the reſt are not intimidated by the report, but all continue ſecure in the ſame poſition. According to Fernandes, their fleſh, though pleaſant to eat, is harder and not ſo delicate as that of the Tame Turkies; but they are twice as large. The Mexican name of the male is hucxolotl, and that of the female cihuatotolin. Albin tells us, that many Engliſh gentlemen amuſe themſelves in breeding Wild Turkies, and that theſe birds thrive very well in ſmall woods, parks, or other incloſures.

[143] The Creſted Turkey is only a variety of the common kind, ſimilar to what occurs among the ordinary cocks. It is ſometimes black, ſometimes white. That deſcribed by Albin was of the uſual ſize; its feet fleſh-coloured, the upper part of the body deep brown; the breaſt, belly, thighs, and tail, white; and alſo the feathers that form the tuft. In other reſpects it reſembled exactly the ordinary kind; it had the ſpongy and glandulous fleſh which covers the head and arch of the neck, and the lock of hard hair riſing (apparently) from the breaſt, and the ſhort ſpurs on each foot; it alſo bore the ſame ſingular antipathy to ſcarlet, &c. ^A

The GUINEA PINTADO^*.
• La Peintade, Buff. , • Numida Meleagris, Linn. Gmel. &c. , • Gallus & Gallina Guineenſis, Ray and Will. , and • The Guinea Hen, Ray. 

WE muſt not, like Ray, confound this with the Pintado mentioned by Dampier, which is a ſea-bird, equal to the duck in ſize, having very long wings, and ſkimming along the ſur⯑face of the water: theſe characters are all widely different from thoſe of the real Pintado, which is a land-bird, with ſhort wings, and whoſe flight is laborious and ſlow.

It was known, and accurately deſcribed, by the ancients. Ariſtotle mentions it only once in his Hiſtory of Animals; he calls it Meleagris, and ſays that its eggs are marked with ſmall ſpots^†.

Pliny gives the ſame account, and ſeems merely to copy Varro; unleſs we aſcribe the ſameneſs of their deſcriptions to the identity of the object^†. He repeats alſo what Ariſtotle had ſaid with regard to their eggs^‡; and he adds, that the Pintado of Numidia was moſt eſteemed^§, and hence he beſtows the name of Numidian Hen on the whole ſpecies.

Columella admitted two ſorts, which were perfectly alike, except that the one had blue barbils and the other red. This difference ſeemed ſo important to the ancients, that they formed two ſpecies, denoted by diſtinct names. They called the one, which had red barbils, Meleagris; the other, which had blue bar⯑bils, the African Hen ^‖; not adverting that the former is the female, and the latter the male of the ſame identical ſpecies, as the academi⯑cians have found^¶.

[146] However, it appears that the Pintado which was anciently reared with ſo much care at Rome, was afterwards entirely loſt in Europe. We can diſcover no trace of it in the writings of the middle ages; and we find it only begun to be ſpoken of, after the Europeans had viſited the weſtern coaſts of Africa, in their voyages to India by the Cape of Good Hope^*. But not only have they diffuſed theſe birds through Eu⯑rope, but tranſported them into America; and the Pintados have ſuffered various alterations in their external qualities from the influence of dif⯑ferent climates. Nor muſt we be ſurpriſed that the moderns, both the naturaliſts and travellers, have multiplied the diviſions of the breeds ſtill more than the ancients.

Friſch diſtinguiſhes, like Columella, the Pin⯑tado with red barbils from that with blue bar⯑bils; but he ſtates ſeveral other differences. According to him, the latter, which is found only in Italy, is unpalatable food, ſmall, fond of wet places, and careleſs about its young; the two laſt features alſo mark the Meleagris men⯑tioned by Clytus of Miletus. ‘They delight,’ ſays he, ‘in marſhes, and diſcover little attach⯑ment [147] to their progeny, which the prieſts are obliged to watch over with care;’—‘but,’ he ſubjoins, ‘their ſize is equal to that of a hen of the fineſt breed^*.’ It appears too, from Pliny, that this naturaliſt conſidered the Melea⯑gris as an aquatic bird^†. That with red bar⯑bils is, on the contrary, according to Friſch, larger than a pheaſant, prefers a dry ſituation, and is aſſiduous in its attention to its young, &c.

Dampier informs us, that in the iſland of May, one of the Cape de Verd iſlands, there are Pintados, of which the fleſh is of an uncom⯑mon whiteneſs; and others, of which it is black; but that in all of them it is tender and delicate. Father Labat gives the ſame account. This difference, if the fact be true, would ap⯑pear to be the more conſiderable, as it cannot be imputed to the change of climate; ſince the Pintados on this iſland, which is near the Afri⯑can ſhore, may be conſidered as in their native reſidence; at leaſt unleſs we aſſert that the ſame cauſes which tinge with black the ſkin and perioſteum of moſt of the birds in the iſlands of St. Jago, darken alſo the fleſh of the Pintados in the neighbouring iſland of May.

[148] Father Charlevoix pretends that there is at St. Domingo a ſpecies ſmaller than the ordinary ſort^*. But theſe are probably the cheſnut Pintados, bred from ſuch as were introduced by the Caſtilians ſoon after the conqueſt of the iſland. Theſe having become wild, and as it were naturalized in the country, have expe⯑rienced the baneful influence of that climate; which, as I have elſewhere ſhewn, has a ten⯑dency to enfeeble, to contract, and to degrade the animal tribes. It is worth obſerving, that this breed, originally from Guinea, and tranſ⯑ported to America, where it had once been reduced to the domeſtic ſtate, but ſuffered to grow wild, could not afterwards be reclaimed to its former condition; and that the planters in St. Domingo have been obliged to import tame ones from Africa, to propagate in their farm⯑yards^†. Is it from living in a more deſert and wilder country, inhabited by ſavages, that the cheſnut Pintados have become ſavage them⯑ſelves? or is it becauſe they have been frighted away by European hunters, eſpecially the French, who, according to Father Margat the Jeſuit, have deſtroyed vaſt numbers of them^‡?

Marcgrave ſaw ſome with creſts, that came from Sierra Leona, and which had about their [149] neck a kind of membranous collar, of a bluiſh cinereous colour^*; and this is one of thoſe varieties which I call primitive, and which de⯑ſerve the more attention, as they are anterior to every change of climate.

The Jeſuit Margat, who admits no ſpecial difference between the African Hen and the Meleagris of the ancients, ſays, that they have two kinds in regard to colour at St. Domingo; in ſome, black and white ſpots are diſpoſed in the form of rhomboids; in others, the plumage is of a deeper aſh-grey. He adds, that they all have white below the belly, and on the under⯑ſide, and at the tips of the wings.

Laſtly, Briſſon conſiders the whiteneſs of the plumage of the breaſt obſerved on the Pintados at Jamaica, as conſtituting a diſtinct variety; and he characteriſes it by this epithet, (pectore albo;) which, as we have juſt ſeen, belongs as much to the Pintados of St. Domingo as to thoſe of Jamaica.

But beſides the differences which have been regarded by naturaliſts as a ſufficient foundation for admitting ſeveral races of Pintados, I can perceive many others, in comparing the deſcrip⯑tions and figures publiſhed by different authors, which ſhew little permanency, either in the [150] internal mould of the bird, or in the impreſſion of the exterior form; but, on the contrary, a great diſpoſition to be affected by foreign in⯑fluences.

In the Pintado of Friſch and ſome others^*, the caſque and the feet are whitiſh, the forehead, the circle of the eyes, the ſides of the head and neck, in its upper part, are white, ſpotted with aſh-grey. That of Friſch has beſides, under the throat, a red ſpot in the ſhape of a creſcent, and lower down a very broad black collar, the ſilky filaments on the occiput few, and not a ſingle white quill in the wings; which form ſo many diverſities, in which the Pintados of theſe authors differ from ours.

In Marcgrave's ſpecimen, the bill was yellow; in that of Briſſon, it was red at the baſe, horn-coloured near the tip. The academicians found on ſome a ſmall tuft at the origin of the beak, conſiſting of twelve or fifteen ſtiff threads, about four inches long, which did not occur in thoſe of Sierra Leona, mentioned above.

Dr. Caius ſays, that in the female the head is entirely black, and that this is the only diſtinc⯑tion between it and the male^†.

[151] Aldrovandus aſſerts, on the contrary, that the head of the female has the ſame colours with that of the male, but that its caſque is leſs elevated and more obtuſe.

Roberts affirms, that it has not the caſque at all^*.

Dampier and Labat maintain, that they never ſaw thoſe red barbils and caruncles which border the noſtrils in the male^†.

Barrere tells us, that theſe parts are of a paler colour than in the male, and that the ſilky hairs of the occiput are thinner, ſuch apparently as repreſented in Friſch's figure.

Laſtly, the academicians found in ſome indi⯑viduals theſe filaments on the occiput riſing an inch, ſo that they formed a kind of tuft behind the head.

It would be difficult, from all theſe varieties, to ſelect thoſe that are ſo deeply and ſo per⯑manently ſtamped, as to conſtitute diſtinct races; and as we cannot doubt but that they are very recent, it will perhaps be ſafeſt to regard them as the effects produced by domeſtication, change of climate, nature of the food, &c.; and with⯑out introducing them into the deſcription, to mark the limits of the variations to which cer⯑tain qualities of the Pintado are ſubject, and to [152] endeavour, as much as poſſible, to aſcend to thoſe cauſes, of which the continued operation has at laſt imprinted conſtant characters, and formed diſtinct ſpecies.

In one circumſtance, the Pintado bears a ſtriking reſemblance to the turkey; viz. it has no feathers on the head, nor on the arch of the neck. This has induced ſeveral ornithologiſts, as Belon, Geſner, Aldrovandus, and Klein, to take the turkey for the Meleagris of the ancients. But not to mention the numberleſs points of dif⯑ference between theſe two ſpecies^*, we need only refer to the proofs by which it was decided that the turkey was peculiar to America, and could never migrate into the ancient con⯑tinent.

Briſſon ſeems alſo to have miſtaken, when, from a quotation of Kolben^†, he inſerted Knor⯑haan [153] in the liſt of the names of the Pintado. I agree with Briſſon, that the figure given by this traveller is only copied from that of the African Hen of Marcgrave; he muſt alſo allow that it would be hard to admit a bird peculiar to the Cape of Good Hope to be the Pintado, which is ſpread through the whole of Africa, and leſs common at that promontory than in other parts of the country; ſtill more difficult will it be to reconcile the ſhort black bill, the crown of feathers, the red which is intermixed with the colours of the wings and of the body, and the quality which Kolben aſcribes to his Knor-haan, that it lays only two eggs.

The plumage of the Pintado, though not decorated with rich and dazzling colours, is re⯑markably beautiful. It is of a bluiſh-grey ground, ſprinkled with conſiderable regularity, with white roundiſh ſpeckles, reſembling pearls. Hence ſome of the moderns have beſtowed on this bird the name of Pearled Hen ^*; and the ancients applied the epithets varia and guttata ^†. Such, at leaſt, was the plumage in its native climate; but ſince it has been carried into other [154] countries, it has aſſumed more of the white. Thus the Pintados at Jamaica and St. Do⯑mingo are white on the breaſt; and Edwards mentions ſome entirely white^*. The white⯑neſs of the breaſt, therefore, which Briſſon conſiders as the character of a variety, is only an alteration begun in the natural colour, or rather it is the ſhade between that colour and complete whiteneſs.

The feathers on the middle part of the neck are very ſhort near its arch, where they are entirely wanting. From that part they gra⯑dually lengthen unto the breaſt, and there they are three inches long^†.

Theſe feathers are of a downy texture from their root to near their middle, and this part is covered by the tips of the feathers in the pre⯑ceding row, conſiſting of ſtiff webs interwoven with each other.

It has ſhort wings and a pendulous tail, like that of the partridge, which, joined to the arrangement of its feathers, makes it look as if it were hunch-backed (Genus Gibberum, PLIN.); but this appearance is falſe, and no veſtige re⯑mains when the bird is plucked^‡.

The ſize is nearly that of an ordinary hen, but the ſhape is like that of the partridge; hence [155] it has been called the Newfoundland Partridge^*. But it is of a taller form, and its neck longer, and more ſlender near the arch.

The barbils which riſe from the upper man⯑dible have no invariable form, being oval in ſome, and ſquare or triangular in others; they are red in the female, and bluiſh in the male; and, according to the academicians and Briſſon, it is this circumſtance alone which diſtinguiſhes the two ſexes. But other authors, as we have already ſeen, have aſſigned different marks drawn from the colours of the plumage^†, of the barbils^‡, the callous tubercle on the head^§, the caruncles of the noſtrils^‖, the ſize of the body^¶, the ſilky threads of the occiput, &c.^**; whether theſe differences really reſult from the ſex, or by a logical error, which is but too com⯑mon, the accidental properties of the individual have been regarded as ſexual.

Behind the barbils, we perceive on the ſides of the head the very ſmall orifice of the ears, which in moſt birds is concealed by feathers, but in this is expoſed. But what is peculiar to the Pintado is, a callous bump, or a kind of caſque, which riſes on its head, and which Belon improperly compares to the tubercle, or [156] rather to the horn of the giraffe ^*. It reſembles in ſhape the reverſe of the ducal cap of the Doge of Venice, or this cap placed with its back towards the front. Its colour varies in different ſubjects, from white to reddiſh, paſſ⯑ing through the intermediate ſhades of yellow and brown^†. Its interior ſurface is like that of hard callous fleſh, and it is covered with a dry wrinkled ſkin, which extends over the occiput, and on the ſides of the head, but is fur⯑rowed where the eyes are placed. Thoſe natu⯑raliſts who deal in final cauſes, have aſſerted, that this is a real helmet, beſtowed on the Pin⯑tados as a defenſive armour, to protect them againſt the attacks which they make on each other, becauſe they are quarrelſome birds, and have a ſtrong bill and a delicate ſkull.

The eyes are large and covered; the upper eye-lid has long black hairs bent upwards, and the cryſtalline lens is more convex at the ante⯑rior than at the poſterior ſurface.

Perrault affirms, that the bill is like that of the common hen; the Jefuit Margat makes it thrice as large, very hard, and pointed; the claws are alſo ſharper, according to Labat. But [157] all agree, both ancients and moderns, in ſaying that the feet have no ſpurs.

There is a remarkable difference which oc⯑curs between the ordinary hen and the Pintado; that the inteſtines of the latter are much ſhorter in proportion, not exceeding three feet, ac⯑cording to the academicians, excluſive of the caeca, which are each ſix inches, and widen as they extend from their origin, and receive, like the other inteſtines, veſſels from the meſentery. The largeſt of all is the duodenum, which is eight lines in diameter. The gizzard is like that of the common hen; and alſo contains numbers of ſmall pebbles, and ſometimes even nothing elſe; probably when the animal, dying of a lan⯑guiſhing diſtemper, has paſſed the cloſe of its life without eating at all.

The inner membrane of the gizzard is full of wrinkles; it adheres looſely to the nervous coat, and is of a ſubſtance analogous to horn.

The craw, when inflated, is about the ſize of a tennis ball; the duct, which joins it to the gizzard, is of a harder and whiter ſubſtance than what precedes the craw, and does not pre⯑ſent near ſo many diſtinct veſſels.

The aeſophagus deſcends along the neck, to the right of the trachea-arteria; becauſe, no doubt, the neck, which, as I have already ſaid, is very long, bending oftener forwards than ſide⯑wiſe, the aeſophagus preſſed by the trachea⯑arteria, whoſe rings are entirely oſſeous, has [158] here, as in moſt of the birds, been puſhed to that ſide where there is leaſt reſiſtance.

Theſe birds are ſubject to ſchirrous concre⯑tions in the liver, and even in the kidney. Some have been found without any gall-bladder; but in this caſe the hepatic branch was very thick. Others have occurred with only one teſticle; in general, it ſeems that the internal parts are no leſs liable to changes than the exterior and ſu⯑perficial parts.

The heart is more pointed than common in birds^*; the lungs are of the ordinary ſhape. It has however been obſerved in ſome ſubjects, that, on blowing into the trachea-arteria to in⯑flate the lungs and air-cells, the pericardium, which appeared more than ordinarily flaccid, ſwelled with the lungs^†.

I ſhall add another anatomical remark, which has perhaps ſome connection with the habit of crying and the clamorous notes of the Pintado; it is, that the trachea-arteria receives in the cavity of the thorax two ſmall muſcular chords of an inch long, and two-thirds of a line broad, which are inſerted on each ſide^‡.

The Pintado is an exceedingly noiſy bird, and for this reaſon Brown has termed it Gallus clamoſus ^§. Its cry is ſharp, and by its con⯑tinuance, [159] becomes ſo troubleſome, that, though the fleſh is very delicate, and much ſuperior to that of ordinary poultry, moſt of the American planters have given over breeding it^*.

The Greeks had a word appropriated to de⯑note the ſcreaming of the Pintado^†. Aelian obſerves, that the Meleagris utters a ſound reſembling that of its name. Dr. Caius ſays, that its cry is like that of the partridge, though not ſo loud. Belon tells us, that it is analo⯑gous to the chirping of young chickens lately hatched; but at the ſame time he poſitively affirms, that it is unlike that of ordinary hens. I cannot conceive why Aldrovandus and Salerne aſſert the contrary.

The Pintado is a lively, reſtleſs, and turbulent bird, that diſlikes to remain in the ſame place, and contrives to become maſter of the poultry⯑yard. It can intimidate even the turkies; for, though much ſmaller, it gains the aſcendency over them by the mere dint of petulance. ‘The Pintado,’ ſays Father Margat, ‘wheels ſometimes round, gives twenty ſtrokes with his bill, before theſe heavy birds are rouſed to defence.’ The Hens of Numidia ſeem to have the ſame mode of fighting which the hiſtorian Salluſt imputes to the cavalry of that country. ‘Their charge is ſudden and irre⯑gular; [160] if they meet with reſiſtance, they retreat, but in an inſtant they renew the attack^*.’ To this example we might add many others, tending to prove the influence of climate on the inſtincts of the animals, as well as on the national genius of the inhabitants. The elephant joins to ſtrength and induſtry, a ſlaviſh diſpoſition; the camel is laborious, pa⯑tient, and ſober; and, in thoſe enervating regions, even the dog forgets to bite.

Aelian relates, that in a certain iſland the Meleagris is reſpected by the birds of prey^†; but I preſume that in every country of the world, theſe would rather attack other fowls, whoſe bill is not ſo ſtrong, whoſe head is not protected by a caſque, and who are not ſo well acquainted with the art of defence.

The Pintado is one of thoſe birds which ſeek, by weltering in the duſt, to rid themſelves of inſects. They alſo ſcrape the ground like com⯑mon hens, and roam in numerous flocks. Bodies of two or three hundred together are ſometimes ſeen in the Iſle of May; and the inhabitants hunt them with a greyhound, and without other weapons than ſticks^‡. But, according to Belon, they run very faſt, keep⯑ing their head elevated like the camelopard. [161] They perch at night to ſleep, and ſometimes during the day, on the walls of incloſures, on hedges, and even on the roofs of houſes, and on trees. They are at great pains, Belon adds, in providing their food; and, indeed, conſider⯑ing the length of their inteſtines, they muſt conſume more than ordinary fowls, and be ſub⯑ject to more frequent calls of hunger^*.

It appears from the concurrence of the an⯑cients^† and moderns^‡, which is alſo corrobo⯑rated by the ſemi-membranes which connect the toes, that the Pintado is partly an aquatic bird. Accordingly, thoſe from Guinea, which have recovered their liberty in St. Domingo, and obey the impulſe of nature alone, prefer the ſwamps and moiſt ſituations^§.

If they be trained when young, they ſoon become tame. Brue relates, that when he was at the coaſt of Senegal, he received, as a pre⯑ſent from a princeſs of that country, two Pin⯑tados, a male and a female, both of which were ſo familiar that they would come to eat on his [162] plate; and that when they were at liberty to fly about the beach, they returned regularly to the ſhip, when the dinner or ſupper bell rung. Moore ſays, that they are as wild as the phea⯑ſants are in England^*; but I ſuſpect he never ſaw pheaſants ſo tame as Brue's Pintados. And what proves that the Pintados are not very wild is, that they receive the food which is offered them the moment after they are caught.

The Pintado lays and hatches nearly like the ordinary hen; but its fecundity appears to be not the ſame in different climates, or at leaſt that this is much greater in the domeſtic condi⯑tion, where food is more abundant, than in the ſavage ſtate, which affords but a ſcanty ſubſiſt⯑ence. I have been informed that it is wild in the Iſle of France, and there lays ten or twelve eggs on the ground in the woods; whereas thoſe that are domeſtic in St. Domingo, and ſeek the hedges and buſhes to depoſite their eggs, lay 100, or 150, provided that one be left conſtantly in the neſt.

Theſe eggs are ſmaller in proportion than thoſe of an ordinary hen, and their ſhell is much harder. But there is a remarkable dif⯑ference between thoſe of the domeſtic Pintados and thoſe of the wild ſort; the latter are marked with ſmall round ſpots like thoſe on their plum⯑age; [163] and this circumſtance has not been over⯑looked by Ariſtotle; but thoſe of the former are at firſt of a pretty bright red, which after⯑wards fades, and at laſt runs into the faint colour of a dried roſe. If this fact be true, as I have been aſſured by Fournier, who has raiſed many of theſe birds, we muſt conclude that the influence of domeſtication penetrates here ſo deeply, as to change not only the colours of the plumage, as we have already ſeen, but even thoſe of the matter which forms the ſhell of the eggs; and as this does not happen in other ſpecies, there is reaſon to conclude that the na⯑ture of the Pintado is not ſo fixed and invariable as that of other birds.

Is the Pintado watchful or not of its brood? This is a problem that has not yet been ſolved. Belon replies without qualification in the affirma⯑tive^*. Friſch is of the ſame opinion with re⯑gard to his great ſpecies, which delights in dry ſituations, but affirms that the contrary is true of the ſmall ſpecies, which prefers marſhes. But moſt authors impute to them a degree of indifference for their offspring; the Jeſuit Mar⯑gat informs us, that at St. Domingo they are not ſuffered to cover their eggs, becauſe they diſcover ſo little attachment, and ſo often aban⯑don their young^†. The planters give their [164] eggs to be hatched, he ſays, under turkies or common hens.

I can find nothing with reſpect to the time of incubation; but if we judge from the ſize of the bird, and from our knowledge of other ſpecies to which it is moſt analogous, we may allow three weeks, more or leſs, according to the heat of the ſeaſon or climate, and the aſſi⯑duity of the ſitter, &c.

In their firſt infancy, the young Pintados have neither the barbles nor the caſque; they re⯑ſemble the red partridges in their plumage, and the colour of their feet and bill, and it is difficult to diſtinguiſh the young males from the old fe⯑males^*; for in all theſe ſpecies, the maturity of the females correſponds to the infancy of the males.

The young Pintados are very tender, and being natives of the burning climates of Africa, are with difficulty reared in our northern coun⯑tries. According to Father Margat, they feed at St. Domingo, as well as the old ones, on millet. At the Iſle of May, they ſubſiſt on the graſshoppers and worms, which they find them⯑ſelves by ſcraping the ground with their nails^†; and Friſch ſays, that they live on all ſorts of grain and inſects.

The Pintado cock breeds alſo with the com⯑mon hen. But it is a kind of artificial union, [165] which requires attention to bring about. They muſt be bred together from their infancy; and the hybridous intercourſe gives birth to a baſ⯑tard progeny of an imperfect ſtructure, and diſavowed, as it were, by nature. Their eggs are deſtitute of the prolific power, and the race is extinguiſhed in the death of the indi⯑viduals^*.

The Pintados that are raiſed in our poultry⯑yards have an excellent flavour, in no reſpect inferior to that of partridges; but the wild or cheſnut ſort of St. Domingo have the moſt ex⯑quiſite reliſh, and exceed the delicacy of the pheaſant. The eggs of the Pintado too are a very agreeable food.

We have ſeen that the Pintado is of African origin; and hence all the names that have been beſtowed on it: hen of Africa, of Numidia, the foreign hen, that of Barbary, of Tunis, of Mauritania, of Lybia, of Guinea, of Egypt, of Pharaoh, and even of Jeruſalem. Some Mahometans called them Jeruſalem hens, and ſold them to the Chriſtians for whatever price they choſe to demand^†; but theſe perceiving the fraud, retaliated on the good Muſulmen by offering them under the name of Mecca hens.

They are found in the iſles of France and Bourbon^‡, where they have been introduced [166] at a late period, but have ſince multiplied ex⯑tremely^*. They are known at Madagaſcar^† by the name of acanques, and at Congo by that of quetèle ^‡; they are very common in Guinea^§, on the Gold Coaſt, where they are kept tame only in the diſtrict of Acra^‖; at Sierra-Leona^¶, at Senegal^**, in the iſland of Goree, in the Cape de Verd iſlands^††, in Barbary, in Egypt, in Arabia^‡‡, in Syria^§§; we are not in⯑formed whether they occur in the iſland of Ma⯑deira, or in the Canaries. Gentil tells us, that he ſaw Pintado hens at Java^‖‖; but it is un⯑certain if they were tame or wild: I ſhould ra⯑ther ſuppoſe that they were domeſtic, and car⯑ried from Africa to Aſia, as they have been tranſported from Europe to America. But as theſe birds were accuſtomed to a hot climate, they could not ſupport the intenſe cold that reigns on the frozen ſhores of the Baltic: and Lin⯑naeus never mentions them in his Fauna Suecica. Klein ſeems to ſpeak but from the report of [167] another perſon; and we are informed that at the beginning of the preſent century they were rare even in England^*.

Varro ſays, that in his time the African hens, (it is thus he names the Pintados,) were ſold for a high price at Rome, on account of their ſcarcity^†. They were much more com⯑mon in Greece in the age of Pauſanias; ſince this author poſitively aſſerts, that the melea⯑gris, with the common gooſe, was what per⯑ſons who were not in eaſy circumſtances, ge⯑nerally preſented at an offering in the ſolemn myſteries of Iſis. But we muſt not therefore infer, that the Pintados were natives of Greece; for, according to Athenaeus, the Aeolians were the firſt Greeks who were poſſeſſed of theſe birds. Yet I conceive that ſome trace of a regular migration may be diſcovered from the battles that were annually fought with theſe birds in Boeotia, on the tomb of Meleager; which are mentioned both by the naturaliſts and my⯑thologiſts^‡. Hence the name of Melea⯑gris^§, as that of Pintado^‖ has been be⯑ſtowed, [168] on account of the beautiful diſtri⯑bution of the colours with which their plumage is painted. ^A

The WOOD GROUS.
• Le Tetras, ou le Grande Coq de Bruyere ^*, Buff. , • Tetrao-Urogallus ^†, Linn. Gmel, &c. &c. , • Urogallus Major, Briſſ. Klein, and Gerini. , • The Capcalze, Sibbald, Scot. Illuſt. , and • The Cock of the Wood, or Mountain, Ray, Will. and Alb. 

IF we were to judge of things by their names only, we ſhould take this bird for a wild cock or a pheaſant; for in many countries, par⯑ticularly in Italy, it is called Wild Cock^‡, gallo alpeſtre, ſelvatico ^§. In other places, it is termed the Noiſy Pheaſant, and the Wild Phea⯑ſant. But it differs from the pheaſant in its tail, which is of another ſhape, and only half the length; in the number of great feathers that compoſe it; in the extent of its wings compared [170] with its other dimenſions; and in the form of its feet, which are rough and without ſpurs, &c. Beſides, though both theſe ſpecies of birds de⯑light in foreſts, they are ſeldom found in the ſame ſpots; the pheaſant, which ſhuns cold, fixes its reſidence in the woods that grow in the plains; while the Grous prefers the chill ex⯑poſure of the woods which crown the ſummits of lofty mountains. Hence the names of Cock of the Mountain, and Cock of the Wood.

Thoſe who, with Geſner, and ſome others, would conſider it as the original cock, can in⯑deed found their conjecture on ſome analogies; the general ſhape of its body; the particular configuration of its bill; the red projecting ſkin above the eyes, the ſingular nature of its fea⯑thers, which are moſtly double, and riſe in pairs from the ſame root, a property which, ac⯑cording to Belon, is peculiar to the ordinary cock; and laſtly, they have the ſame common habits, one male ſupplying ſeveral females, and theſe not building any neſts, but ſitting on their eggs with much aſſiduity, and ſhowing a ſtrong affection to their young after they are hatched. But if we conſider that the Grous has no mem⯑branes under its bill, and no ſpurs on its feet; that its feet are clothed with plumage, and its toes are edged with a kind of indenting; that there are two quills more in the tail; that this tail is not divided into two planes as in the ordinary cock, but can be diſplayed like a fan [171] as in the turkey; that its bulk is quadruple that of the ordinary cock; that it is fond of cold countries, while the domeſtic fowls thrive beſt in temperate climates; that no inſtance was ever adduced of the intermixture of the breeds; and that their eggs are of a different colour: If to all theſe we add the proofs already given, that the ordinary cock is a native of the genial regions of Aſia, where travellers have hardly ever ſeen the Grous; we certainly cannot admit that theſe are the primitive ſtock, and we muſt impute it to an error occaſioned, like many others, by the deceitful gloſs of names.

Ariſtotle merely mentions a bird which he terms tetrix, and which the Athenians called ourax, ( [...]); it is a bird, he ſays, which does not neſtle on trees or on the ground, but among low creeping plants^*. A little afterwards, he adds, that the tetrix does not make any neſt, but drops its eggs on the ground like all the heavy birds, and covers them with ſtiff herbs. This ſhort deſcription manifeſtly applies to the Grous, the female of which conſtructs no neſt, but drops her eggs on moſs, and when obliged to leave them, covers them carefully with leaves. Be⯑ſides, the Latin word tetrao, which Pliny employs to ſignify the Grous, has an evident analogy to the Greek tetrix, not to mention the reſemblance which the Athenian ourax bears to the com⯑pound [172] term ourh-hahn beſtowed by the Ger⯑mans, a coincidence which cannot with pro⯑priety be aſcribed to chance.

But there is a circumſtance which ſeems to ſhed ſome doubts on the identity of theſe birds. Pliny, deſcribing his tetrao at ſome length, never takes notice of what Ariſtotle had ſaid of the tetrix, which it is likely he would have done, if he had conceived theſe to be the ſame; unleſs the ſlight mention made by Ariſtotle had eſcaped the Roman naturaliſt.

With regard to the great tetrax of which Athe⯑naeus ſpeaks^*, it is certainly not our Grous, ſince it has fleſhy barbles like thoſe of the cock, riſing near the ears and deſcending below the bill; a character quite foreign to the Grous, and which applies much better to the Meleagris or Numidian hen, which is our Pintado.

The little tetrax mentioned by the ſame author, is, according to him, an exceeding ſmall bird; and this excludes all compariſon with our Wood Grous, which is one of the firſt magnitude.

In reſpect to the tetrax of the poet Neme⯑ſianus, who dwells on its ſtupidity, Geſner conſiders it as a ſpecies of buſtard. But I diſ⯑cover a diſcriminating mark of reſemblance to the meleagris in the colours of its plumage; the [173] ground is of an aſh-gray, ſprinkled with ſpots in the ſhape of drops^*; a circumſtance which has given the pintado the name of Gallina Guttata ^†.

But whatever be the force of theſe conjec⯑tures, it appears inconteſtably proved, that the two ſpecies of the tetrao of Pliny are really thoſe of our Grous: the fine ſhining black of their plumage; the flame-colour of their eye⯑brows; their reſidence in cold mountainous countries^‡; the delicacy of their fleſh; theſe are properties that belong both to the Wood and Black Grous. We can even diſtinguiſh in Pliny's deſcription, the traces of a peculiarity that has been remarked by few moderns; Moriuntur contumaciâ, ſays this author, ſpiritu revocato ^§. This refers to a curious obſervation which Friſch has inſerted in his hiſtory of this bird. That naturaliſt, not being able to find [174] the tongue in a dead Grous, opened the gizzard, and diſcovered that it retreated there with all its ligaments; and this muſt commonly hap⯑pen, ſince it is the general opinion of ſportſmen that the Grous has no tongue. The ſame, per⯑haps, might be ſaid of the Black Eagle men⯑tioned by Pliny, and the Brazil bird of which Scaliger ſpeaks, which was reckoned to have not tongue. This opinion might take its riſe with credulous travellers, or unobſervant hunters, who never viewed this bird except when ex⯑piring, or after death, and no perſon inſpecting their gizzard.

The other ſpecies of tetrao, which Pliny de⯑ſcribes at the ſame place, is much larger; ſince it exceeds the buſtard, and even the vulture, which it reſembles in plumage, and in point of ſize is inferior to the oſtrich alone: beſides, it is ſo unwieldy a bird, that it can be caught by the hand^*. Belon aſſerts, that this ſpecies of tetrao is unknown to the moderns, who, ac⯑cording to him, have never ſeen any Wood Grous larger, or even ſo large as the buſtard; and there is room to doubt, whether the bird mentioned in this paſſage of Pliny by the names Otis and Avis tarda, was really our buſtard, whoſe fleſh has an excellent flavour, while the avis tarda of Pliny was very unpa⯑latable. [175] But we muſt not, on this account, infer with Belon, that the great tetrao was no other than the avis tarda; ſince the Roman na⯑turaliſt names both the tetrao and the avis tarda in the ſame paſſage, and compares them together as birds of different ſpecies.

After a mature conſideration of the ſubject, I ſhould rather conclude: 1. That the firſt tetrao of which Pliny ſpeaks, is the ſmall ſpecies of Grous, to which what is here ſaid more di⯑rectly refers; 2. That his great tetrao is our Wood Grous, which, without exaggeration, exceeds the bulk of the buſtard. I myſelf weighed a large buſtard, whoſe extreme length was three feet three inches, and the extent of whoſe wings was ſix feet and an half, and found it twelve pounds; but it is well known, and we ſhall afterwards have occaſion to take notice of it, that ſome of the Wood Grous weigh more.

The Wood Grous has near four feet of alar extent. Its weight is generally twelve or fifteen pounds: Aldrovandus affirms, that he has ſeen ſome that were twenty-three pounds; but theſe were Bologna pounds, which contain each only ten ounces, and therefore twenty-three are not quite equal to fifteen pounds of ſixteen ounces. The Black Cock of the Moun⯑tains of Muſcovy, deſcribed by Albin, and which is really the Wood Grous, weighed ten pounds without the feathers or entrails; and the [176] ſame author informs us, that the lieures of Norway, which is really the ſame bird, is as large as a buſtard.

This bird ſcrapes the ground, like all the frugivorous tribe. Its bill is ſtrong and ſharp^*; the tongue is pointed, and lodged in a propor⯑tional concavity in the palate. The feet are alſo firm, and clothed before with plumage; the craw is extremely wide, but, in other reſpects, both it and the gizzard are conſtructed as in the domeſtic cock: the coat of the gizzard has a velvet ſoftneſs where the muſcles are attached.

The Wood Grous feeds on the leaves or tops of the pine, of the juniper, of the cedar, of the willow, of the white poplar, of the hazel, of the myrtle, of the bramble; on thiſtles, fir-cones, the leaves and flowers of buck-wheat; on chichling vetch, millfoil, dandelion, trefoil, the vetch, and the choke-weed; eſpe⯑cially when theſe plants are young and tender. When the ſeed begins to be formed, they leave the flowers, and only eat the leaves. They feed too, eſpecially in their firſt year, on black-berries, beech-maſt, and ants eggs. On the other hand, it has been obſerved, that many [177] plants prove poiſonous to this bird; among others, lovage, celandine, wall-wort, lily of the valley, wheat, nettles, &c.^*

On opening the gizzard of the Wood Grous, ſmall pebbles have been found, ſimilar to thoſe in common poultry; a certain proof that they do not confine themſelves to the leaves and flow⯑ers which they pluck from the trees, but alſo feed on grains which they ſeek by ſcraping the ground. When they eat too many juniper-berries, their fleſh, which otherwiſe is excellent, contracts an unpleaſant taſte; and according to the remark of Pliny, it loſes its delicate flavour, if kept in cages or coops, where it is ſometimes fed for curioſity^†.

The female differs from the male only in its ſize and plumage, being ſmaller and not ſo black; beſides, it excels the male in the beauty and variety of its colours; a circumſtance which is uncommon in birds, and even in other animals. From not at⯑tending to this fact, Geſner has made the female another ſpecies of Grous, by the name of grygallus major, formed from the German term grugel-hahn; for the ſame reaſon, he has made the fe⯑male of the Black Grous another ſpecies, which he calls grygallus minor. Yet he pretends that he did not fix theſe ſpecies till he had carefully examined all the individuals, except the gry⯑gallus minor, and was confident that he could [178] perceive characteriſtical differences. On the other hand, Schwenckfeld, whoſe reſidence was among mountains, and who obſerved the gry⯑gallus often and carefully, aſſures us, that it was the female Grous; but it muſt be admitted that in this ſpecies, and perhaps in many others, the plumage is ſubject to great diverſity, ariſing from the age, the ſex, the climate, and other cir⯑cumſtances. The one which we have cauſed to be engraved is ſomewhat creſted. Briſſon takes no notice of a creſt in his deſcription; and of the two figures given by Aldrovandus, the one is creſted, the other not. Some pretend that the Grous, when young, has much white in its plumage^*, which diminiſhes, as the bird grows old, and ſo regularly as to ſerve as a mark for diſtinguiſhing the age. It would even appear that the number of quills in the tail is not con⯑ſtant; for Linnaeus makes it eighteen in his Fauna Suecica, and Briſſon only ſixteen in his Ornithology; and what is more extraordinary, Schwenckfeld, who ſaw and examined many of theſe birds, aſſerts that, both in the large and in the ſmall ſpecies, the females have eighteen tail-feathers, and the male only twelve. It therefore follows, that every ſyſtem which aſ⯑ſumes, for its ſpecific characters, differences ſo variable as are the colours and even the number of the feathers, will be liable to the great incon⯑venience [179] of multiplying the ſpecies, (I ſhould rather ſay, nominal ſpecies, or more properly new terms,) of oppreſſing the memory of begin⯑ners, and of giving them falſe ideas of things, and conſequently that ſuch a plan increaſes the difficulties in the ſtudy of nature.

It is falſe, what Encelius relates, that the male Grous ſitting on a tree, calls the females to him with loud cries, emits ſemen from his bill, which they ſwallow, and again diſcharge, and thus be⯑come impregnated. Nor is it true, that the part of the ſemen which is not gathered up by the females, forms ſerpents, precious ſtones, and pearls. It is mortifying to our pride to ſee the human mind inflicted with grovelling errors, or hurried into ſuch extravagant follies. The Grous couple like other birds; nor was Encelius un⯑acquainted with the fact; but he inſiſts that the embrace is mere dalliance, and that the degluti⯑tion of the ſemen is eſſential to propagation!

The male Grous begins to be in ſeaſon about the firſt of February; the fiery appetite is moſt intenſe towards the latter end of March, and continues till the leaves are expanded. During that period of love, each cock fixes his reſidence in a certain quarter, out of which he never re⯑moves. In the morning and evening he is ob⯑ſerved walking backwards and forwards on the trunk of a large pine or other tree, his tail diſ⯑played, his wings trailing, his neck projecting, his head ruffled, and aſſuming all ſorts of un⯑common [180] poſtures; with ſuch force is he im⯑pelled by the burning deſires! He has a certain note with which he calls his females, who run under the tree where he lodges, from which he ſoon deſcends to taſte the joys of love. This ſingular cry, which is very loud, and can be heard at a great diſtance, is perhaps the reaſon of the name which has been applied, of noiſy pheaſant. It begins with a kind of exploſion, and expires in a ſharp ſhrill note, reſembling the ſound produced by whetting a ſeythe. This noiſe vaniſhes and returns alternately, and after being repeated ſeveral times in the courſe of half an hour, it ends in exploſion like the firſt^*.

The Wood Grous, which at other times is very ſhy, can eaſily be ſurpriſed in the ſeaſon of love, eſpecially when it is occupied with its call: it is then ſtunned with its own noiſe, or, if we chuſe, ſo intoxicated, that it is neither ſcared by the ſight of man, nor rouſed by the report of a fowling-piece. It ſees nothing, it hears no⯑thing, it is diſſolved into extacy^†; hence it has been ſaid and even written, that the Grous is deaf and blind. But almoſt all animals, not ex⯑cepting man, are, in ſimilar ſituations, abſorbed in delight: all feel, in a certain degree, the rap⯑tures [181] of maddening joys. But probably the Wood Grous is more under the dominion of luſt; for in Germany, the term auerhahn is be⯑ſtowed on the lover, who neglects every other concern, and devotes himſelf entirely to the ob⯑ject of his paſſion^*, and even applied to every perſon who diſcovers a ſtupid inſenſibility to his moſt important intereſts.

It will be readily conceived that the ſeaſon when the Grous is wholly occupied by the amorous paſſions, is the proper time for ſetting gins, or for hunting it. When I come to treat of the Small Black Grous, I ſhall deſcribe more particularly the precautions obſerved in this ſport; I ſhall here only obſerve, that people are attentive in extirpating the old cocks, becauſe theſe appropriate an extenſive tract, and ſuffer no rivals to enter the region of their pleaſures; and thus many females are deprived of the male influence, and produce addle eggs.

Some bird-catchers pretend, that before the Wood Grous couple, they provide a clean even ſpot^†. That ſuch may occur I have no doubt, but I ſuſpect that the Grous ſhow no foreſight in choice. It is much more natural to ſuppoſe that theſe ſpots have been the habitual reſort of the hen and her young, and that after two or three months they become more trodden and flat than the reſt of the ground.

[182] The leaſt number of eggs which the female Wood Grous commonly lays, is five or ſix; the greateſt number, eight or nine. Schwenckfeld aſſerts, that their firſt hatch is eight, and the ſubſequent ones amount to twelve, fifteen, or even ſixteen^*. Theſe eggs are white, ſpotted with yellow; and, according to the ſame author, they are larger than thoſe of common hens. The female drops them in a dry ſpot on the moſs, where it hatches them alone, without the aſſiſtance of the male^†. When it is obliged to leave the eggs, it carefully ſtrews them with leaves; and though it inherits a ſavage inſtinct, the love of progeny ſeems to blunt the ſenſe of immediate danger, and it continues to ſit after we have approached it, and can hardly be forced to forſake its eggs.

As ſoon as the young are hatched, they run nimbly, and even before the ſhell is completely detached. The mother leads them in the moſt careful and attentive manner; ſhe goes with them into the woods, where ſhe feeds them with ants eggs, black-berries, &c. They continue united through the reſt of the year, till the return of the ſeaſon of love, inſpiring them with new ap⯑petites and inclinations, diſperſes the family; the males are the wideſt ſeparated, never aſſociating [183] with their own ſex, and ſeldom mixing with the females but to ſatiate their luſt.

The Wood Grous delights, as we have already obſerved, in lofty mountains. But this is the caſe only in the milder latitudes; for in coun⯑tries that are intenſely cold, as Hudſon's Bay, they prefer the plains and ſheltered places; and in ſuch ſituations, they enjoy, in thoſe inclement regions, perhaps the ſame temperature as on the moſt elevated ſummits in the genial climes^*. They inhabit the Alps, the Pyrenees, the moun⯑tains of Auvergne, of Savoy, of Switzerland, of Weſtphalia, of Swabia, of Muſcovy, of Scot⯑land, thoſe of Greece and Italy, thoſe of Nor⯑way, and even thoſe in northern tracts of the continent of America. It is ſuppoſed that the breed is extinct in Ireland, where however they once reſided^†.

It is ſaid that birds of prey are very deſtruc⯑tive to them; either becauſe they direct their aſſaults when the Wood Grous is intoxicated with love, or growing fond of the ſuperior de⯑licacy of their fleſh, they ſelect them for their prey. ^A

The BLACK GROUS.
• Le Petit Tetras, ou Coq de Bruyere à Queue Fourchue ^*, Buff. , • Tetrao-Tetrix, Linn. Gmel. &c. &c. , • Urogallus Minor, Briſſ. , • Gallus Scoticus Sylveſtris, Aldrov. , • The Black Cock, Sibbald. Scot. Illuſt. , and • The Heath-Cock, Black-Game, or Grous ^†, Will. 

SOME authors, as Rzacynſki, have miſtaken this bird for the tetrax of the poet Neme⯑ſianus. This overſight aroſe undoubtedly from not attending to what Nemeſianus himſelf had mentioned, that it was of the bulk of a gooſe or a crane^‡; ſome other obſervers inform us, that the Black Grous is ſcarcely larger than an or⯑dinary cock, but only longer ſhaped; and the female, according to Ray, is ſmaller than a com⯑mon hen.

The Black Grous weighs three or four pounds. It bears a great reſemblance to the Wood Grous; it has red eye-lids, rough feet without ſpurs, indented toes, white ſpot on the wing, &c. But it is diſtinguiſhed by two obvious characters; it [186] is much ſmaller, and its tail is forked, the outer feathers being longer, the middle ones bent back⯑wards. Beſides, the male of the ſmall ſpecies is of a deeper and more diſtinct black; the red glan⯑dulous ſkin above the eyes is broader, but ſub⯑ject to ſome variations in the ſame individuals at different times, as we ſhall find in the ſequel.

The female is only two thirds of the ſize of the male^*. Its tail is leſs forked, and the co⯑lours of its plumage are ſo different, that Geſner was induced to refer it to a diſtinct ſpecies, by the name of grygallus minor. This change in the colours of the plumage does not take place till after a certain age; the young males at firſt reſemble their mother, and preſerve the ſame appearance till the end of the autumn. Towards the cloſe of that ſeaſon, and during the winter, the plumage gradually acquires a deeper colour, till it becomes a bluiſh-black, which is permanent thenceforth, except the ſlight changes which I ſhall mention. 1. The blue increaſes ſomewhat with age: 2. At the end of three years, and not ſooner, a white ſpot appears under the bill: 3. When they are very old, another ſpot of a variegated black ſpreads under the tail, where the feathers are all white^†. Charleton, and ſome others add, that the number of white ſpecks on the tail diminiſhes regularly with the age of the bird, ſo as to ſerve for a mark to diſcover it.

[187] The naturaliſts who unanimouſly reckon twenty-ſix quills in the wing of the Black Grous, do not agree ſo well with reſpect to the number of quills in the tail: Schwenckfeld allows eighteen to the female, and only twelve to the male. Willoughby, Albin, and Briſſon, beſtow ſixteen on either ſex. The two males preſerved in the Royal Cabinet have each eighteen; viz. ſeven large ones on each ſide, and four in the middle much ſhorter. Muſt we aſcribe theſe differences to a real variation in the number of quill-fea⯑thers; or are we to impute them to the inac⯑curacy or inattention of the obſervers?—The wings of the Black Grous are ſhort, and hence its flight is laborious, nor is it ever ſeen to riſe high, or to purſue a diſtant courſe.

In both ſexes the orifice of the ears is wide, the toes are connected by a membrane as high as the firſt articulation, and edged with indent⯑ing; their fleſh is white, and of eaſy digeſtion; the tongue ſoft, beſet with ſmall points, and not parted; under the tongue is a glandulous ſub⯑ſtance; in the palate, a cavity correſponding ex⯑actly to the dimenſions of the tongue; the craw is very large, the inteſtinal tube fifty-one inches long, and the appendices or caeca twenty-four; theſe fluted with ſix ſtriae ^*.

The difference between the male and female is not confined to the ſurface; it penetrates even [188] to the interior organization. Dr. Waygand ob⯑ſerves, that the bone of the ſternum in the males, being held to the light, appears interwoven with a prodigious number of ſmall ramifications of a red colour, which meander in every ſhape and in all directions, and form a curious and ſingular web; but that in the females the ſame bone has nothing analogous to theſe ramifications; it is beſides very ſmall, and of a whitiſh colour^*.

This bird flies often in flocks, and perches on trees much like the pheaſant^†. It caſts its feathers in the ſummer, and then conceals itſelf in luxu⯑riant heath, or ſeeks for lodgment among fens^‡. It feeds chiefly on the leaves and buds of the birch, or on the berries that are the ſpontaneous production of Alpine tracts. Hence the French name coq de bruyere, or heath-cock; and the Ger⯑man of birkhan or birch-hen. It alſo eats the cat⯑kins of the hazel, wheat, and other grains; in autumn, it has recourſe to the acorns, bramble⯑berries, alder-buds, pine-cones, bilberries, and the berries of the ſpindle tree; in winter, it re⯑tires to the extenſive foreſts, and ſubſiſts on ju⯑niper berries, or ſearches under the ſnow for the cranberries^§. Sometimes it lives two or three months, in the rigour of winter, without [189] any food^*; for in Norway it is ſaid to paſs the inclement ſeaſon, torpid and motionleſs beneath the ſnow; in the ſame manner, as in the milder climates the bats, the dormice, the lerots, the ſhrew-mice, and the marmots, (if the fact be true) ſuffer a temporary ſuſpenſion of the active powers^†.

Theſe birds are found in the mountainous tracts of the North of England and Scotland; in Norway, and the boreal provinces of Sweden; in the neighbourhood of Cologne; in the Swiſs Alps; in Bugey, where, according to Hubert, they are called grianots; in Podolia; in Lithu⯑ania; in Samogitia; and particularly in Vol⯑hinia, and in the Ukraine, which includes the Palatinates of Kiovia and Breſlaw, where a Po⯑liſh noble, as Rzacynzſki ſays, caught in one day, near the village of Kuſmince, one hundred [190] and thirty brace, in a ſingle drawing of the net.—We ſhall afterwards ſee the mode of catching them which is practiſed in Courland. Theſe birds can hardly be reconciled to a different climate, or to their domeſtic ſtate; almoſt all thoſe which Marſhal Saxe got from Sweden for his menagerie at Chambor, died of melancholy, without leav⯑ing poſterity^*.

The Black Grous comes in ſeaſon about the time when the willows begin to ſhoot, that is towards the end of the winter; the ſportſmen readily diſcover it by the humidity of their ex⯑crements^†. It is then that the males are ob⯑ſerved to aſſemble by day-break, to the number of a hundred or more, in ſome place which is elevated, ſolitary, ſurrounded with marſhes, or covered with heath, and this is the field of con⯑tinual contention; they fight bitterly with each other, till the vanquiſhed are driven to flight. The victors then ſeat themſelves on the trunk of a tree, or on a riſing ſpot of ground, their eyes flaſhing fire, their eye-brows ſwelled, their fea⯑thers briſtled, their tail expanded like a fan; beating their wings and friſking with wild de⯑ſire^‡, they invite their females by a call, which may be heard at half-a-mile's diſtance; the na⯑tural note which reſembles the ſound of the German word frau ^§, riſes at this time one third, and is joined with another ſingular cry, [191] or kind of noiſy rattling of the gizzard^*. The females in the neighbourhood anſwer to the voice of the males, by a cry peculiar to them, flock around their mates, and in the following days reſort to the preciſe ſpot. According to Dr. Waygand, each cock has two or three hens, to which he is more particularly attached.

When the females are impregnated, they re⯑tire to lay their eggs in copſes, which are thick and tall. They drop them on the ground, and, like all the large birds, are at little pains in con⯑ſtructing a neſt. They lay ſix or ſeven eggs according to ſome^†; from twelve to ſixteen^‡; and even from twelve to twenty, according to others^§; theſe are not ſo large as thoſe of the domeſtic hens, but are ſomewhat longer ſhaped. Linnaeus aſſerts, that the female Black Grous loſes its delicate flavour in the time of incuba⯑tion. Schwenckfeld ſeems to inſinuate that their ſeaſon for laying is now deranged, ſince they have been moleſted by the ſportſmen, and ſcared by the reports of the fowling-piece; and to the ſame cauſes he aſcribes the extinction in Germany of many other beautiful ſpecies of birds.

As ſoon as the chickens are twelve or fifteen days old, they flap their wings, and eſſay to fly; but it is five or ſix weeks before they are able to riſe from the ground, and then they perch on the [192] trees with their mothers. This is the time to decoy them with a call^*, to catch them in the net, or to ſhoot them. The mother miſtaking this call for the chirping of her ſtrayed young, runs to the place, and invites them by a particu⯑lar cry, which ſhe often repeats, like the domeſtic fowls in the ſame circumſtances; ſhe thus col⯑lects the whole covey, and all become devoted to the mercy of the ſportſmen.

As they grow bigger, their plumage gradually aſſumes a black caſt, and then they are not ſo eaſily decoyed; but when they have attained half their growth, the falcon is flown at them; and the proper time is about the cloſe of autumn, when the trees have ſhed their leaves. In that ſeaſon, the males ſelect ſome ſpot, whither they repair every morning at ſun-riſe, and by a cer⯑tain cry (eſpecially when it is likely to be froſt, or fine weather), they invite all other birds of the ſame ſpecies, of every age and of either ſex. When aſſembled, they fly in flocks to the buſhes; or if there is no ſnow on the ground, they diſ⯑perſe over the ſtubble fields, where barley, oats, or other ſuch grain has been reaped. Then it is that birds of prey trained on purpoſe afford ex⯑cellent ſport.

Another method of catching this game is prac⯑tiſed in Courland, Livonia, and Lithuania. They uſe a ſtuffed grous, or an artificial bird made of [193] cloth of the proper colour, and ſtuffed with hay or tow, and this is termed in thoſe countries, balvane. They faſten this balvane to the end of a ſtick, and place it on ſome birch-tree near the ſcene of their amours: the time for this ſport is in the month of April. The birds gather round the balvane, and fight with each other in play; at laſt they engage in earneſt, and are ſo much occupied in the violence of their contentions, that the ſportſman, who is concealed near the ſpot in his hut, ſurpriſes them, and catches them, without being obliged to aim a ſingle blow. Thoſe caught in this way, he tames in the ſpace of five or ſix days; ſo that they will come to eat out of his hand^*. On the following year in the ſpring, they make uſe of thoſe tame birds, in⯑ſtead of balvanes, to decoy the wild Black Grous, which fall upon them, and fight with ſuch fury as not to be ſcared by the report of a fowling-piece. Each morning they repair by day-break to the common rendezvous, and re⯑main there till ſun-riſe, when they fly away and diſperſe through the foreſts and heaths in ſearch of food. About three o'clock in the afternoon, they return to the ſame ſpot. and continue there till late in the evening. This is their regular courſe of life, eſpecially in fair weather, during the ſeaſon of love, which laſts three or four [194] weeks; but when it is rainy or cold, they are rather more retired.

The young Black Grous have alſo their fa⯑vourite ſpot of reſort, where they aſſemble in flocks of forty or fifty at a time, and devote themſelves to nearly the ſame amuſements or occupations; their voice however is hoarſer, and broken; and they do not leap with equal agility. Their meeting laſts only eight days, after which they join the old ones.

When the ſeaſon of love is over, and conſe⯑quently their aſſemblies leſs regular, new ſtra⯑tagems muſt be employed to decoy them near the hut where is the balvane. Several ſportſmen on horſeback encloſe a circuit of variable extent, having the hut for its centre, and cracking their whips, they drive the Grous from buſh to buſh, and ſo gradually contract the bounds, and, by means of a whiſtle, they inform the perſon who manages the balvane of their approach. The Grous, when they ſhift from one buſh to an⯑other, diſtinguiſh accurately thoſe branches which are able to ſupport them, not even ex⯑cepting the vertical ſhoots, which bend with their weight into an horizontal ſituation; after alight⯑ing they liſten attentively, ſtretching out their neck to learn if they are in a place of ſafety, and as ſoon as they have allayed their fears, they begin to pluck the tender buds. The dexterous ſportſman then ſeizes the opportunity of placing his balvane on the neighbouring twigs, and [195] fixing a cord, he pulls it from time to time, ſo as to imitate the waving motions of the Grous, ſitting on a flexible branch. Experience alſo inſtructs him to turn the head of the balvanes againſt the wind when it blows violently; but in ſtill wea⯑ther, he finds it beſt to place them oppoſite to each other. If the Grous are driven ſtraight towards his hut, he can diſcover by an eaſy ob⯑ſervation, whether they will perch within his reach. If their flight is irregular, if they ſome⯑times approach and ſometimes retire, flapping their wings, he concludes, that perhaps the whole flock, or at leaſt part of them, will alight near him. On the other hand, if they ſpring not far from his hut, and ſhoot in a rapid ſteady courſe, he is certain that they will puſh on to a diſtance. When the Grous ſettle near the hut, the fowler is informed at leaſt thrice by their repeated cries; he is then cautious not to fire upon them too ſuddenly; he remains ſtill in his hut, and with⯑out making the leaſt noiſe, allowing the birds time to examine their ſituation, and to quiet their apprehenſions. When they are ſettled and begin to feed, he takes his aim ſteadily, and fires. But however numerous the flock be, though it even amount to fifty or a hundred, he can hardly ex⯑pect to kill more than one or two at each ſhot; for theſe birds do not group together, but com⯑monly perch on a ſeparate tree, and hence ſtraggling buſhes are better for the ſport than a thick foreſt. However, when there is no ſnow [196] lying on the ground, this amuſement is ſometimes taken in open ſtubble fields, the crops of oats, barley, buck-wheat, being led, the hut is covered with ſtraw; there the ſport is tolerably ſucceſsful, except in ſevere weather, when theſe birds are diſperſed and concealed. But the firſt fine day that ſucceeds makes them more eaſily caught; and a ſhooter, who has taken his ſtation properly, can, without any aſſiſtance of horſemen, and with bird-calls alone, entice them to his hut with eaſe.

It is aſſerted that, when theſe birds fly in flocks, they are led by an old cock, who con⯑ducts them like an experienced chief, and teaches them to ſhun the decoys of the ſportſmen; ſo that in this caſe it is exceedingly difficult to drive them to the balvane, and all that can be then expected is to intercept a few of the ſtragglers.

The proper time for the ſport is from ſun-riſe to ten o'clock in the forenoon; and from one o'clock in the afternoon to four. But in autumn, when the air is ſtill and cloſe, it may be continued without interruption through the whole day; for the Grous then ſeldom ſhift their place. And in this way, they may be chaſed from tree to tree, till near the winter ſolſtice; about that time they grow more wild, ſhy, and cunning; they even change their accuſtomed haunt, unleſs they are confined by the rigours of the ſeaſon.

[197] It is ſaid to be a ſign of fair weather, when the Grous ſit on the tops of the trees, and upon the young ſhoots; but if they deſcend to the lower branches, and ſquat, it forebodes an approaching ſtorm. I ſhould not take notice of theſe remarks of the ſportſmen, if they did not correſpond with the inſtincts of theſe birds, which, from what we have already ſeen, muſt be very ſuſceptible of the impreſſions made by the varying ſtate of the atmoſphere, and whoſe ſenſibility in this reſpect may be ſuppoſed ſo great, conſiſtently with pro⯑bability, as to be affected by the change which decides the nature of the following day.

When the weather is exceſſively rainy, they retire for ſhelter into the cloſeſt and moſt buſhy foreſts, and as they are tardy and laborious in their flight, they can ſometimes be hunted down with dogs, which exhauſt them, and catch them by ſpeed of foot^*.

In other countries, the Black Grous is, ac⯑cording to Aldrovandus, caught with a nooſe; a net is alſo uſed, as has been already obſerved; but it would be curious to know the ſhape, dimen⯑ſions, and conſtruction of the one with which the Poliſh nobleman, of whom Rzaczynſki ſpeaks, caught two hundred and ſixty at one time. ^A [198]

BROAD-TAILED BLACK GROUS.
• Le Petit Tetras a Qucue pleine, Buff. 

I HAVE, in the preceding article, ſtated the reaſons which have induced me to refer this bird to a diſtinct family. Geſner ſpeaks of it by the name of Wood-cock, (gallus ſylveſtris), as a bird having red barbils, and a broad undi⯑vided tail. He adds, that the male is called Wood-cock in Scotland, and the female Grey-hen. It is true indeed, that this author, conceiving that the two ſexes cannot differ much in the co⯑lour of their plumage, tranſlates Grey-hen by gallina fuſca or Duſky-hen, in order to bring them to a nearer conformity; and reſting on this erroneous verſion, he concludes that this ſpecies is quite diſtinct from the Mooriſh hen of Turner, becauſe he imagines this bird is too widely removed, by the colour of its plumage, from the male to belong to the ſame family. But the fact is, that the male is almoſt always en⯑tirely black, and the female is nearly the ſame colour with the gray partridge; and this circum⯑ſtance completely decides its identity with the Black Cock of Scotland; for even Geſner admits, that in other reſpects they are perfectly alike. The only difference that I can perceive is, that [200] the Scotch Black Cock has ſmall red ſpots under the breaſt, the wings, and the thighs; but we have ſeen in the preceding article, that the young males which in the end become black, are at firſt of the colour of the mother, and perhaps the ſmall red ſpots mentioned by Geſner, are only the traces of their infant plumage before they have acquired the deep jet.

I ſee no reaſon why Briſſon ſhould confound this tribe or variety, as he calls it, with the tetrao, dotted with white, of Linnaeus^*; ſince one of the characters of this bird, which is termed by the Swedes rackle-hane, is its having a forked⯑tail. Beſides, Linnaeus gives it no barbils, which, according to the figure and deſcription of Geſner, belong to the other birds.

Nor can I ſee why Briſſon, though he claſſes theſe two tribes together, makes only one variety of the forked-tail Black Grous; ſince, beſides the differences that have been juſt noticed, Lin⯑naeus expreſsly mentions, that his Grous ſprin⯑kled with white, is more ſhy and wild, and has a quite different cry; which implies, I ſhould imagine, characters deeply impreſſed, and more permanent than what conſtitute a mere variety.

It would appear therefore more conſiſtent to diſtinguiſh theſe into two ſpecies of Black Grous; the one including the Scotch Black Cock, and Tur⯑ner's Mooriſh Hen; and the other, characterized by the ſmall white ſpots under the breaſt, and [201] its different cry, would comprehend the Swediſh rackle-hane. Thus we might reckon four ſpecies of the genus of Grous. 1. The Wood Grous: 2. The Forked-tail Black Grous: 3. The Rack⯑lan, or Racklehane, of Sweden, deſcribed by Lin⯑naeus: 4. The Mooriſh Hen of Turner, or the Black Cock of Scotland; with fleſh barbils on both ſides of the bill, and with an uniform tail.—Theſe four ſpecies are all natives of the northern climates, and reſide either in foreſts of pine or of birch. The third only, or the Swediſh rackle-hane, is the only one that might be conſidered as a variety of the Black Grous, if Linnaeus had not aſcertained its having a different note.

The BLACK GROUS WITH VARIABLE PLUMAGE.
• Le Petit Tetras à Plumage variable, Buff. 

THE Wood Grous are common in Lapland, eſpecially when the ſcarcity of proviſions, or the exceſſive multiplication of their numbers, compels them to leave the foreſts of Sweden and Scandinavia, and advance into the polar tracts^*. Yet they have never been found white in thoſe frozen regions; the colour of their plumage ſeems to be fixed and permanent, and to reſiſt the operation of cold. The ſame may be ſaid of the Little or Black Grous, which are fre⯑quent in Courland, and the north of Poland; but Dr. Weigandt, the Jeſuit Rzaczynſki, and Klein, affirm that there is in Courland another kind of the ſame, termed White Grous, which, however, become white only in winter, and by the return of ſummer, acquire a reddiſh-brown colour, according to Dr. Weigandt; but a bluiſh-grey, according to Rzaczynſki. Theſe variations take place generally in both ſexes; ſo that at all times the individuals have preciſely [203] the ſame colours. They do not perch on trees like the other Grous, but delight in thick bruſh⯑wood and heath; and generally ſelect each year a certain ſpot, to which they commonly reſort when diſperſed by ſportſmen, by birds of prey, or by the violence of a ſtorm. If we hunt them, we ought, when they are firſt ſprung, to obſerve carefully their place of ſhelter, ſince this will certainly be their rendezvous through⯑out the year; and it will be more difficult to ſpring them a ſecond time, for they will ra⯑ther ſquat on the ground, and endeavour to con⯑ceal themſelves, in which caſe it will be eaſy to ſhoot them.

It appears, therefore, that they differ from the Black Grous, not only by their colour, and by the uniformity which obtains between the male and female, but in their habits, ſince they never perch. They are alſo diſtinguiſhed from the ptarmigans, becauſe they inhabit not the lofty mountains, but reſide in the woods and among the heaths; nor are their legs clothed to the toes with feathers. I muſt indeed con⯑feſs, that I would rather have ranked it with the Red Grous, did I not ſubmit to the opinion of theſe three intelligent writers, who ſpeak of a bird that is a native of their own country.

The HAZEL GROUS.
• La Gelinotte, Buff. , • Tetrao-Bonaſia, Linn. Gmel. &c. , and • Gallina Corylorum ^*, Ray, Will. and Klein. 

WHAT Varro has ſaid concerning the Ruſtic or Wild Hen, applies ſo accurately to the Hazel Grous, that Belon does not heſitate to conclude that they were the ſame. It was, according to Varro, a bird uncommonly rare at Rome; and ſo difficult to tame, that it could only be raiſed in cages, and ſeldom or never laid eggs in this ſtate of captivity. Belon and Schwenckfeld ſay the ſame of the Hazel Grous; the former conveys, in a few words, a preciſe notion of the bird, more diſtinct than could be given by a long deſcription. ‘Suppoſe,’ ſays he ‘that you ſaw a partridge bred by the croſſing of the red with the grey, and having a few pheaſants feathers, and you will have an idea of the Hazel Grous.’

In the kingdom of Bohemia, it is as much eaten at Eaſter, as lamb in France; and it is cuſtomary to ſend it in preſents from one perſon to another^*.

The Hazel Grous lives, both in ſummer and winter, on nearly the ſame food as that of the Common Grous. We find in their ſtomach, in the ſummer, the berries of the ſervice-tree, of the bilberry, the bramble, and the heath; the ſeeds of the Alpine elder, the pods of the ſal⯑tarella, the catkins of the birch and of the hazel, &c.; and in winter, we meet with juniper berries, the buds of the birch, the tops of heath, fir, juniper, and of ſome other ever⯑greens^†. When the Hazel Grous is kept in confinement, it may be fed with wheat, barley, [207] and other grain; but, like the Common Grous, it does not long ſurvive the loſs of its liberty^*; whether becauſe it is ſhut up ſo cloſely as to affect its health, or that its ſavage, or rather generous nature, will not brook the ſlighteſt encroachment on its freedom.

The time of ſport returns twice a-year, in ſpring and in autumn; but the latter ſeaſon is the moſt favourable. They are attracted by the ſound of bird-calls which imitate their note, and horſes are led into the field, becauſe it is a vulgar opinion, that the Hazel Grous are fond of theſe animals^†. It has alſo been re⯑marked by the ſportſmen, that if the cock be firſt caught, the hen ſeeks her mate with anxious ſolicitude, and returns ſeveral times to viſit the ſpot, with other males in her train; but if the hen be firſt enſnared, the cock joins another family, and totally forgets his former attachments^‡. Certain it is, that when one of theſe birds is ſurpriſed and rouſed, it ſprings, making a loud noiſe, and, perching on a tree, it ſits motionleſs and unconcerned, while the ſportſman meditates its deſtruction. Common⯑ly they ſettle on the centre of the tree, where the boughs part from the trunk.

As much has been ſaid of the Hazel Grous, many fables have been told: the moſt abſurd [208] are thoſe concerning its manner of propagating. Encelius, and others, aſſert that they copulate with their bills, that the cocks themſelves lay when they grow old, and that their eggs being hatched by the toads, produce wild baſiliſks, in the ſame manner as the eggs of the common cocks, if hatched by toads, give birth to the do⯑meſtic baſiliſks. And leſt we ſhould entertain ſuſpicions with regard to theſe baſiliſks, En⯑celius deſcribes one that he ſaw^*; but un⯑fortunately he neither tells us whether he be⯑held it emerge from the egg, or beheld this egg excluded by the male. Moſt of theſe ab⯑ſurdities take their riſe from the miſrepreſenta⯑tion of facts; and it is probable that the Hazel Grous bill like the turtle doves, and toy with each other to raiſe the ſwell of love.

According to the opinion of ſportſmen, the Hazel Grous comes in ſeaſon in the months of October and November; and at that time the males only are killed, being decoyed by a kind of whiſtling analogous to the ſhrill note of the females; they haſten to the ſpot, making a loud ruſtling noiſe with their wings, and are ſhot as ſoon as they alight.

The females, like other large birds, form their neſt on the ground, and commonly con⯑ceal it under hazels, or below the ſhade of a [209] broad mountain fern. They commonly lay twelve or fifteen eggs, and ſometimes even twenty, and theſe are ſomewhat larger than pigeons eggs^*. They ſit three weeks, and have ſeldom more than ſeven or eight young^†, which run as ſoon as they are hatched, as uſual in moſt of the ſhort-winged birds. As ſoon as the young are able to fly, the parents remove from the tract where they bred; and being thus forſaken, they pair and diſperſe, to form new ſettlements, and in their turn to ſend off other colonies^‡.

The Hazel Grous delight in foreſts, where they can find their proper ſuſtenance, and con⯑ceal themſelves from the rapacious birds, which they dread exceedingly, and perch, for ſhelter, on the low branches^‖. Some affirm that they prefer the mountain foreſts; but they alſo inhabit the woods that grow in the plains, for they are plentiful in the neighbourhood of Nuremberg. They are frequent alſo in the woods that clothe the bottom of the Alps and the Apennines. They are found like⯑wiſe in the mountain of Giants in Sileſia, in Poland, &c. Anciently they were ſo numerous, according to Varro, in a little iſland in the Liguſtic Sea, now the Gulph [210] of Genoa, that it was called the Iſland of the Hazel Grous. ^A

The SCOTCH HAZEL GROUS.

IF this bird be the ſame with the Gallus paluſtris of Geſner, as Briſſon thinks, the figure which the German naturaliſt gives, muſt undoubtedly be very inaccurate, ſince no feathers are repreſented on the legs; and, on the other hand, red barbils appear under the bill. Is it not natural then to ſuſpect that this figure be⯑longs to a different bird? However, the Wood⯑cock, or Cock of the Marſh, is excellent meat; and all that we know of its hiſtory is, that it delights in wet ſituations, as its name denotes. The Authors of the Britiſh Zoology ſuppoſe, that what Briſſon takes for the Scotch Hazel Grous, is really the Ptarmigan in its ſummer garb, and that its plumage becomes almoſt always white in winter. But if this were the caſe, it muſt alſo loſe the feathers which cover the toes; for Briſſon expreſsly notices, that it is only clothed to the origin of the toes, and the ptarmigan in the Britiſh Zoology is feathered even to the nails; beſides, theſe two birds, as they are re⯑preſented in the Zoology, and in Briſſon's work, reſemble each other neither in appear⯑ance nor ſtructure. Briſſon's Scotch Hazel Grous is ſomewhat larger than ours, and its [212] tail ſhorter; it reſembles that of the Pyrenees in the length of its wings; its legs clothed before with feathers as far as the origin of the toes; in the length of the middle toe compared with thoſe on the ſides; and in the ſhortneſs of the hind toe: it differs, becauſe its toes are not indented, and its tail has not the two long nar⯑row feathers, which is the moſt obvious cha⯑racter of the Pyrenean Hazel Grous. I need take no notice of the colours of the plumage, the figure will convey a clearer idea than any deſcription; and beſides, nothing is more un⯑certain, ſince they vary conſiderably in the ſame individual at different ſeaſons.

The PIN-TAILED GROUS.
• La Ganga, vulgairement La Gelinotte des Pyrenees ^*, Buff. , • Tetrao-Alchata, Linn. Gmel. Klein, &c. , • Bonaſa Pyrenaica, Briſſ. , • The Partridge of Damaſcus, Will. and Ray. , and • The Kitiwiah, or African Lagopus, Shaw. 

THOUGH there is a wide difference between words and things, it often happens in na⯑tural hiſtory, that the miſapplication of terms is the ſource of multiplied miſtakes; we have therefore made it an invariable rule, to diſco⯑ver, as much as poſſible, the true meaning of names.

Briſſon, conſidering the Damaſcus or Syrian Partridge of Belon, as the ſame ſpecies with his Pyrenean Hazel Grous, ranges it among the appellations beſtowed in different languages on that tribe, and quotes Belon as his authority for the Greek name [...]. But he is miſ⯑taken in two points: Firſt, Belon tells us himſelf, that the bird which he calls the Damaſcus Par⯑tridge, is a different ſpecies from what authors term Syroperdrix, which has a black plumage and a [214] red bill. Secondly, Briſſon, writing the word in Greek characters, ſeems to inſinuate that it is de⯑rived from that language, while Belon poſitively mentions that it is originally Latin. Laſtly, it is difficult to conceive what led Briſſon to conſider the aenas of Ariſtotle as the ſame ſpecies with his Pyrenean Hazel Grous; for Ariſtotle claſſes his aenas, which is the vinago of Gaza, with the pigeons, the turtles, and the ring-doves, (in which he is followed by all the Arabians,) and he expreſsly mentions that, like theſe birds, it only lays two eggs at a time. But we have already ſeen that the Hazel Grous lays a much greater number; and conſequently the aenas of Ariſtotle cannot be conſidered as the Pyrenean Hazel Grous, and ought therefore to be referred to a different ſpecies.

Rondelet conceived, that the Greek word was not [...], but ought to be read [...], whoſe pri⯑mitive ſignifies a fibre or thread ^*; becauſe the fleſh is ſo fibrous and hard that it muſt be flead before it can be eaten. But if it were really the ſame bird with the Pyrenean Hazel Grous, we might adopt the correction of Ron⯑delet, and yet give to the word inas a more happy explanation, and more conſiſtent with the genius of the Greek language, which paints whatever it would expreſs; if we conceive it to denote the two threads or narrow feathers of the [215] tail of the Pyrenean Hazel Grous, and which is their characteriſtical diſtinction. But unfor⯑tunately Ariſtotle does not ſay a word concern⯑ing theſe threads, which had eſcaped his obſerva⯑tion; nor does Belon take any notice of this circumſtance in his deſcription of the Damaſcus partridge. Beſides, the name [...] ^*, or vinago, is more ſuitable to this bird, as it arrives in Greece about the beginning of autumn, which is the ſeaſon of vintage; for the ſame reaſon that in Burgundy a certain kind of thruſhes are called by the people in that county vinettes.

It follows from what has been ſaid, that the ſyroperdrix of Belon, and the oenas of Ariſtotle, are not the Pyrenean Hazel or Pin-tailed Grous, any more than the alchata, alfuachat, and the filacotona, which appear to be Arabian names, and certainly denote a bird of the pigeon kind.

On the other hand, the Syrian bird, which Edwards terms the little heath-cock, with two thread-like feathers in the tail, and which the Turks call kata, is really the ſame with the Pyrenean Hazel-Grous. This author tells us, that Dr. Shaw names it kittawiah, and that he only gives three toes to each foot; but he alleges that the traveller has committed this overſight in not attending to the hind toe, which is hid under the plumage of the legs. Yet he had a little before mentioned, (and we readily [216] perceive it from the figure,) that the fore-part only of the leg is covered with white feathers like hairs; and it is difficult to conceive how the hind toe could be concealed under the an⯑terior plumage. It would be more natural to ſay, that it eſcaped Dr. Shaw's obſervation, by its diminutive ſize, for it is only two lines long. The two lateral toes are alſo very ſhort com⯑pared with the middle one, and in them all, the edges are marked with ſmall indentings, as in the common Grous. The Pin-tailed or Pyre⯑nean Hazel Grous, ſeems therefore to be quite a diſtinct ſpecies from the true Hazel Grous. For, 1. its wings are much broader in propor⯑tion to the reſt of its body, and conſequently it muſt fly ſmoothly and rapidly, and have habits different from thoſe of tardy birds. 2. We learn from the obſervations of Dr. Ruſſel, quoted by Edwards, that it flies in numerous flocks, and ſpends the greateſt part of the year in the deſerts of Syria, and does not venture near the city of Aleppo, except in the months of May and June, when it is obliged to reſort to places where it can get water. We know too that the Hazel Grous is a timorous bird, and never deems itſelf ſecure from the vultures talons, unleſs concealed in the moſt ſhady trees. The Pin-tailed Grous, which the inhabitants of Catalonia call the partridge of Garrira ^*, is nearly the bulk of the gray partridge; [217] the orbits are black, nor are the eye-brows red or flame coloured; the bill is almoſt ſtraight; the noſtrils are placed at the baſe of the upper mandible, and joining the feathers which cover the face; the fore-part of the leg is feathered to the origin of the toes; the wings are of conſiderable length, and the ſhafts of the quills are black; the two quills in the middle of the tail are twice as long as the reſt, and very narrow where they project; the lateral quills grow ſhorter and ſhorter until the laſt one. We may remark that of all theſe properties which characteriſe the pretended Ha⯑zel Grous of the Pyrenees, there is not one which exactly agrees with the Hazel Grous^*.

The female is of the ſame ſize with the male, but differs by its plumage, the colours of which are fainter, and by the filaments in the tail, which are not ſo long. It appears that the male has a black ſpot under its throat, and that the female, inſtead of this, has three rings of the ſame colour, which encircle its neck like a collar.

I ſhall not attempt to deſcribe the colours of the plumage; I ſhall only obſerve that they have a great affinity to thoſe of the bird known at Montpelier by the name of angel, of which John Culmann communicated a deſcription to Geſner^†; but the two long feathers of the tail [218] ſeem to be omitted in this deſcription, and alſo in the figure ſent by Rondelet to Geſner, of this ſame bird, which he had taken for the oenas of Ariſtotle. In ſhort, there ſeems to be reaſon to doubt the identity of theſe two ſpecies, notwith⯑ſtanding their correſpondence in the plumage and in the place of reſidence; unleſs we ſuppoſe that the ſubjects deſcribed by Culmann and deſigned by Rondelet were females, in which the threads of the tail were much ſhorter, and conſequently leſs remarkable.

This ſpecies is found in moſt of the warm countries in the ancient continent; in Spain, in the ſouth of France, in Italy, in Syria, in Turkey and Arabia, in Barbary, and even at Senegal; for the bird figured in the Planches Enluminées by the name of the Senegal Hazel Grous, is only a variety, and ſomewhat ſmaller, but has the ſame long feathers or threads in the tail, the lateral quills become gradually ſhorter the farther they are placed from the middle, the wings are very long, the legs covered before with a white down, the mid-toe much longer than thoſe near the ſides, and the hind one ex⯑ceedingly ſhort; laſtly, it has no red ſkin over the eyes, and differs from the Pin-tailed Grous only in being rather ſmaller, and its plumage deeper tinged with reddiſh. It is therefore only [219] a variety of the ſame ſpecies, produced by the influence of climate; and what ought to ſhew that this bird is different from the Hazel Grous, and ſhould therefore be diſtinguiſhed by a dif⯑frent name, is, that beſides the diſparity of figure, it always inhabits the warm countries, and never occurs in the cold or even the tem⯑perate climates; whereas the Hazel Grous are rare except in chilly tracts.

It may be proper in this place to tranſcribe what Dr. Shaw informs us with reſpect to the Kittawiah, or Barbary Hazel Grous, and which is all we know on the ſubject, that the reader may compare it with the Pin-tailed Grous, or the Pyrenean Hazel Grous, and judge if they are really two individuals of the ſame ſpecies.

‘The Kittawiah or African Lagopus ^*, (as we may call it,) is another bird of the gregarious and granivorous kind, which likewiſe wanteth the hinder toe. It frequenteth the moſt barren, as the Rhaad doth the moſt fertile parts of theſe countries, being in ſize and habit of body like the dove, ſhort feathered feet alſo, as in ſome birds of that kind. The body is of a livid co⯑lour, ſpotted with black; the belly black⯑iſh; and upon the throat there is the figure of a half moon, in a beautiful yellow. The tip of each feather of the tail hath a white ſpot upon [220] it, and the middle is long and pointed, as in the Merops. The fleſh is of the ſame colour with the Rhaad's, red upon the breaſt, and white in the legs, agreeing further in being not only of an agreeable taſte, but eaſy digeſtion.’ Shaw's Travels, p. 253. ^A

The RED GROUS^*.
• L'Attagas, Buff. , • Tetrao-Lagopus, var. 3d. Gmel. , • Bonaſa Scotica, Briſſ. , • Tetrao Scoticus, Lath. , • Attagén, Friſ. , • The Moor-Cock, or Moor-Fowl, Sibb. , and • The Red-Game, Gorcock, or Moor-Cock, Will. 

THIS is Belon's francolin, which we muſt not confound, as ſome ornithologiſts have done, with the francolin deſcribed by Olina. Theſe are two birds widely different both in their form and in their habits: the laſt delights in plains and low ſituations; it has not the beau⯑tiful flame-coloured orbits, that give the other ſo diſtinguiſhed an appearance; its neck is ſhorter and its body thicker; the feet reddiſh, furniſhed with ſpurs, and not feathered, as its toes are not indented; in ſhort, it bears no reſemblance at all to the bird which we at preſent conſider.

The ancients have ſaid a great deal about the attagas, or attagen (for they uſe both names in⯑differently). Alexander the Myndian tells us in his commentary on Athenaeus, that it was rather larger than a partridge, and its plumage, which was of a reddiſh ground, was mottled with ſe⯑veral [222] colours. Ariſtophanes had ſaid nearly the ſame thing; but Ariſtotle, according to his commendable cuſtom of marking the analogy between unknown objects and ſuch as are com⯑mon, compares its plumage to that of the wood⯑cock ( [...]). Alexander the Myndian ſubjoins, that its wings are ſhort, and its flight tardy; and Theophraſtus remarks that, like the other heavy birds, as the partridge, the cock, the pheaſant, &c. it is hatched without feathers, and can run as ſoon as it quits the ſhell. Like theſe alſo, it welters in the duſt^*, and feeds on fruits, devour⯑ing the berries and grain which it finds, ſome⯑times eating the plants themſelves, ſometimes ſcraping the earth with its nails; and as it runs more than it flies, it was cuſtomary to hunt it with dogs, and this chaſe was ſucceſsful^†.

Pliny, Aelian, and others ſay, that theſe birds loſe their cry with their liberty; and that, owing to the depreſſion of their native faculties, they are very difficult to tame. Varro, however, in⯑ſtructs us how to breed them, and the mode is nearly the ſame with that of raiſing peacocks, pheaſants, Guinea fowls, partridges, &c.

Pliny informs us, that this bird, which had been very rare, was become more common in [223] his time; that it was found in Spain, in Gaul, and on the Alps; but that thoſe from Ionia were the moſt eſteemed. In another place, he tells us, that there were none in the iſland of Crete. Ariſtophanes ſpeaks of thoſe found in the vicinity of Megara in Achaia. Clement of Alexandria ſays, that thoſe from Egypt were reckoned the moſt delicious by the epicures. Some there were alſo in Phrygia, according to Aulus Gellius, who deſcribes it as an Aſiatic bird. Apicius di⯑rects us how to cook the Red Grous, which he joins with the partridge; and St. Jerome men⯑tions it in his letters as a moſt exquiſite diſh^*.

However, to judge whether the attagen of the ancients is our Red Grous, we muſt collect its hiſtory from the writings of the moderns, and form the compariſon.

It appears that the word attagen, though with various corruptions, has generally been uſed by the modern authors who have written in Latin, as the name of this bird^†. It is true indeed, that ſome ornithologiſts, as Sibbald, Ray, Willughby, and Klein, have referred it to the lagopus altera of Pliny^‡; but, beſides that Pliny only mentions it by the way, and ſo curſorily as to give no pre⯑ciſe [224] idea, is it likely that this great naturaliſt, who had treated at great length on the attagen in the ſame chapter, would ſay a few words of it afterwards under another name, and without giving notice? This reflection is alone ſufficient, in my opinion, to prove that the attagen of Pliny and his lagopus altera were different birds; and we ſhall afterwards know what they really were.

Geſner was told, that this bird is commonly called franguello at Bologna; but Aldrovan⯑dus, who was a native of that place, tells us, that the name franguello (hinguello, according to Olina), was given commonly to the chaf⯑finch, and which is evidently derived from the Latin fringilla. Olina ſubjoins, that in Italy, his francolin, which we have ſaid is a bird different from ours, was generally named franguellina; a word corrupted from frangolino, and to which a feminine termination was added, to diſtinguiſh it from fringuello.

I know not why Albin, who has copied the deſcription that Willughby gives of the lagopus altera of Pliny, has changed the name into Cock of the Marſh; unleſs becauſe Tournefort ſays, that the Samian francolin haunts marſhes. But if we compare the deſcriptions with the figures, we ſhall readily perceive that the Samian fran⯑colin is entirely different from the bird which Albin, or his tranſlator, has been pleaſed to term [225] Cock of the Marſh, ſince he had before applied the name of francolin to this Forked-tail Black Grous. The Red Grous is called duraz or alduragi by the Arabians, and the Engliſh name is derived from the red colour of its orbits and plumage; ſome Britiſh naturaliſts have alſo termed it perdrix aſclepica ^*.

This bird is larger than the bartavelle, and weighs about nineteen ounces; its eyes are arched with two very broad red orbits, formed by a fleſhy membrane, rounded and pared above, and riſing higher than the crown of the head; the noſtrils are ſhaded with ſmall feathers, which produce a fine effect; the plumage is mixed with red, black, and white. But the female has leſs of the red, and more of the white, than the male; the membrane of the orbits not ſo prominent, much leſs pared, and of a fainter red; in general, the colours of its plumage are more dilute^†; beſides, it has not thoſe black feathers dotted with white, which in the male form the tuft on the head, and a kind of beard under the bill^‡.

In both ſexes, the tail is nearly like that of the partridge, but rather longer; it conſiſts of ſixteen quills, the two middle ones variegated [226] with the ſame colours with thoſe on the back, while the lateral are all black; the wings are very ſhort, each containing twenty-four quills, of which the third reckoning from the tip of the wing is the longeſt; the legs are clothed with plumage to the toes, according to Briſſon, and as far as the nails, according to Willughby; theſe nails are blackiſh, and alſo the bill; the toes of a deep-gray, edged with a narrow in⯑dented membranous belt. Belon tells us, that in his time francolins (that is Red Grous) were brought from Venice, ſome of which had the plumage we have deſcribed, and others were entirely white, and were called in Italy by the ſame name. Except in the colour, the latter were exactly like the former; and on the other hand, they reſembled ſo much the white par⯑tridge of Savoy, that Belon conceives them to belong to another ſpecies, which Pliny has term⯑ed the lagopus altera. According to this idea, which appears to me to be well founded, the at⯑tagen of the Roman naturaliſt would be our variegated Red Grous; and the ſecond ſpecies of the lagopus would correſpond to the White At⯑tagas, which is diſtinguiſhed from the former by its white plumage, and from the firſt kind of lagopus, commonly termed the White Partridge, by its ſize, and its legs, which are not feathered below.

[227] All theſe birds, according to Belon, live on ſeeds and inſects: the authors of the Britiſh Zoology add, heath tops and mountain berries.

The Red Grous is indeed an inhabitant of the elevated tracts. Willughby informs us, that it ſeldom ventures into the low country, nor even deſcends to the ſloping ſides of the mountain, but prefers to reſide on the loftieſt ſummits. It is found in the Pyrenees, the Alps, the mountains of Auvergne, of Dauphiné, of Switzerland, in Foix, Spain, England, Sicily, the canton of Vicenza, and in Lapland^*. Laſtly, it inhabits Olympus in Phrygia, where the modern Greeks call it taginari ^†, a word evi⯑dently derived from [...], which occurs in Suidas, and is formed from attagen or attagas, which muſt be conſidered as the primitive.

Although this bird is naturally very ſhy, the ſecret of breeding them in cages has been diſ⯑covered in the iſland of Cyprus, as formerly at Rome; at leaſt, if the bird ſpoken of by Alexander Benedictus is the Red Grous. What induces me to ſuſpect this is, that the francolin figured in the CCXLVIth plate of Edwards, which was certainly brought from Cyprus, is much more like the common ſort, than that of Olina, and we know that the laſt can be kept in cages^‡.

[228] The domeſtic Red Grous is larger than the wild, but this has a ſuperior delicacy of flavour, and is preferred to the Partridge. At Rome, the francolino is called the Cardinal's diſh^*; however, it ſoon grows tainted, and cannot be ſent to a great diſtance. The ſportſmen take out its entrails the inſtant it is killed, and ſtuff it with freſh heath^†. Pliny makes the ſame remark with regard to the lagopus ^‡, and it muſt indeed be admitted, that theſe birds bear a great analogy to each other.

The Red Grous breed in the ſpring; the female lays on the ground like all the large birds; the eggs are eight or ten, ſharp at the one end, eighteen or twenty lines in length, and dotted with red-brown, except in one or two places about the ſmall end. The incuba⯑tion laſts twenty days; the young remain with the mother, and continue to follow her through⯑out the ſummer. By winter, they have almoſt attained their full ſize, and they unite into flocks of forty or fifty, and become com⯑pletely wild. In their infancy, they are very ſubject to worms, or lumbrici, and ſometimes they are obſerved to fly about with theſe hang⯑ing a foot from the anus. ^§.

[229] If we compare the accounts of the moderns in regard to the Red Grous, with what the an⯑cients have ſaid on the ſame ſubject, we find the former more accurate and full; yet we have ſtill facts enow from which we may conclude the identity of that bird with the attagen of an⯑tiquity.

To conclude, though I have been at pains to remove the confuſion in which this ſubject is involved, and to aſſign to each ſpecies the characters that have been indiſcriminately be⯑ſtowed, I cannot expect that I have been equally ſucceſsful in clearing every point. The uncertainty which clouds our views, is owing entirely to that latitude in the uſe of names in which naturaliſts have indulged themſelves, and which throws obſtacles almoſt inſurmountable on every attempt to connect our preſent informa⯑tion with the diſcoveries of paſt ages. ^A

The WHITE ATTAGAS.

IT is found in the mountains of Switzerland, and in thoſe around Vicenza. I have no⯑thing to add to what has been ſaid in the pre⯑ceding article, except that Geſner's ſecond ſpecies of lagopus appears to be really one of theſe birds, though the white of its plumage is pure only on the belly and the wings, and is clouded with brown or black on the reſt of the body: for we have already ſeen that the colour of the male is not ſo deep as that of the female; and we know that in moſt young birds, and particularly of this kind, it never acquires its due intenſity till the ſecond year. Alſo Geſ⯑ner's deſcription ſuits this ſpecies exactly; the eyebrows red, naked, curved, and prominent; the feet feathered as far as the nails, but not below; the bill ſhort and black; the tail alſo ſhort; its reſiding in the Swiſs mountains, &c. I ſhould imagine that this bird was really a White Attagas, a male, and young, weighing only fourteen ounces inſtead of nineteen, the uſual bulk.

I would draw a ſimilar concluſion with re⯑gard to Geſner's third ſpecies of lagopus, which ſeems to be the ſame with what the Jeſuit [231] Rzaczynſki mentions by the Poliſh name parowa. In both, a part of the wings and belly is white, the back and the reſt of the body of a variegated colour; their feet feathered; their flight labo⯑rious; their fleſh excellent; and their ſize equal to that of an ordinary hen. Rzaczynſki takes notice of two kinds; the one ſmall, which I am at preſent conſidering; the other larger, and which is probably a ſpecies of the Hazel Grous. This author ſubjoins, that both birds are found entirely white in the Palatinate of Novogorod. I do not claſs them with the Ptarmigan, as Briſſon has done Geſner's ſecond and third ſpecies of lagopus; becauſe their feet are not feathered beneath, which is the moſt ancient and decided character.

The PTARMIGAN^*.
• Le Lagopede, Buff. , • Tetrao-Lagopus, Linn. Gmel. &c. , • Lagopus, Pliny. , • Tetrao Mutus, Martin. , and • White Game, Will. 

Ariſtotle, as I have already ſaid, was unac⯑quainted with the Ptarmigan; what demon⯑ſtrates the aſſertion, is a paſſage in his Natural Hiſtory, where he ſays, that the hare is the only animal whoſe feet are covered with fur on the ſole; but, if he had known the fact, he would certainly not have omitted, in a place where he draws general compariſons, to mention a bird that is diſtinguiſhed by the ſame property.

[234] The name Lagopus is that which Pliny and other writers of antiquity have beſtowed on this ſpecies of birds. The moderns have there⯑fore committed an impropriety, when they have applied a word which marks the diſtinguiſhing character of the Ptarmigan to the nocturnal birds, whoſe feet are feathered above and not below^*. Pliny adds, that it is as large as a pigeon, that it is white, that it is excellent, and that it reſides on the ſummits of the Alps; laſtly, that it is ſo wild that it can hardly be reduced to the domeſtic ſtate; and he concludes with telling us, that its fleſh ſoon runs into putre⯑faction.

The laborious accuracy of the moderns has completed this ſketch of antiquity. They have noticed that glandulous ſkin which forms a ſort of red eye-brows, but of a brighter colour in the male than in the female; it is alſo ſmaller in the latter, and the two black ſtreaks are want⯑ing on the head, which in the male ſtretch from the bottom of the bill to the eyes, and even extend near the ears. Except in this cir⯑cumſtance, the male and female are perfectly alike in their external form; and all that I ſhall afterwards mention on this ſubject will apply to both equally.

The ſnowy colour of the Ptarmigan is not ſpread over its whole body, but is ſtained even [235] in winter. This exception obtains eſpecially in the quills of the tail, which are black, with a little white at the point; nor does it appear from the deſcription, that this colour tinges con⯑tinually the ſame quills. Linnaeus, in his Fauna Suecica, deſcribes the middle ones as black; and in his Syſtema Naturae, he ſays, with Briſſon and Willughby, that theſe are white, and the lateral quills black. Theſe naturaliſts ſeem not to have examined their ſpecimens with ſufficient accuracy. In the individual which I have cauſed to be figured, and in others which I have viewed, I found the tail compoſed of two rows of feathers, one over the other, the upper one entirely white, and the under one black, and each conſiſting of fourteen feathers^*. Klein takes notice of a bird, which he received from Pruſſia on the 20th of January 1747, and which was perfectly white, except the bill, the lower part of the tail, and the ſhafts of ſix quills of the wings. The Lapland prieſt, Samuel Rheen, whom he quotes, ſays, that the Snow Fowl, or Ptarmigan, has not a ſingle black feather, except the female, which has one of that colour in each wing. And the white partridge, of which Geſner ſpeaks, was indeed entirely white, except round the ears, where [236] there were ſome black marks; the coverts of the tail, which are white, and extending its whole length, conceal the black feathers, are what have occaſioned moſt of theſe miſtakes. Briſſon reckons eighteen quills in the tail, while Wil⯑lughby, and ſome other ornithologiſts, reckon only ſixteen; and there are really only four⯑teen. It would ſeem, that the plumage of this bird, how variable ſoever, is more uniform than the naturaliſts repreſent it^*. There are twenty⯑four quills in the wings, the third one, reckon⯑ing from the outer ſide, is the longeſt, and the firſt ſix have black ſhafts, though the webs are white: the down which ſhade the feet and toes as far as the nails, is very thick and ſoft; and it has been ſaid, that this is a kind of fur-gloves which nature has given to theſe birds, to defend them from the intenſe cold of their native cli⯑mates. The nails are very long, even that of [237] the little hind toe; that of the mid-toe is ſcooped lengthwiſe, and its edges are ſharp, which enables it to form holes in the ſnow with eaſe.

The Ptarmigan is at leaſt as large as a tame pigeon, according to Willughby; its length is fourteen or fifteen inches, the extent of its wings twenty-two inches, and its weight four⯑teen ounces: ours is rather ſmaller. But Lin⯑naeus remarks, that they are of different ſizes, and that the ſmalleſt inhabits the Alps^*. He ſubjoins, indeed, that the ſame bird is found in the foreſts of the northern countries, and eſpe⯑cially in Lapland; which gives room to ſuſpect, that this ſpecies is different from our Alpine Ptarmigan, which has different habits, and pre⯑fers the lofty mountains: unleſs perhaps we ſay, that the cold which prevails on the ſummits of the Alps is nearly the ſame with what is experi⯑enced in the vallies and foreſts of Lapland. But the diſagreement of writers with reſpect to the cry of the Ptarmigan ſeems to prove decidedly, that there is a confuſion of ſpecies. Belon ſays, that it has the note of the partridge: Geſ⯑ner, that the voice ſomewhat reſembles that of a ſtag; Linnaeus compares it to a prattling and jeering. Laſtly, Willughby ſpeaks of the feathers on its feet as a ſoft down (plumulis mollibus); and Friſch compares them to hogs [238] briſtles. But how can we reconcile ſuch op⯑poſite qualities, how refer ſuch different cha⯑racters to the ſame ſpecies? There is reaſon then for the diviſion which I have drawn be⯑tween the Ptarmigans of the Alps, the Pyren⯑nees, and ſuch other mountains, and the birds of the ſame genus that occur in the foreſts, and even in the plains of the northern regions.

We have already ſeen, that in winter the Ptarmigan is robed in white; in ſummer, it is covered with brown ſpots, which are ſcat⯑tered irregularly on a white ground. It may be ſaid, however, never to enjoy the ſolſtitial warmth, and to be determined by its ſingular ſtructure to prefer the chilling froſt; for as the ſnow melts on the ſides of the mountains, the bird conſtantly aſcends, till it gains the ſummits, where reigns eternal winter. It would ſeem to be oppreſſed by the dazzle of the ſolar rays; it withdraws from the luſtre of day, and forms holes and burrows under the ſnow. It were curious to inveſtigate the internal and intimate ſtructure of the Ptarmigan, and diſcover the reaſon why cold ſeems ſo neceſſary to its exiſt⯑ence, and why it ſo carefully ſhuns the preſence of the ſun; while almoſt every animated being longs for his return, and hails his approach, as the father of Nature, the ſource of delight, whoſe benign influence inſpires and enlivens all. Muſt we aſcribe it to the ſame cauſes [239] which make the nocturnal birds retire from his eſlugence? or is the Ptarmigan the kakkerlac of the winged tribe?

Such a diſpoſition, however, will evidently render this bird difficult to tame, and Pliny ex⯑preſsly mentions the fact^*. Yet Redi ſpeaks of two Ptarmigans, which he calls White Partridges of the Pyrenees, that were bred in the volery of the garden at Boboli, belonging to the Grand Duke.

The Ptarmigans fly in flocks, but never ſoar aloft; for they are heavy birds. When they perceive any perſon, they remain ſtill on the ſnow to avoid being ſeen; but they are often betrayed by their whiteneſs, which ſurpaſſes the ſnow itſelf. However, whether through ſtu⯑pidity or inexperience, they are ſoon recon⯑ciled to the ſight of man; they may often be caught by preſenting bread, or a hat may be thrown before them, and a nooſe ſlipped round the neck, while they are engaged in admiring this new object; or they may be diſpatched by the blow of a ſtick behind^†. It is even ſaid, that they will not venture to paſs a row of ſtones rudely piled like the foundation of a wall, but will conſtantly travel cloſe by the ſide of this humble barrier, quite to the ſpot where the ſnares are placed.

[240] They live upon the buds and tender ſhoots of the pine, the birch, the heath, whortle berry, and other Alpine plants^*. It is to the nature of their food undoubtedly, that we muſt aſcribe the ſlight bitterneſs of their fleſh^†, which otherwiſe is ex⯑cellent for the table; it is dark-coloured, and is a very common ſort of game in Mount Cenis, and in all the towns and villages near the moun⯑tains of Savoy^‡. I have eaten of it, and found it had much the flavour of hare.

The females lay and hatch their eggs on the ground, or rather on the rocks^§;—this is all that we know with regard to their propagation. We ſhould require wings to ſtudy the inſtincts and habits of birds, eſpecially of thoſe that will not bend to the yoke of domeſtication, and which delight in deſerts.

The Ptarmigan has a very thick craw, and a muſcular gizzard, in which ſmall ſtones are found mixed with its aliments. The in⯑teſtines are thirty-ſix or thirty-ſeven inches long; the coeca are thick, fluted, and very long, but not uniform, and are, according to Redi, full of minute worms^‖; the coats of the ſmall inteſtine are covered with a curious net⯑work, formed by a multitude of ſmall veſſels, or rather of little wrinkles diſpoſed regularly^¶. It has been obſerved that its heart is ſomewhat [241] ſmaller, and its ſpleen much ſmaller, than in the Red Grous^*; and that the cyſtic and hepatic ducts join the inteſtines, at a conſiderable diſtance from each other^†.

I cannot cloſe this article without obſerving with Aldrovandus, that Geſner joins to the dif⯑ferent names which have been given to the Ptarmigan, that of urblan, conceiving it to be an Italian word uſed in Lombardy; yet this term is totally unknown, both in the language of Italy, and in that which is ſpoken in Lombardy. The ſame perhaps may be ſaid of the words rhoncas and herbey, which, according to the ſame author, the Griſons, who ſpeak Italian, beſtow on the Ptarmigan. In the part of Savoy which borders on the Valais, it is called arbenne, which, being corrupted by the pronunciation of the Swiſs and Griſon peaſants, might paſs changed into ſome of the words juſt mentioned. ^A

HUDSON's BAY PTARMIGAN.
• Tetrao Albus. , • Ripa Major, Schoef. , • The White Partridge, Edw. , and • The White Grous, Penn. and Lath. 

THE authors of the Britiſh Zoology juſtly blame Briſſon for claſſing the Ptarmigan with Edwards's White Partridge, ſince they are diſtinct ſpecies; for the latter is thrice as large as the Ptarmigan, and the colours of their ſum⯑mer garb are alſo very different, the White Par⯑tridge having broad ſpots of white and deep orange, and the Ptarmigan ſtreaks of a duſky brown on a light brown. The ſame authors admit, that in winter both birds are alike, al⯑moſt entirely white. Edwards ſays, that the lateral quills of the tail are black even in winter, and only tipt with white; and yet he afterwards ſubjoins, that one of theſe which had been killed in that ſeaſon, and brought from Hudſon's-bay by Light, was of a ſnowy white, which ſtill more ſhews that in this ſpecies the colours of the plumage are variable.

The White Grous is of a middle ſize, between the partridge and the pheaſant, and its ſhape would reſemble that of the former, if its tail [243] were ſomewhat ſhorter. The one repreſented in Edwards, Pl. LXXII. is a cock, ſuch as it is in ſpring, when it begins to drop its winter's robe, and feel the influence of the ſeaſon of love; its eyebrows are red and more prominent, and in ſhort, like thoſe of the Red Grous; it has alſo ſmall white feathers round the eyes, and others at the bottom of the bill, which cover the noſtrils; the two middle feathers are variegated like thoſe of the neck, the two ſucceeding are white, and all the reſt blackiſh, tipt with white, both in ſum⯑mer and winter.

The livery of ſummer extends only over the upper part of the body; the belly continues al⯑ways white, the feet and toes are entirely cover⯑ed with feathers, or rather with white hairs; the nails are leſs curved than uſual in birds^*.

The White Grous reſides the whole year in Hudſon's-bay; it paſſes the night in holes that it makes in the ſnow, which, in theſe arctic countries, reſembles fine ſand. In the morning it emerges from its retreat, and flies directly up⯑wards, ſhaking the ſnow from off its wings. It feeds in the morning and evening, and does not ſeem to dread the ſun, like the Ptarmigan of the Alps; ſince it ſpends whole days expoſed to his rays, even in the middle of the day, when they [244] are moſt forcible. Edwards received this ſame bird from Norway, which appears to me to form the ſhade between the Ptarmigan and the Red Grous; having the feet of the one, and the large eyebrows of the other. ^A

FOREIGN BIRDS, THAT ARE RELATED TO THE GROUS.

The PEACOCK^*.
• Le Paon, Buff. , • Pavo Criſtatus, Linn. and Gmel. , and • The Creſted Peacock, Lath. 

IF empire belonged to beauty and not to ſtrength, the Peacock would undoubtedly be king of the birds; for upon none of them has Nature poured her treaſures with ſuch profuſion. Dignity of appearance, nobleneſs of demeanour, elegance of form, ſweetneſs and delicacy of pro⯑portions, whatever marks diſtinction and com⯑mands reſpect, have been beſtowed. A light waving tuft, painted with the richeſt colours, adorns its head, and raiſes without oppreſſing it. Its matchleſs plumage ſeems to combine all that delights the eye in the ſoft delicate tints of the fineſt flowers; all that dazzles it in the ſparkling luſtre of the gems; and all that aſto⯑niſhes it in the grand diſplay of the rainbow. But not only has Nature united, in the plumage [254] of the Peacock, to form a maſter-piece of mag⯑nificence, all the colours of heaven and earth; ſhe has ſelected, mingled, ſhaded, melted them with her inimitable pencil, and formed an un⯑rivalled picture, where they derive from their mixture and their contraſt new brilliancy, and effects of light ſo ſublime, that our art can nei⯑ther imitate nor deſcribe them.

Such appears the plumage of the Peacock, when at eaſe he ſaunters alone in a fine vernal day. But if a female is preſented ſuddenly to his view; if the fires of love, joined to the ſecret influence of the ſeaſon, rouſe him from his tranquillity, and inſpire him with new ardour and new deſires; his beauties open and expand, his eyes become animated and expreſ⯑ſive, his tuft flutters on his head, and expreſſes the warmth that ſtirs within; the long feathers of the tail, riſing, diſplay their dazzling rich⯑neſs; the head and neck bending nobly back⯑wards, trace their ſhadow gracefully on that ſhining ground, where the ſun-beams play in a thouſand ways, continually extinguiſhed and renewed, and ſeem to lend new luſtre, more delicious and more enchanting; new colours, more variegated and more harmonious; each movement of the bird produces new ſhades, numberleſs cluſters of waving, fugitive reflec⯑tions, which ever vary and ever pleaſe.

It is then that the Peacock ſeems to ſpread out all his beauties, only to delight his female, who, [255] though denied the rich attire, is captivated with its diſplay; the livelineſs which the ardor of love mingles with his geſtures, adds new grace to his movements, which are naturally noble and dignified, and which, at this time, are ac⯑companied with a ſtrong hollow murmur ex⯑preſſive of deſire^*.

But this brilliant plumage, which ſurpaſſes the glow of the richeſt flowers, like them alſo is ſubject to decay; and each year, the Peacock ſheds his honours^†. As if aſhamed at the loſs of his attire, he avoids being ſeen in this humi⯑liating condition, and conceals himſelf in the darkeſt retreats, till a new ſpring reſtores his wonted ornaments, and again introduces him to receive the homage paid to beauty; for it is pretended, that he is really ſenſible to admi⯑ration, and that a ſoothing and attentive gaze is the moſt certain means to engage him to diſ⯑play his decorations; but the look of indiffe⯑rence chills his vivacity and makes him cloſe his treaſures.

Though the Peacock has been long natu⯑ralized in Europe, it is not a native of this quarter of the globe. The Eaſt Indies, the climate that produces the ſapphire, the ruby, and the topaz, muſt be conſidered as the origi⯑nal [256] country of the moſt beautiful of birds. Thence it paſſed into the weſtern parts of Aſia, where, according to the expreſs teſtimony of Theophraſtus, quoted by Pliny, it had been introduced from abroad^*. But it does not ap⯑pear to have been carried thither from the eaſtern part of Aſia, or China; for travellers agree, that though very common in the Eaſt Indies, it is not indigenous in China, which at leaſt proves it to be a rare bird in that country^†.

Aelian informs us, that Greece received this beautiful bird from the Barbarians^‡; who muſt have been the people of India, ſince Alexander, who traverſed Aſia, and was well acquainted with Greece, firſt met with the Pea⯑cock in that country^§: and beſides, in no region of the globe is the tribe ſo numerous as in that oriental clime. Mandeſlo and Thevenot ſaw them in profuſion in the province of Gu⯑zarat; Tavernier, in every part of India, but particularly in the territories of Baroche, Cam⯑baya, and Broudra; Francis Pyrard, in the vicinity of Calicut; the Dutch, on the Mala⯑bar coaſt; Lintſcot, in the iſland of Ceylon; the Author of the Second Voyage to Siam, in the foreſts on the frontiers of that kingdom; on the ſide of Cambogia, and near the banks [257] of the river Meinam; Gentil, at Iva; Gemelli Carreri, in the Calamian iſlands, lying between the Philippines and Borneo: if to theſe autho⯑rities we add, that in all theſe countries the Peacocks live in the wild ſtate, and that they are no where elſe ſo large^*, or ſo prolific^†, we cannot heſitate to conclude that the Eaſt Indies is their native abode. That beautiful bird muſt owe its birth to the luxurious climate where Nature laviſhly pours her riches; where gold, and pearls, and gems, and precious ſtones, are ſcattered with profuſion. This opi⯑nion is countenanced by Holy Writ; Peacocks are enumerated among the valuable and rare commodities that were every three years im⯑ported by Solomon's fleet; which being fitted out in the Red Sea, and not being able to venture at a diſtance from the ſhore, muſt obviouſly have drawn its riches either from India, or the eaſtern coaſt of Africa. Nor is it probable that the latter was the place that furniſhed theſe luxuries; for no traveller has ever ſeen wild Peacocks in Africa, or the adjacent iſlands; except at St. Helena, where Admiral Verhowen ſhot ſome that could not be caught. But it is not probable that Solomon's fleet could ſail every three years to Madeira, without a mari⯑ner's [258] compaſs; where, beſides, they could ob⯑tain neither gold, nor ſilver, nor ivory, nor ſcarce any thing which they might want. I ſhould even imagine that in this iſland, which is above three hundred leagues from the continent, there were no Peacocks in Solomon's time, and that thoſe found there by the Dutch, had been left by the Portugueſe, and had multiplied ex⯑ceedingly in the wild ſtate; eſpecially as it is ſaid that no venomous creature or voracious animal exiſts in St. Helena.

Nor can we doubt that the Peacocks which Kolben ſaw at the Cape of Good Hope, and which, he ſays, are exactly like thoſe of Europe, though the figure that he gives is widely dif⯑ferent^*, had the ſame origin with thoſe at St. Helena, and had been carried thither in ſome of thoſe European ſhips which are continually viſiting that coaſt.

The ſame may be ſaid of thoſe ſeen by travellers in the kingdom of Congo^†, with the turkies, which undoubtedly are not na⯑tives of Africa; and of thoſe alſo that are found on the confines of Angola, in a wood incloſed by a wall, where they are bred for the king of the country^‡. This conjecture is cor⯑roborated [259] by the teſtimony of Boſman, who expreſsly mentions that there are no Peacocks on the Gold Coaſt, and that the bird taken by de Foquembrog and others for a Peacock, is quite different, and called Kroon vogel ^*.

Beſides, the term African Peacock, beſtowed by moſt travellers on the Demoiſelle of Numidia ^†, is a direct proof that Africa is not the natal region of the Peacock. If they were anciently ſeen in Lybia, as Euſtathius relates, they were certainly tranſported from India to that coun⯑try, which is the part of Africa next to Paleſ⯑tine; nor does it appear that they were natu⯑ralized in that country, or multiplied faſt, ſince ſevere laws were paſſed againſt killing or wound⯑ing them^‡.

We may therefore preſume, that Solomon's fleet did not import theſe rarities from the Afri⯑can coaſt, but from the ſhores of Aſia, where they abound, living in a ſtate of nature, and multiplying without the aſſiſtance of man; and where they are larger and more prolific than in other countries, as is the caſe with all animals in their congenial climate.

From India they migrated into the weſtern part of Aſia. Accordingly we learn from Diodorus Siculus, that they abounded in Ba⯑bylon. [260] In Media alſo they were bred in ſuch numbers, that the bird was called Avis Medica ^*. Philoſtratus ſpeaks of thoſe of Phaſis, which had a blue creſt^†, and travellers have ſeen ſome of that kind in Perſia^‡.

From Aſia they were tranſported into Greece, where at firſt they were ſo rare as to be ex⯑hibited in Athens for thirty years, at the monthly feſtivals, as an object of curioſity, which drew crouds of ſpectators from the neighbouring towns^§. We cannot fix the date of this event; but we are certain that it was after the return of Alexander from India, and we know that he firſt ſtopped at the iſland of Samos. The conqueror was ſo delighted with the rich plumage of the Peacocks, that he en⯑acted ſevere penalties againſt killing them. But it is very probable that ſoon after his time, and even before the cloſe of his reign, they were become common; for we learn from the poet Ariſtophanes, who was contemporary with that hero and ſurvived him, that a ſingle pair brought into Greece had multiplied ſo rapidly, that they were as numerous as quails; and [261] beſides, Ariſtotle, who outlived his pupil only two years, ſpeaks in ſeveral parts of his work of Peacocks as well-known birds.

Secondly, That the iſle of Samos was the firſt ſtation of Alexander on his return from India, is probable from its proximity to Aſia; and is be⯑ſides proved by the expreſs teſtimony of Meno⯑dotus^* Some indeed have given a forced inter⯑pretation of this paſſage, and reſting on the au⯑thority of ſome very ancient medals of Samos, in which Juno is repreſented with a Peacock at her feet^†, have pretended that Samos was the primitive abode of that bird, from whence it has been diſperſed to the eaſt and the weſt. But if we examine the words of Menodotus, we ſhall find that they mean no more than that Samos was the firſt part in Europe where the Peacocks were bred; in the ſame manner as the Pintadoes, which are well known to be African birds, were ſeen in Aeolia or Aetolia, before they were intro⯑duced into the reſt of Greece; and eſpecially as the climate of Samos is particularly ſuited to them^‡, and they lived there in the ſtate [262] of nature; and as Aulus Gellius conſidered thoſe of that iſland as the moſt beautiful of all^*.

Theſe reaſons are more than ſufficient to ac⯑count for the epithet of Samian bird, which ſome authors have beſtowed on the Peacock; but the term can no longer be applied, ſince Tournefort never mentions the Peacock in his deſcription of that iſland, and ſays that it is full of partridges, woodcocks, thruſhes, wild-pigeons, turtles, be⯑cafigoes, and excellent poultry; and it is not pro⯑bable that Tournefort would include ſo diſ⯑tinguiſhed a bird in the generic term poultry.

After the Peacock was tranſplanted from Aſia into Greece, it found its way into the ſouth of Europe, and gradually was introduced into France, Germany, Switzerland^†, and as far as Sweden, where indeed they are very rare, and require great attention^‡, and even ſuffer an al⯑teration in their plumage.

Laſtly, The Europeans, who by the extent of their commerce and navigation connect the whole inhabited world, have ſpread them along the African coaſts, and adjacent iſlands; and [263] afterwards introduced them into Mexico, Peru, and ſome of the Antilles^*, as St. Domingo and Jamaica, where they now are numerous^†, though there were none prior to the diſcovery of Ame⯑rica. The Peacock is a heavy bird, as the ancients well remarked^‡; the ſhortneſs of its wings, and the length of its tail, check its aërial courſe; and as it with difficulty ſubſiſts in a northern climate^§, it could never migrate into the new world.

The Peacock has ſcarcely leſs ardour for the fe⯑male, or contends with leſs obſtinacy, than the common cock^‖. His paſſions muſt even be more fiery, if it be true, that when he has only one or two hens, he teazes and fatigues them, and even induces ſterility and diſturbs the work of genera⯑tion, by his immoderate uſe of venery. In this caſe, the eggs are ejected from the oviduct be⯑fore they have time to ripen^¶; and, for this reaſon, he ought to be allowed five or ſix fe⯑males^**; whereas, when the ordinary cock, [264] who can ſatisfy the wants of fifteen or twenty hens, is reduced to one, he makes her the mother of a numerous brood.

The pea-hens are alſo of an amorous mould, and when deprived of the males, they toy with each other, and welter in the duſt; but the eggs which they lay are then void of the principle of life. This happens commonly in the ſpring, when the return of ſoft and genial warmth awakens nature from her torpor, and gives a new ſtimulus to the appetite, which prompts every animated being to reproduce its ſpecies. Hence perhaps the reaſon why ſuch eggs were termed zephyrian (ova zephyria), not becauſe the gentle zephyrs were imagined capable of impreg⯑nating them, but becauſe the vernal ſeaſon is fanned by light airs, and even depicted by the zephyrs^*.

I could eaſily believe that the ſight of the male ſtrutting round them, diſplaying his tail, and ſhewing every expreſſion of deſire, would ſtill more excite them, and make them lay more of theſe addle eggs; but I will never be per⯑ſuaded that the careſſes, diſtant geſtures, and light flutterings, would effect a real fecundation, without the more intimate union, and the more vigorous compreſſions of the male. And the pea-hens which ſome have fancied to be im⯑pregnated [265] by the influence of love glances, muſt have been covered before, though unobſerved^*.

Theſe birds, according to Ariſtotle, attain their full vigour in three years^†. Collumella^‡ is of the ſame opinion, and Pliny repeats the words of Ariſtotle, with ſome ſlight alterations^§. Varro fixes the period at two years^‖; and people who are well acquainted with theſe birds inform me, that in our climate the female begins to lay at the end of the year, though the eggs are then certainly addle. But almoſt all agree that the age of three years is the term when the Pea⯑cock has acquired his full growth, and is fit to perform the office of the male; and that the power of procreating is announced by a new and ſplendid production: this is the long and beauti⯑ful feathers of the tail, which they diſplay, as they ſtrut and expand their fan^¶; the ſurplus nouriſhment being no longer directed to the growth of the individual, is ſpent on the repro⯑duction of the ſpecies.

The ſpring is the ſeaſon when theſe birds ſeek to couple^**: and if we would forward the union, we muſt, according to Columella's direc⯑tion, [266] give them, every five days, in the morning while faſting, beans ſlightly roaſted^*.

The female lays her eggs ſoon after fecunda⯑tion; ſhe does not exclude one every day, but only once in three or four days, and according to Ariſtotle ſhe has but one hatch in the year, which conſiſts in the firſt of eight eggs, and in the following years of twelve. But this muſt be underſtood of thoſe pea-hens that both lay their eggs and rear their young; for if the eggs be re⯑moved as faſt as they are laid, and are placed under a common hen^†, they will, according to Columella, have three hatches in the courſe of the year; the firſt of five eggs, the ſecond of four, and the third of two or three. It would ſeem that in this country they are not ſo prolific, ſince they lay ſcarcely four or five eggs in the year. On the other hand, they appear to be far more prolific in India, where, according to Peter Mar⯑tyr, they lay twenty or thirty, as I have already noticed. The temperature of a climate has a mighty influence on whatever relates to genera⯑tion, [267] and this is the key to thoſe apparent con⯑tradictions which are found between the writings of the ancients and our own obſervations. In a warm country, the males are more ardent, fight with each other, require more females, and theſe lay a greater number of eggs; but in a cold country the latter are not ſo prolific, and the former are calm and indifferent.

If the pea-hen be ſuffered to follow the bent of inſtinct, ſhe will lay her eggs in a ſecret re⯑tired ſpot; the eggs are white, and ſpeckled like thoſe of the turkey-hen, and nearly of the ſame ſize. It is aſſerted that ſhe is very apt to lay in the night, or rather careleſsly drop the eggs from the rooſt on which ſhe is perched; and for this reaſon, it is adviſed to ſpread ſtraw under⯑neath, to prevent their being broken by the fall^*.

During the whole time of incubation, the pea-hen anxiouſly ſhuns the male, and is par⯑ticularly careful to conceal her track, when ſhe returns from the neſt: for in this ſpecies, as in the gallinaceous tribe and many others^†, the male burning with luſt, and faithleſs to the in⯑tentions of nature, is more earneſt in the purſuit of pleaſure, than ſolicitous about the multiplica⯑tion of the race. If he diſcovers his mate ſitting on her eggs, he breaks them; probably to re⯑move an obſtacle to the gratification of his paſ⯑ſions. [268] Some have imagined that it was from the deſire of covering them himſelf^*, which would be a very different motive. Natural hiſtory will continually be clouded with uncer⯑tainties; to remove them, we ought to obſerve every thing ourſelves; but who is able for the taſk?

The pea-hen ſits from twenty-ſeven to thirty days, more or leſs, according to the temperature of the climate, and the warmth of the ſeaſon^†. During that time, a ſufficient ſupply of food ought to be ſet within their reach, that they may not be obliged to ſtray in ſearch of ſubſiſtence, and allow their eggs to cool; and care muſt be taken not to teaze or diſturb them in their neſt; for if they perceive that they are diſcovered, they will be filled with diſquietude, abandon their eggs, and begin to make a ſecond hatch, which is not likely to ſucceed, becauſe of the lateneſs of the ſeaſon.

It is ſaid that the pea-hen never hatches all her eggs at once, but as ſoon as a few chickens emerge, ſhe leaves the neſt to lead them about. In this caſe, the eggs that are left ſhould be ſet under another hen, or placed in a ſtove for in⯑cubation^‡.

Aelian tells us, that the pea-hen does not ſit conſtantly on her eggs, but ſometimes leaves [269] them two days together, which ſuſpends the progreſs of incubation. But I ſhould imagine that there is ſome miſtake in the text of Aelian, which refers to the hatching, what Ariſtotle and Pliny mention with regard to the laying, which is really liable to interruptions of two or three days; whereas ſuch interruptions in the ſitting ſeem to be inconſiſtent with the law of nature obſerved by all the known ſpecies of birds, un⯑leſs when the heat of the climate approaching that of incubation diſpenſes with it as unne⯑ceſſary^*.

After the young are hatched, they ought to be left under the mother for twenty-four hours, and then removed to the coop^†; Friſch adviſes them not to be reſtored to their dam till ſome days after.

Their firſt food muſt be barley-meal, ſoaked in wine; wheat ſteeped in water; or even pap boiled, and allowed to cool. Afterwards they may have freſh curd, from which the whey is well preſſed, mixed with chopped leeks, and even graſshoppers, of which they are very fond, but the legs muſt be previouſly removed from theſe inſects^‡. When they are ſix months old, they will eat wheat, barley, the dregs of cyder and perry, and even crop the tender graſs; but that ſort of nouriſhment is not ſufficient, though Athenaeus repreſents them as graminivorous.

[270] It is obſerved that on the firſt days after hatch⯑ing, the mother never leads her young to the ordinary neſt, or even ſits with them twice in the ſame place; and as they are delicate, and cannot mount on the trees, they are expoſed to many accidents. At this time therefore we ought to watch them cloſely, and diſcover where the mother reſorts, and put the brood in a coop, or in the field in a patch incloſed with hurdles, &c.^*

Till they grow ſtout, the young Peacocks trail their wings^†, and make no uſe of them. In their early eſſays to fly, the mother takes them every evening one after another on her back, and carries them to the branch on which they are to paſs the night. In the morning, ſhe deſcends before them from the tree, and en⯑courages them by her example to truſt them⯑ſelves to their ſlender pinions^‡.

A pea-hen, or even a common hen, can breed twenty-five young Peacocks, according to Co⯑lumella; but only fifteen, according to Palla⯑dius: and this laſt number is even too great for cold countries, where they muſt be warmed from time to time, and ſheltered under the mother's wing.

It is ſaid that the common hen, when ſhe ſees a hatch of young Peacocks, is ſo pleaſed with their beauty, that ſhe grows diſguſted with her [271] own chickens, and attaches herſelf to the ſtrangers^*. I mention this circumſtance not as a fact that is aſcertained, but as one that deſerves to be inquired into.

As the young Peacocks grow ſtrong, they begin to fight, (eſpecially in warm countries,) and for this reaſon the ancients, who ſeem to have beſtowed more attention than we in training theſe birds^†, kept them in ſmall ſeparate huts^‡. But the beſt places for breed⯑ing were, according to them, the iſlets, which are ſo numerous on the Italian coaſts^§; for inſtance, that of Planaſia, belonging to the Piſans^‖. Such a ſpot indeed allowed them to follow freely the bent of nature, without danger of eſcaping, ſince they are unable to fly to a diſtance, and cannot ſwim; and at the ſame time they had nothing to apprehend from ra⯑pacious animals, which were entirely extirpated from the little iſland. They lived there at eaſe, without conſtaint, and without diſquietude; they thrived better, and (what was not over⯑looked by the Romans) their fleſh acquired a finer reliſh; and to have them under their eye, and to examine whether their numbers increaſed or diminiſhed, they accuſtomed them every day at a ſtated hour, on the diſplay of a certain ſignal, [272] to come round the houſe, and they threw a few handfuls of grain to draw them together^*.

When the brood are a month old, or a little more, the creſt begins to ſhoot, and then they are ſubject to ſickneſs, as the young turkies in ſimilar circumſtances. At this time the parent cock adopts them as his offspring; for before the growth of the creſt, he drives them away as ſup⯑poſititious^†. They ought not however to be truſted with the old ones before the age of ſeven months, and they muſt be accuſtomed to perch on the rooſt, that they may not ſuffer from lying on the ground, on account of the cold damps^‡.

The creſt conſiſts of ſmall feathers, of which the ſhaft is not furniſhed with webs, but beſet with little ſlender detached threads; the top is formed by a bunch of ordinary feathers united together, and painted with the richeſt colours.

The number of theſe ſmall feathers is variable; I have counted twenty-five in a male, and thirty in a female; but I have not examined enough to decide accurately.

The creſt is not an inverted cone, as might be ſuppoſed; its baſe, which is uppermoſt, forms a very extenſive ellipſe, whoſe greater axis is in the direction of the head; all the feathers that compoſe it, have a particular and perceptible [273] motion, by which they approach each other, or recede, at will, and alſo a general motion, by which the whole creſt is ſometimes erected, ſometimes reclined.

The waving ſummits of this creſt, as well as all the reſt of the plumage, are decorated with much more ſplendid colours in the male than in the female. Beſides this circumſtance, the cock is diſcriminated from the hen when three months old, by a little yellow which appears on the tip of the wing; he is afterwards diſtinguiſhed by his ſize, by the ſpur on each leg, by the length of his tail, and the power of expanding it like a fan. Willughby fancies that the Peacock ſhares that remarkable property with the turkey alone; but in the courſe of this hiſtory we have ſeen that it belongs alſo to ſome grous, to ſome pigeons, &c.

The tail-feathers, or rather thoſe long coverts that are inſerted in the back near the rump, are on a great ſcale what thoſe of the creſt are on a ſmall one. The ſhaft is equally furniſhed from its origin to its extremity, with parted filaments of a varying colour, and it ends in a flat vane, decorated with what is called the eye, or the mir⯑ror. This is a brilliant ſpot, enamelled with the moſt enchanting colours; yellow, gilded with many ſhades, green running into blue and bright violet, according to the different poſitions, and the whole receives additional luſtre from the colour of the centre, which is a fine velvet black.

[274] The two feathers in the middle are each four feet and a half long, and extend beyond the reſt, the others gradually diminiſhing as they ap⯑proach the ſides. The creſt is permanent, but the tail is caſt every year, either entirely or in part, about the end of July, and ſhoots again in the ſpring; during which interval the bird is diſpirited and ſeeks retirement.

The predominant colour of the head, throat, neck, and breaſt is blue, with different reflections of violet, yellow, and lucid green; and by means of theſe waving ſhades, nature can ſpread a greater variety of colouring on the ſame ſpace.

On each ſide of the head, there is a protube⯑rance formed by ſmall feathers, which cover the perforation of the external ear.

Peacocks ſeem to toy with each other by the bill; but on examining them cloſely, I find that they ſcratch the head, which is ſubject to a very nimble ſort of lice. Theſe may be ſeen running over the white ſkin that encircles the eyes, which muſt occaſion an uneaſy feeling. Accordingly, the birds remain very tame and ſeem pleaſed when another ſcratches them.

Theſe birds aſſume the rule in the yard, and will not ſuffer the other poultry to feed till they have ſatisfied their hunger. They eat nearly the ſame way with the gallinaceous tribe, laying hold of the grain by the point of the bill, and ſwallowing it whole.

[275] When they drink, they plunge their bill into the water, and make five or ſix quick motions with the lower jaw; then raiſing their head and holding it horizontal, they ſwallow the water, with which their mouth is filled, and without moving the bill.

Their food is received into the oeſophagus, where a little above the anterior orifice of the ſtomach, is placed a glandulous ſwelling filled with ſmall tubes, which pour out much limpid liquor.

The ſtomach is clothed on the outſide with a great number of muſcular fibres.

In one of theſe birds, which was diſſected by Gaſpar Bartholin, there were two biliary ducts; but he found only one pancreatic duct, though there are generally two in the feathered tribes.

The coecum was double, and pointing from be⯑hind forwards; its length was equal to that of all the other inteſtines together, and was more capa⯑cious^*.

The rump is very thick, becauſe in it are inſerted all the muſcles deſtined to elevate and expand the tail.

The excrements are commonly figured, and mixed with a little of that white matter which is common to the gallinaceous tribes, and many other birds.

I am informed that they ſleep, ſometimes hid⯑ing their head under their wing, ſometimes co⯑vering their neck, and leaving the bill expoſed.

[276] Peacocks love cleanlineſs, and for this reaſon they are at pains to hide their excrements; not becauſe they are loth that men ſhould derive any benefit from the dung^*, which it is ſaid is good for ſore eyes, for manure, &c. but doubt⯑leſs they are not well acquainted with all theſe properties.

Though they cannot fly much, they are fond of climbing. They generally paſs the night on the roofs of houſes, where they do a great deal of miſchief, and on the loftieſt trees. From theſe elevated ſtations, they often ſcream; and their cry is univerſally allowed to be diſagreeable, perhaps becauſe it diſturbs our ſleep, and from which it is pretended that their name is formed in all languages^†.

It is ſaid that the female has only one note, which ſhe ſeldom utters except in the ſpring, while the male has three. For my own part, I can only diſtinguiſh two tones; the one flat, like that of the hautboy, the other ſharp, ex⯑actly the octave of the former, which reſembles more the ſhrill notes of the trumpet; and I con⯑feſs that my ear is not hurt by theſe ſounds, any more than my eye by the ſhape of their legs: and we apply to the Peacocks our falſe reaſon⯑ings [277] and even our vices, when we ſuppoſe that their cry is only a groan extorted by their va⯑nity, as often as they view the clumſineſs of their feet.

Theophraſtus maintains, that their cries if often reiterated, forebode rain; others, that they foretell it when they ſcramble higher than ordi⯑nary^*. Others allege that theſe cries forebode the death of a neighbour; and laſtly, others re⯑late that theſe birds always wear under the wing a bit of the root of flax, as an amulet to preſerve them from witchcraft^†. Whatever is much ſpoken of, is made a ſubject of ſilly fables.

Beſides the different cries which I have men⯑tioned, the male and female emit a certain dull ſound, or ſmothered cracking, which ſeems to be formed internally, and which they often repeat, whether they are diſturbed or in a ſtate of tran⯑quillity and eaſe.

Pliny ſays, that a ſympathy has been obſerved between the pigeons and the Peacocks^‡; and Clearchus tells us of one of the latter which grew ſo much attached to a young woman, that, having witneſſed her death, it could not ſurvive the ſhock^§. But a more natural and better founded friendſhip is obſerved between the turkey and Peacock. Theſe two birds are of the number that raiſe and diſplay their tail; a circumſtance which implies many common pro⯑perties. [278] Accordingly, they agree better than with the other fowls. It is even ſaid that a Peacock has been ſeen to copulate with a turkey-hen^*; which would ſhew a great analogy between the two ſpecies.

The term of the life of the Peacock is twenty⯑five years, according to the ancients^†; and this determination ſeems to be well-founded, ſince the bird is full grown before the end of three years, and the feathered race attain to a greater age than quadrupeds, becauſe their bones are more pliant. But I am ſurpriſed that Willugh⯑by imagines, on the authority of Aelian, that the Peacock lived a complete century, eſpecially as the account of that relator is mingled with many circumſtances evidently fabulous^‡.

I have already ſaid, that the Peacock feeds on all ſorts of grain, like the gallinaceous tribe. The ancients generally gave it a monthly allowance of a buſhel of wheat, weighing about twenty pounds. It is proper to notice that the flower of the elder is hurtful to them^§, and that the leaf of the nettle is, according to Franzius, a mortal poiſon to the young Peacocks.

As in India the Peacocks live in the ſtate of nature, it is uſual in that country to hunt them. They can hardly be approached in the day-time, though they are ſcattered over the [279] fields in numerous flocks; becauſe, as ſoon as they deſcry a ſportſman, they fly away more ſpeedily than partridges, and conceal themſelves in the thickets, where they cannot be purſued. The night therefore is the only proper time for the chaſe, which, in the vicinity of Cambaya is conducted in the following manner:

The ſportſmen get cloſe to the tree where the Peacocks are perched, and preſent a kind of banner, which ſupports two burning candles, and is painted with the figures of Peacocks. The Peacock dazzled by the glare, or engaged in ad⯑miring the painting, ſtretches out its neck re⯑peatedly, and again draws it back, and when its head is obſerved to be entangled in a running knot, placed for the purpoſe, the hunters immediately draw the cord and ſecure the bird^*.

We have ſeen that the Greeks much admired the Peacock, but this was only for the beauty of the plumage. The Romans, who carried every luxury to exceſs, actually feaſted on Pea⯑cocks fleſh. The orator Hortenſius was the firſt who ordered it to be ſerved up at his table^†, and his example being followed, this bird came to be ſold at a very high price at Rome. The Emperors refined on the luxury of their ſub⯑jects; and Vitellius and Heliogabalus gloried in filling enormous chargers^‡ with the brains of [280] Peacocks, the tongues of the phoenicopterus, and the livers of the ſcarus ^*, forming inſipid diſhes, whoſe whole merit conſiſted in their de⯑ſtructive expence.—In thoſe times, a flock of an hundred Peacocks could bring a revenue of 60,000 ſeſterces, three Peacocks being only re⯑quired of the keeper for each hatch^†. This ſum, according to the eſtimation of Gaſſendi, amounts to 10 or 12,000 livres. Among the Greeks, the cock and hen together coſt a thouſand drachmae, which correſponds to eighty-ſeven livres ten ſous on the higheſt valuation, twenty⯑four livres on the loweſt. But the laſt was un⯑doubtedly reckoned much under value; elſe the exclamation in Athenaeus would have no mean⯑ing:—‘Is it not madneſs to rear Peacocks, when they are as dear as ſtatues^‡?’ The price muſt have greatly fallen towards the be⯑ginning of the ſixteenth century; ſince in the "Nouvelle Coutume de Bourbonnois," publiſhed in 1521, the Peacock is valued at two ſous ſix deniers money of that time, which Dupré de Saint Maur values at three livres fifteen ſous of the preſent currency. But it would ſeem that ſoon after this period the price was advanced; for Bruyere tells us, that in the neighbourhood of Liſieux, where they could eaſily rear Peacocks with the cyder lees, they bred flocks, which were very profitable, ſince, being rare in other [281] parts of the kingdom, they were uſually ſent from thence to all the conſiderable cities, to be ſerved up in ſplendid entertainments. However, ſcarce any but young ones are ſit to be eaten; for their fleſh is naturally dry, and grows hard as they become old. To this quality we muſt impute the ſingular property, which appears well aſcertained, that their fleſh can be kept ſeveral years without putrifying^*. Yet old ones have been uſed, though more for ſhow than uſe; for they were ſerved up decorated with their richeſt plumes^†. This is a well imagined refinement in luxury, and which the induſtrious elegance of the moderns has added to the extravagant magnificence of the ancients. It was over a Peacock dreſſed in this way, that our old knights made, on grand occaſions, the vow called the Vow of the Peacock ^‡.

Peacock's feathers were formerly uſed to make a ſort of fans^§, and they were formed into crowns like thoſe of laurel, for the Troubadour poets. Geſner^‖ ſaw a web whoſe woof was ſilk and gold thread, and the warp Peacocks feathers. Such no doubt was the robe woven with theſe feathers which Pope Paul III. ſent to king Pepin^¶.

[282] According to Aldrovandus, Peacocks' eggs are reckoned by the moderns as improper food; whereas the ancients put them in the firſt claſs, and even before thoſe of the gooſe and common hen^*. This contradiction he explains by ſaying, that they are pleaſant to the taſte, but pernicious to the health. It remains to be inquired whether the temperature of the climate affects their qua⯑lity. ^A

The COMMON PHEASANT^*.
• Le Faiſan, Buff. , • Phaſianus Colchicus, Linn. Gmel. &c. , and • Phaſianus, Briſſ. Friſch, Geſner, &c. 

THE name of this bird is alone ſufficient to indicate its native country. The Phea⯑ſant, or the Bird of Phaſis, was confined, it is ſaid, to Colchis, before the expedition of the Argonauts^†. That bold body of adventurers ſaw, in aſcending the Phaſis, theſe beautiful birds ſcattered along its banks; they carried them home to Greece, and in doing ſo they conferred a richer preſent than that of the golden fleece.

Since the wings of the Pheaſant are ſhort, conſequently its flight low and laborious, we may readily conclude, that it could not traverſe the immenſe ocean that divides America from the temperate countries in the Ancient Conti⯑nent. Accordingly, none have been found in the New World, but only ſome birds a-kin to them. I ſpeak not of the true Pheaſants which are at preſent common in the plantations of St. Do⯑mingo; for theſe, as well as the peacocks and pintados, were introduced by the Europeans^*.

The Pheaſant is of the ſize of the common cock^†, and in ſome reſpects rivals the peacock in beauty. His figure is as dignified, his de⯑portment as bold, and his plumage almoſt as reſplendent. The colours of the Chineſe Phea⯑ſant are even brighter; but he has not, like the peacock, the power of diſplaying his rich plumage, and of elevating the long feathers of his tail. Beſides, the Pheaſant has neither the creſt of the peacock, nor the double tail; of [291] which the ſhorter one conſiſts of quills capable of being erected, and the longer one formed of the coverts of theſe: in general, the Phea⯑ſant ſeems to have been modelled after leſs ſlender and leſs elegant proportions; the body thicker, the neck ſhorter, the head larger, &c.

The moſt remarkable traits in its appearance are, the two ſpots of ſcarlet in the middle of which the eyes are placed, and the two tufts of feathers of a gold-green, which, in the love ſeaſon, riſe on each ſide under the ears; for in animals there is almoſt always, as I have already remarked, a new production, more or leſs re⯑markable, which is a ſign that the generative faculty is again rouſed to action. Theſe tufts of feathers are probably what Pliny calls ſome⯑times ears^*, ſometimes little horns^†. A pro⯑minence is obſerved at their baſe, formed by an erector muſcle^‡. Beſides theſe, the Pheaſant is furniſhed with feathers at each ear, to cloſe at pleaſure the orifice, which is very large^§.

The feathers of the tail and rump have their ends heart-ſhaped, like ſome of the tail-feathers of the peacock^‖.

I ſhall not here enter into a particular deſcrip⯑tion of the colours of the plumage; I ſhall only [292] obſerve, that in the female they are much leſs brilliant than in the male, in whom the reflexions are ſtill more fugitive than in the peacock, and depend not only on the various incidence of the light, but on the junction and poſition of the feathers: for if any one be taken ſingly, the green wavings vaniſh, and we ſee only a brown or black^*. The ſhafts of the feathers of the neck and the back are of a fine bright yellow, and appear like ſo many plates of gold^†. The coverts under the tail continue diminiſhing, and terminate in a kind of filaments. The tail conſiſts of eighteen quills, though Schwenckfeld reckons only ſixteen; the two middle ones are the longeſt of all, and they ſhorten regularly towards the ſides. Each leg is furniſhed with a ſhort pointed ſpur, which has eſcaped ſome deſigners, and even the engraver of our Planches Enluminées, No. 121; the toes are connected by a membrane broader than uſual in pulverulent birds^‡, and ſeems to form the firſt ſhade be⯑tween theſe and the aquatic tribes; and in fact Aldrovandus obſerves, that the Pheaſants de⯑light in wet places; and he adds, that they are ſometimes caught in the marſhes in the neigh⯑bourhood of Bologna. Olina, another Italian, and Le Roi, Lieutenant of Rangers at Verſailles, have made the ſame remark. The laſt-men⯑tioned perſon informs me, that it is always in [293] the moſt watery ſpots, and along the ſides of the pools in the large foreſts of Brie, that Phea⯑ſants lodge which have eſcaped from the hunters in the vicinity. Though habituated to the ſo⯑ciety of man, though loaded with his favours, theſe Pheaſants retire as far as poſſible from all human dwellings; for theſe birds are very wild, and extremely difficult to tame. It is ſaid, however, that they can be inſtructed to return at the ſound of a whiſtle^*; that is, they can be attracted by this means to their food; but as ſoon as their appetite is ſatisfied, they return to their natural mode of life, and for⯑get the hand that fed them. They are ſtub⯑born ſlaves, that will not ſubmit to conſtraint, who know nothing deſirable that can enter into competition with liberty; who ſeek continually to recover it, and never loſe ſight of it when opportunity occurs^†. The wild ones newly bereaved of freedom become furious; they dart with violence on the companions of their cap⯑tivity, and ſtrike with their bills, nor do they ſpare even the peacocks^‡.

[294] Theſe birds are fond of living in woods that grow on the plains, differing in this reſpect from the grous, which inhabit foreſts that clothe the mountains. They perch on the tops of trees during the night^*, ſleeping with their head under the wing; their cry, that is the cry of the male, (for the female has none at all,) is intermediate between that of the peacock and the pintado, but more like that of the latter, and therefore far from being agreeable.

Their diſpoſition is ſo unſocial, that they not only fly from the preſence of man, but avoid the company of each other, except in the months of March and April, when the male courts the female. It is then eaſy to diſcover them in the woods, becauſe they are betrayed by the loud noiſe made by the clapping of their wings, which may be heard at a great diſtance^†. The Cock Pheaſants are not ſo ardent as the common cocks. Friſch aſſerts that, in the wild ſtate, each attaches itſelf to a ſingle female: but man, who glories in perverting the order of nature to his intereſt or his whims, has changed the inſtinct of theſe birds, by habituating each cock to ſerve ſeven hens, and conſtraining theſe to reſt ſatisfied with the performance of a ſingle male.

Some have had patience to make all the obſervations neceſſary to determine this pro⯑portion [295] to be the moſt profitable for breeding^*. Several oeconomiſts, however, allow only two females to each male^†; and I muſt confeſs that this diſtinction ſucceeded the beſt in ſome trials I have made. But the different combinations muſt depend on particular circumſtances; on the temperature of the climate, the nature of the ſoil, the quality and quantity of the food, the ex⯑tent and poſition of the place for rearing them, and the attention of the keeper, who ought to remove the hen as ſoon as ſhe has imbibed the quickening influence, and preſent the females one after another at proper intervals. He ſhould alſo give the cock during that ſeaſon buck-wheat and other ſtimulating aliments, as is uſual about the end of winter, when we want to anticipate the period of love.

The Hen Pheaſant conſtructs her neſt alone; ſhe ſelects the darkeſt corner of her lodging, and forms it with ſtraw, leaves, and other materials; though it appears very rude and unſhapely, ſhe prefers it to any other not built by herſelf; inſo⯑much that if one be prepared for her of a regular conſtruction, ſhe tears it in pieces, and arranges the materials a new in her own way. She breeds but once a year, at leaſt in our climates; ſhe lays twenty eggs^‡ according to ſome, and forty or fifty according to others, eſpecially if we ſave [296] her the trouble of ſitting^*. Thoſe, however, which I had occaſion to ſee, never laid more than twelve eggs, and ſometimes leſs, though theſe were hatched by common hens. They generally lay one every two or three days, and the eggs are much ſmaller than thoſe of an or⯑dinary hen, and the ſhell thinner even than thoſe of pigeons. The colour is a greeniſh-grey, ſpeckled with little brown ſpots, as Ariſtotle has well obſerved^†, ranged in a circular zone round the egg. A Hen Pheaſant can hatch eighteen.

If we would undertake to raiſe Pheaſants on a great ſcale, we muſt for that purpoſe allot a park of proportional extent, which ſhould be partly laid out in graſs, and partly planted with buſhes, where theſe birds may be ſhaded from the ſun, ſheltered from rain, and even protected from the aſſaults of the ravenous tribes. One part of this park ought to be divided into ſeveral ſmall patches of ten or twelve yards ſquare, con⯑ſtructed ſo that each may lodge a cock with his females, and they muſt be confined either by diſabling their wings, or by ſpreading a net over the little incloſure. Care ſhould be taken not to ſhut up ſeveral cocks together; for they will un⯑doubtedly fight, and perhaps kill each other^‡. We muſt even contrive that they ſhall not ſee [297] or hear each other, for though naturally cold and phlegmatic, their diſquietude or jealouſy will interrupt or relax their amours. Thus, in ſome animals, as well as in man, jealouſy is not always proportioned to the appetite of love.

Palladius alleges, that the cocks need only be a year old^*, and all naturaliſts agree, that hens are proper for breeding the third year. Some⯑times when Pheaſants are numerous, it is ſuf⯑ficient to lodge the females in the incloſures, and leave them to the embraces of the wild cocks.

Theſe birds feed on all ſorts of grain and herbs. It is even recommended to throw part of the park into a kitchen garden, in which to raiſe beans, carrots, potatoes, onions, lettuces, par⯑ſnips, and eſpecially the two laſt, of which they are remarkably fond. It is alſo ſaid that they love acorns, the berries of the white thorn, and ſeed of wormwood^†; but the food beſt adapted to them is wheat mixed with ants eggs. Some adviſe not to mix ants themſelves, leſt they take a diſlike to the eggs; but Edmond King recom⯑mends the ants themſelves, and affirms that theſe inſects afford them the moſt ſalutary nouriſhment, and can even reſtore them when they are ſickly and drooping; and that inſtead of theſe, we may ſubſtitute even graſhoppers, ear-wigs, and millepedes. The Engliſh author, whom I have juſt quoted, aſſures us, that he loſt many Phea⯑ſants [298] before he learnt this fact, but that after he attended to that circumſtance, not one died of thoſe which he was breeding^*. But whatever ſort of food we give them, it muſt be offered ſparingly, not to make them too fat; for corpu⯑lence blunts the ardor of the cock, weakens the prolific powers of the hen, and makes her lay eggs with ſoft ſhells and eaſily broken.

The time of incubation is from twenty to twenty-five days, according to moſt authors and my own obſervation^†. Palladius fixes it at thirty; but this is a miſtake which ought not to have been adopted in the Maiſon Ruſtique; for in the warm climate of Italy, the Pheaſants could not require ſo long time to hatch, and therefore inſtead of trigeſimus, we ought to read vigeſimus.

We ought to keep the ſitting-hen in a place remote from noiſe and ſomewhat under ground, ſo as not to be affected by the variations of the weather, or expoſed to the ſtroke of thunder.

As ſoon as the young Pheaſants leave the ſhell, they begin to run like all the gallinaceous tribe. For the firſt twenty-four hours, food is generally withheld from them; after that, they are put with the mother into a crib, and carried out every day to the fields, into the paſture grounds where ant-hills abounds. This ought [299] to be covered with deals, which may be re⯑moved or replaced as occaſion requires. It ought alſo to have a diviſion near one of the ends, where the mother ſhould be confined with bars ſo wide aſunder however as to allow the chickens to go out and return as often as they chuſe. The clucking of the impriſoned mother, and the neceſſity of being frequently warmed, will conſtantly bring them back and prevent them from ſauntering too far. It is uſual to join to⯑gether three or four hatches of nearly the ſame age, ſo as to form a ſingle family, which may be reared by the ſame mother.

They are fed at firſt, like all young chicks, with a mixture of hard eggs, crumbs of bread, and lettuce leaves mixed together, and with an addition of the eggs of meadow ants. But at this tender age two precautions muſt be carefully obſerved. They muſt not be allowed to drink at all, nor be carried abroad till the dew is entirely gone, for humidity of every kind is hurtful to them. We may notice by the way, that this is one of the reaſons why hatches of wild Pheaſants ſeldom ſucceed in France; for, as I have already remarked, theſe birds prefer the freſh verdant places, and in ſuch ſituations the young can hardly ſurvive the damps. The ſecond point to be attended to is, that their food ſhould be given frequently and in ſmall quantities, beginning as ſoon as day break, and always mixing with it ants eggs.

[300] In the ſecond month, more ſubſtantial nouriſhment may be given; eggs of the wood ants, turkey beans, wheat, barley, millet, ground beans; and the intervals between the meals may be gradually enlarged.

At this time they begin to be ſubject to ver⯑min. To prevent that diſorder, moſt modern writers adviſe us to clean the crib, or even to lay it aſide altogether, except the ſmall roof which ſerves to ſhelter them. Olina recom⯑mends a plan propoſed by Ariſtotle, which ſeems to me better contrived and more ſuitable to the nature of theſe birds. They are in the number of thoſe that welter in the duſt, and when that gratification is withheld, they languiſh and die^*. Olina directs ſmall heaps of dry earth or very fine ſand to be laid near them, in which they may tumble and rid themſelves of the painful itching occaſioned by the inſects.

We muſt alſo be very attentive in giving them clean water, and in often renewing it, elſe they will be in danger of contracting the pip, of which there is ſcarcely any remedy, according to the moderns; though Palladius adviſes to remove it as in common chickens, and to rub the bill with garlick bruiſed with tar.

The third month is attended with new diſeaſes. The tail feathers then drop and others appear, which is a ſort of criſis to them, as well as to [301] the Peacocks. But ants eggs are ſtill a reſource; they haſten the trying moment, and leſſen the danger, provided we do not give them too much, for the exceſs is pernicious. In proportion as the young Pheaſants grow up, their regimen becomes the more like that of the adults; and at the end of the third month, they may be let looſe in the place intended to be ſtocked. But ſuch is the effect of domeſtication on animals that have lived ſome time in that ſtate, that even thoſe which, like the Pheaſants, have an invincible attachment to liberty, cannot be reſtored to it but by imperceptible degrees; in the ſame manner as a good ſtomach that has been weak⯑ened with watery elements, cannot at once re⯑cover its tone, ſo as to digeſt rich food. We muſt firſt carry the crib which contains the brood to the field where the colony is to be diſperſed; we muſt give them what food they like beſt, but never in the ſame ſpot; and we muſt diminiſh the quantity every day, and thus by degrees conſtrain them to provide for themſelves, and to become acquainted with the country. When they are able to procure ſubſiſtence, they ſhould be reſigned to liberty and nature. They will ſoon grow as wild as thoſe bred in the woods; except only that they will ſtill retain a ſort of affection for thoſe ſpots where they were foſter⯑ed in their infancy.

Man, encouraged by his ſucceſs in changing the inſtinct of the Cock Pheaſant, and in recon⯑ciling [302] it to the ſociety of a number of females, has tried alſo to effect another violence, to make it breed with a foreign ſpecies; and the ex⯑periments have in ſome degree ſucceeded, though they required great care and attention^*. A young Cock Pheaſant which had never copulated, was ſhut in a cloſe place where but a faint light glimmered through the roof: ſome young pul⯑lets were ſelected, whoſe plumage reſembled the moſt that of the Pheaſant, and were put in a crib adjoining that of the Cock Pheaſant, and ſepa⯑rated from it only by a grate, of which the ribs were ſo cloſe as to admit no more than the head and neck of theſe birds. The Cock Pheaſant was thus accuſtomed to ſee theſe females, and even to live with them, becauſe the food was thrown into the crib only. When they had grown familiar and the ſeaſon of love ap⯑proached, both the cock and hens were fed on heating aliments, to provoke their deſires; and after they diſcovered an inclination to couple, the grate which parts them was removed. It ſome⯑times happened, that the Cock Pheaſant, faithful to nature and indignant at the inſult offered him, abuſed the hens, and even killed the firſt he met with: but if his rage did not ſubſide, he was on the one hand mollified by touching his bill [303] with a red-hot iron, and on the other, ſtimulated by the application of proper fomentations. At laſt his appetites however growing every day more fiery, and nature conſtantly counteract⯑ing herſelf, he at laſt copulated with the hens, which in conſequence laid eggs dotted with black, like thoſe of the Pheaſant, but much larger; and they produced hybrids partaking the properties of both ſpecies, and, according to ſome, more delicate, and even better flavoured than the true ſort, but incapable, it is ſaid, of propagating their kind: yet Longolius aſſerts, that the females of this kind which couple with their ſire, produce real Pheaſants. Care has alſo been taken to give the Cock Pheaſant only virgin hens; whether the more to incite the males, (for man judges of all creatures from himſelf,) or becauſe the repetition of the experiment on the ſame ſubjects is ſaid to occaſion the breed to degenerate.

It is pretended that the Pheaſant is a ſtupid bird, and imagines itſelf ſafe when its head is concealed; which has been alleged of many other birds that heedleſsly fall into all ſorts of ſnares. When hunted by a pointer, and met, it ſtands ſtill, and looks ſteadily at the dog, ſo that the ſportſman can take his aim at leiſure. To decoy it, we need only preſent its own figure, or a red rag on a white ſheet. It is caught alſo by ſetting gins in the tracks which it treads in the morning to drink. It is alſo chaſed by the [304] falcon, and ſuch as are taken this way, are ſaid to be more delicate and delicious than ordinary^*. Autumn is the ſeaſon when they are fatteſt. The young ones may be fattened like other poultry, only in introducing the little ball into the throat, care ſhould be taken to prevent the tongue from being puſhed backwards, which would infallibly kill the bird.

A fat young Pheaſant is a moſt exquiſite mor⯑ſel, and at the ſame time very wholeſome food. Accordingly this luxury has been always re⯑ſerved for the tables of the rich, and the whim of Heliogabalus of feeding his lions on Pheaſants, has been regarded as the moſt wanton profuſion.

According to Olina and Le Roi, this bird, like the common hens, lives about ſix or ſeven years; but the opinion that the age may be diſcovered from the number of the croſs bars on its tail, is void of foundation. ^A

FOREIGN BIRDS ANALOGOUS TO THE PHEASANT.

I SHALL not range under this denomination, ſeveral birds on which moſt travellers or na⯑turaliſts have beſtowed the name of Pheaſant, but which, after a cloſe inveſtigation, we have determined to belong to very different tribes.—Such as, 1. The Pheaſant of the Antilles of Briſſon, which is that of the iſland Kayriouacou of Father Tertre, and which has longer legs and a ſhorter tail than the Pheaſant. 2. Briſſon's crowned Pheaſant of the Indies, which differs from the Pheaſant by its general form, and by the ſhape of its bill, its inſtincts and habits, its long wings and ſhort tail, and which, if we except its ſize, ſeems to reſemble much the pigeons. 3. The American bird, which we have directed to be figured under the name of The Creſted Pheaſant of Cayenne, becauſe it was ſent to us under that name; but which appears to be diſtinguiſhed from the Pheaſant by its bulk, its carriage, its long ſlender neck, its ſmall head, its long wings, &c. 4. The Hocco Phea⯑ſant of Guiana, which is by no means a Phea⯑ſant, as the compariſon of the figures alone ſuf⯑fices to ſhew. 5. All the other Hoccos of Ame⯑rica, [308] which Briſſon and Barrere, and others who have been miſled by their ſyſtems, have referred to the genus of the Pheaſant; though they differ in many reſpects, and even in ſome properties that have been received as generic characters.

FOREIGN BIRDS THAT SEEM RELATED TO THE PEACOCK AND PHEASANT.

☞ I range under this vague title, ſome foreign birds, which have not been deſcribed with ſufficient accuracy for us to aſſign their preciſe place.

The HOCCOS.

ALL the birds known under the general term Hocco, are ſtrangers to Europe; they be⯑long to the warmer parts of America. And the various names beſtowed by different Savages, each in his own jargon, have contributed, no leſs than the multiplied epithets impoſed by nomenclators, to introduce confuſion. I ſhall endeavour, as far as the poverty of obſervation will permit, to diſpel the chaos, and reduce the nominal to real ſpecies.

The PARTRIDGE.

IT is often the moſt difficult to give an ac⯑curate and conſiſtent account of thoſe ſpecies which are the moſt generally known. When a perſon meets, for the firſt time, with a bird which he has never before ſeen, he overlooks the minute characters, and, ſeizing the more obvious reſemblances, he refers it to that tribe with which he is previouſly beſt acquainted. Hence that ſtrange incoherent jumble of names which have been formed on the relations of haſty and inaccurate obſervers. We have al⯑ready been more than once embarraſſed in this chaos of terms; and I am afraid that the article of the Partridge will not be the laſt which re⯑quires a critical examination.

I take the Common Partridge for the baſis and firſt ſpecies of the genus, as being the beſt known, and therefore the fitteſt ſubject for compa⯑riſon.—I ſhall admit one variety and three per⯑manent breeds.

Theſe permanent breeds are, 1. The Common Gray Partridge; and, as a variety of it, the White Gray Partridge of Briſſon. 2. The Da⯑maſcus Partridge, not that of Belon, which is the Hazel Grous, but that of Aldrovandus, which is ſmaller than our Gray Partridge, and which [350] appears to be the ſame with the Little Partridge, a bird of paſſage well known to our ſportſmen. 3. The Mountain Partridge, which is figured in No. 136. of the Planches Enluminées, and which ſeems to form the ſhade between the Gray and the Red Partridges.

In the ſecond ſpecies I range the Red Par⯑tridge, into which I admit two permanent breeds in France, and one variety, and two foreign breeds.

The two permanent Red Partridges which are found in France are, 1. No. 150. Planches Enlu⯑minées. 2. The Greek Partridge, Pl. 231.

The two foreign ſpecies are, 1. The Red Bar⯑bary Partridge of Edwards, Pl. 70. 2. The Rufous-breaſted Partridge, which is found on the banks of the Gambra.

As the plumage of the Red Partridge is liable to aſſume ſhades of white like that of the Gray Partridge, thence reſults a variety exactly ſimi⯑lar to that in the latter.

From this genus I exclude ſeveral ſpecies which have been improperly referred to it.

1. The Francolin, which we have removed from the Partridges, becauſe it differs from them not only by its general ſhape, but by ſome par⯑ticular characters, as in the ſpurs, &c.

2. The bird called by Briſſon the Senegal Partridge, and which he makes his eighth ſpecies. This bird appears to me to be more a-kin to the Francolins than to the Partridges; [351] and as it has two ſpurs on each leg, I ſhall give it the epithet of Double Spur.

3. The African Red Partridge.

4. The third foreign ſpecies, called by Briſſon the Great Partridge of Brazil, which he ſuppoſes to be the Macucagua of Marcgrave, from whom he copies the deſcription, and confounds it with the Agamia from Cayenne, which is a bird wholly different from both.

5. The Yambou of Marcgrave, which is the Brazilian Partridge of Briſſon, and which has neither the ſhape, the habits, nor the charac⯑ters of the Partridge; ſince, according to Briſ⯑ſon himſelf, it has a long bill, perches upon trees, and lays blue eggs.

6. The American Partridge of Cateſby and Briſſon, which alſo perches, and prefers the woods to the cleared grounds; a character which does not belong to the Partridge.

7. A multitude of American birds, which the herd of travellers have called Partridges from ſome ſlight reſemblance inaccurately obſerved. Such are the birds known at Guadeloupe under the names of Red Partridges, Gray Partridges, and Black Partridges; though, according to the accounts of perſons better informed, they are pigeons or turtles; ſince they have neither the bill nor the fleſh of the Partridge, perch on trees, where they build their neſts, lay only two eggs, and ſince the young do not run as ſoon as they quit the ſhell, but are fed by the parents in the [352] neſt like turtles. Such too are moſt probably thoſe Partridges which Carreri ſaw on the mountains of the Havannah; ſuch the Man⯑bouris, the Pegaſſous, and the Pegacans of Lery; and ſuch perhaps are ſome American birds which I have ranked in the claſs of Partridges on the authority of writers, when their relations ſeemed not contradicted by facts; though I muſt own, that it is not likely birds ſo heavy could croſs the intervening ocean.

The RED PARTRIDGES.

FOREIGN BIRDS, THAT ARE RELATED TO THE PARTRIDGE.

THE QUAIL^*.
• La Caille, Buff. , • Tetrao-Coturnix, Linn. and Gmel. , • Perdix Coturnix, Lath. Ind. , and • Coturnix, All the Naturaliſts. 

The propenſity of the Quails to migrate at certain ſeaſons, is one of their moſt powerful inſtincts.

The cauſe of this deſire muſt be very gene⯑ral, for it acts not only on the whole ſpecies, but alſo on individuals kept in confinement and debarred from communication with their kind. Some young Quails, bred in cages from their [399] earlieſt infancy, which had never enjoyed liberty, and therefore could not feel its loſs, were yet obſerved, for the ſpace of four years, to ſhew a degree of reſtleſſneſs, and to flutter with unuſual agitations, regularly at the ſeaſon of migration, which returns twice annually, in April and in September. This uneaſineſs laſted thirty days each time, and began conſtantly an hour before ſun-riſe. The priſoners moved backward and forward from one end of the cage to the other, and darted againſt the net which covered it, and often with ſuch violence, that they dropped down ſtunned by the blow. They paſſed the night in theſe fruitleſs ſtruggles, and the following day they appeared dejected, exhauſted, and torpid. We know alſo that, in the ſtate of liberty, Quails ſleep the greater part of the day: and if to this we add, that they are ſeldom obſerved to arrive in the day-time, we may infer, that they perform their journies by night^*, and that the diſpoſition to migrate is innate: whether that avoiding the extremes of heat and cold, they remove to the north in ſummer, and advance to the ſouth in winter; or what is more probable, that they direct their courſe to thoſe countries where the harveſt is making, and thus change their abode to pro⯑cure the proper ſubſiſtence for themſelves and for their young.

[400] This laſt reaſon, I ſay, is the moſt probable; for, on the one hand, it is proved by experi⯑ence, that Quails can well ſupport cold; ſince Horrebow informs us that they have been found in Iceland; and they have been kept for years together in a room without fire, and having even a northern aſpect, and yet ſeemed not in the leaſt affected by the ſevereſt winters. On the other hand, it appears, that one circum⯑ſtance which determines them to abide in a country, is the plenty of herbage; for it is well known by ſportſmen, that when the ſpring is dry, and conſequently graſs ſcarce, there are few Quails the reſt of the year. Beſides, the ſpur of actual want is a more powerful cauſe, is more conſiſtent with the limited inſtinct of theſe ani⯑mals, and implies leſs foreſight, which philoſo⯑phers have rather been too liberal in beſtowing on brutes. When they cannot procure ſub⯑ſiſtence in one country, it is very natural to ſuppoſe that they will ſeek it in another. This ſcarcity of food intimates to them their ſitua⯑tion, and rouſes all their faculties into action. They leave the exhauſted tract, riſe into the regions of air, and puſh forward to diſcover countries which may preſent them with abund⯑ance. Habit joining itſelf to the inſtinct com⯑mon to all animals, but moſt remarkable in the winged tribes, of ſcenting their food from a [401] diſtance, gives birth to a diſpoſition which is as it were innate; it is not therefore ſurpriſing that the ſame Quails ſhould return annually to the ſame haunts. But we can hardly ſuppoſe with Ariſtotle, that it is from an attentive ob⯑ſervation of the ſeaſons, and that they change their climate twice a-year, like the ancient kings of Perſia. It will be ſtill more difficult to ad⯑mit, with Cateſby and Belon, and ſome others, that when they ſhift their reſidence, they wing their courſe without interruption to the Anti⯑podes, there to find exactly the ſame latitude, and to enjoy the ſame temperature; which would imply ſcientific knowledge, or rather error, to which brute inſtinct is much leſs ſub⯑ject than cultivated reaſon.

But whatever ſpeculations we may form with reſpect to the migration of the Quails, certain it is, that when they enjoy their natural liberty they depart and return at ſtated times. They left Greece according to Ariſtotle, in the month Boedromion ^*, which comprehended the end of Auguſt and the beginning of September. In Sileſia, they arrive in the month of May, and depart about the end of Auguſt^†. Our ſportſmen reckon on their return to France about the tenth or twelfth of May. Aloyſius Mundella ſays, that they begin to appear in the neighbourhood of Venice about the middle of [402] April. Olina fixes the time of their arrival in the Campagna di Roma in the beginning of April. But almoſt all agree that they depart after the firſt autumnal froſt, which ſpoils the graſs and deſtroys the inſects; and ſince the colds of May do not drive them back to the ſouth, we are furniſhed with another proof that warmth is not what they ſeek, but that their real object is food, and of which the ſpring froſts cannot deprive them. We muſt not however conſider theſe terms as invariably fixed. They will vary within certain limits in different coun⯑tries according to the nature of the climate; and even in the ſame region, they will be affected by the lateneſs or earlineſs of the ſeaſon, which will advance or retard the harveſt, and will promote or check the multiplication of the inſects which ſupport the Quails.

Both the ancients and the moderns have been buſy in forming theories with regard to the migration of the Quail and other birds of paſſage; ſome have heightened it by the addition of the marvellous; while others, ſtruck with the difficulty of conceiving that ſo ſmall a bird, and which flies tardily and laboriouſly, could perform diſtant journies, have heſitated to ad⯑mit the fact, and have had recourſe to hypotheſes ſtill more extraordinary to account for their re⯑gular diſappearance at certain ſtated ſeaſons. None of the ancients ever entertained indeed the ſlighteſt doubt on the ſubject: and yet they [403] well knew that the Quail is inactive, flies little and with reluctance^*; and that though ex⯑tremely ardent in its paſſions, it employs not its wings to tranſport itſelf to the invitation of the female, but often travels more than a quarter of a league through the cloſeſt herbage to meet her, and never riſes into the air except when cloſely purſued by dogs or hunters: with all theſe cir⯑cumſtances, the ancients were acquainted; but they never dreamt that, on the approach of the cold ſeaſon, theſe birds crept into holes to re⯑main in a dormant ſtate during the winter, like the dormice, the hedge-hogs, the marmots, the bats, &c. This abſurdity was reſerved for ſome moderns, who certainly did not know that the internal heat of animals ſubject to become torpid, being generally inferior to that of other qua⯑drupeds, and ſtill more to that of birds, requires a conſtant acceſſion of warmth from the air, as I have ſhewn in another work: when this ſource fails, the vital action is ſuſpended; and, if they were expoſed to a greater cold, they would in a ſhort time periſh. But this certainly is not ap⯑plicable to the Quails, which are generally eſteemed of a hotter conſtitution than the other birds; ſo that in France it has given riſe to a proverb^†; and in China, it is cuſtomary to carry this bird alive in one's hands to keep them [404] warm^*. Beſides, I have diſcovered from obſer⯑vations continued for ſeveral years, that they never grow torpid, though ſhut during the whole winter in rooms without a fire, and expoſed to the north, as I have formerly mentioned: and many perſons of the moſt undoubted veracity, who had ſimilar opportunities, have aſſured me of the ſame fact. But, if the Quails neither conceal themſelves nor remain torpid through the winter, and always diſappear in that ſeaſon, we may certainly conclude that they migrate into other countries.—And this fact is demonſtrat⯑ed by a great number of other authorities.

Belon, happening in autumn to be on board a veſſel, in his paſſage from Rhodes to Alexandria, ſaw Quails flying from the north towards the ſouth. Many of them were caught by the mariners, and grains of wheat were found very entire in their craw. The preceding ſpring, the ſame obſerver ſaw in ſailing from the iſland of Zante to the Morea, a great number of them in motion from ſouth to north; and he affirms that, in Europe as well as Aſia, Quails are ge⯑nerally migrating birds.

The Commander Godeheu conſtantly ſaw them paſſing Malta in the month of May, aided by certain winds, and again in September in their return^†. Many ſportſmen have aſſured me, [405] that they have often, in the fine nights during ſpring, heard them arrive, and could eaſily diſtinguiſh their cry, though at a great height in the air. Add to this, that they are no where ſo plenty as on the French coaſts, oppoſite to Africa or Aſia, and in the interjacent iſlands. Almoſt all thoſe of the Archipelago and even the ſhelves, are, according to Tournefort, covered with them, in certain times of the year; and more than one of thoſe iſlands has been named Ortygia ^*. In the age of Varro, it was remark⯑ed that at the ſeaſons of the arrival and de⯑parture of the Quails, immenſe flocks were ſeen in the iſlets of Pontia, Pandataria, and others ſcattered along the ſouthern coaſt of Italy^†, and which they probably choſe for a ſtation to re⯑cruit. About the beginning of autumn, ſuch great numbers were caught in the iſland of Ca⯑prea, in the entrance of the Gulph of Naples, that the biſhop of the iſland drew his princi⯑pal revenue from the profits of the game, and was for that reaſon called The Biſhop of Quails. Many too are caught in the neighbourhood of Peſaro, which is ſituated on the Adriatic Gulf, about the end of autumn, the ſeaſon of their arrival^‡. Laſtly, ſuch amazing numbers drop [406] on the weſtern coaſts of the kingdom of Naples, in the vicinity of Nettuno, that in the extent of four or five miles, ſometimes a hundred thouſand are taken in a day, and are ſold for fifteen jules the hundred (leſs than ſeven ſhillings), to a ſort of brokers who carry them to Rome, where they are much leſs common^*. Clouds of them alſo alight in the ſpring on the coaſts of Provence, eſpecially on the lands belonging to the biſhop of Frejus, which border on the ſea; they are ex⯑hauſted, it is ſaid, with the fatigue of their jour⯑ney, that for the firſt days they may be caught with the hand.

But it will ſtill be replied, how can a bird ſo ſmall, ſo weak, whoſe flight is ſo ſlow and labo⯑rious, how can it, though urged by hunger, tra⯑verſe the great extent of ſea? I may admit that many iſlands are ſcattered at intervals in their paſſage, on which they may halt to recruit their vigour: ſuch as Minorca, Corſica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Rhodes, and other iſles in the Archipelago. But ſtill I conceive that it would be impoſſible for them to perform the journey without aſſiſtance. Ariſtotle was well convinced that this was ne⯑ceſſary, and was even acquainted with the kind of aid which the Quails moſt commonly received; and if he was miſtaken, it is only in deſcribing the manner. ‘When the north wind blows, [407] the Quails, (ſays he,) perform their journey with eaſe; but when the ſouth wind prevails, as it oppreſſes them with the load of its vapours, they make a painful progreſs, and declare their labour and exertion, by the cries which they utter in their flight^*.’ In fact, it is the wind, I conceive, which aſſiſts the Quails in their paſſage; not indeed the north wind alone, but a favourable wind; nor does the ſouth impede their progreſs, but ſo far as it is contrary to the direction of their motion: and this muſt take place in all countries where the Quails perform their journies acroſs the ſeas^†.

M. Godeheu has well remarked, that in the ſpring, the Quails never alight on Malta, except when they are carried by a north-weſt wind, which hinders them from gaining Pro⯑vence; and that in their return, they are wafted to that iſland by the ſouth wind, which oppoſes their deſcent on the Barbary ſhore^‡. We know alſo, that the Author of nature employed that mean, as the moſt conformable to the general laws which he had eſtabliſhed, to ſhower the immenſe multitudes of Quails upon the Iſraelites in the deſert^§; and this wind, which came from the ſouth-weſt, ſwept over Egypt, Ethiopia, and the coaſts of the Red Sea, and in a word, the [408] countries where theſe birds were moſt abund⯑ant^*.

Sailors whom I have conſulted on this ſub⯑ject inform me, that when the Quails are ſur⯑priſed in their paſſage by a contrary wind, they alight on the neareſt veſſels, as Pliny has re⯑marked^†, and often fall into the ſea, and are then obſerved to float and ſtruggle on the waves, with one wing raiſed in the air to catch the gale. Hence ſome naturaliſts have taken occa⯑ſion to ſay, that when they embark on their voyage, they furniſh themſelves with a little ſtick, with which they relieve themſelves at in⯑tervals from the fatigue of flying, reſting upon it as upon a raft, and riding on the rolling bil⯑lows^‡. It has even been ſuppoſed that each carries in his bill three ſmall ſtones, to ballaſt them, according to Pliny^§, againſt the violence of the wind; or, according to Oppian^‖, to diſ⯑cover^¶, by dropping them one after another, when they have croſſed the ſea. This is nothing more than bits of gravel which the Quails, like other granivorous birds, ſwallow with their food. In general, ſuch a degree of deſign, ſagacity, and diſcernment, is aſcribed to them, as would [409] give room to doubt if thoſe who are ſo liberal in beſtowing theſe qualities, really poſſeſs a large ſhare themſelves. They have remark⯑ed that other migratory birds, as the Land Rail, accompany the Quails, and that the Falcon was ſure to catch ſome one on its arrival; hence they have concluded that the Quails chooſe out from another ſpecies a guide or chief, which they call The King of the Quails (ortygrometra); for as the foremoſt of the body falls a victim to the hawk, the Quails ſhrewdly contrive to caſt the danger upon the fated individual of a foreign race.

But the Quails do not all migrate; there are a few which, being unable to follow the reſt, remain behind; either having received a wound in their wings, or, being the product of the ſecond hatch, they are too young and feeble to perform the journey. Theſe ſtragglers ſeek to find a proper ſituation in the country where they are obliged to abide^*. In France the number of theſe is very inconſiderable; but the Author of the Britiſh Zoology aſſures us, that in Eng⯑land a part only of the Quails are obſerved to quit the iſland entirely, while thoſe which re⯑main ſhift their quarters, removing from the in⯑terior counties to the ſea coaſt, and particularly to the hundreds of Eſſex, where they continue through the winter: if the froſt or ſnow drive [410] them from the ſtubble fields or marſhes, they retreat to the beach, and ſubſiſt upon the marine plants, which they can pick up between high and low water mark. The ſame Author ſub⯑joins, that the time of their appearance in Eſſex correſponds exactly to that of their leaving the inland country. It is likewiſe ſaid, that a great number of them remain in Spain and in the ſouth of Italy, when the winter is not ſo ſevere as entirely to deſtroy the ſeeds and inſects that ſerve for their food.

With reſpect to ſuch as venture to croſs the ſeas, thoſe only perform a fortunate voyage that are aſſiſted by a fair wind; and if in the pre⯑ceding ſeaſon it has ſeldom blown from a favour⯑able quarter, much fewer arrive in the countries where they ſpend their ſummer. And, in ge⯑neral, we may judge with tolerable accuracy of the place whence they have come, by the direc⯑tion of the breeze which wafts them along.

As ſoon as the Quails arrive, they ſet about lay⯑ing. They do not pair, as I have already re⯑marked; and if the number of males, as I am informed, exceeds much that of the females, monogamy would have been inconvenient. Fide⯑lity, confidence, perſonal attachment, qualities ſo deſirable in the individual, would have been hurtful in the ſpecies. The multitude of males reduced to a ſtate of celibacy, would diſturb the marriages that are formed, and render them un⯑prolific. [411] But in the preſent caſe, the unbounded liberty of union blunts and extinguiſhes the jealouſy and the rivalſhip of their loves. The male has been obſerved to repeat a dozen times a-day his embraces with ſeveral females in⯑diſcriminately^*; and while nature tolerates this kind of libertiniſm, ſhe provides for the mul⯑tiplication of the ſpecies. Each female drops fifteen or twenty eggs into a neſt, which ſhe hollows in the ground with her claws, lines with graſs and leaves, and conceals as much as poſ⯑ſible from the piercing eye of the hawks. Theſe eggs are greyiſh, ſpeckled with brown. She ſits about three weeks. The ardor of the males effectually fecundates them, and they are ſeldom found addle.

The Authors of the Britiſh Zoology ſay, that in England the Quails ſeldom lay more than ſix or ſeven eggs. If this fact be uniform, we may conclude that they are leſs prolific in that iſland than in France, Italy, &c.; and it remains to be inquired whether this diminution of the genial powers ought to be attributed to the cold, or ſome other quality of the climate.

The young Quails are able to run almoſt as ſoon as they leave the ſhell, like the young Par⯑tridges; but they are in many reſpects more hardy, ſince in the ſtate of liberty they quit their mother much earlier, and even venture to de⯑pend [410] [...] [411] [...] [412] on themſelves for ſubſiſtence eight days after they are hatched. This circumſtance has made ſome perſons ſuppoſe that the Quail lays twice a year^*; but I much doubt it, except they have been diſturbed in their firſt hatch. It is not even affirmed that they begin an⯑other after they have arrived in Africa in the month of September, though this would be much more probable, ſince on account of their regular migrations they are unacquainted with autumn and winter, and the year to them conſiſts of two ſprings and two ſummers: and they change their climate, it might ſeem, to enjoy and per⯑petuate the ever verdant ſeaſon of love and pro⯑pagation.

Certain it is, that they drop their feathers twice a year, in the end of winter and on the approach of autumn. Each moulting laſts a month; and as ſoon as their plumage is reſtored, they wing their paſſage, if at liberty, into other climes; and if they are kept in confinement, they diſcover a reſtleſſneſs and ſtruggle to burſt from their priſon at the ſtated periods of migration.

When the young are four months old, they are able to accompany their parents in their diſtant flight.

The female differs from the male in being ſomewhat larger, according to Aldrovandus [413] (others reckon it equal and others ſmaller), in having a white breaſt ſprinkled with black ſpots almoſt round; while in the male it is reddiſh, without any intermixture of other colours: its bill is alſo black, as well as its throat, and a few hairs that grow round the baſe of the upper man⯑dible^*: its teſticles have alſo been remarked to be very large in proportion to the ſize of the body; but this obſervation has undoubtedly been made in the ſeaſon of their amours, when the teſticles of all birds acquire a conſiderable in⯑creaſe of dimenſions.

The male and female have each two cries; a louder and a fainter. The male makes a ſound like ouan, ouan, ouan, ouan; he never gives the ſonorous call, except when parted from the females; nor when confined, though he has a female companion. The female has a well-known cry, which invites the male; and though it is very weak and audible only a ſhort way, the males flock to it from the diſtance of half a league: it has alſo a ſlender quivering note cri, cri. The male is more ardent than the fe⯑male, as he runs to her amorous murmurs with ſuch precipitation and inconſiderateneſs, as to [...]light to her upon the hand of the bird-catcher^†.

[414] The Quail, like the Partridge and many other animals, never multiplies its kind, except when it enjoys the liberty of nature. In vain have the forlorn priſoners been furniſhed with the ma⯑terials for conſtructing their neſts; the tendereſt concerns are ſtifled in their breaſt, and their eggs are allowed to drop unheeded.

Many fooliſh ſtories have been told with re⯑ſpect to the generation of Quails. It has been ſaid that, like the Partridges, they are im⯑pregnated by the wind; this means no more than that they ſometimes lay without the male in⯑fluence^*. It has been alleged that they are bred from the tunnies, which the troubled ocean ſometimes caſts on the ſhores of Lybia; that they appear at firſt like worms, then aſſume the form of flies, and gradually growing larger, they become graſshoppers, and at laſt Quails^†: that is, the vulgar ſeeing the Quails ſearching among the carcaſes of the tunnies rejected by the waves for ſome inſects that are hatched in them, and having ſome vague idea of the metamorphoſes which inſects undergo, fancied that a graſshopper could be transformed into a Quail, as a worm is changed into a fly. Laſtly, it has been ſaid, that the male copulates with the female toad^‡; a ſtory which has not even the ſlighteſt appear⯑ance of probability.

[415] The Quails feed on wheat, millet, hemp-ſeed, green herbage, inſects, and all ſorts of ſeed, even that of the hellebore; which gave the antients an antipathy to its fleſh, augmented ſtill further by the reflection that theſe were the only animals beſides man that are ſubject to the epilepſy^*. But experience has deſtroyed this prejudice.

In Holland, where theſe birds are frequent, eſpecially along the coaſts, it is uſual to call the berries of Bryony Quail-berries; which ſhews that they prefer that ſort of food^†.

It would appear that they can ſubſiſt without drink; for ſportſmen have aſſured me, that they are never obſerved to ſeek water; and others, that they have fed them a whole year on dry grain without any drink, though they frequently drank when it was in their power. To with⯑draw every kind of drink, is even the only way to cure them when they caſt out their water; that is, when they are attacked by a certain diſ⯑temper, in which they have always a drop at the point of their bill.

Some have imagined, that they always trouble the water before they drink, and they have not failed to aſcribe it to envy; for naturaliſts are never ſatisfied till they aſſign to brutes the mo⯑tives of action. They inhabit the fields, the paſture grounds, and the vineyards; but ſeldom [416] reſort to the woods, and never perch upon trees. They grow much fatter than Partridges. What is ſuppoſed to contribute to this, is their re⯑maining ſtill during the greateſt part of the heat of the day; then they conceal themſelves in the talleſt graſs, and ſometimes continue in the ſame ſpot for the ſpace of four hours, lying on their ſide, with their legs extended; and ſo much are they overcome with the drowſy indolence, that a dog muſt abſolutely run upon them before they are fluſhed.

It is ſaid that they live only four or five years, and Olina attributes the ſhortneſs of the term to their diſpoſition to corpulency. Artemidorus imputes it to their unhappy quarrelſome temper; and ſuch is really their character, for they have been made to fight in public to entertain the rabble. Solon even directed that ſuch combats ſhould be exhibited to the youth, with the view to inflame their courage. And this ſpecies of gymnaſtic exerciſe, which would appear to us ſo puerile, muſt have been held in high eſtimation by the Romans, and conſidered as an affair of the ſtate, ſince we are told that Auguſtus puniſh⯑ed a prefect of Egypt with death, for buying and bringing to table one of theſe birds that had acquired celebrity by its victories. Even at preſent this ſort of amuſement is common in ſome cities of Italy. They give two Quails high feeding; and then place them oppoſite to each [417] other, at the ends of a long table, and throw be⯑tween them a few grains of millet ſeed (for they need a ground of quarrel). At firſt they ſhew a threatening aſpect, and then ruſh on like light⯑ning, ſtrike with their bills, erecting the head and riſing upon their ſpurs, and fight till one yields the field of battle^*. Formerly, theſe combats were performed between a Quail and a man: the Quail was put into a large box, and ſet in the middle of a circle traced on the floor; the man ſtruck it on the head with one finger, or plucked ſome feathers from it: if the Quail, in defending itſelf, did not paſs the limits of the circle, its maſter gained the wager; but if in its fury it tranſgreſſed the bounds, its worthy antagoniſt was declared victor; and ſuch Quails as often won the prize ſold very dear^†. It may be remarked that theſe birds, as well as the Par⯑tridges and others, never fight but with their own ſpecies; which implies jealouſy, rather than courage, or even violence of temper.

Since the Quail is accuſtomed to migrate, and travels to immenſe diſtances by the aid of the wind, it is eaſy to conceive that it muſt be ſpread through a wide extent. It is found at the Cape of Good Hope, and through the whole inha⯑bited part of Africa^‡; in Spain, Italy^§, France, Switzerland^‖, the Netherlands^¶, Germany^**, [418] England^*, Scotland^†, Sweden^‡, and as far as Iceland^§; and eaſtwards, in Poland^‖, Ruſſia^¶, Tartary^**, as far as China^††. It is even poſſible that it could migrate into America; ſince it every year penetrates near the polar circles, where the two continents approach; and, in fact, it occurs in the Malouine iſlands, as we ſhall afterwards take notice. In general, it is more common along the coaſts than in the in⯑terior country.

The Quail is therefore an univerſal inhabitant, and is every where eſteemed excellent game. Aldrovandus tells us, that the fat is ſometimes melted by itſelf, and kept for ſauce.

The female, or a call imitative of her cry, is made uſe of to draw the males into the ſnares. It is even ſaid, that a mirror having a nooſe placed before it is ſufficient; the bird, miſtaking its image for another of the ſpecies, ruſhes to⯑wards it. The Chineſe catch them as they fly with ſlender nets, which they uſe very dex⯑trouſly^‡‡. In general all the forms of gins that are uſed for other birds, ſucceed with the Quails, [419] and eſpecially the males, which are leſs ſuſpicious, more ardent, and which may be led at pleaſure by imitating the cry of the female.

This ardor of the Quails has occaſioned the quality to be aſcribed to their eggs, fat, &c. of reſtoring a relaxed frame and rouſing the genial powers^*. It has been ſaid that the preſence alone of one of theſe birds in a bed-chamber, gave thoſe who ſlept there love dreams^†.—We need only quote theſe ſtories, as they refute them⯑ſelves. ^A

OTHER BIRDS WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE PARTRIDGES AND THE QUAILS.

The PIGEON DOMESTICA.
• Columba, Linn. and Gmel. 

IT was eaſy to domeſticate the heavy and in⯑active birds, ſuch as the common hen, the turkey, and the peacock; but to tame thoſe which are nimble and ſhoot on rapid wings, required attention and art. A low hut, rudely conſtructed on a confined ſpot, is ſufficient for lodging and raiſing our poultry; to induce the Pigeons to ſettle, we muſt erect a lofty building, well co⯑vered without and fitted up with numerous cells. They really are not domeſtics, like dogs or horſes; or priſoners like the fowls; they are rather voluntary captives, tranſient gueſts, who continue to reſide in the dwelling aſſigned them, only becauſe they like it, and are pleaſed with a ſituation which affords them abundance of food, and all the conveniencies and comforts of life. On the ſlighteſt diſappointment or diſguſt, they abandon their manſion, and diſperſe; and ſome of them even will always prefer the mouldering holes of ancient walls to the neateſt apartments in Pigeon-houſes; others take their abode in the clefts and hollows of trees; others ſeem to fly the habitations of men, and cannot be pre⯑vailed to enter their precincts; others again never [436] roam from human dwellings, but muſt be fed near their volery, to which they are inflexibly at⯑tached. Theſe various and even oppoſite habits ſhew, that under the Pigeon are included many different ſpecies. This opinion is confirmed by the modern nomenclators, who, beſides a great number of varieties, reckon five ſpecies of Pigeons, without including the Ring-dove and Turtle. We ſhall remove theſe two laſt ſpecies from thoſe of the Pigeon, and conſider each ſeparately.

The five ſpecies of Pigeons noticed by our no⯑menclators are, 1. The Domeſtic Pigeon; 2. The Roman Pigeon, which includes ſixteen varieties; 3. The Brown Pigeon; 4. The Rock Pigeon, with one variety; 5. The Wild Pigeon; but theſe five ſpecies are in my opinion the ſame. My reaſon is this. The Domeſtic Pigeon and the Roman Pigeon, with all their varieties, though differing in ſize and colours, are certainly the ſame ſpecies; ſince they breed together, and their progeny are capable of procreating. We can⯑not conſider the great and little Domeſtic Pigeons as two different ſpecies; we can only ſay that they are different branches of the ſame kind, the one of which has been reduced to a more per⯑fect domeſtication than the other. In the ſame manner, the Brown Pigeon, the Rock Pigeon, and the Wild Pigeon, are three nominal ſpecies which may be compriſed in one, which is the Brown Pigeon, and of which the Rock Pigeon and the Wild Pigeon are only minute varieties; [437] ſince the nomenclators themſelves admit that theſe three are nearly of the ſame ſize, that they migrate, perch, and have all the ſame inſtincts, differing only in their ſhades of colour.

Thus the five nominal ſpecies are compriſed under two; viz. the Brown Pigeon and the Common Pigeon; and in theſe no real difference exiſts, except that the firſt is wild, and the ſecond domeſtic. I conſider the Brown Pigeon as the parent of all the reſt, and from which they differ more or leſs according as they have been handled by men. Though I cannot prove it, I am con⯑fident that the Stock Pigeon and the Common Pigeon would breed together if they were paired: for the difference is not ſo great be⯑tween our little Domeſtic Pigeon and the Stock Pigeon, as between it and the large rough-footed or Roman Pigeon, with which however it breeds. Beſides, in this ſpecies we can trace all the gradations between the wild and the domeſtic ſtate, as they occur in ſucceſſion; in the order of genealogy, or rather of degeneracy. The Stock Pigeon is imitated, in a way that cannot be miſ⯑underſtood, by thoſe deſerters which leave our pigeon-houſes; they perch on trees, which is the firſt and ſtrongeſt ſhade in their return to the ſtate of nature: theſe Pigeons, though bred do⯑meſtics, and apparently reconciled, like the reſt, to a fixed abode and to common habits, abandon their dwelling, renounce ſociety, and ſeek a ſet⯑tlement in the woods; and thus, impelled by in⯑ſtinct [438] alone, they reſume their native manners. Others, ſeemingly leſs courageous and leſs intre⯑pid, but equally fond of liberty, fly from our pigeon-houſes, and ſeek a ſolitary lodgment in the holes of old walls, or, forming a ſmall body, they haunt ſome unfrequented towers; and in ſpite of the hardſhips to which their ſituation expoſes them, and the multiplied dangers that aſſail them from all ſides, they ſtill prefer theſe uncomfort⯑able dwellings to the convenience and plenty of their former manſion: this is the ſecond grada⯑tion to the ſtate of nature. The Wall Pigeons do not completely adopt their native habits, and do not perch like the former, yet they enjoy a much larger ſhare of freedom than thoſe which remain in the domeſtic condition. The third gradation is the inhabitants of our pigeon-houſes, which never leave their dwelling but to ſettle in one more comfortable, and which roam abroad only to ſeek amuſement, or to procure ſubſiſt⯑ence. And as even among theſe there are ſome deſerters, it would ſeem that the traces of their primaeval inſtincts are not entirely effaced. The fourth and fifth gradations have totally changed their nature. Their tribes, varieties, and inter⯑mixtures are innumerable, being completely do⯑meſtic from the earlieſt ages; and man, while he has improved their external forms, has changed their internal qualities, and extinguiſhed in them every ſentiment of freedom. Theſe birds are for the moſt part larger and more beautiful than [439] the Common Pigeons; are more prolific, fatter and finer flavoured, and on all theſe accounts more pains have been beſtowed upon them. They are inactive helpleſs creatures, that require the conſtant attention of man; and the moſt cruel hunger cannot in them call forth thoſe little arts in which animals are uſually ſo prompt. They are therefore completely domeſticated, and entirely dependent on man, who has degraded them from their original condition.

If we ſuppoſe, that after our dove-cots were ſtocked, we ſelected thoſe of the young which were moſt remarkable for their beauty, and raiſed them apart with greater care and attention, and ſtill continued to chooſe the moſt gaudy of their deſcendants; we ſhould at laſt obtain thoſe painted varieties which at preſent exiſt. To give a complete hiſtory of theſe would therefore be to detail the effects of art, rather than to de⯑ſcribe the productions of nature. For this rea⯑ſon, we ſhall content ourſelves with the bare enumeration of them.

The BISET or WILD PIGEON^*, is the pri⯑mitive ſtock whence all the others are deſcended. It is commonly of the ſame ſize and ſhape with the [440] Domeſtic Pigeon, but of a browner colour. It varies however both in its bulk and plumage; for the one which is figured by Friſch under the name of Columba Agreſtis, is the ſame bird with a white ſhade, and its head and tail reddiſh; and what the ſame author has termed Vinago, five Columba Montana, is ſtill the Wild Pigeon, only its plumage borders on a dark blue. What Albin deſcribes by the term ring-dove, which is not applicable to it, muſt be conſidered as ſtill the ſame bird; and likewiſe what Belon calls the Deſerter Pigeon, which is more proper. We may ſuppoſe that this variety has ariſen from thoſe individuals which deſert our pigeon-houſes, and relapſe into the ſtate of nature; for the dark blue Wild Pigeons neſtle not only in the clefts of trees, but in the holes of ruins and precipices which they find in the foreſts. Hence ſome na⯑turaliſts have called them Rock Pigeons, and others, becauſe they are fond of elevated tracts, have named them Mountain Pigeons. We may alſo obſerve, that this is the only ſpecies of the Wild Pigeon with which the ancients ſeem to have been acquainted, and which they called [...], or Vinago, and that they never mention our brown ſort, which is however the only Pigeon really wild, and never reduced to that ſtate of domeſtication. My opinion on this ſub⯑ject derives additional force from this fact, that in all countries where there are Domeſtic [441] Pigeons, the Oenas is found, from Sweden^* to the torrid zone^†; but the Brown Pigeon never occurs except in cold regions, and continues only during the ſummer in our temperate cli⯑mates. They arrive in flocks in Burgundy, Champagne, and other northern provinces in France, about the end of February and the be⯑ginning of March; they ſettle in the woods and neſtle in the hollow trees, laying two or three eggs in the ſpring, and probably making a ſecond hatch in ſummer; they raiſe only two young at a time, and leave the country in November, and direct their courſe towards the ſouth, traverſing Spain, to paſs the winter probably in Africa.

The Biſet or Wild Pigeon and the Oenas or Deſerter Pigeon, which returns into the wild ſtate, perch, and by this circumſtance, they are [442] diſtinguiſhed from the Wall Pigeons, which alſo forſake their houſes, but ſeem afraid to penetrate into the foreſts. After theſe three Pigeons, the two laſt of which approach more or leſs to the ſtate of nature, we ſhall range the Common Pigeon^*, which, as we have obſerved, is only half domeſtic, and ſtill retains the original in⯑ſtinct of flying in flocks. If it has loſt that na⯑tive courage which is founded on the feeling of independence, it has acquired more of the agree⯑able and uſeful qualities. It often hatches thrice a-year, and, if ſtill more domeſticated, even ten or twelve times; whereas the Brown Pigeons breeds only once, or at moſt twice, annually. They lay, at intervals of two days, almoſt always two eggs and ſeldom three, and never raiſe more than two young, which are commonly a male and female. Many, and theſe are of the younger ſort, lay only once a-year, and the ſpring hatch is always the moſt numerous. The beſt pigeon-houſes are thoſe built facing the eaſt, on ſome riſing ground ſeveral hundred paces diſtant from the farm-yard; where the in⯑habitants can enjoy quiet, have the advantage of an extenſive proſpect, and receive the cheering influence of the morning ſun. I have frequently ſeen Pigeons, flying from the vallies before ſun⯑riſe, [443] alight to baſk on a pigeon-houſe that was ſeated on a hill, and drive away or even diſpoſſeſs the lodgers; and this happens ofteneſt in ſpring and autumn. I ſhall add another remark, that lofty and ſolitary pigeon-houſes are the moſt productive. From one of mine, I had uſually 400 pairs of young Pigeons; while I got only 100 or 130 from others that were ſituated 200 feet lower. The only danger is, leſt the rapacious birds that hover about the elevated tracts diſturb the Pigeons and check their breeding, for they cannot much diminiſh their numbers, as they prey on thoſe only which ſtray from the flock.

After the Common Pigeon, which is half do⯑meſtic, we ſhall place thoſe varieties to the pro⯑duction of which man has ſo much contributed; but the number is ſo immenſe, that it would ex⯑ceed the limits of our work to deſcribe each particularly, and we ſhall therefore be contented with a general ſurvey.

The curious in this line apply the name of Biſet to all Pigeons that live in the fields, or are bred in large pigeon-houſes, and call thoſe do⯑meſtic which are lodged in ſmall pigeon-houſes, or voleries, and do not venture to roam abroad. They are of different ſizes: for inſtance, the tumbler and wheeler Pigeons, which are the leaſt of all the volery Pigeons, and ſmaller than the Common Pigeon. They are more agile and nimble, and when they breed with the common ſort, they loſe their diſtinctive qualities. It [444] would ſeem that their peculiar conſtrained mo⯑tions are owing to the ſlavery to which they are reduced.

The pure breeds; that is, the principal va⯑rieties of the Domeſtic Pigeons, from which all the ſecondary ones can be derived; are: 1. The Pouter Pigeons^*, which are ſo called on account of their power of inflating their craw in reſpiration; 2. The Proud Pigeons^†, which are noted for their prolific quality, ſuch as the Roman Pigeons, the rough-footed Pigeons, and the Jacobine Pigeons; 3. The Shaker^‡ Pigeons, which diſplay their broad tail, like the turkey and peacock; 4. The Turbet Pigeon^§; 5. The Shell Pigeon of Holland^‖; 6. The Swallow Pigeon^¶; 7. The Carmelite Pigeon^**; 8. The Daſhed Pigeon^††; 9. The Swiſs Pigeons^‡‡; 10. The Tumbler Pigeon^§§; 11. The Wheeler Pigeon^‖‖.

The breed of the Pouter Pigeon conſiſts of the following varieties:

2. The Painted Chamois Pouter Pigeon; the female has not that rich aſſemblage of colours. To this variety we ought to refer the Pigeon pl. cxlvi. of Friſch, and which the Germans call Kropftaube ^*, or Kroüper, and to which that author has applied the epithet Strumous Pigeon, or Pigeon with the inflated oeſophagus.

3. The Pouter Pigeon, white as a Swan.

4. The White Pouter Pigeon, rough-footed, with long wings which croſs over the tail, and of which the ball of the neck appears very looſe.

5. The variegated gray, and ſoft gray Pouter Pigeon, whoſe colour is delicate, and ſpread uniformly over the whole body.

6. The Pouter Pigeon of iron gray, and bar⯑red, and ſtriped gray.

7. The Gray Pouter Pigeon ſpangled with ſilver.

8. The Hyacinth Pouter Pigeon, of a blue colour interwoven with white.

9. The Fire-coloured Pouter Pigeon; each of its feathers is marked with a blue and red bar, and terminates in a black bar.

10. The Hazel-coloured Pouter Pigeon.

11. The Cheſnut-coloured Pouter Pigeon, whoſe tail-quills are all white.

[446] 12. The Dark Pouter Pigeon of a fine vel⯑vet black, with ten wing-quills white, as in the Cheſnut Pouter Pigeon. Both have the bib or kerchief under the neck white; and the females are like the males. Of all the Pouter Pigeons of a pure breed, that is, which have an uniform plumage, the ten quills are all white as far as the middle of the wing, and this may be re⯑garded as a general character.

13. The Slaty Pouter Pigeon, which has the under-ſurface of the wings white, and a white cravat; the female is like the male.—Theſe are the principal breeds of the Pouter Pigeons, but there are others of inferior beauty, ſuch as the red, the olive, the ſable, &c

All Pigeons have more or leſs the power of inflating their craw by inſpiring air; and the ſame effect may be produced by blowing into the gullet. But this breed of Pouter Pigeons poſſeſſes the property in ſo ſuperior a degree as can reſult only from ſome peculiar conformation of its organs. The craw, almoſt as large as the reſt of the body, and kept conſtantly inflated, obliges them to draw back their head, and pre⯑vents them from looking forward: and thus while they ſwell with conceit, the falcon ſeizes them unawares. Hence they are raiſed more for curioſity than utility.

Another breed is the Proud Pigeons; they are the moſt common, and at the ſame time the moſt eſteemed, on account of their prolific quality.

[447] The Proud Pigeon is nearly one half larger than the Biſet, and the female pretty much re⯑ſembles the male. They breed almoſt every month in the year, provided that only a ſmall number are put into the ſame volery, and to each there be allowed three or four baſkets or rather holes, formed into pretty deep caſements with ſhelves, to prevent them from ſeeing one another while ſitting; for each Pigeon not only defends its own hole, and fights the others that come near it, but contends for the poſſeſſion of the next row. For example, eight pairs are ſufficient to ſtock a ſpace eight feet ſquare, and people who have bred them affirm that ſix pair would be equally productive. The more their number be increaſed in a given ſpace, the more there will be of brawling and fighting and of broken eggs. In this breed there are often impotent males, and barren females, which never lay.

They are fit to breed in the eighth or ninth month, but do not attain maturity till three years old. Their prolific powers are vigorous for ſix or ſeven years; after which the number of eggs they lay diminiſhes gradually; though there are inſtances of their breeding at the age of twelve. They lay their two eggs ſometimes in the ſpace of twenty-four hours, and during winter in that of two days; ſo that the interval varies according to the ſeaſon. The female keeps her firſt egg warm, without covering it aſſidu⯑ouſly, nor does ſhe begin to ſit cloſely till after [448] the ſecond is laid. The period of incubation is commonly eighteen days; ſometimes only ſeven⯑teen, eſpecially in ſummer, and nineteen or twenty in winter. The attachment of the fe⯑male to her eggs is ſo ardent and ſteady, that ſhe will forego every comfort, and ſubmit to the moſt cruel hardſhips, rather than forſake them. A Hen Pigeon, whoſe toes froze and dropt off, perſiſted to ſit till her young were hatched: her toes were froſt-bitten, becauſe her hole chanced to be cloſe to the window of the dove-cot.

While the female is employed in hatching, the male places himſelf in the next hole; and the moment ſhe is compelled by hunger to leave her eggs and go to the trough, he obſerves her feeble murmur of intimation, takes her place, covers the eggs and ſits two or three hours. This incu⯑bation of the male is commonly repeated twice in the courſe of the twenty-four hours.

The varieties of the Proud Pigeon may be reduced to three with reſpect to ſize, which have all the common character of a red filet round the eyes.

1. Thoſe heavy birds that are nearly as large as ſmall pullets; their bulk alone recommends them, for they are not good breeders.

2. The Bagadais are large Proud Pigeons, with a tubercle over the bill in the form of a ſmall morel^*, and a broad red ribbon round the [449] eyes, that is, a ſecond eyelid, fleſhy and reddiſh, which even falls upon the eyes when they are old, and prevents them from ſeeing.—Theſe Pigeons are not productive.

The Bagadais have a curved and hooked bill, and exhibit many varieties; white, black, red, tawny, &c.

3. The Spaniſh Pigeon; which is as large as a hen, and exceedingly beautiful. It differs from the Bagadais in not having the morel above its bill, and its ſecond fleſhy eyelid being leſs protuberant, and its bill ſtraight inſtead of curv⯑ed. It croſſes with the Bagadais, and produces a very thick and large breed.

4. The Turkiſh Pigeon; which, like the Ba⯑gadais, has a thick excreſcence above the bill, with a red bar extending from the bill round the eyes. This bird is very thick, creſted, low legged, with a broad body and wings: ſome are of a tawny colour, or a brown bordering on black, ſuch as repreſented in Pl. CXLIX. of Friſch; others are of an iron-gray, lint⯑gray, chamois, and wine-ſop. Theſe Pigeons are very inactive, and never roam from their volery.

5. The Roman Pigeons; which are not quite ſo large as the Turkiſh, but have the ſame extent of wings, but no creſt; they are black, tawny, or ſpotted.

Theſe are the largeſt of the Domeſtic Pigeons; there are ſome of a middle ſize, and others [450] ſmaller. Among the rough-legged Pigeons, which are feathered as low as the nails, we may diſtinguiſh the one without a creſt, figured by Friſch, Pl. CXLV. under the name trummel taube ^*, in the German; Columba typaniſans, in the Latin; and Pigeon-tambou, in the French: alſo the creſted rough-legged Pigeon, which the ſame Author has deſigned in Pl. CXLIV. by the name of Montaube ^† in German, and in Latin by the epithets Columba menſtrua, ſeu criſtata pedibus plumoſis ^‡. The rough-legged Drum-Pigeon is alſo termed the Glou-glou Pigeon, be⯑cauſe it continually repeats that ſound, and its voice at a diſtance reſembles the beat of a drum. The creſted rough-legged Pigeon is alſo called the Month Pigeon, becauſe it hatches every month, and does not wait till its young are able to pro⯑vide for themſelves. Its breed is very profitable, though we muſt not reckon upon twelve hatches annually; the uſual number is eight or nine, which is ſtill very great.

The Shaker or Peacock Pigeon is ſomewhat larger than the Jacobine. The fineſt of this breed have thirty-two feathers in the tail, while the common ſort have only twelve. After they have raiſed their tail, they bend it forwards, and at the ſame time draw back the head ſo as to make it meet the tail. They ſhake alſo during the whole of this movement; either from the violent contraction of the muſcles, or from ſome other cauſe, for there is more than one breed of Shaker Pigeons^‡. They make this diſplay of the tail [452] commonly in the love ſeaſon; though ſome⯑times alſo upon other occaſions. The female raiſes and diſplays her tail alſo like the male, and is quite as beautiful; ſome kinds are entirely white, others white with the head and tail black. To this ſecond variety we muſt refer the Pigeon figured in Pl. CLI. of Friſch, which he calls in German, Pfau-taube, or Hunerſchwantz ^*, and in Latin, Columba caudata. That Author re⯑marks at the ſame time, that the Shaker Pigeon diſplays its tail, and works eagerly and conſtant⯑ly with its head and tail, nearly in the ſame way as the wryneck. Theſe Pigeons do not fly ſo well as the others; their broad tail catches the wind, and they often fall to the ground; for this reaſon they are bred chiefly from curioſity. However, theſe Pigeons, though by themſelves they could perform no diſtant journies, have been carried into remote countries: in the Philippine iſlands, ſays Gemelli Carreri, are Pigeons that elevate and ſpread their tail like the peacock.

The Turbet Pigeon is one of the ſmalleſt, being ſcarcely larger than a turtle, with which it breeds. The Turbet Pigeon is diſtinguiſhed from the Jacobine, the former not having the half cowl on the head and neck, but only a tuft of feathers that appear to ruffle on the breaſt and under the throat. Theſe Pigeons are very hand⯑ſome, well-made, and have a neat air; ſome are of the colour of wine-ſop, others chamois, painted, rufous, gray, entirely white or black, and others white with black mantles. The laſt variety is what Friſch repreſents in his CXLVII. Plate, under the German name Mowchen, and the Latin deſignation Columba collo hirſuto ^*. This Pigeon has an averſion to pairing with other Pigeons, and is not very prolific: it is beſides very ſmall, and eaſily falls a prey to the rapa⯑cious tribes. Upon all theſe accounts it is ſcarcely ever raiſed.

The Pigeons called Dutch-ſhell Pigeons, be⯑cauſe on the back of the head are reverſed feathers forming a ſort of ſhell, are alſo ſmall. Their head is black, the end of the tail and the tip of the wings are alſo black; but all the reſt of the body is white. Some are red-headed, blue-headed, or the head and tail yellow; [454] the tail is uſually of the ſame colour with the head, but the wings are always white. The firſt variety which has a black head, reſembles ſo much the Sea-ſwallow, that ſome perſons have applied to it that name; and with the more appearance of analogy, as this Pigeon has not its body round like moſt of the reſt, but long and very ſlender.

Beſides the Shell Pigeon which we have juſt mentioned, there are other Pigeons which have the head and tail blue; others where theſe parts are black; others where they are red; others where they are yellow: but in all the four the extremity of the tail is of the ſame colour with the head. They are nearly as large as the Peacock Pigeons, and their plumage is very neat and ſingular.

The Carmelite Pigeon, which forms a differ⯑ent breed, is perhaps the loweſt and the ſmalleſt of all our Pigeons; it appears ſquatted like the goat-ſucker; it is alſo very rough-legged, the feathers on its thighs being exceeding long, and its legs remarkably ſhort. The males and females reſemble each other, as in moſt of the other breeds. It includes four varieties, which like thoſe of the preceding ſorts, are alſo of an iron-gray, chamois, wine-ſop, and ſoft gray: but in them all, the under-ſide of the body and of the wings is white, all the upper-ſide of the body being of the colours we have mentioned. Their bill is ſmaller than that of a turtle, and they have a little tuft behind the head, which draws to a point as in the creſted lark.

The Drum Pigeon or glou-glou, of which we have ſpoken, is alſo very low and rough-legged, but larger than the Carmelite Pigeon, and nearly of the ſize of the Poliſh Pigeon.

The Daſhed Pigeon, which is marked by a daub, as it were, of a black, a yellow, or a red pencil, above the bill only, and as far as the middle of the head, with the tail of the ſame colour, and all the reſt of the body white, is highly valued by the curious. It is not rough-legged; it is of the ſize of the ordinary Proud Pigeons.

[456] The Swiſs Pigeons are ſmaller than the Com⯑mon Pigeons, and not larger than the Biſets; they even fly as nimbly. There are ſeveral kinds of them; viz. thoſe garniſhed with red, with blue, and with yellow, on a ſilky white ground with a collar, which forms a horſe-ſhoe on the breaſt, and is of an embroidered red. They have often two bars on the wings, of the ſame colour with that of the horſe-ſhoe.

There are other Swiſs Pigeons not garniſh⯑ed with intermingled tints, ſhaded over the whole body with an uniform ſlate colour, and without any collar or horſe-ſhoe. Others are called jaſpered yellow collars, mailed yellow collars, and others very mailed yellow collars, &c. becauſe they have collars of that colour.

There is ſtill another variety of the Swiſs Pigeons, called the Azure Pigeon, becauſe its plumage inclines more to blue than the pre⯑ceding.

The Tumbler Pigeon is one of the ſmalleſt kind; that which Friſch has figured, Pl. CXLVIII. under the names Tummel-taube, tumler, Columba geſtuoſa ſeu geſticularia, is of a rufous brown; but ſome are gray, and variegated with rufous and gray. It whirls round in its flight, like a body thrown in the air; for this reaſon it has received its appellation. All theſe motions ſeem to im⯑ply vertigoes, which, as I have obſerved, may be aſcribed to the effect of domeſtication. It flies very [457] ſwiftly, and ſoars higher than any; but its movements are precipitate and very irregular. Friſch ſays, that its fluttering reſembles in ſome meaſure the capers of a rope-dancer; it has been called the Harlequin Pigeon (Columba geſtuoſa). Its ſhape is pretty much like that of the Biſet; it is commonly employed to attract Pigeons from other dove-cots, becauſe it flies higher and far⯑ther, and continues longer on the wing than the reſt, and more eaſily eſcapes the hawk.

The ſame may be ſaid of the Wheeler Pigeon, which Briſſon has called after Willughby, the Smiter Pigeon ^*; it turns round in its flight, and flaps ſo vigorouſly with its wings, as to make as much noiſe as a mill-clapper; and often in the violence of its exertions, which ſeem to be almoſt convulſive, it breaks ſome of its wing-quills. Theſe Wheeler or Smiter Pigeons are common⯑ly gray, with black ſpots on the wings.

I ſhall barely mention ſome other varieties that are uncertain or ſecondary, noticed by the nomenclators, and which belong undoubtedly to the breeds that we have deſcribed, but to which, from the imperfect accounts given, we cannot refer them with accuracy or certainty.

1. The Norway Pigeon mentioned by Schwenckfeld, which is white as ſnow, and which is probably a creſted rough-legged Pigeon, bigger than the reſt.

[458] 2. The Pigeon of Crete, according to Aldro⯑vandus, or of Barbary, according to Willugh⯑by^*; which has a very ſhort bill, its eyes en⯑circled with a broad ring of naked ſkin, and its plumage blueiſh, and marked with two blackiſh ſpots on each wing.

3. The frizzled Pigeon^† of Schwenckfeld^‡ and Aldrovandus^§, which is entirely white, and frizzled all over its body.

4. The Carrier Pigeon of Willughby^‖, which is much like the Turkiſh Pigeon both by its plu⯑mage which is brown, and by its eyes which are encircled with a naked ſkin, and its noſtrils covered with a thick membrane. Theſe Pigeons, it is ſaid, were uſually employed to carry let⯑ters ſpeedily to a diſtance, when diſpatch was needed, which gave occaſion to the name.

5. The Horſeman Pigeon of Willughby^¶ and Albin, produced, they ſay, by croſſing the Pou⯑ter Pigeon and the Carrier Pigeon, and partaking of the qualities of both; for it has the power of inflating its craw, like the Pouter Pigeon, and, like the Carrier Pigeon, its noſtrils are co⯑vered with thick membranes. But it is proba⯑ble that any other Pigeon might be trained to carry light matters, or rather to fetch them from a diſtance: We need only ſeparate them from [459] their female, and carry them to the place from whence the news is to be brought, and they will certainly return to their mate as ſoon as they are ſet at liberty^*.

Theſe five families of Pigeons are only, we ſee, ſecondary varieties of the firſt, which we have deſcribed from the obſervations of ſome curious people, who have paſſed their lives in breeding Pigeons, and particularly the Sieur Fournier, who has for ſeveral years had the charge of the voleries and poultry-yards of his Highneſs the Count of Clermont. That prince, who diſcovered an early taſte for the arts, di⯑rected all ſorts of domeſtic fowls to be collected from every quarter, and continually intermixed. In this way, from the Hen Pigeon alone, an ama⯑zing variety was produced entirely new, and yet bearing the impreſſions of their original ſpecies, though all ſurpaſſing it in beauty.

[460] Tame Pigeons were known in ancient Greece; for Ariſtotle ſays, that they hatch ten or eleven times a year, and thoſe of Egypt twelve times^*. However, we may ſuppoſe that large dove-cots where Pigeons breed only twice or thrice annually, were not very common in the time of that philoſopher. He divides the genus into four ſpecies^†; to wit, the Ring-Pigeon, the Turtle, the Biſet, and the Common Pigeon^‡; and it is the laſt which he mentions as breeding ten times a-year. But this rapid multiplication is found only in ſome of thoſe that are highly domeſticated. Ariſtotle takes no notice of the varieties of the tame Pigeons. Per⯑haps they were then few in number; but in the time of Pliny they ſeem to have been great⯑ly multiplied; for that naturaliſt mentions a large breed of Pigeons that exiſted in Campania, and tells us, that there were ſome curious perſons who gave an extravagant price for a pair, whoſe pe⯑digree could be traced, and that theſe were kept in little turrets erected on the houſe-tops^§. All that the ancients have ſaid with reſpect to the in⯑ſtincts and habits of Pigeons, muſt be applied to the domeſtic ſort, rather than to the inhabitants [461] of pigeon-houſes, which ought to be conſidered as an intermediaterace between the tame Pigeons and the wild, partaking of the qualities of both. They are all fond of ſociety, attached to their companions, and faithful to their mates; a neat⯑neſs, and ſtill more the art of acquiring the graces, beſpeak the deſire to pleaſe; thoſe tender careſſes, thoſe gentle movements, thoſe timid kiſſes which grow cloſe and rapturous in the moment of bliſs; that delicious moment ſoon renewed by the re⯑turn of the ſame appetites and by the gradual ſwell of the ſoothing melting paſſion; a flame always conſtant, and ardor continually durable; an un⯑diminiſhed vigour for enjoyment; no caprice, no diſguſt, no quarrel to diſturb the domeſtic harmony, their whole time devoted to love and progeny; the laborious duties mutually ſhared; the male aſſiſting his mate in hatching and guard⯑ing the young:—If man would copy, what mo⯑dels for imitation! ^A [462]

FOREIGN BIRDS, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE PIGEONS.

FEW ſpecies are ſo generally ſpread as thoſe of the Pigeons; for having a very powerful wing and a well-ſupported flight, they can eaſily per⯑form very diſtant journies. Accordingly, moſt of our wild and tame ſorts occur in every climate; houſe Pigeons are bred from Egypt to Norway, and though they thrive the beſt in warm countries, they ſucceed alſo in the cold when care is taken. What proves that in general they are little affected by heat or cold, is that the Wild Pigeon is almoſt equally dif⯑fuſed through the whole extent of both con⯑tinents^*.

[464] The Brown Pigeon of New Spain, mentioned by Fernandez under the Mexican name Cehoilotl ^*, which is entirely brown excepting the breaſt and the tip of the wings which are white, appears to be only a variety of the Biſet. Its eyes are encircled by a bright red ſkin; its iris black; its legs red. The one mentioned by the ſame author under the name Hoilotl ^†, which is brown marked with black ſpots, is probably but a variety of the preceding, occaſioned by differ⯑ence of age or ſex. Another of the ſame coun⯑try, termed Kacahoilotl ^‡, which is blue in the upper parts, and red on the breaſt and belly, is perhaps only a variety of our Wild Pigeon. All theſe ſeem to belong to our European Pigeon.

The Pigeon deſcribed by Briſſon by the name of Violet Pigeon of Martinico ^§, and which he figures under this ſame name, appears to us only a very ſlight variety of the Common Pigeon. The one which that author calls ſimply the Mar⯑tinico Pigeon ^‖, and which is deſigned in our [465] Planches Enluminées under this appellation of Ru⯑fous Cayenne Pigeon, are neither of them different from the Common Pigeon. It is probable even that the latter is the female of the former, and that both derive their deſcent from the Deſerter Pigeons. They are improperly called Partridges in Martinico, where no real partridges exiſt; but there are Pigeons that reſemble partridges in colour only, and differ not conſiderably from our European Pigeons.

As the one was brought from Cayenne and the other from Martinico, we may infer that they are ſpread through all the warm countries in the New Continent.

The Pigeon deſcribed and figured by Ed⯑wards (Pl. CLXXVI). under the name of the Brown Indian Dove, is of the ſame ſize with the Biſet, and as it differs only in colour, we may conſider it as a variety produced by the influence of climate. Its eyes are encircled by a fine blue ſkin devoid of feathers, and frequently it raiſes its tail of a ſudden, but does not however diſ⯑play it like the Peacock-pigeon.

In like manner, Cateſby's Paſſenger Pigeon ^*, which Friſch terms the American Pigeon, differs [466] from thoſe which deſert our pigeon-houſes, and relapſe into the ſtate of nature, only by the co⯑lours, and by the greater length of the tail-fea⯑thers, which ſeem to indicate an analogy with the turtle: but theſe differences are too minute to form a diſtinct and ſeparate ſpecies.

The Green Amboyna Pigeon deſcribed by Briſſon^* is of the ſize of a turtle, and though dif⯑ferent in the diſtribution of its colours from that to which we have appropriated that name, muſt ſtill be conſidered as but another variety of the Euro⯑pean Pigeon. It is alſo extremely probable that the Green Pigeon from the iſland of St. Thomas mentioned by Marcgrave, which is of the ſame ſize and ſhape with the European ſort, but dif⯑fers from it, as from all others, by the ſaffron colour of its legs, is alſo a variety only of the Wild Pigeon. In general, Pigeons have all red legs; the difference conſiſts entirely in the in⯑tenſity or the vivacity of this colour, and perhaps the yellow caſt obſerved by Marcgrave was oc⯑caſioned by ſome diſtemper or accident. It is much like the Green Pigeons of Amboyna, and of the Philippines, as delineated in the Planches Enluminées. Thevenot ſpeaks of theſe Green Pigeons in the following terms: ‘In India, at Agra, there are found Green Pigeons, which differ from ours only in the colour. Fowlers catch them eaſily with bird-lime.’

The Jamaica Pigeon, mentioned by Sir Hans Sloane^†, which is of a purple brown on the [468] body, and white under the belly, and nearly of the ſame ſize with our Wild Pigeon, muſt be re⯑garded as merely a variety of that ſpecies, eſpe⯑cially as it is not a conſtant inhabitant of Ja⯑maica, but only viſits the iſland as a bird of paſſage.

There is ſtill another in Jamaica, which muſt alſo be regarded as a variety of the Wild Pigeon; it is what Sloane, and after him Cateſby, termed the White Crowned Pigeon: its ſize is the ſame; it neſtles and breeds alſo in the holes of rocks, ſo that we can ſcarce doubt of its being the ſame ſpecies.

From this enumeration it appears, that the Wild Pigeon of Europe is found in Mexico, Mar⯑tinico, Cayenne, Carolina, and Jamaica; that is, in all the warm and temperate climates of the Weſt Indies; and that it alſo occurs in the Eaſt, from Amboyna to the Philippines.

The RING PIGEON^*.
• Le Ramier, Buff. , • Columba Palumbus, Linn. and Gmel. , • Palumbus, Geſner and Briſſon. , • Palumbus Torquatus, Aldrov. Ray and Will. , • Columba Torquata, Friſch. , and • The Ring Dove, Queeſt, or Cuſhat, Will. and Penn. 

AS this bird is much larger than the Biſet, and as both are nearly related to the Domeſtic Pigeon, we may ſuppoſe that the ſmall breeds of our houſe-pigeons have proceeded from the Biſets, and the large breeds from the Ring Pigeons: and this conjecture is the more pro⯑bable, as the ancients were in the practice of rearing and fattening the Ring Pigeons^†. The only circumſtance that ſeems to oppoſe this idea is, that the ſmall domeſtic Pigeons croſs with the large ſorts, while the Ring Pigeon ſeems not to intermix with the Biſet, and, though they inhabit the ſame tracts, do not mix together. The turtle, as it is ſtill more eaſily raiſed and kept [470] in houſes, might equally be regarded as the ſource of ſome of our domeſtic breeds, were it not, like the Ring Pigeon, of a peculiar ſpecies, that intermingles not with the Wild Pigeons. But though in their native foreſts, where each can poſſeſs its proper female, theſe birds are never obſerved to aſſociate together, yet when they are deprived of their liberty, and have no longer the opportunity of ſelection, the force of paſſion may obliterate the principle of choice, and may impel them to unite with the females of their kindred ſpecies, and give birth to a progeny of hybrids. Nor will the offspring, like the males, be blaſted with ſterility, but may, like the breed between the he-goat and the ſheep, be capable of reproduction. To judge from analogy, the Pigeon tribe conſiſts in the ſtate of nature of three prin⯑cipal ſpecies, as we have obſerved, and of two that may be regarded as intermediate. On theſe the Greeks beſtowed five different names: the firſt and largeſt is the Phaſſa or Phatta, which is our Ring Pigeon: the ſecond is Peleias, which is our Wild Pigeon: the third is the Trugon or the Turtle: the fourth, which is the firſt of the intermediate kinds, is the Oinas, which being rather larger than the Wild Pigeon, muſt be con⯑ſidered as relapſed from the ſtate of domeſtica⯑tion: the fifth is the Phaps, which is a Ring Pigeon ſmaller than the Phaſſa, and for that reaſon called the Leſſer Pigeon, but which ap⯑pears to us to be only a variety of the ſpecies of [471] the Ring Pigeon; for it has been obſerved that the Ring Pigeons are of different ſizes, according to the nature of the climate.—Thus all the no⯑minal ſpecies, ancient or modern, may be re⯑duced to three, viz. the Wild Pigeon, the Ring Pigeon, and the Turtle, which have all perhaps contributed to the endleſs varieties of our do⯑meſtic Pigeons.

The Ring Pigeons arrive in our provinces in the ſpring, rather earlier than the Biſets, and re⯑tire in autumn ſomewhat later. The month of Auguſt is the time in France when the young are the moſt numerous; and it appears that they iſſue from the ſecond hatch, which is made to⯑wards the end of the ſummer; for the firſt hatch being very early in the ſpring, the neſt is not covered with leaves, and is therefore too much expoſed and often deſtroyed. Some Ring Pigeons remain in moſt of our provinces during winter; they perch like the Biſets, but do not like them conſtruct their neſts in holes of trees; they place them on the tops, and build them neatly with ſticks: the neſt is flat and ſo wide as to admit at once both the male and female. I have aſcertained that very early in the ſpring, they lay two and often three eggs; for ſeveral neſts have been brought to me containing two and ſometimes three young ones already ſtrong in the beginning of April^*. Some perſons have [472] aſſerted that in our climate they breed only once a-year, unleſs they are robbed of their eggs or young, which, it is well known, obliges all birds to a ſecond hatch. But Friſch affirms that they lay twice a-year, which ſeems to us very certain; ſince the union of the male and female being conſtant and faithful, would ſeem to im⯑ply that their love, and the attachment for their young, continues the whole year. But the female lays a fortnight after the embrace of the male^*, and ſits only another fortnight; and the ſame length of time would be ſufficient for the young gaining ſtrength to enable them to fly, and provide for themſelves:—thus it is proba⯑ble, that ſhe may breed twice in the courſe of the year, firſt in the beginning of ſpring, and again at the ſummer ſolſtice, as the ancients re⯑marked. In warm and temperate climates this [473] undoubtedly takes place, and very probably the caſe is nearly the ſame in cold countries. The Ring Pigeon has a louder ſort of cooing than the Common Pigeon, but is never heard except in the love ſeaſon, and in fine weather; for when it rains, theſe birds are ſilent, and ſeldom does their ſong cheer the gloom of winter. They live upon wild fruits, acorns, beech-maſt, ſtraw⯑berries, of which they are very fond, and alſo beans and grain of all kinds. They make great havoc among the corn when it is ſhed or lodg⯑ed, and if theſe ſorts of food fail them, they have recourſe to herbage. They drink like other Pigeons, that is at one draught, without raiſing their head, till they have ſwallowed as much water as they have occaſion for. As their fleſh, eſpecially when they are young, is excellent meat, their neſts are much ſought for, and great numbers are robbed. This devaſtation, joined to their ſlow multiplication, much reduces every where the ſpecies. Many are caught indeed with nets in their route through the provinces bor⯑dering on the Pyrenees; but this laſts only a few days and at one ſeaſon.

It appears that though the Ring Pigeons pre⯑fer the warm and temperate climates^*, they [474] alſo inhabit ſometimes the bleak regions of the north; ſince Linnaeus inſerts them among the birds that are natives of Sweden^*. They would ſeem alſo to have migrated from the one con⯑tinent to the other^†; for we have received from the ſouthern parts of America, as well as from the hot countries in the Old World, ſeveral birds, which muſt be conſidered as varieties or ſpecies cloſely allied to the Ring Pigeon, and which we ſhall notice in the following article. ^A

FOREIGN BIRDS, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE RING PIGEON.

The COMMON TURTLE^*.
• La Tourterelle, Buff. , • Columba Turtur, Linn. and Gmel. , • Turtur, Geſner, Aldrov. Briſſ. Friſch, &c. , • Palumbus-Turtur, Klein. , and • The Turtle-dove, Willughby. 

What ſeems to confirm our opinion with re⯑gard to theſe unions, which may be conceived to be illegitimate, as being out of the uſual courſe of nature, is, that exceſſive ardor which theſe birds feel in the ſeaſon of love. The Turtle melts with a ſtill more tender paſſion than the Pigeon, and more ſingular preludes announce the ſwell of pleaſure. The male Pigeon only ſtruts round his mate, puffing and diſplaying his figure. The Turtle, whether kept in confinement or fluttering at will in the grove, begins his addreſſes by [486] ſaluting his female eighteen or twenty times in ſucceſſion in the moſt humble poſture, bending ſo low each time as to touch the ground, or the branch, with his bill, and he ſighs the tendereſt murmurs. The female appears at firſt inſenſible to his paſſion, but the ſecret flame ſoon kindles, and at laſt yielding to the ſoft deſires, ſhe gives vent to ſome plaintive accents. And when once ſhe has diſſolved in his embrace, ſhe burns with a conſtant fire; ſhe never leaves the male, ſhe returns his kiſſes and his careſſes, and ſtimulates him to renew the rapturous joys, till the buſineſs of hatching divides her attention, and invites to more ſerious occupations.

I ſhall cite only one fact which manifeſts the ardour of theſe birds^*: if the males be put in one cage and the females in another, they will copulate together as if they were of different ſexes: the males indeed burn ſooner and with more intenſity than the females. Confinement therefore only deranges nature, but cannot ex⯑tinguiſh it!

FOREIGN BIRDS, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE TURTLE.