March, 1847.] 185 



The following communication was read from Messrs. 

 Aaron Sharpless and William Kite, of Chester country, Penn- 

 sylvania, dated 2d mo. 18th, 1847, in reference to the living 

 Hybrids between the Guinea fowl and the turkey, lately pre- 

 sented by them to the Society. 



" The mother was a common Guinea fowl, the survivor of 

 two or three chicks hatched under a common hen two years ago 

 from eggs presented to us. From ^constantly associating with 

 the poultry, and having none of her own species for companions, 

 she was rather unusually domestic. 



The father was a common turkey cock, the reputed father of 

 our flock of turkeys, having nothing very remarkable in his 

 habits 



Last spring the hen having arrived at maturity, was observed 

 to drop one or two eggs, as though preparing for incubation. 

 Supposing them to lack vitality, we procured a cock of the same 

 species from a neighbor, and confined them together in a coop 

 for a few days. On releasing them, the new comer remained for 

 some days and then disappeared. Supposing our object to have 

 been accomplished, the hen was now suffered to form her nest in 

 peace, which she did, laying twenty-two eggs, differing in no re- 

 spect that we can now remember, either in size or colour from 

 common. 



When within a few days of maturing these eggs, her nest was 

 broken up by an opossum, which destroyed nearly all of them ; 

 she however gathered the remnant together and brought off three 

 chicks : the surviving two are those now in the possession of the 

 Academy ; discovering the hybridity of these, we have much re- 

 gretted the loss of the rest of the brood. 



As the chicks advanced toward maturity, 'they began to excite 

 our attention by peculiarities which induced us to suspect their 

 hybridity. The young of the guinea fowl assume the colour of 

 the adult, but these always had the rusty brown tinge on their 

 plumage which now marks them. They never were able to com- 

 pass the note of their mother so familiar to our boyish reminis- 

 cence, but always ran into a cracked or falsetto key, which seem- 

 ed laboured. They were quiet birds, differing in this from 

 the guinea, whose clamor is so disagreeable in the poultry 



