Zoological Society. 229 



I find the individuals to differ as much in temper as human beings : 

 some are willing to take care of the young ones of others, whilst 

 some have pursued and killed them, and this whether they had a 

 brood of their own or not. Some cocks have assisted in the care of 

 young ones, whilst others have attacked them. An early hen fre- 

 quently has a brood herself the next year. Age makes no difference 

 in the number of the brood. I have had six from a hen a year old, 

 and one from an old hen. The hens have frequently a great pre- 

 ference to a particular peacock. They were all so fond of an old pied 

 cock, that one year, when he was confined in view, they were con- 

 stantly assembled close to the trellice walls of his prison, and would 

 not suffer a japanned peacock to touch them. On his being let out in 

 the autumn, the oldest of the hens instantly courted him, and ob- 

 tained proofs of his love in my presence. The next year he was shut 

 up in a stable, and the hens then all courted his rival ; for the ad- 

 vances in these birds are always made by the female. 



The japanned breed are, I believe, a variety originating in En- 

 gland. In Lord Brownlow's numerous breed of common, white, and 

 pied, the japanned suddenly, in my memory, appeared amongst them. 

 The same thing happened in Sir J. Trevelyan's flock of entirely the 

 common sort ; also in a breed of common and pied given by Lady 

 Chatham to Mr. Thoroton : and in both cases to the extinction of 

 the previously existing breed. 



1821-2. — A black Poland cock, belonging to my friend and neigh- 

 bour Mr. Kendall of Barnsley, was seized last winter, near the house, 

 by a fox, but his screams being heard by the servants, he was res- 

 cued, desperately wounded, with the loss of half his feathers. In time 

 the remainder of his feathers came off, and he is now become per- 

 fectly white. This seems to have some relation to the human hair 

 becoming white at once from fear. 



1827. — Mr.Reid, near York, has two WaterTortoises, brought over 

 from the siege of Belleisle, which commenced in 1761 : one of them, 

 having wandered, was missing for sixteen years, when it was found 

 oh cleaning out another pond. They are both alive, and very tame. 



1833, April 20. — This morning I found a large white Gold-fish 

 in great distress. A large male toad had fastened itself upon the 

 head and shoulders of the fish. On removing the toad, the fish swam 

 away, apparently unhurt. 



Colonel Sykes read a paper " On the Quails and Hemipodii of 

 India," which he illustrated by the exhibition of a very extensive 

 series of those Birds, belonging partly to his own collection, which 

 was made in Dukhun, and partly to that of the Society, which has 

 been enriched by specimens from various Indian localities. 



The author prefaces his descriptions of the species by some ge- 

 neral observations on generic distinctions and characters, and illus- 

 trates his remarks by commenting on some of the genera and species 

 constituting the genus Tetrao of Linnaeus and his followers. He 

 shows that the form of beak alone is inadequate as a mark of ge- 

 neric distinction, and that the form, and number, and size of the 

 toes and nails, are not always of themselves to be regarded as suffi- 



