28o 



GUINEA HEN, &c. Class II. 



that kingdom before Darius and Megahyzus : at 

 this time we know that thefe birds are found in a 

 ftate of nature in the ides of Tinian*, and others 

 of the Mian ocean-, and that in their wild condition 

 their plumage is black and yellow, and their 

 combs and wattles purple and yellow f. They were 

 early introduced into the wefteru parts of the world ; 

 and have been very long naturalized in this country, 

 lono- before the arrival of the Romans in this iQand, 

 C^far informing us, they were one of the forbidden 

 foods of the old Britains. Thefe were in all pro- 

 bability imported here by the Phmicians, who 

 traded to Brilain, about five hundred years before 

 Chrifl. For all other domeftic fowls, turkies, 

 geefe, and ducks excepted, we feem to be indebted 

 to our conquerors, the Romans. The wild fowl 

 were all our own from the period they could be 

 fuppofed to have reached us after the great event 

 of the flood. 

 Pheasants. Pheafants were firft brought into Europe from the 

 banks of the Phafis, a river of Colchis, 



Argiva primum fum tranfportata carina. 

 Ante mihi notum nil, nifi Phafis erat. 



Martial, lib. xiii. ep. 72. 



Guinea 

 Hens. 



Guinea hens, the Meleagrides or Gallin^e numidic£ 



* Dampicr's n}oy. I. 392. Lord Anfon's 'voy. 309. 

 t For this information we are indebted to governor Loten. 



of 



