ON BIRDS. 341 



ing the faculty of perching ; but then the same fear 

 prevails in their minds ; for, through apprehensions 

 from polecats and stoats, they never trust themselves 

 to coverts, but nestle together in the midst of large 

 fields, far removed from hedges and coppices, which 

 they love to haunt in the day, and where, at that 

 season, they can skulk more secure from the ravages 

 of rapacious birds. 



As to ducks and geese, their awkward, splay, web- 

 feet forbid them to settle on trees ; they therefore, in 

 the hours of darkness and danger, betake themselves 

 to their own element, the water, where, amidst large 

 lakes and pools, like ships riding at anchor, they float 

 the whole night long in peace and security. 



WHITE. 



Guinea fowls not only roost on high, but in hard 

 weather resort, even in the day-time, to the very tops 

 of the highest trees. 



Last winter, when the ground was covered with 

 snow, I discovered all my guinea fowls, in the 

 middle of the day, sitting on the highest boughs of 

 some very tall elms, chattering and making a great 

 clamour ; I ordered them to be driven down, lest 

 they should be frozen to death in so elevated a 

 situation; but this was not effected without much 

 difficulty, they being very unwilling to quit their 

 lofty abode, notwithstanding one of them had its 

 feet so much frozen, that we were obliged to kill it. 

 I know not how to account for this, unless it was 

 occasioned by their aversion to the snow on the 

 ground, they being birds that came originally from a 

 hot climate. 



Notwithstanding the awkward, splay, web-feet, as 

 Mr. White calls them, of the duck genus, some of 

 the foreign species have the power of settling on 

 the boughs of trees, apparently with great ease ; an 



