428 ON VARIOUS PARTS 



poultry, if left to themselves and not housed, will perch the 

 winter through on yew-trees and fir-trees; and turkies and 

 guinea fowls, heavy as they are, get up into apple trees ; 

 pheasants also in woods sleep on trees to avoid foxes ; while 

 pea-fowls climb to the tops of the highest trees round their 

 owner's house for security, let the weather be ever so cold or 

 blowing. Partridges, it is true, roost on the ground, not 

 having the faculty of perching ; but then the same fear 

 prevails in their minds; for through apprehensions from 

 pole-cats 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 sculk 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 dark- 

 ness 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, sit- 

 ting 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, notwith- 

 standing 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 come 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 instance of which I have seen in the earl 



