FOWLS. 181 



It is shy, and loves to wander in the woods. It lays a 

 brown-shelled egg, smaller, but richer, than the egg of the 

 common hen. She endeavors to secrete her eggs till she 

 hatches her brood. Her eggs are sometimes given to the 

 common hen to hatch. Her little ones are tender, and there- 

 fore early spring is not so favorable for rearing them as a 

 more advanced period in the season. Twenty-eight days is 

 the period of incubation with the Guinea-hen, but it is better 

 to have the eggs hatched by the common gallinaceous fowl, 

 as the male of the Guinea-hen, like the pheasant, has a pro- 

 pensity to destroy the eggs of the female. 



The flesh of this fowl is delicate, if taken before it is tough 

 and old ; then it is not desirable, even for the pot. It is 

 roasted like the common fowl. 



The Common Pigeon (Columba livia), on account of its 

 gentleness and trustfulness, is a great favorite ; but, says Pro- 

 fessor Low, ' l nothing beyond the gratification of luxury can be 

 derived from the cultivation of the domestic pigeon for food. 

 In vain has it been asserted, that pigeons do not feed upon 

 green corn, cannot dig into the. earth with their bills, do little 

 harm to the cultivated crops, and consume only the seeds of 

 injurious plants. The experience of farmers shows that the 

 damage done by these creatures to our various crops of 

 wheat, pease, and beans is very great ; and certainly the 

 waste is in no degree compensated for by the quantity which 

 the animals afford of human food." 



Wild pigeons, however, form indifferent food when com- 

 pared with the flesh of the well-fed domestic pigeon. 



The common pigeon domesticated, begins generally to 

 breed at nine months, pairing and breeding monthly, the fe- 

 male laying two eggs, which ordinarily are male and female. 

 One pair generally affords the breeder nine pairs annually, 

 for four years. Their coops should be airy, and kept with 

 great neatness. There are various breeds of pigeons, which 

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