374 GUINEA FOWL. 



tation than it really deserves, as if it were the most ill-behaved 

 bird in creation : whereas, it is useful, ornamental, and inter- 

 esting during its life ; and, when dead, a desirable addition to 

 our dinners, at a time when all other Poultry is scarce. 



The best way to begin keeping Guinea Fowls is to procure 

 a sitting of Eggs from some friend or neighbour on whom you 

 can depend for their freshness, and also, if possible, from a 

 place where only a single pair is kept. The reason of this will 

 be explained hereafter. A Bantam Hen is the best mother ; 

 she is lighter, and less likely to injure them by treading on 

 them than a full-sized Fowl. She will Cover nine Eggs, and 

 incubation will last a month. The young are excessively 

 pretty. When first hatched, they are so strong and active as 

 to appear not to require the attention really necessary to rear 

 them. Almost as soon as they are dry from the moisture of 

 the Egg, they will peck each other's toes, as if supposing them 

 to be worms, will scramble with each other for a crumb of 

 bread, and will domineer over any little Bantam or Chicken 

 that ijaay perhaps have been brought off in the same clutch 

 with themselves. No one, who did not know, would guess, 

 from their appearance, of what species of bird they were the 

 offspring. 



The young of the Guinea Fowl are striped like those of the 

 Emu, as shown in the late Mr. Bennett's pleasing description 

 of the Zoological Gardens, as they were in his days. Their 

 orange-red bills and legs, and the dark, zebra-like stripes with 

 which they are regularly marked from head to tail, bear no 

 traces of the speckled plumage of their parents. 



Ants' Eggs, (so called,) hard-boiled Egg chopped fine, small 

 worms, maggots, bread-crumbs, chopped meat or suet, what- 

 ever, in short, is most nutritious, is their most appropriate food. 

 This need not be offered to them in large quantities, as it 

 would only be devoured by the mother Bantam as soon as she 

 saw that her little ones had for the time satisfied their appe- 



