THE TURKEY. 21 3 



for, at the utmost distance, it can espy a kawk, when 

 the poor hen, alarmed for the fate of her offspring, an- 

 nounces her terrors by the most fearful cries ; whilst 

 the little animals, conscious of their danger, stretch 

 themselves apparently lifeless on the ground, until 

 roused from their state of torpor and trepidation by 

 the altered tones of their mother's voice, who, the mo- 

 ment she perceives her enemy has passed them, ani- 

 mates their spirits and represses their fear. 



The egg of the turkey is much larger than that of a 

 hen, and marked with spots like a freckle in shape : 

 Norfolk is the county where they are in the highest re- 

 putation both for flavour and for size, as they fre- 

 quently weigh from twenty to thirty pounds ; but in 

 the East Indies they are often double that weight. 



THE PHEASANT. 



Pheasants were originally brought into Europe 

 from the banks of the Phasis, a river of Colchis, in Asia 

 Minor, and from whence they still retain their name. 

 Next to the peacock, the pheasant is doubtless the 

 most beautiful of birds, not only for the vivid colour 

 of their plumes, but for the elegant manner in which 

 they are blended and combined. We are told that, 

 when Craesus, king of Lydia, was seated on his throne, 

 adorned with royal magnificence and state, he asked 

 Solon, " If he ever beheld anything so fine?" The 

 Greek philosopher, no way moved by the pomp and 

 pageantry of the objects around him, replied, " That 

 " after having seen the beautiful plumage of the phea- 

 t( santf no other finery could astonish his sight." Nojt 

 any thing doubtless can be more lovely than the whole 

 appearance of this beautiful bird : the eyes are sur- 

 rounded with a bright scarlet sprinkled with small 



P 3 



