Book VII. 



AQUATIC FOWLS. 



1091 



he never made any higher than fifteen pounds ready :"or the spic Tne living and dead weight of a rurkev 

 are as 21 to 14. 



7492. Feathers. Turkeys are sometimes plucked alive, a barbarous practice which ought to be laid 

 aside. Parmentier proposed to multiply the breed of white turkeys in France, and to employ the feathers 

 found on the lateral part of the thighs iiistead of the plumes of the ostrich. 



7493. The Guinea hen (Xumidia Meleagris L., 

 jit!- 937.) is found in a wild state only in Africa, 

 from whence it has been diffused over every part 

 of Europe, the West Indies, and America. In a 

 state of nature these birds associate in flocks of 

 two or three hundred. They delight in marshy 

 places, but always perch during the night in trees, 

 or high situations. It is bigger than a large cock, 

 and is active, restless, and courageous ; and will 

 even attack the turkey, though so much a"bove its 

 size. 



7494. The properties qf the pheasant and the turkey have 

 been said to be united in this bird ; its flesh is more like that 

 of the pheasant than that of the common cock and hen both 

 in colour and taste, and is reckoned a very good substitute 

 for the former bird. It is also very prolific, and its eggs are nourishing and good. It assimilates per- 

 fectly with common fowls in its artificial habits and kinds of food ; but it has this peculiarity — that the 

 cock's and hens are so nearly alike, that it is difficult to distinguish them, and it has a peculiar gait, and 

 cry, and chuckle. 



7495. The peacock (Pavo cristatus L-) is a native of India, and found in a wild state 

 in Java and Ceylon, where they perch on trees like the turkey in America. The age of 

 the peacock extends to twenty years, and at three the tail of the cock is full and com- 

 plete. The cock requires from three to four hens ; and where the country agrees with 

 them, they are very prolific, a great ornament to the poultry yard and lawns, and useful 

 for the destruction of all kinds of reptiles. Unfortunately, they are not easily kept 



938 



within moderate bounds, and are very destructive in gardens. 

 They live on the same food as other domestic fowls, and 

 prefer barley. They are in season from February till June ; 

 but though a peacock forms a very showy dish, the flesh is 

 ill-coloured and coarse, and they are therefore kept more as 

 birds of ornament than of use. 



7496. The crested curassow (Crax Elector L. Jig. 93S.) is a 

 beautiful and majestic bird, nearly the size of a turkey ; it 

 is common in some parts of tropical America, and is men- 

 tioned as being abundant in Paraguay. In those coun- 

 tries it is tamed, and readily associates with the other do- 

 mestic poultry. Like most gallinaceous birds, it lives in 

 flocks of about a dozen, feeds upon Indian corn, rice, and 

 other grain during the day, and roosts on high trees at night. 

 Its size, disposition, and the delicacy of its flesh, all recommend our attempting to do- 

 mesticate it in this country. 



Sect. III. Anserine or Aquatic Fowls. 



7497. The order anseres comprehends the duck, goose, swan, and buzzard. Under a 

 regular system, Mowbray observes, it would be preferable to separate entirely the aquatic 

 from the other poultry ; the former to have their houses ranged along the banks of a piece 

 of water, with a fence, and sufficiently capacious walks in front ; access to the water by 

 doors, to be closed at will. Should'the water be of considerable extent, a small boat 

 would be necessary, and might be also conducive to the pleasure of angling. 



7498. The duck (^nas .Bosch as L.,fig. 939.) is a na- 

 tive of Britain, and found frequenting the edges and 

 banks of lakes in most parts of Europe. The flesh of 

 this and various other species of the duck is savory and 

 stimulant, and said to atford preferable nourishment to 

 that of the goose, being less gross, and more easily 

 digested. The flesh of the wild duck, though more 

 savoury than that of the tame, is reckoned still more 

 easy of digestion. The ancients went even beyond our 

 greatest modern epicures in their high esteem for the 

 flesh of the duck : and Plutarch asserts, that Cato pre- 

 served his whole household in health by dieting them 

 on duck's flesh. „ 



7499 Varieties and species. There are the Rhone, 

 the Aylesbury, the canvass-backed, and the Mus. 

 covy. 



ducks hare been so constantly imported for a great rmmber of 



.... . , .. """ , h t, ,j.» v ale very eenerally mixed with our native breed. 



nerally of a daik-coloured plumage, large size, and supposed tf?^V™iuhduck particularly the white variety, especially 

 to improve our breed. They ar? of darker flesh, and more ^^"l^hance to h« bght coloured flesh, are never of » 

 savoury, than the English duck ; but somewhat coarse. Rhone v. hen they cnance io .^ 6 



4 A 2 



7500. The Rhone duck is originally from France, and ge- 



