APPENDIX. 



REMARKS 



Upon the wild stocks from which the varieties of our domestic 

 poultry are derived, and also upon those which might with 

 advantage be introduced to enrich our poultry-yards. 



The order from which the most valuable poultry is derived 

 is that known to naturalists as Gallinae, or Gallinaceous birds. 

 The genus of these first in order is that known as Penelope, or 

 Guan, of which there is not much to be said, as regards their 

 fitness for the poultry-yard, as I know of but one instance in 

 which one has been brought to this country. I brought a 

 female specimen of crested Guan with me, on my return from 

 Yucatan, which did not live a year after its arrival. This 

 bird is of the size of a small turkey, weighing, when full 

 grown, seven or eight pounds ; the meat is very good. They 

 live principally on the leaves of trees, and such like food, 

 greedily eating grass, clover, &c., in short, almost any green 

 herbage, and also fruits of various kinds. They are not diffi- 

 cult to domesticate in their native countries, but, I think, could 

 hardly be made to survive our cold winters. 



The next genus would be that of Crax, or Curassow, known 

 here as the Mexican pheasant. There are a number of species 

 of this genus, of which several are frequently domesticated in 

 their native country. I brought with me three different species 

 to this country, viz., one Crax rubra, one Crax alector, and 

 one Crax globicera. The Crax alector was killed by a dog, 

 a few days after we arrived ; the other two lived until winter, 

 when, in order to save myself the trouble of keeping, I lent 

 them to a travelling menagerie, and they soon died, owing, 

 probably, to neglect. These birds are larger and more hardy 

 than those of the previously mentioned genus. Their meat is 

 very good, and they feed on much the same food as the Guans. 

 They might, perhaps, with care, be kept in this country ; but 

 of this I do not feel very sanguine. 



