414 REARING AND FEEDING OF ANIMALS. 



The Pintado or Guinea-fowl, Numida Mcleagris, is a native of Africa, 

 where it is found in vast flocks; but it is now diffused over every part of Eu- 

 rope, the West-India Islands, and a great part of America. The pintado is a 

 restless, noisy bird; the female lays numerous eggs, which are smaller than 

 those of the common hen, but esteemed much more delicate; like other galli- 

 naceous birds, she is apt to secrete her eggs uniil she has produced her brood. 



The pintado is an agreeable variety in the poultry-yards, liked by some for 

 its flesh, and by all for the delicacy of its eggs; but it is of little economical 

 importance. The chicks are very tender, and should not be produced too 

 early in spring. They are generally hatched by the common hen, who either 

 covers a large number of them, or is found to be a more careful nurse than the 

 pintado herself. The method of .earing and feeding is similar to that of the 

 common or domestic fowl. 



The PEACOCK, Pavo cristatus, need scarcely be mentioned as a bird of eco- 

 nomical use. Pea-hens and pea-chicks, indeed, are occasionally used for food, 

 but this splendid creature is, and ought to be, regarded solely as an object of 

 beauty. The advantages to be derived from rearing it for food are not to be 

 thought of. They are a native of India. 



The COMMON PIGEON, Columba livia, is a race of birds multiplied through- 

 out the warmer and temperate regions; but it is in the warmer regions that 

 they attain to their greatest size and beauty of plumage. They have been in 

 all ages the favourites of mankind, to which their innocence and beauty seem 

 to give them a peculiar claim. Bnt if it be as farmers that we are to regard 

 the pigeon, the beautiful favourite, unfortunately, cannot attract much of our 

 regard. 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 grain, cannot dig into the earth with their 

 bills, do little harm to the cultivated crops, and consume only the seeds of in- 

 jurious plants. The experience of farmers shows that the damage done by 

 these creatures to our various crops of wheat, peas, 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. 



Yet, as pigeons are in demand as objects of consumption, and as they afford 

 a luxury and convenience to those who live in the country, the subject of their 

 management is, like every branch of husbandry, deserving of attention. If 

 pigeon-houses are to exist at all, those who possess them should know how 

 they are to be best managed, so that the largest return may be derived from 

 them. Though there is scarce any branch of the management of the domestic 

 fowls more misunderstood, yet the essential rule of management is simple. Its 

 principle consists in regular feeding, in giving sufficient space to the birds, 

 and in paying a strict attention to cleanliness. 



The next in order of the domestic fowls are the Web-footed. These birds, 

 when domesticated, become enlarged in their form, and wholly the creatures 

 of their new condition, though they still remain partial to an aquatic situation, 

 swimming with facility, and feeding on fish, insects, and the leaves and grains 

 of aquatic plants. They are hardy, easily propagated and fed, and afford a 

 rich and savoury food. 



1. The Wild Duck or Mallard, Anas boschas, is the original of the common 

 domestic species. It is widely diffused over the world, inhabiting America, 

 Europe, and Asia. These birds live in the marshes, lakes, and rivers of the 

 North in incredible multitudes. In autumn, they migrate southwards in nu- 

 merous bodies, the greater part returning in spring to their former haunts, 

 though large flocks and scattered pairs remain and breed in the morasses and 

 rivers of lower latitudes. 



The wild duck in its natural state is a wonderfully shy and cautious crea- 

 ture. It breeds once in the year, the pairing time commencing about the end 

 of February, and each couple living apart amongst the reeds of lakes, rivers, 

 and marshes, where they breed. Nothing can be more tender than the care 

 of their offspring By these birds. The nest is formed on the- ground, generally 

 in a tuft of reeds or rushes, bent into form, and lined with the down of the 

 parents. The incubation lasts 30 days; when the female quits her charge for 

 i'ood, she covers up the eggs, the male in the mean time keeping watch near 



