GANGETIC HINDOOSTAN. 269 



Mehemehy belonging to Kookultajh Khan, fell into his hands, 

 and became a prime favorite ; he crofled it with divers other 

 pigeons, and produced innumerable variety of breeds, all of 

 which had their difbinguifliing name; they were taught num- 

 bers of amufmg tricks, and were frequently reviewed by the 

 Emperor. The Khafeb, i. e. the choice^ were in families of a 

 hundred each. The keepers had the art of breeding them of 

 different colors, \ fome were pied, others white on one fide, 

 chocolate on the other; they were difciplined to fly in circles 

 and to change fides at the fame inftant, and prefent a different 

 uniform, as the archers of old were wont to do in their evo- 

 lutions, fliewing alternately the different colored fides of their 

 vefts. I refer to Abulfazel, ii. 313, for a farther account, and 

 for the eftablifliment in the houfiiold for the fupport of thefe 

 birds. I may alfo add, that Akbar had his aviary of every 

 fpecies of birds which could be procured, thus relaxing the 

 cares of his weighty government with innocent pleafures. 



India has great variety of Pigeons, I will not tire the reader 

 with the enumeration of thofe, or any other fpecies of land 

 birds, excepting two or three, that are attended with ftrikino- 

 beauty of plumage, or fomething interefling in their hiftory. 



That now univerfal bird the origin of our poultry, or do- Poultry. 

 meflic cocks and hens, derives its defcent from the Indian ftock. 

 They arrived in our very diflant ifland before the time of "^u- 

 lius Cafar, who tells us, that they were a food forbidden to the 

 Britons, Arijlophanes calls the cock the Pcrfian bird ; and adds, 

 that it enjoyed that kingdom before Darius and Megabyzus . It 

 then travelled weftward from the neighboring Hindoojlan. They 



probably 



