THE GUINEA FOWL. 173 



They live on the same food with other 

 domestic fowls, and require nearly the same 

 treatment. 



The Guinea Fowl (Numidia meleagris) 

 was introduced into Europe and this country 

 from Africa, where it still exists in a wild 

 state. It is too well known to require de- 

 scription. It is fond of low, swampy grounds, 

 but roosts in elevated trees. It lays numer- 

 ous eggs, but can rarely be induced to cov- 

 er them, for which reason the eggs are usu- 

 ally placed under the common hen. The 

 male and female are so much alike that they 

 cannot be distinguished by sight alone. The 

 males, however, have a peculiar note by 

 which they may be detected. They are 

 noisy, petulant, and restless birds, attacking 

 the largest inhabitants of the poultry-yard 

 without hesitation. The flesh is much es- 

 teemed, and many prize this bird for the 

 number and excellence of its eggs. Its ev- 

 erlasting noise and its quarrelsome dispo- 

 sition render it scarcely a desirable bird to 

 rear. For barnyards in remote and lonely 

 situations it is valued for the protection it 



