260 REVERSED SEASONS. [CHAP. u. 



as easily as Hollyhocks, Hydrangeas, Chrysanthemums, 

 &c. ; Curassows, Penelopes, Tinamous, &c., are, on the 

 other hand, to be fostered only in greenhouses, like so 

 many tender annuals. 



The only bird from South America that we have 

 done anything with, as far as we can recollect, is the 

 Musk Duck, and that does not appear to be a very pro- 

 litable speculation, or to have increased in hardihood 

 or fecundity since its introduction. Every authority, 

 in short, shows that there is a greater difficulty in in- 

 troducing and establishing the gallinaceous birds of 

 South America into England than those from the East, 

 although the latter have so much longer a sea voyage to 

 endure. Thus, as one instance out of many, in Robert- 

 son's admirable letters on Paraguay we are told, " I 

 shipped four of these birds (the large Partridge of South 

 America, Tinamus rufescens of Temminck), under the 

 hope of introducing the breed into this country; but 

 they lingered, notwithstanding every precaution, in an 

 unhealthy state when they came into a cold climate, 

 and died in the Channel. Still, I think they might be 

 introduced, and they would be a very great acquisition 

 to the English sportsman." And thus hopes of re- 

 claiming bird after bird are held out to us, only to be 

 consecutively baffled in the experiment. 



An additional difficulty in getting South American 

 birds to settle comfortably in England may arise from 

 their finding on the northern side of the Equator a re- 

 versed alternation of season ; so that not only have they 

 to contend with a comparatively severe climate, but their 

 proper times of laying, hatching, moulting, &c., would 

 be completely thrown out of proper course and order : 

 the months which hitherto have been summer to them 



