266 A COADJUTOR'S TALE. [CHAP. n. 



quite a negative quantity. One hour mischievous in- 

 truders, the next careless truants, they may provoke a 

 smile at their odd freaks, or excite interest by their 

 confiding familiarity ; but we hope that henceforth their 

 serviceable introduction either to the poultry-yards or 

 the game preserves of this country will be spoken of ra- 

 ther as a mere remote possibility than as a promising 

 speculation. In order to avert accusations of presump- 

 tion in venturing to decide against any probable utility 

 or profit to be expected from the domestication of the 

 Penelope, we produce extracts from the letters of a 

 friend (H. H.), who undertook the same experiment at 

 about the same time as ourselves : 



" You have revived my old Curassow-longing by the 

 mention of the Guans, and T should much like to have 

 any further particulars you may know about them. 

 Their price, 50s. the pair, is a good deal, but yet not 

 unreasonable, when we know what is given every day 

 for Malay articles. Are Jamrach's full-grown birds, 

 and do they make a very unearthly noise? I do not 

 want a couple of mere pets, but something that would 

 breed, and become interesting in point of producing a 

 new sort of game or poultry. I know they are not 

 showy, except the throat and legs, but are they nice, 

 dignified birds ? If I had a pair, I should not place 

 them exactly with the other poultry, but in another 

 place, where they would do well, if the having access to 

 scraps of bread, &c., &c. that are continually being 



thrown out there would not hurt them. 



* * * * 



" My pair of Guans arrived this morning, Jamrach 

 foolishly sending them by the mail train at night. [This 

 was in the month of February.] I am rather in the 



