THE TURKEY. 3b 



great ; and in all parts of the East, the highest ranks participate 

 in an enjoyment which casts upon humanity an indelible stain. 

 In this country it was once a favourite pastime ; but to the credit 

 of the present age, it is very much on the decline ; and it is to 

 be hoped that the period is not far distant when it will be ex- 

 ploded even among the vulgar. 



By the ancients the cock was consecrated to Minerva, as the 

 symbols of vigilance, to intimate that genuine wisdom is ever 

 on its guard ; and under the Druidical system, it was forbidden 

 to be eaten by the ancient Britons. The game cock of Great 

 Britain has long been imagined superior in courage to that of 

 any other country; but, according to late observations, it is 

 equalled, or even excelled, by the Chinese breed. 



The hen, if well supplied with food and water, is said to lay 

 ibout two hundred eggs in a year, which shows the importance 

 of this bird in domestic economy. As a parent she excites ad- 

 miration ; for her affection towards her offspring, divests her of 

 her natural timidity, and gives her both courage and strength. 

 For the protection of her chicken, she will venture to attack the 

 horse, the hog, or the mastiff, and will not hesitate to fly at the 

 fox. 



It is a curious circumstance in the history of this bird, that at 

 Grand Cairo they have a method of hatching eggs by an artifi- 

 cial heat, and thus produce six or seven thousand at a time. 

 Being brought forth in a mild spring, which is warmer than our 

 summer, the chickens thrive very well. It does not however 

 appear that this could be carried into effect with success in our 

 cold and variable climate, where, although the little animals might 

 be hatched without much difficulty, the greatest part of them 

 would, in all probability, perish soon after their exclusion from 

 the shell. 



THE TURKEY 



Is one of the most remarkable birds in the poultry-yard, on 

 account of the singular appearance of its head, as well as of 

 some habits almost peculiar to itself. Some suppose this bird 

 to be a native of the East, while others have ascribed its origin 

 to the western continent. It is difficult to determine the natal 

 place of any animal of which the species is generally diffused • 

 but the weight of testimony favours the opinion that the turkey 

 is originally a native of the new continent ; as among all the 

 descriptions of eastern birds that are extant, no mention of this 

 can be found ; whereas, it is universally known, that in America 

 numbers of them run wild in the woods. It is by some positively 

 asserted that the turkey was first introduced into England and 

 France in the cotemporary reigns of Henry VIII. and Francis I., 

 4* 



