OF NATURAL HISTORY. 75 



are a timid race, and many of them are fo tradable that they may 

 eafily be rendered domeftic. Man, accordingly, ever attentive to his 

 intereft, has not failed to derive advantage from the innocence and 

 ftupidity of thefe animals. Of the gallinaceous and duck kind, 

 which are the moft prolific, and confequently the moft profitable, he 

 has chiefly feleded the hen, the goofe, the duck, the turkey, and 

 the peacock. In this feledion he has difcovered his fagacity ; for, 

 inflead of pairing, thefe birds are polygamous, one male being fuffi- 

 cient to fertilize a number of females, which is a great faving in 

 the article of food. 



With regard to carnivorous birds, their general conformation is 

 nearly the fame with thofe of the granivorous kind. They have 

 the fame number of ftomachs ; but all of them are fmaller and 

 weaker. Their inteftines are alfo much fliorter. To enable them 

 to procure food, they are obliged to fly quickly, and continue long 

 on the wing. Their wings, accordingly, are proportionally longer, 

 and they have more ftrength in their mufcles. For the purpofe of 

 feizing and devouring prey. Nature has beftowed on them fl:rong 

 hooked bills, and long fharp claws or pounces. They have alfo 

 large heads, fliort necks, ilrong brawny thighs, and fharp-fighted 

 eyes. 



Like rapacious quadrupeds, birds of prey are capable of enduring 

 hunger for a great length of time. This faculty is, perhaps, ac- 

 quired partly by habit ; becaufe the obtaining of their food is often 

 very precarious. The females are larger, ftronger, and more beau- 

 tiful both in fhape and plumage, than the males. For this reafon, 

 the male hawks are called tercels, or thirds, becaufe they are fuppo- 

 fed to be one third lefs than the females. Nature feems to have be- 

 llowed this fuperiority of fize and ftrength upon the female, becaufe 

 (he is obliged to procure food both for herfelf and for her progeny. 



K 2 The 



