84 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRD LIFE 



distrust of mankind. It is a wary creature and 

 if loosed in an uninhabited locality quickly returns 

 to a feral state. 



Because of its suspicious nature the guinea- 

 fowl is generally left to hatch its eggs and rear 

 its young by itself. The bird therefore does not 

 lend itself to commercial production on a large 

 scale. Nevertheless, there were nearly two and 

 a half million of these half-wild fowl in the 

 United States in 1920. Their numerical in- 

 crease has been large in the last decade, owing 

 to the fact that their flesh is gamy and palatable. 

 In a large way they have taken the place of game 

 in our markets. 



10 



What Is Coming? 



Despite all our domestic breeds of chickens, 

 geese, turkeys, ducks, and guinea-fowl, poultry 

 husbandry is only in its infancy. There are many 

 other species to be heard from. In North 

 America the Canada goose bids fair to be the fore- 

 father of a valuable domestic breed. The Mus- 

 covy duck of the Amazon and northern South 

 America already is established as a commercial 

 breed and soon may fight for honors with the 

 Pekin. The South American tinamou and curas- 

 sow, now running wild in their native jungles, 

 are possibilities of the future. With the growing 



