398 BEITISH BIRDS. 



The domestic turkey lays from fifteen to twenty eggs — gen- 

 erally sixteen is the number. They breed in the wild state 

 on the prairies surrounding the large American forests, the 

 hens leaving the "gobblers" during incubation. The latter are 

 most pugnacious to any young they come across. We notice 

 similar habits in our domestic breeds. 



The Guinea -fowl {Numiila). — All wild guinea - fowls are 

 found in Africa or Madagascar. The following wild forms are 

 known : — 



Niimiihi melengn'K, the West African Guinea-fowl, found on 

 the coast of Gambia. N. ptilorynclia, the Abyssinian Guinea- 

 fowl, found in Eastern Africa. N. mifrata, the mitred Guinea- 

 fowl of South Africa. M. tiarafn, in jNFadagascar, probably 

 only a local race. All the above have a bony casque. 



N. crMatuii, the Crested Guinea-fowl of West Africa. X. 

 Purherantii, in Zanzibar, probably only an Eastern form of 

 criMcdua. N. plumifera, the Plumed Guinea-fowl of West 

 Africa. All the last three have a plume of feathers in place 

 of a casque. And, lastly, there is the quaint N. viiUurinu or 

 Vulture Guinea-fowl, found in Eastern -Ifrica. 



Our domestic species is said by some to be descended from 

 the West African species, N. melear/nx, which extends from 

 Gambia through Ashantee to Gaboon, and is also found in the 

 Cape de Verd Islands. More probably it is from the -Vbyssinian 

 guinea-fowl that ours have come, as it was a bird well known 

 to the Romans, and they had constant intercourse with its 

 native haunts via Egypt. 



The guinea-fowls take from twenty-six to twenty-eight days 

 to incubate. They are extremely shy, although long under 

 domestication, and are of the greatest service to fruit-growers, 

 if kept in orchards, where they devour large numbers of grubs 

 and larvae that fall to and are on the ground. The males are 

 spurless. Naturally the guinea-fowl is monogamous, yet we 

 often find one cock amongst several hens. AVliite varieties 

 are frequently seen. 



