Class II. POULTRY, &c. 371 



ginally for the purposes of superstition, and 

 afterwards cultivated for the uses of luxury. 

 We are also told, when Alexander was in In- 

 dia,* he found vast numbers of wild ones on the 

 banks of the Hyarotis, and was so struck with 

 their beauty, as to appoint a severe punishment 

 on any person that killed them. 



Peacocks' crests, in antient times, were among 

 the ornaments of the Kings of England. Er- 

 nald de Aclent paid a fine to King John in 

 a hundred and forty palfries, with sackbuts, /o- 

 rains, gilt spurs and peacocks' crests, such as 

 would be for his credit, f 



Our common poultry came originally from Poultry. 

 Persia and India. Aristophanes^ calls the 

 cock Ttsgo-iTios opvi;, the Persian bird ; and tells us, 

 it enjoyed that kingdom before Darius and 

 Megabyzus: at this time we know that these 

 birds are found in a state of nature in the isles 

 of Tinian,^ and others of the Indian ocean; 

 and that in their wild condition their plumage 

 is black and yellow, and their combs and wat- 

 tles purple and yellow. ]j They were early in- 

 troduced into the western parts of the world ; 



* Q. Curtius. lib. ix. f Maddox. ant. Exch. i. 273. 



X Aves, lin. 483. 



§ Dampier's voy. i. 30,2. Lord Anson s voy. 30Q. 



I! For this information we are indebted to governor Loten. 



2 b 2 



