Book II. Oi{$£lT HO LOgY. Eyg 



Its flefh is efteemed harder, colder, drier, and of more difficult concoction than that 

 of Hens. That being boiled or roaft it will not putrefie, but keep a year or more 

 uncorrupt, is commonly believed, and proved by an experiment made by St.Angufiine, 

 who in his 2 1. Book Of the City of God, Chap.2. writes thus : Who but God the Crea- 

 tor of all things gave to Peacocks flefi a faculty of not putrefying: Which thing at firfl 

 hearing feeming to me incredible, it hapned that at Carthage there was fet before ns a. 

 roajied Peacock.'? of the brawn of whofe breaji we caufed to be keptfo much as we thought con- 

 venient ; Which being produced after fo many days jpace as any other roajied flej/j would cor- 

 rupt in, did not at all offend our Nofe. Being laid up again, after more than thirty days it was 

 found the fame as beforehand likewife the fame after a year, five that it was fomewhat drier \ 

 and a little contra&ed or Jf mink. To us it fcems not fo wonderful that the flefh of a 

 Peacock, which is of it felf fufficiently hard and folid, being rendred harder and 

 drier by roafting fhould continue a long time uncorruptecV in a hot Country, fuch as 

 Africa is, efpecially if care be taken, that in moid and rainy weather it take no wet, 

 but be kept always dry 5 and I doubt not but the fame would happen to 7wr%.f flefh, 

 or even to Pullets flefh boiled or roafted. Let them abftain ( faith Aldrov. ) from eating 

 Peacocks flefh who live a fedentary or idle life, ufing no exercife : For it is more 

 agreeable, or at leaft lefs hurtful to thole that exercife much, [ I mean the flefh of 

 young Peacocks only, as being more tender ] but to thofe that are liver-grown, or ; 

 troubled with the Spleen, or with the Piles very noxious. But in my opinion, and 

 to my Palate the flefh of young Peacocks is very tender, delicate, and well rafted, 

 purely white, and defervedly had by the Romans of old in highefteerh, and price, no- 

 thing inferiour to that of Hens or Partridge. 



Arijiotle wntesfhat Peacocks lay twelve Eggs,but with us they feldom lay more than 

 five or fix before they fit. 



They are peftilent things in Gardens, doing a world of mifchief : They alfp throvv 

 down the Tiles, and pluck off the Thatch of houfes. The Peacock.^ faith Aldrovan- 

 dus) though he be amoft beautiful bird to behold, yet that pleafure of the Eyes is 

 compenfated with many an ungrateful ftroke upon the Ears, which are often afflicted 

 With the odious noife of his horrid, or, as he calls it, * hellifh cry. Whence by the * T^ateom 

 common people in Italy it is faid to have the feathers of an Angel, but the voice of a V0Ice ' 

 Devil, and the guts of a Thief. It is faid ( and I can eafily belieVe it ) to produce 

 its life to an hundred years. The Peacock. •> with Columella, is no lefs falacious than the 

 Dunghil-Cock, and therefore requires five Hens: Yea, if there be no other Female 

 for him to couple withal he will run upon and tread the fitting Hen, and break her 

 Eggs, whereof fhe being confcious, endeavours as much as fhe cart to hide her Neft 

 from him. This bird is faid to love cleanlinefs. It fometimes varies in colour, being 

 found white, efpecially in Nor them Countries. 



§. in. 



TheTurkey. Gallopavo, five Meleagris & Numidica avis. 



THe Turkey being now fo well known, and become fo common every where in 

 Europe,needs no very minute and operofe defcription, wherefore we fhall con- 

 tent ourfelves with that of Peter GyUim, fufficiently eXacl: of it felf, and made up and 

 perfected by Aldrovandm, by the addition of whatfoever Worthy the obfervation was 

 by him omitted 5 which runs thus : 



It is as tall as a Peacock^ Its Neck together with its Head is altogether bare of fea- 

 thers, and only covered with a purplifh-coloured skins fo very thick, that when it 

 cries, or prides it felf, it fo ftretches, and as it were blows up the skin, that before 

 hung loofe and flaggy, that it approaches to the bigrtefs of a mans arm. The Crowd 

 of the Head is particoloured of white, blue, and purple. It hath no Creft or Comb 

 like a Cock, but a certain red, *flefhy Appendix, ariflng above the upper Chap of * worm. like 

 the Bill, which is fometimes extended to that length, that it not only reaches all along Cstfundc - 

 the declivity of the upper Chap, but hangs down below the tip of the Bill at leaft an 

 inch, fo that the Bill is covered with it, that it cannot be feen but fideways. This J/>- 

 pendixwhen it walks or feeds it contracts to that fhortnefs, that whereas before it hung 

 down an inch lower than the Bill, now being fhrunk up it falls fhort of the length of 

 the Bill it felf. The feathers of this bird do fomewhat referable a Hawks, and have 

 their ends white. It hath very long Legs. Its Toes and Claws have the famedi- 

 ftinftion and figure with the DimghiUCock. The body of that I faw was round, and 



taller 



