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feemingty as convenient for them to breed m 

 as any on the weftern coails of England. I 

 have alfo obferved the hen birds of a great 

 number of fpecies to be of a brown or clay 

 colour, where the cocks of the fame fpecies 

 are covered with beautiful feathers of a very 

 great luflre. It is very obfervable in the 

 Duck kind, that the males are moil of them 

 remarkable for beautiful colours, and the fe- 

 males, almofl all of them, of brownifh or 

 earthy colours. We may remark the fame 

 thing in many land birds, as the Peacock^ 

 who is remarkable for Ibining colours, whereas 

 the hen is of a dirty brown, with little or no 

 luftre. The fame difference miay be obferved 

 between the males and females of all the Phea- 

 fant kind, and of many other tribes of birds. 

 This difference Teems to proceed from a pro- 

 vidential defign of nature j feeing the hen birds, 

 when they hatch their young, fit on the earth, 

 and are many of them expofed to the open 

 fKy, to the view of noxious beads and birds 

 of prey, which would prefently difcover them, 

 y/ere they of glaring colours much differing 



frorn 



