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feemingly as convenient for them to breed in 

 as any on the weftern coafts 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 luftre. It is very obfervabie in the 

 Duck kind, that the males are moft 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 fining colours, whereas 

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

 luftre. The fame difference may be obferved 

 between the males and females of all the Phea- 

 fant kind, and of many other tribes of birds. 

 This difference feems to proceed from a pro- 

 vidential defign pf nature ; feeing the hen birds, 

 when they hatch their young, fit on the earth, 

 and are many of them expoled to the open 

 flcy, to the viev/ of noxious beafts and birds 

 of prey, which would prefently difcover them, 

 yvere they of glaring colours much differing 



from 



