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in Maryland feeding on them prevents their in- 

 creafing faft. — The beating of the Pheafant, as 

 we term it, is a noife chiefly made in the fpring 

 of the year by the cock-birds -, it may be dif- 

 tindiy heard a mile in a calm day. They fweli 

 their breafts like the pouting pigeon, and beat 

 with their wings, which makes a noife not un- 

 like a drum in found ; but the Pheafant fliort- 

 ens each founding note, till they run one 

 into another indiftinguifliably like ftriking two 

 empty bottles together/' 



In order to perfedl, as far as Î am able, the 

 hiftory of this bird, I ihall give a quotation from 

 Byron Lahontan's voyages to North-America, 

 publiflied in EngliOi. See vol. firft, page 67th, 

 where he fpeaks of a bird found near the lakes 

 of Canada, which I think can be no other than 

 the above defcribed, though the names given 

 them difagree. 



Lalïiontan fays, " I went in company with 

 fome Canadians on purpcfe to fee that fowl flap 

 with its v/ings. I believe this fight was one of the 

 greateil curiofities in the world ; for their flap- 

 ping makes a noife much like a drum for about 

 I the 



