[ >3S ] 



hath been infifted upon by any one, that turkies were found 

 indigenous in that part of the globe. 



But I have another authority to produce, that this bird abounded 

 during the feventeenth century in the great ifland of Madagafcar, 

 fo much nearer to the coaft of Afia than St. Helena. 



De la Croix, who published his General Hillary of Africa 

 in 1688, informs us, that there are many turkies in the woods of 

 Madagafcar u , which therefore it fhould feem moll highly pro- 

 bable were indigenous, becaufe the Portuguefe were merely the 

 firft difcoverers of that ifland ; and, though the French did 

 begin a fmall fettlement in 1640, yet it was foon abandoned* 

 De la Croix may be fuppofed to have received this account from 

 fome of thefe fettlers, who clearly fpeak of them as in a wild 

 ftate; whilft otherwife it would have been highly natural to men- 

 tion, that thefe birds had multiplied greatly fince their firft in- 

 troduction from Europe. 



Let us now examine how this bird is called in moft of the 

 European languages, as it muft afford fo ftrong a proof of the 

 country from whence it was firft introduced, efpecially if moft 

 of thefe -concurr in pointing to Afia, or Africa, for its origin, 

 whilft none bear the moft diftant allufion to America. 



The Spanilh term is not Pavon de las Indias, as M. Buffon 

 ftates, but fimply pavo, and formerly ,pag<p>. If moreover the name 

 were Pavon de las Indias, it would not fignify the Weft Indies,, 

 as in all European languages the addition of Wejlern is necef- 

 fary, and for the following reafon, befides the conftant ufage. 



The country called India, during the earlier centuries, com- 

 prehended only the territory of the Great Mogul* (properly the 

 prefent Hindoftan) but when the Portuguefe had difcovered the 



u « Beaucoup des coqs d'Inde dans les bois." Relation UniverfelJe 

 Afrique, torn. IV. p. 426. Lyon, 1688. 



two 



