LETTERS. 
440 
way ; Art would gain too much on Nature, could 
it equal her in her perfections. It is reafonable, 
t !'a- atter ILould always retain its precedence. 
The difference is, that the Egyptian fowls hatched 
in an oven are always more dry, and have not 
the juice, which gives that agreeable tafte to thofc 
hatched in the natural way. This difference may 
likewiie be partly owing to the manner in which 
they are fed, which, confidering the number and 
cheapnefs of them here, cannot be fb proper as in 
Europe. The Egyptian fowls are fed, as indeed 
are almoft all their poultry, with beans, which are 
never given to any of thefe creatures with us, as we 
] w eC I» Wkh S °° d corn > if we expeft a 
They are however good in Egypt, and much 
better than I imagined, from accounts I had re- 
ceived of them in Europe, and what recommends 
them, is, the reafonable price, which is fcarcely to 
be found in any other place. I have (befides what 
I obferved in the bringing up of the voung ones, 
myfelf) received a defcription of it from Achmia 
a little town in Upper Egypt, which is the com- 
pleateft, if I am not miftaken, that has as yet been 
made public. I fhall have the honour to commu- 
nicate it to you at a proper time. 
I forgot an obfervation, when I fpoke of the 
crocodile, which I made for the fervice of cur Di- 
vines. I ferve them with plealure, they are my 
patrons. 7 
Job afks, chap. x!i. ver. 1. Canft. thou draw 
out the Leviathan with a hook ? I conclude he 
means the crocodile by that which happens daily 
and without doubt happened at his\ime in the 
river Nile, viz. that this voracious animal, far 
from being drawn up with a hook, bices off, and 
deflroys 
