THE POULTRY BOOK. 
293 
I had the whole flock shut up about 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., when numbers of eggs 
would he found scattered about the floor of the room. It was observed that, as 
ducks laid their eggs at early morn, so the Guinea-fowls deposited theirs, as a rule, 
towards evening. Whether the same process obtains here, I do not know ; ducks, 
I believe, do lay at an early hour. It appears to me that, during this season of 
laying, and in order to obtain a good supply of eggs, the plan of confining the 
birds to the poultry-house daily might meet with equal success here, the great 
fecundity amply repaying for the little trouble the owners had taken. 
“ Guinea-fowls, by a little coaxing and regular feeding with the other poultry, 
may be rendered almost as tame as the latter, and to perch at night with them in 
the same house. Although its instinct leads it to roost on high trees, my birds 
were obliged to be secured in this way, or they would readily have fallen a prey to 
the wild cat of India. The male bird can be distinguished from the hen by its 
larger size and shrill noise, quite unlike that of the latter, which alone cries 
‘ Come back ! come back ! ’ He, also, whilst feeding, or in company with others, 
often assumes a peculiar, restless, pugnacious attitude ; not so the hen. Served 
up with good bread sauce and gravy during the spring of the year, the gallina is 
quite equal, if not superior, to the pheasant for the table.” — J. C. 
These writers so nearly exhaust the practical part of our subject, that but little 
more remains to be said respecting the treatment of Guinea-fowls. Those who 
wish to commence keeping these birds will do well to procure sittings of eggs from 
one, or still better, from two different stocks, so as to lessen the chance of close 
interbreeding, and to hatch them under common hens; by so doing they will 
establish a flock with far less trouble than by buying mature birds, whose restless, 
roving disposition renders it difficult to attach to a new locality. 
The eggs are most advantageously hatched under some small variety of fowl, 
such as the Game or Game Bantam. The chicks when first hatched are exceed- 
ingly elegant, being covered with striped down, which is set off by the red colour of 
the legs and beaks, and they are rendered still more attractive by their extreme 
activity. In rearing young Guinea-fowls, great care should be taken to feed them 
at very brief intervals of time, as they suffer much from even a short deprivation of 
food. No diet will be found more advantageous than the egg and milk prepared in 
in the form of custard, as recommended in the chapter on coloured Dorkings (page 
88) . This should form a part of every meal for the first month, along with oatmeal 
mixed with milk and grits : and as the young broods grow up, small tail wheat, 
boiled vegetables, and potato may be added to their dieting. If a few nests of 
ants’ eggs can be obtained, they will be found superior to other food. 
Complaints are often made respecting the large number of unprolific eggs that 
are laid by the Guinea-hens. This sometimes arises from the want of a due 
proportion of cocks and hens. In a wild state it is most probable that these birds 
pair, inasmuch as in the case of all auimals that are gregarious, living in flocks 
consisting of- one male to several females, the males are furnished with offensive 
