G E ^ 
Talk of the Period of Geflation, and of the Duration of Life, 
AnimalSi Months 
of feveral Quadrupeds. 
of Oeftatiou. Years of Lifct 
Authors. 
Elepliaiit 
24 - 
- 150 
to 
200 
- 
Aridotle. 
Camel - 
12 
40 
to 
50 
- 
The fame. 
Buffalo 
I 2 
20 
to 
25 
- 
Cajetano. 
Afs 
I 2 
25 
to 
30 
- 
Billion. 
Mare 
111: - 
- 25 
to 
30 
- 
Aridotle. 
Cow 
9 
14 
to 
15 
The lame. 
Stag 
. 
- 35 
to 
40 
I'reatife on. 
Hunting. 
Roebuck 
* t 
0 z 
- 12 
to 
15 
- 
Buffon. 
Sheep 
5 
12 
to 
15 
- 
Tlie fame. 
Goat - 
5 
11 
to 
13 
- 
The fame. 
Dog 
2 
1 1 
to 
15 
- 
The fame. 
Table of the Period of Incubation, and of the Duration of Lfe, 
of feveral Birds, 
Birds. Days of Incubation. 
Years of Life. 
Authors. 
Swan 
42 
200 nearly 
Aldrov:tndi. 
Parrot 
40 - - 
100 nearly - 
Wolmaer. 
Goofe - 
30 
80 and more 
-Willughby. 
Eagle 
30 ^ 
Budard 
Duck 
VNot afeertained by any naturalid. 
Turkey 
30 J 
Peacock - 
26 to 27 - 
25 to 28 - : 
[■ Aridotle. 
1 Pliny. 
Pheafant 
20 to 25 - 
18 to 20 - • 
5 Treatife on 
1 Pheafants. 
Crow 
20 - - 
100 and more 
Hedod. 
Nightingale - 
19 to 20 - 
17 to 18 - 
Bud'on. 
Pullet 
18 to 19 - 
16 to 18 
Buffon. 
Pigeon 
17 to 18 - 
16 to 17 - 
Several obf. 
Linnet 
14 - 
13 to 14 - 
Willughby. 
Canary bird 
13 to 14 - 
1 
Q 
C Treatife on 
1 Birds. 
Goldfinch - 
13 to 14 - 
18 to 20 - 
Buffon. 
It appears by tliis table, that tlie fvvan and parrot, 
whicli employ the longed: time in incubation, are allb 
thofe which live longed : the longevity of the former 
of thefe birds has been carried to two hundred years, 
and that of the latter to one hundred. In regard to 
the odrich, the life of which the ancients carried be¬ 
yond one hundred years, we can find no relation between 
this period and that of the incubation, as the female 
feldom fits on the eggs, which are hatched by the heat 
of the fun. The cafe is the fame with the crane and 
the heron, to which the ancients adigned a life equally 
long; but we have no oblervations in regard to their 
incubation. The goofe, which employs thirty days in 
incubation, lives beyond the age of eighty. The eagle, 
budard, duck, and turkey, are the next in the table in 
regard to the period of incubation ; but it has never 
yet been compared by any orni^:hologid with the dura¬ 
tion of their life. All the other birds noticed in the 
table live nearly in proportion to the time of their in¬ 
cubation ; but, as thele obfervations were made chielly 
on domedic or captive birds, it is probable that there 
may be fome did'erence between them in a wild date. 
In regard to birds in a wild date, it is almod impodible 
to obtain any correcl information. Very fe\‘, authors 
have fpoken of the duration of their life ; and when¬ 
ever they have been caught, they endeavour to judge 
of their age by marks which are very ambiguous. 
By comparing thefe two tables, a very great analogy 
will be found between the time of the geltation of quad¬ 
rupeds, and that of the incubation of birds, in regard 
to the duration of life. Thus we oblerve that, among 
quadrupeds, the elepliant, which lives from 150 to 200 
years, goes with young twenty-four months; and that 
the camel, which goes with young twelve montlis, lives 
forty or fifty years. Among birds, the fwan which tits 
forty-two days, and the parrot which fits forty days, 
VoL. VIII. No. 523. 
G E S 537 
are thofe which live longed, their life exceeding one 
hundred years. In looking over tliis table, the fame 
relation appears to be prefevved. I he horle and ad, 
which liave the fame period of gellation, live nearly 
the fame time; that is to fay, twenty-fix or thirty years. 
The domedic fowl and pigeon, which have nearly the 
fame period of incubation, attain to the lame age ; and 
the cafe is the fame wdth the goat and tlie llieep, as 
well as with the canary-bird atid the linnet. There are, 
however, two very dtiking exccptiou.s. d'ho Hag, 
among (]uadnipeds, goes with young a montii lels th.an 
the mare, and yet lives about ten years longer: atid, 
among the birds, the crow, which fitsoiily twenty days, 
lives far beyond one hundred years, according to ile- 
fiod, and feveral other obfervers, 
Thefe exceptions dill further prove that our know-- 
ledge refpecting this jiart of natural hifiory is very li¬ 
mited, and prove the necedity of making further obfer¬ 
vations. Befides, the difttculty of afeertaining the exadt 
duration of the life of quadrupeds is equally great as 
that experienced in afeertaining the duration ot the life 
of birds, fince thefe obfervations can be made only on a 
finall number of individuals, taken, for the mod part, 
in a date of domedicity. If, notwithdanding thefe ex¬ 
ceptions, fome relation has been fuppofed to be lound 
betw'een the time employed for perfetd growth, and the 
duration of life, it appears, from a view ol this table, 
that there is a more direct connection between it and 
the time of gedation ; nature alfo leems to have pre- 
lerved a kind of connection between the time employed 
in gedation and that of incubation, in regard to the du¬ 
ration of the life of birds and quadrupeds. 
GES'TE, or Geiste, a river of Germany, in the 
duchy of Bremen, which runs into the Wefer, near its 
mouth. 
To GESTTCULATE, v. n. \_geJliculor, Lat. geficir- 
ler, Fr.] To play antic tricks ; to lliew podures. 
GES ITCULA'TION, y: [French; gcJlkulatio,'L^t.'\ 
Antic tricks ; various podures.—One who pretended to 
exprefs the fame fentence as many ways by gejliculation, 
as even Cicero himfelf could by his eloquence. Wollajlon. 
GESTIC JLO'SE, adj. Full of gedures. Scott. Not 
muck ufed. 
GES'TINEN, a town of Swuflerland, in the canton 
of Uri : fifteen miles fouth of Altord'. 
GES'TION,/. The aft of doing; the management 
of any bufinefs. Cole. Not ufed. 
GESTRl'CIA, a province of Sweden, about feven- 
teen leagues long, and ten wide, bounded on tlie nort.h 
by Hellingiand, on the ead by the Gulf ot Bothnia, on 
the fouth by Upland, Wedmanland, and Dalecarlia, 
and on the wed by Dalecarlia. The mines, torges, to- 
reds, lakes, and rivers, furnilh the principal riclies and 
fupport of the inhabitants, who do not much concern 
theinlelves with agriculture. Gelle is the capital. 
GES'TUNGSHAUSEN, or Geshausen, a town of 
Germany, in the circle of Upper Saxony, and principa¬ 
lity of Coburg: leven miles ead ot Coburg. 
GESTU'OSE, adj. Full of gedures; lull of antics. 
Scott. Not much ufed. 
GEST'URE,yi \_gero, gefum, Lat. gef e,Il\:.'\ Adfion 
or podure exprellive of lentimeat.—humble and reve¬ 
rend gefures in our approaches to God, cxprels the in. 
ward reverence of our fouls. Duty of Man. —Movement 
of the body.—Every one will agree in this, that we 
ought cither to lay alide all kinds ot gefiire, or at lead 
to make ufe of. fuch only as are graceful and exprellive. 
Addifon. 
Grace was in all herileps, heav’n in her eye, 
In ev’ry gejlure dignity and love 1 Milton, 
Tb GEST'URE, w. a. To accompany with aftion or 
podure.—He undertook fo to gefure and muflle up him- 
felf in his hood, that none (hould difeern him. WottoH. 
GESVAL'DO, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
6 X Naples, 
