the common cock, the peacock, the turkey, the Guineahen, the pheasant, the bustard, the grouse, the partridge, and the quail. To the four first only the title of domestic fowl applies. They all bear a strong similitude to each other, being all granivorous, and equally delicate to the palate. They are, among birds, what beasts of pasture are among quadrupeds, peaceable tenants of the field, shunning the thicker parts of the forest, where they would encounter numerous animals which would mark them for their prey.

The various kinds of domestic fowl are gregarious, both in their wild and tame state. The most courageous male conquers for himself a seraglio of female dependents, who willingly live under his sway, although they seem to have no exclusive preference for him; and if he be finally subdued in the combat, his rival takes undisputed possession, both of the locality in which he moved, and of his wives, while he sinks into unpitied insignificance.

The power of domestication, in causing alterations not only in the habits, but in the appearance and form of animals, is no where more strongly exemplified than in the cock. He seems to be, of all the birds, the oldest companion of man, having been, in very early ages, reclaimed from the forest, and taken to supply the accidental failure of the chase. It is, probably, on this account, that he exhibits such interminable varieties in plumage and in form. "The tail," says Goldsmith, "which makes such a beautiful figure in the generality of these birds, is yet found entirely wanting in others; and not only the tail, but the rump also. The toes, which are usually four in all animals of the poultry kind, yet, in a species of the cock, are found to amount to five. The feathers, which lie so sleek, and in such beautiful order, in most of those we are acquainted with, are, in a peculiar breed, all inverted, and stand staring the wrong way. Nay, there is a species, that comes from Japan, which, instead of feathers, seems to be covered all over with hair. These, and many other varieties, are to be

found in this animal, which seem to be the marks this early prisoner bears of his long captivity."

The cock seems first to have been introduced into Europe from Persia, as Aristophanes calls it the Persian bird; but it is no longer found wild in that country. In India, in some of the islands of the Indian Ocean, and along the Malabar coast, this animal is known to exist, in several species, in its ancient state of independence. In his wild condition the plumage of the cock is of varied and splendid colors, and his comb and wattles are bright red, yellow, or purple. In one or two species there is another peculiarity. Their bones, which with us are white, are, in this kind, as black as ebony, arising probably from some quality in their food; which may be conjectured from the wellknown fact, that the bones of fowls fed on madder are tinctured red.

The turkey is the kind of poultry next in repute as a domesticated fowl. It is a native of North America, where it is still found in abundance in the woods, and where it is much larger, weighing from fifteen to near forty pounds, and more beautiful, than in its state of domestic captivity. There, their feathers are of a dark gray, bordered at the edges with a bright gold color.* It was transported to Europe immediately after the conquest of Mexico, and was first introduced into England, during the reign of Henry VIII.

The habits of this bird, in a state of nature, are singular. To some of these, I have elsewhere adverted, in speaking of their reproductive instincts. They are gregarious, and seldom mount on the wing, unless forced by pursuit, or when it is necessary to cross a river, in their migrations in search of food. In the latter case, their mode of operation is worthy of being recorded. When

* [This is an inadequate, and hardly a correct description. We take a better from another writer. "His plumage gleams with the brightest golden bronze, tinged, according to the position, with blue, violet, and green, and beautifully broken by the deep black bands, which terminate each feather, and which also have a metallic lustre." While this bird is still to be had among us in all his native splendor, a well-mounted specimen should be secured to every collection of Natural History.AM. ED.]

they find their progress interrupted by a river, they stop short for a day or two, as if for the purpose of consultation. During this time, the males are heard gobbling and calling, and are seen strutting about, apparently full of important business. Even the females and the young seem to partake of the excitement, spreading out their tails, taking extravagant leaps, and running round each other with a loud purring noise. At length, the whole party mounts to the tops of the highest trees, whence, at a signal, consisting of a single cluck, given by a leader, the flock takes flight for the opposite shore. The old and fat birds easily get over, even though the river be a mile in breadth; but the younger, and less robust, frequently fall into the water; not, however, to perish; for here an instinct is bestowed on them, suited to the emergency. They bring their wings close to their body, spread out their tail as a support, stretch forward their neck, and, striking out their legs with great vigor, proceed rapidly towards the shore. When they reach the opposite bank, should they find it too steep for landing, they cease their exertions, and allow themselves to be floated down the stream, till they reach an accessible part, when, by a violent effort, they extricate themselves from the water. The turkey is said to be a stupid animal; and certainly some of its actions indicate little forethought or contrivance; but, in these particulars, the instinct of self-preservation, impressed on them by their Maker, is powerful and ingenious.

[This bird is so swift of foot, that he is not easily to be taken by direct pursuit. Generally speaking, he is either discovered and shot on his roosting places, or, where he is in great plenty, captured in the manner related below by Charles Bonaparte, in his interesting account of the wild turkey.

"The more common mode of taking turkeys, is by means of pens, constructed with logs, covered in at the top, and with a passage in the earth under one side of it, just large enough to admit an individual when stooping. The ground chosen for this purpose is generally sloping, and the passage is cut on the lower side, widening out

wards. These preparations being completed, Indian corn is strewed for some distance around the pen, to entice the flock, which, picking up the grain, is gradually led towards the passage, and thence into the enclosure, where a sufficient quantity of corn is spread to occupy the leader until the greater part of the turkeys have entered. When they raise their heads, and discover that they are prisoners, all their exertions to escape are directed upwards and against the sides of the pen, not having sagacity enough to stoop sufficiently low to pass out by the way they entered, and thus they become an easy prey, not only to the experienced hunter, but even to the boys on the frontier settlements."*]

In illustration of the power already adverted to, which birds possess, of marking their enemies at a distance, and of making their meaning known by the sounds they utter, I may quote the following interesting account of the Abbé de la Pluche. "I have heard a turkey-hen," says he, "when at the head of her brood, send forth the most hideous screams, without knowing, as yet, the cause; however, her young, as soon as the warning was given, skulked under the bushes, the grass, or whatever else offered for shelter or protection. They even stretched themselves, at full length, upon the ground, and continued lying as motionless as if they were dead. In the mean time, the mother, with her eyes directed upwards, continued her cries and screaming as before. Upon looking up to where she seemed to gaze, I discovered a black spot just under the clouds, but was unable at first to determine what it was; however, it soon appeared to be a bird of prey, though, at first, at too great a distance to be distinguished. I have seen one of these animals continue in this violently agitated state, and her whole brood pinned down, as it were, to the ground, for four hours together; whilst their formidable foe has taken his circuits, has mounted, and hovered directly over their heads. At last, upon his disappearing, the parent began to change

* This account is inserted by the American Editor, in place of an extract from Goldsmith.

her note, and sent forth another cry, which, in an instant, gave life to the whole trembling tribe, and they all flocked round her, with expressions of pleasure, as if conscious of their happy escape from danger."

There are probably other gallinaceous birds, besides the turkey, found in America, which might be advantageously domesticated in Europe, among which the curassows have been particularized. This tribe can be tamed with the greatest ease, and is held in high estimation in many parts of South America.

Of the peacock, it is not necessary to say more than that it is at once the most beautiful in plumage, and the harshest in voice, of any of the feathered tribes taken under the protection of man; and its insatiable gluttony, and spirit of depredation, make it, at the same time, the most troublesome of the domestic birds. The Italians have an appropriate aphorism characterizing it as possessing the plumage of an angel, the voice of a fiend, and the stomach of a thief.

NINTH WEEK-WEDNESDAY.

DOMESTIC FOWLS.-THE GOOSE AND THE DUCK.

BESIDES different species of the poultry class, already mentioned, men have domesticated two kinds of waterfowl, the goose and the duck. They are each esteemed as food, and the former is also of great value, both on account of the quills which it yields for writing, and of the feathers, which are employed so universally among civilized nations, as a soft and comfortable bed. The habits of the domestic goose are well known; but its dull appearance, and the cackling sound it emits, when disturbed, have procured for it a character for stupidity which it does not deserve; while a single incident, perhaps fabulous, has stamped it with a character for vigilance which seems equally exaggerated in another direc