all kind of domestic birds brought up in yards, as cocks, hens, capons, ducks, turkeys, &c.
Almost, if not all the domestic birds of the poultry kind that we maintain in our yards are of foreign extraction; but there are others to be ranked in this class that are as yet in a state of nature, and perhaps only wait till they become sufficiently scarce to be taken under the care of man to multiply their propagation. It will appear remarkable enough, if we consider how much the tame poultry which we have imported from distant climates has increased, and how much those wild birds of the poultry kind that have never yet been taken into keeping have been diminished and destroyed. They are all thinned; and many of the species, especially in the more cultivated and populous parts of the kingdom, are utterly unseen.
Under birds of the poultry kind may be ranked all those that have white flesh, and, comparatively to their heads and limbs, have bulky bodies. They are furnished with short strong bills for picking up grain, which is their chief and often their only sustenance. Their wings are short and conceive; for which reason they are not able to fly far. They lay a great many eggs; and as they lead their young abroad, the very day they are hatched, in quest of food, which they are shown by the mother, and which they pick up for themselves, they generally make their nests on the ground. The toes of all these are united by a membrane as far as the first articulation, and are then divided.
Under this class we may therefore render the common cock, the peacock, the turkey, the pintado or Guinea hen, the pheasant, the bustard, the grouse, the partridge, and the quail. They all bear a strong similitude to each other, being equally granivorous, fleshy, and delicate to the palate. They are among birds what beasts of pasture are among quadrupeds, peaceable tenants of the field, and shunning the thicker parts of the forest, that abound with numerous animals who carry on unceasing hostilities against them.
As nature has formed the rapacious clasps for war, so she seems equally to have fitted these for peace, rest, and society. Their wings are but short, so that they are ill formed for wandering from one region to another; their bills are also short, and incapable of annoying their opposers; their legs are strong indeed; but their toes are made for scratching up their food, and not for holding or tearing it. These are sufficient indications of their harmless nature; while their bodies, which are fat and fleshy, render them unwieldy travellers, and incapable of straying far from each other.
Accordingly, we find them chiefly in society; they live together; and though they may have their disputes, like all other animals, upon some occasions; yet, when kept in the same district, or fed in the same In this manner, all of this kind seem to lead an indolent voluptuous life. As they are furnished internally with a very strong stomach, commonly called a gizzard, so their voraciousness scarcely knows any bounds. If kept in close captivity, and separated from all their former companions, they have still the pleasure of eating left; and they soon grow fat and unwieldy in their prison. To say this more simply, many of the wilder species of birds, when caged or caged, pine away, grow gloomy, and some refuse all sustenance whatever; none except those of the poultry kind grow fat, who seem to lose all remembrance of their former liberty, satisfied with indolence and plenty.