. Miscellanies [microform]. Northwest Passage; Natural history; Nord-Ouest, Passage du; Sciences naturelles. t H7 ] upon the Northern parts of that vafl: continent". On the contrary, Athcna;us mentions, that tliey were brought from Ethiopia, and carried about in cages at a proceflion of Ptolemy Philadelphus", Photius alio infoniis us, that Tome of them were to be found on an ifland of the river Nile, and probably the upper j)art of that river''. I (hould for thefe rcafons rather I'uppofe, that when the Romans fpcak of Volucrcs Libyciu or Numidieiu, they only refer to a variety of the
. Miscellanies [microform]. Northwest Passage; Natural history; Nord-Ouest, Passage du; Sciences naturelles. t H7 ] upon the Northern parts of that vafl: continent". On the contrary, Athcna;us mentions, that tliey were brought from Ethiopia, and carried about in cages at a proceflion of Ptolemy Philadelphus", Photius alio infoniis us, that Tome of them were to be found on an ifland of the river Nile, and probably the upper j)art of that river''. I (hould for thefe rcafons rather I'uppofe, that when the Romans fpcak of Volucrcs Libyciu or Numidieiu, they only refer to a variety of the common fowl, the plumage of which might fome- what refemblc that of the Guiney hen, as we now diftlngailh them by the name of Bantam, &c. -I am by no means fo clear that Guiney hens were not confi- dered as poultry by the Greeks, though their having b :cu in- troduced to Europe from the Coaft of Guiney makes me fufpeifl that they were not, becaufe this delicacy could not have been wanting for the tables of the emperors when they rcfuLd at Conflantinople, and confequently the breed could not be entirely " Dr. Shaw takes no notice of the peinindc amongfl the bird-; \n the neighbourhood of Algiers, but on the coiurarv gives an ; and dcfcription of the Rhaad or , which anlWers almotl in cvcr\ ci'-- cumllance with Columella's aecount of tlic Mclcagris. The Rhaa , is of the fize of a capon, and hath a tuft of blue feathers on its hcail; no hind claw, it may properly be considered as a buftardj and there is a fpecimcn of the leller fpccies of this bird in Sir Afliton Lever's Mufi. urn, which Dr. Shaw obfervcs hath no tuft of blue feathers behind the head; it is alio elegantly mottled with brown and v/hite. I had an opportunity of fhcwing Dr, S'law's engraving and deferiprlon of the Rhaad, to a lady who had lived many years ar Tu i"-, ans! . told me that Ihe believed it to be what was th-'re more co nmonly called the Hen of Cn tbn^e, beca
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