SAVAGES AND THEIR POULTRY.
[TO TEE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] Sra,—In the Spectator of September 2nd, the reviewer of Mr. C. Elton's " Origins of English History " remarks, " Mr. Elton has made out a case for the hares ; but we are as little convinced as ever that the ancient Britons kept fowls and geese, as the Earl of Beaconsfield. kept peacocks, animi solely voiuptatis causa."
I have latety received Timehri, the first number of a maga- zine published in British Guiana, June, 1882. The editor, Mr. E. F. im Thurn, has an article on "Tame Animals among the Red Men of America." He there remarks on the cruelty of the Indians, and on the number of tame animals kept by them, yet to which they never become attached as to mere pets. The Indian keeps them for their value, for " a certain child- like pleasure in the bright colours of birds," or else " for the express purpose of supplying him with the feathers of which he makes many of his body ornaments." "To supply the latter of these wants, Indians now keep large numbers of barn-door fowls, generally of a pure white breed. As under no circum- stances do they eat fowls or their eggs, it was puzzling to account for this habit of keeping fowls apparently for no pur- pose, until it appeared that the real use of these birds is to pro- vide the white, downy feathers spoken of above," pp. 26-28.—I am, Sir, Ste.,
WENTWORTH WEBSTER.
.73echienia, Bare, Basses Pyrimees, September 8th.
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