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4. Robertion Jo

KILCAIRN CASTLE

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Kilchurn, or Kilchairn Castle, is a magnificient pile, now in ruins, feated on a low ifle near the fouthern border of Lochaw; it belongs to the Earl of Breadalbane It was built by Sir Colin Campbell, Lord of Lochaw, who died aged 80 in 1480. His fucceffors added greatly to it. Within are fome remains of apartments, elegant and of no great antiquity. The view from it of the rich vale, bounded by vaft mountains, is fine. See another View of it in our Magazine for October 1785.

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On Account of the compleat detail given of the French Conftitution, tour, additionpages are given with this Magazine.

State of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's Thera MOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rife, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from July 31ft 1791, to the 30th of Auguft, near the foot of Arthur's Seat.

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91

Buffon's Natural Hiftory of the Canary-Bird. [Concluded from p. 8.]

THE brood of birds in a state of captivity is not so conftant, but is perhaps more numerous than it would probably be in a state of native freedom: for there are hens who will hatch four and even five times a year, laying four, five, fix, and fometimes feven eggs at a time in general they have three broods, and the moulting prevents their having more. There are hens, however, that hatch while they moult, provided they begin to fit before that time. Birds of the fame neft do not all begin to moult at the fame time. The weakest are the firft that undergo that change; the ftrongeft are often a month later. The moulting of jonquil Canary-birds is more tedious and generally more fatal than that of the others. The hens of thefe jonquil birds lay only three times, with three eggs each time: the light coloured ones, both cock and hen, are too delicate, and their brood feldom profpers; the cream coloured have fome repugnance at pairing with one another; in a large aviary, the male generally chufes one of a different colour. In general, the white go through the whole procefs with equal fuccefs; they pair, build, and hatch, as well and better than any of the others, and the white fpangled birds are likewise the ftongest of all.

Notwithstanding thefe differences in the difpofition, temperament, and fertility of these birds, the time of incubation in all is the fame: all of them fit thirteen days, and when it

happens a day lefs or more, it is owing to fome accidental circumstance: cold retards the exclufion of the young, and heat accelerates it. Accordingly it fometimes happens, that the first fitting in April lafts thirteen days and a half or fourteen days, if the air is at that time cold; on the contrary, the third hatching, which happens during the great heats of July or Auguft, lafts only twelve days, or twelve days and a half. The bad eggs ought to be feparated from the good; but in order to know them certainly, you fhould wait till they have been fat upon for eight or nine days; then take each egg by the two ends for fear of breaking them, and hold them against the fun or a lighted candle; thofe that are clear muft be rejected, it would only fatigue the hen to leave them with her. In thus detaching the clear eggs, of three nefts we may make only two; and the third hen being at liberty will proceed again to lay*. It is a practice much recommended by bird-fancyers to take away the eggs as the hen lays them, fubftituting an ivory one in their place, that the whole may be hatched in one day. When the last egg is laid, the ivory ones are removed and the others replaced. In general, the time of laying is in the morning, about fix or feven o'clock: it is faid, that when this happens an hour later, it is owing to the hen's being fick ; the eggs being thus laid in regular fucceffiont, it is easy to take them away M 2

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In giving the eggs of one hen to others, we must be fure that they are all good; the hen fpangled birds that get clear or bad eggs, will of themselves throw them out of the neft; and when this is fo deep that they cannot effect it, they never leave ftriking them with their bill till they are broken, which spoils the other eggs, injures the neft, and makes the whole become abortive: the females of the other varieties will fit upon clear eggs. Father Bugot.

+ The eggs are all laid at the fame hour except the last, which is some hours, and at other times a day later. This last egg is always fmaller than the reft, and I have been affured that the bird it contains is always a 'cock. I wish the fact were well afce tained.

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