DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.643#0085
WESTERN HINDOOSTAN. 65
" ducted to fee a famous hofpital of birds, of all forts, which,
" for being fick, lame, deprived of their mates, or otherwife
" needing food, and cure, are kept and tended there with dili-
(l gence ; as alfothe men who take care of them are maintained
" by the public alms; the Indian Gentiles (who, with Pythago-
'* ras, and the antient Egyptians, the firft authors of this opi-
u nion, according to Herodotus, believe the tranfmigration of
" fouls, not only from man to man, but alfo from man to bamte
" bead) conceiving it no lefs a work of charity to do good to
" beafts, than to men. The houfe of this hofpital is fmall, a
" little room fufficing for many birds : Yet I faw it full of birds
" of all forts which need tendance, as cocks, hens, pigeons,
" peacocks, ducks, and fmall birds, which during their being
u lame or lick, or matelefs, are kept here; but, being recovered
" and in good plight, if they be wild, they are let go at liberty;
(i if -domeftic, they are given to fome pious perfon, who keeps
" them in his houfe. The molt curious thing I faw in this
" place, was certain little mice, who, being found orphans
" without fire or dam to tend them, were put into this hofpi-
" tal, and a venerable old man with a white beard, keeping
" them in a box amongft cotton, very diligently tended them,
" with his fpectacles on his nofe, giving them milk to eat with
" a bird's feather, becaufe they were fo little that as yet they
" could eat nothing elfe; and, as he told us, he intended when
" they were grown up to let them go free whither they
" pleafed.
" The next morning," (p. 36) adds he, "we faw another For Goats, &c.
*' hofpital of goats, kids, fheep, and wethers, either lick or lame;
, Vol. I. K. * and
" ducted to fee a famous hofpital of birds, of all forts, which,
" for being fick, lame, deprived of their mates, or otherwife
" needing food, and cure, are kept and tended there with dili-
(l gence ; as alfothe men who take care of them are maintained
" by the public alms; the Indian Gentiles (who, with Pythago-
'* ras, and the antient Egyptians, the firft authors of this opi-
u nion, according to Herodotus, believe the tranfmigration of
" fouls, not only from man to man, but alfo from man to bamte
" bead) conceiving it no lefs a work of charity to do good to
" beafts, than to men. The houfe of this hofpital is fmall, a
" little room fufficing for many birds : Yet I faw it full of birds
" of all forts which need tendance, as cocks, hens, pigeons,
" peacocks, ducks, and fmall birds, which during their being
u lame or lick, or matelefs, are kept here; but, being recovered
" and in good plight, if they be wild, they are let go at liberty;
(i if -domeftic, they are given to fome pious perfon, who keeps
" them in his houfe. The molt curious thing I faw in this
" place, was certain little mice, who, being found orphans
" without fire or dam to tend them, were put into this hofpi-
" tal, and a venerable old man with a white beard, keeping
" them in a box amongft cotton, very diligently tended them,
" with his fpectacles on his nofe, giving them milk to eat with
" a bird's feather, becaufe they were fo little that as yet they
" could eat nothing elfe; and, as he told us, he intended when
" they were grown up to let them go free whither they
" pleafed.
" The next morning," (p. 36) adds he, "we faw another For Goats, &c.
*' hofpital of goats, kids, fheep, and wethers, either lick or lame;
, Vol. I. K. * and