320 H. D. GOODALE 



simply retreated. Neither did he cluck as often nor as regu- 

 larly as a hen. 



By this time it was evident that the chicks would be cared for 

 by the capon and the brood accordingly was removed to an 

 out-door yard. The capon showed no disposition to leave his 

 charges, though adult birds, including his recent companions, 

 were in neighboring yards. In a few days the cluck of the capon 

 became more like that of a hen, the bird giving voice to it fre- 

 quently as he walked about the yard. He continuously hunted 

 food for the chicks and on finding a morsel called the chicks to it 

 as a hen would do, but less vociferously. He also attacked anyone 

 who attempted to interfere with the chicks but did not give a call 

 like the warning call of the hen as far as observed. When these 

 chicks were about three weeks old, another lot of chicks a week 

 younger was added to the flock. The capon accepted these 

 without trouble, though confined in a relatively large yard, 

 18 x 50 feet. Hens do not as a rule accept chicks much younger 

 than their own. The new chicks, however, were somewhat slow 

 to follow their foster-parent, partly because they were weaker. 

 It was necessary on this account to round up the flock once or 

 twice the first day. The next few days were uneventful, but 

 before the new chicks were a week old a hen in an adjoining 

 yard came off with two ducklings. About one-half the younger 

 chicks promptly deserted the capon and adopted the hen. 



Thus far the behavior of the capon, as far as caring for the 

 chicks is concerned, has been essentially like a hen. There are, 

 however, two points in which he differed decidedly from hens. 

 First, the capon began caring for the chicks without becoming 

 broody or without previous training. The chicks were simply 

 placed beneath him and he began to care for them. The hen 

 becomes first broody, i.e., stops laying, remains continuously 

 on the nest, clucks and ruffles her feathers when disturbed, and 

 sometimes, at least, will not take chicks until she has been broody 

 for some time. The second point was wholly unexpected and 

 adds to the general anomaly of the capon's behavior. 



This point of behavior may be described as follows: At one 

 moment the capon is moving sedately about. Suddenly he 

 seizes one of the chicks by the nape of the neck and dangling 

 it in the air squats and goes through sidewise shaking move- 

 ments of the posterior part of the body, as a cock does when 



