JUNIOR NATURALIST MONTHLY. 



POULTRY. 



Every morning at daj^'break I am awakened by a very cheerful cock 

 that hves in m}^ neighborhood. He is an early riser and it is not his 

 fault if I fail to follow his example. I would not banish him, how- 

 ever, for I like to hear his lusty summons. It is a pleasure to know 

 that the poultry yard is near, and that at an}^ time I may go among 

 the busy little inhabitants, learning from them the interesting ways 

 in which they spend their days. 



During this month we wish all members of our Junior Naturalist 

 Club to visit a poultry yard. Perhaps your teacher will go with you. 

 While you are there, find out as many things as possible about the hens 

 and chickens. Learn, too, something of the ways of the old rooster 

 who is at all times the acknowledged master of the poultry yard. 



Y'ou will notice many differences, perhaps, in the poultry that you 

 find. I am sure you will not see two hens alike, any more than I 

 should expect to find in your schoolroom two boys or girls exactly 

 alike. Some hens may be bro^^^l, some white, some black, and 

 some speckled. Some will have feathers on their feet; others will 

 not. On many there may be high pointed combs; on others, the 

 comb wall be close to the head. Some will have long tails, some 

 short tails, and others scarcely any tail at all. They differ in many 

 ways. 



As you look at the chickens, compare them with ducks as to their 

 feet and bills. Which do you think can scratch better for worms; 

 ducks or hens? In what way do a hen's feathers differ from a duck's? 

 Did you ever notice the scales on a hen's feet? Does a duck's feet 

 have scales? What other animals do you know that have scales on 

 their bodies? Do all fishes, snakes, turtles, and robins? 



Watch the chickens as they make their toilet. I have been told 

 that among the tail feathers of barn fowls there is an oil sac which 

 they find useful in cleaning their feathers. Do you know whether 

 this is true? 



Not long ago, I visited a poultry yard in which there were 40 hens 

 and pullets and two roosters. They were being cared for by a young 

 girl who seemed to enjoy them very much. I asked her to tell me 

 what she did for her poultry to keep the birds looking so healthy, 

 and to encourage them to produce the goodly supply of eggs which 

 she had collected. This is v>^hat she said: — 



