s iz CHINESE HUSBANDRY. 



half a foot high, in which the eggs are put in 

 rows : the box they cover with a fieve, over 

 which they hang a mat. To heat them, they 

 make ufe of the coals of a certain fort of wood, 

 which burn llowly and uniformly : at firffc they 

 give them but little warmth, and increafe it 

 gradually ; and it becomes a flrong heat by 

 the time the eggs are hatched. Sometimes, 

 when they increafe the heat too much, the 

 young ducks are hatched too foon ; and in 

 that cafe they generally die in three or four 

 days. The hatched young ones are fold to 

 thofe who breed them up, and thefe try in the 

 following manner whether they are hatched 

 too foon or not : they take hold of the little 

 ducks by the bill, and let their bodies hang 

 down ; if they fprawl and extend their feet 

 and wings, they are hatched in due time ; but if 

 they have had too much heat, they hang with- 

 out any ftruggling. The latter often live till 

 they are put to the water (which is generally 

 eight days after they are hatched), which 

 turns them giddy ; they get cramps l , throw*, 

 thernfelves on their backs, and die with con- 

 vulsions. The owners then take them out 



1 Ducks hatched in England after Midfummer ufually 

 • get cramps, fprawl about in an odd manner, and throw- 

 in? thernfelves on their backs die of convulfions, 



of 



