320 Two Foehtses produced by Parrots at Orvieto. 



the eggs which was in the nest, which was cracked, and 

 depressed on one side, without any hole being observed as 

 in the former. On the 24th it wos remarked that the third 

 egg had the same depression and fracture as the other. 



'* The female, however, continued her incubation with 

 great assiduity ; and on the 2d of August, finding that the 

 eggs would not hatch, and that the foetus was dead, we de- 

 termined that day, in presence of the canon Felix Albarici, 

 and M. Bernard Piermattei, merchant of that city, to break 

 the eggs with great caution 3 and when this was done we 

 found the following results : 



" In one of the eggs we found the shell very hard, with 

 an almost round depression in one of its sides: on the shell 

 being broken it was observed that the pellicle by which-eggs 

 in general are enveloped was dry, and adhered to the foetus. 

 This pellicle being gently removed, we found the foetus, 

 which was completely formed, and we distinguished in it 

 a small parrot. We observed that the head was placed be- 

 tween the thighs, with the beak large and long in the upper 

 part, the tongue thick, the eyes shut, and covered by the 

 eyelids. It had the two wings formed, as well as the thighs 

 and legs, with claws on the toes, two of which were before 

 and two behind. On the upper part of the head, the back, 

 ■and as far as the tail, it was covered with white down ; on 

 the breast and belly there was none ; on the middle of the 

 belly was observed a carneous mass adhering to it, which 

 resembled the placenta. We found also near the thorax a 

 depression which corresponded to the contusion observed 

 in the shell, and which there is reason to suppose was the 

 cause of the death of the young. 



"In the shell of the other egg a contusion was found 

 as in the first : the pellicle and foetus were completely 

 formed, though smaller than in the preceding, which gave 

 us reason to believe that this egg had been the last that was 

 laid. In this foetus were observed on the right wing, and 

 near the thorax, a depression and contusion corresponding 

 to the fracture in the egg. 



" We remarked that the beak of the former was of an 

 ash colour, like that of the male, and that the beak of the 

 latter was blacker, like that of the female : we therefore sup- 

 posed that the first was a male, and the second a female. 



" These two foetuses were put into a flask with spirit of 

 ■wine, closed and sealed in the presence of the above wit- 

 nesses, to be kept as an authentic testimony of the prolific 

 powers of these two parrots ; which did not surprise us, as 



we 



