Eggs hatched by a Turkey Cock. 309 



ground to a perfect true and fine edge, without warp or bend, 

 that it may move through a perfect plane. '1 he accuracy 

 and delicacy with which it works may be judged by fig. 5, 

 which reprefents a microfcopic view of a cutting made trom 

 lb fragile a fubftance as a ple-ce of char-coal. 



XV. Remarkable Infiance of a Turkey Cock hatching Eggs. 

 By M. Oedmann. From New Tranfactions of the Aca- 

 demy of Sciences at Stockholm. Vol. X. 



M, 



.ALE fowls, which aflbciate with a plurality of females, 

 care fo little for their pofterity, particularly in a wild ftate, 

 that they do not feem to have the lead affinity to the young 

 when hatched, and contribute neither towards rearing nor 

 protecting them ; on this account M. Oedmann confiders the 

 following circumftance to be very Angular; fuch, perhaps, 

 as was never before obferved. In the month of May 1789 

 a turkey-hen was fitting upon eggs, and ag the cock, in his 

 folitude, began to be uneafy and to feem dejected, he was 

 allowed to remain in the fame place along with her. He 

 immediately fat down by the female, and people at firft be- 

 lieved that this was only a piece of gallantry ; but they foon 

 found that he had taken fome of the eggs from under the hen, 

 which he covered very carefully with his body. The maid, who 

 looked after the poultry, thought this mode of hatching would 

 be attended with little advantage, and therefore put the eggs 

 back under the hen ; but the cock was no fooner at liberty 

 than he again carried fome of them away as before. M. Ha- 

 felhuhn, the proprietor, when he obferved this, refolved, 

 for the fake of experiment, to let the cock have his own way, 

 and he caufed a neft to be prepared with as many eggs as 

 the animal's large body was able to coyer. The cock feemed 

 to be highly pleafed with this mark of confidence, fat with 

 jrreat patience on the eggs, and was fo attentive to the care of 

 patching them that he fcarcely took time to go in fearch of 

 X 3 food. 



