FACTS OBSERVED IN HATCHING. 153 



license. If, then, we take into account that six or 

 eight broods are annually hatched in each oven, 

 and that each brood consists of from 40,000 to 

 80,000, we may conclude that the gross number of 

 chickens which are every year hatched in Egypt 

 amounts to nearly 100,000,000. They lay their ac- 

 count with losing about a third of all the eggs put 

 into the ovens. The Bermean, indeed, guaranties 

 only two thirds of the eggs with which he is in- 

 trusted by the undertaker, so that out of 45,000 

 eggs he is obliged to return no more than 30,000 

 chickens. If he succeeds in hatching these, the 

 overplus becomes his perquisite, which he adds to 

 the sum of thirty or forty crowns, besides his 

 board, that is paid him for his six months' work. 



A few years ago an individual in the vicinity of 

 London contrived an apparatus for hatching by 

 means of steam, and exhibited it in the Egyptian 

 Hall, Piccadilly ; but we have not learned that he 

 ever carried his invention so far as to make a trade 

 of the chickens which he hatched. 



The importance of keeping the eggs at a uniform 

 temperature is beautifully illustrated by the care 

 which hens may be observed to take in arranging 

 the eggs they are hatching. Among other curious 

 facts connected with this subject, is that of a hen 

 throwing out or eating the eggs which she cannot 

 conveniently cover. 



We had brought to us three eggs of the wood- 

 wren (Sylvia sibilatrix, BECHSTEIN), and being anx- 

 ious to have them hatched, we introduced them, 

 after warming them slightly, into the nest of a ca- 

 nary, then sitting upon four eggs of her own. In 

 the course of the day two of her own eggs had dis- 

 appearegl, having, we inferred, been destroyed by 

 her because she could not cover the seven so as 

 to keep them at a uniform temperature, the three 

 small eggs being nearly equal in size to the two 

 which were gone. It is no doubt for the same 



