9G OUR DOMESTIC FOWLS. 



if, however, she perceive that she is discovered, 

 she runs off for several yards, then pauses, 

 struts about, and utters from time to time a 

 cluck of anxiety or impatience. On the de- 

 parture of the intruder, she cautiously returns. 

 It is not often on account of interruption from 

 man that she abandons the eggs; but if any 

 have been sucked by the crow, polecat, or 

 snake, she infallibly leaves them ; this, how- 

 ever, seldom happens where several females 

 incubate in concert, as one or more always 

 guards the common nest, whUe the others are 

 temporarily absent. 



When the eggs are at the point of hatching, 

 the female is doubly assiduous, and will die 

 rather than leave them. She will even suflfer 

 an inclosure to be drawn around her, and 

 while thus imprisoned will attend to her 

 duties. Audubon says, " I once witnessed 

 the hatching of a brood of turkeys, which I 

 watched for the purpose of securing them to- 

 gether with the parent. I concealed myself 

 on the ground within a very few feet, and saw 

 her raise herself half the length of her legs, 

 look anxiously upon the eggs, cluck with a 

 sound peculiar to the mother on such occa- 

 sions, carefully remove each half empty shell, 



