Chap. 79.] WHEN BIRDS LAY. 537 



CHAP. 78. (57.) THE DISEASES OF FOWLS, AND THEIR REMEDIES, 



The most dangerous malady with every kind of fowl is that 

 known as the "pituita;" 28 which is prevalent more par- 

 ticularly between the times of harvest and vintage. The 

 mode of treatment is to put them on a spare diet, and to ex- 

 pose them, while asleep, to the action of smoke, and more es- 

 pecially that of bay leaves or of the herb called savin. A 

 feather also is inserted, and passed across through the nostrils, 

 care being taken to move it every day ; while their food con- 

 sists of leeks mixed with speltmeal, or else is first soaked in 

 water in which an owlet has been dipped, or boiled together 

 with the seeds of the white vine. There are also some other 

 receipts besides. 



CHAP. 79. (58.) WHEN BIRDS LAY, AND HOW MANY EGGS. THE 



VARIOUS KINDS OF HERONS. 



Pigeons have the peculiarity of billing before they couple ; 

 they generally lay two eggs, Nature so willing it, that among 

 birds the produce should be more frequent with some, and more 

 numerous with others. The ring-dove and turtle-dove mostly 

 lay three eggs, and never more than twice, in the spring ; 

 such being the case when the first brood has been lost. Although 

 they may happen to lay three eggs, they never hatch more 

 than two ; the third egg, which is barren, is generally known 

 by the name of "urinum." 29 The female ring-dove sits on 

 the eggs from mid-day till morning, the male the rest of the 

 time. Pigeons always produce a male and a female ; the 

 male first, the female the day after. Both the male and 

 the female pigeon sit on the eggs ; the male in the day-time., 

 the female during the night. They hatch on the twentieth 

 day of incubation, and lay the fifth day after coupling. Some- 

 times, indeed, in summer, these birds will rear three couples 

 in two months ; for then they hatch on the eighteenth day of 

 incubation, and immediately conceive again ; hence it is that 

 eggs are often found among the young ones, some of which 

 last are just taking wing, while others are only bursting 

 the shell. The young ones, themselves, begin to produce at 

 the age of five months. The females, if there should happen 

 to be no male among them, will even tread each other, and lay 



28 The pip. 29 Meaning the u urine-egg." 



