THE HEN THAT HATCHED DUCKS. 9 



of spectacles, and said, &quot; Hum ! Ha ! Extraordinary case, 

 very singular ! &quot; 



&quot; Did you ever see anything like it, Doctor ? &quot; said both 

 parents, in a breath. 



&quot; I Ve read of such cases. It s a calcareous enlargement 

 of the vascular bony tissue, threatening ossification,&quot; said 

 the Doctor. 



&quot; O, dreadful ! can it be possible ? &quot; shrieked both parents. 

 &quot; Can anything be done ? &quot; 



&quot; Well, I should recommend a daily lotion made of mosqui 

 toes horns and bicarbonate of frogs toes, together with a 

 powder, to be taken morning and night, of muriate of fleas. 

 One thing you must be careful about : they must never wet 

 their feet, nor drink any water.&quot; 



&quot; Dear me, Doctor, I don t know what I shall do, for they 

 seem to have a particular fancy for getting into water.&quot; 



&quot; Yes, a morbid tendency often found in these cases of 

 bony tumification of the vascular tissue of the mouth ; but 

 you must resist it, ma am, as their life depends upon it &quot; ; 

 and with that Dr. Peppercorn glared gloomily on the young 

 ducks, who were stealthily poking the objectionable little 

 spoon-bills out from under their mother s feathers. 



After this poor Mrs. Feathertop led a weary life of it ; for 

 the young fry were as healthy and enterprising a brood of 

 young ducks as ever carried saucepans on the end of their 

 noses, a.nd they most utterly set themselves against the 



