THE HEN THAT HATCHED DUCKS. 9 



of spectacles, and said, " Hum ! Ha ! Extraordinary case, 

 very singular ! " 



" Did you ever see anything like it, Doctor ? " said both 

 parents, in a breath. 



" I Ve read of such cases. It 's a calcareous enlargement 

 of the vascular bony tissue, threatening ossification," said 

 the Doctor. 



" O, dreadful ! can it be possible ? " shrieked both parents. 

 " Can anything be done ? " 



" 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." 



" Dear me, Doctor, I don't know what I shall do, for they 

 seem to have a particular fancy for getting into water." 



"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 " ; 

 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, and they most utterly set themselves against the 



