272 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



their shelly prison on the Thursday morning three 

 weeks may be considered as good for nothing. 



The chickens, as soon as hatched, are placed in a 

 warm recess over the incubator, where they are 

 allowed to remain until quite dry. This done, the 

 process of incubation is completed. But the young 

 birds would quickly perish if they were to be now 

 removed from their wooden parent the incubator. 

 They are so tender and delicate as still to require 

 that degree of warmth which in nature is supplied 

 to them by the mother, who gathers them under 

 her wings. If, therefore, our incubation is to be 

 carried to a completely successful issue, an artificial 

 apparatus, which would take the place of the hen 

 in this respect also, must be employed. 



At the " model farm" a number of frames were 

 placed on the grass, which resembled the glass 

 frames used by horticulturists for their tenderer 

 plants. On inspecting these they were found to 

 contain the hen's representative in a very inge- 

 nious form, and to be full of a thriving little family 

 of chickens. This arrangement out of doors is, how- 

 ever, a summer arrangement ; in the winter it is 

 taken in. By its means, although the chickens 

 could get both air and exercise, and appeared to 



