308 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



down, after which she returned again to her post. 

 Several other times she was seen performing the 

 same singular act. It appears, that this turkey 

 took offence at being called upon to incubate too 

 many eggs at once, and, in order to relieve 

 herself of the charge, adopted this method of 

 getting rid of them. More frequently, however, 

 she broke them when they exceeded a convenient 

 number. 



The dangers to which the chick is exposed during 

 the period of its life in the shell arise chiefly out 

 of the carelessness or misbehaviour of the hen- 

 bird, or from the attacks of enemies from without, of 

 various kinds. The mother, after continuing with 

 the usual patience to perform her duties of incu- 

 bation, appears sometimes to become weary of the 

 monotonousness of her existence ; and evil is then 

 sure to befall the unhappy half-developed chick. 

 When this is the case, she will abandon her nest 

 and leave the eggs to perish for lack of warmth, 

 or falling upon them she will break them with 

 her beak. Sometimes this act of parental cruelty 

 is done only a few days previous to the birth of 

 the chicks ; the shells are mercilessly broken, the 

 tender body of the chick is exposed to the air 



