UNNATURAL PARENTS. 309 



much too soon, and its death is the result. The 

 poultry keeper is only too well acquainted with 

 these instances of bad conduct on the part of the 

 parent birds, occasionally losing valuable eggs in 

 consequence of the caprice or cruelty of the parent. 

 In nature such accidents as these must be far from 

 common, as the naturalist seldom finds a nest of eggs 

 deserted, or its beautiful fabric deformed by the 

 mangled remains of the young slain by their own 

 parent. It may seem, however, to redeem the 

 character of the domesticated fowls, in some 

 degree, from the charge of cruelty, if we adopt 

 the amiable view proposed by Reaumur, who 

 seemed to fulfil the law of charity even towards 

 the animal world, and was fond of thinking the 

 best even of the worst apparent misconduct. He 

 seems to consider that very often the parents do 

 not do it out of ill-will, but simply out of im- 

 patience, and desire to see the little beings over 

 which they have so long kept a faithful watch ! 

 Sometimes the parent bird, however, will eat up 

 the egg after breaking it, which places her con- 

 duct in a very suspicious light on the score of 

 kind impatience. Man himself is very frequently 

 the cause of death to the chick while yet in the 



