66 THE REARING AND 



nutritious matter, collects it in her crop, a*nd converts it into 

 wholesome food for Man. After a while her own turn comes 

 to be served; the pleasures of motherhood must be accorded 

 to her. Nature has been sufficiently tasked in one direction; 

 she becomes feverish, loses flesh, her comb is livid, her eye 

 dull. She sees in her heated fancy her young ones crowding 

 around her, bristles her feathers to intimidate an imaginary 

 enemy, and, as if they were already there, she utters the 

 maternal " cluck" " chioccia" " glocientes" " clock-hens ;" 

 "Sic enim apellant rustici aves eas quse volunt incubare." 



In no other bird, that I am aware, is the desire of incuba- 

 tion thus manifested. I am very much inclined to attribute 

 it to the imagination of the Fowl anticipating the duties that 

 are to follow. The cry is exactly the same, although other 

 various tones are afterwards made use of; for example, the 

 acute voice with which she calls her chicks to partake of some 

 dainty, which is also used by the male bird to assemble his 

 Hens on a similar occasion, and the short staccato note which 

 gives warning of danger from a hawk, or a strange dog. In- 

 deed, the language of Fowls, though inarticulate, is sufficiently 

 fixed and determined for us to know what some of it means. 

 But the Hen that "clucks" is evidently thinking about her 

 future young; and she is not alone in indulging such dreams 

 of offspring. A caged Virginian Nightingale has been re- 

 corded to go through the pantomimic actions of feeding its 

 brood in the spring ( Gard. Mag.). A Bantam Hen was barren, 

 but always entered the nest daily, never laying; but at last 

 became broody, was supplied with eggs, and proved an excellent 

 sitter and mother. 



When the determination to sit becomes fixed, there is no 

 need to indulge the first faint indications immediately let her 

 have the nest she has selected well cleaned and filled with 

 fiesh straw. The number of eggs to be given to her will 

 depend upon the season, and upon their and her own size. 



