CHAP. iv.J FARMING FOR LADIES. 97 



double baize, with rounded bottoms ; but, 

 although thus better fitted to the form of the 

 hen, it has the inconvenience of packing the 

 eggs so close together as to impede her in 

 turning them ; and though very warm, they 

 are yet, if not closely looked into, very apt 

 to nourish lice, to the great annoyance of the 

 fowl which may be lodged in it. 



On this, we confess that we much prefer 

 a round earthen pan, with shelving sides, 

 suflficiently large to make a warm nest of the 

 size of the hen's body, with depth enough 

 to ensure a soft bottom of whatever materials 

 the nest may be made, on which the eggs 

 are to be laid. It may be thought cold : 

 but it is not so ; as the heat of the hen's body 

 imparts and retains a warmth sufficient to 

 render her comfortable, and it has the great 

 advantage of being easily kept entirely free 

 from insects. It is, also, not amiss to have 

 one end of the pan, box, or basket, a little 

 scooped out — so as to allow the hen, when she 

 occasionally leaves her nest, to return to it 

 with such ease as not to incur the risk of 

 breaking her eggs by hopping upon them 

 from any height, however small — an accident 



H 



