CHAP. IV.] FARMING FOR LADIES. 103 



and white ; which if not quite distinctly sepa- 

 rate, and clear of any cloudiness in colour, the 

 egg is not fit for use. We have heard it said, 

 " that on putting the tongue to an unboiled egg, 

 its freshness may be ascertained by its inter- 

 nal warmth :" on which we may remark, that 

 such a test will be useless to any other than a 

 very sensitive palate, and that we have tried 

 It upon an egg of only two days old without 

 being able to discern any degree of heat 

 which could lead to such a conclusion. The 

 surest way is, however, to use none but eggs 

 layed by your own hens ; of the freshness of 

 which you can be sure, and of their fecunda- 

 tion there can be little doubt if the hens are 

 coupled with a healthy young cock, which has 

 not been allowed to have too many mates. 



It has been long thought— though very little 

 reliance can be placed on its correctness — 

 that eggs of the more rounded form produce 

 hens, while those which are long and pointed 

 at the smaller end yield cocks. Parmentier, 

 however, considers the appearance of the air- 

 bag as a more certain sign — for if it be exactly 

 in the centre, a cock will be hatched, or, if a 

 little on one side, a hen ; and this being the 



