84 FRANK forester's FIELD &PORTS. 



were brought up by a Hen, when abandoned by her, associated 

 with the cows, which they regularly followed to the fields, 

 returned with them when they came home in the evening, 

 stood by them while they were milked, and again accompanied 

 them to the pasture. These remained during the winter, lodg- 

 ing in the stable, but as soon as spring came they disappeared. 

 Of this fact I was informed by a very respectable lady, by 

 whom they were particularly observed. It has been frequently 

 asserted to me that the Quails lay in each others nests. 

 Though I have never myself seen a case of this kind, I do not 

 think it altogether improbable, from the fact that they have 

 often been known to drop their eggs in the nest of the common 

 Hen, when that happened to be in the fields or at a small dis- 

 tance from the house. The two Partridges above mentioned 

 were raised in this manner, and it was particularly remarked by 

 the lady who gave me the information, that the Hen sat for 

 several days after her own eggs were hatched, until the young 

 Quails made their appearance. The Partridge, on her part, 

 has sometimes been employed to hatch the eggs of the common 

 domestic Hen. A friend of mine, who himself made the experi- 

 ment, informs me that of several Hen's eggs which he substi- 

 tuted in place of those of the Partridge, she brought out the 

 whole, and that for several weeks he occasionally surprised her 

 ip various parts of the plantation, with her brood of Chickens, 

 on which occasions she exhibited all that distressful alarm, and 

 practised her usual manoeuvres for their preservation. Even 

 after they were considerably grown, and larger than the Part- 

 ridge herself, she continued to lead them about ; but though the 

 notes or call were those of common Chickens, their manners 

 had all the shyness, timidity, and alarm of young Partridges, 

 running with great rapidity, and squatting in the grass exactly 

 in the manner of the Partridge. Soon after this they disap- 

 peared, having probably been destroyed by dogs, by the gun, 

 or by birds of prey. Whether the domestic fowl might not by 

 this method be very soon brought back to its original savage state, 

 and thereby supply another additional subject for the amusement 



