50 OUR HUMBLE HELPERS 



seems to say ; 'let us try again. ' And another crumb 

 goes down; then a little piece of yolk of egg follows. 

 Henceforth it can manage for itself. The example 

 spreads ; one here, another there, tries its beak ; the 

 hen repeating her patient lesson for the less clever 

 of the brood. Soon they have all understood and are 

 vying with one another in their assaults on the pap. 

 Then comes a lesson in drinking. How to plunge 

 the beak fearlessly into the water, how to raise the 

 head heavenward so as to let the mouthful of liquid 

 go down the throat, is what the hen will show her 

 pupils by repeated examples. In imitating her, 

 some giddy one will perhaps put its foot into the 

 water or even fall into the plate, a fearful possibil- 

 ity for the inexperienced drinker. But the hen will 

 dry the unfortunate one under her wings and show 

 it another time how to manage better. To be brief, 

 in a single short session the whole brood has been 

 taught the two chief needs of this world, eating and 

 drinking. ' ' 



"They are scholars quick to learn, " said Jules. 

 "It is true the prompting of the stomach, hunger, 

 must have helped them." 



"Hardly a week has passed before the young 

 chickens are out of the coop and running around, 

 though not to any great distance, for if one appears 

 to want to go off the mother admonishes it and re- 

 calls it to more prudent ways. If she suspects the 

 slightest danger she recalls them all to her retreat by 

 a persuasive clucking. Immediately the little chick- 

 ens scamper back, squeeze between the bars or crawl 



