THE HEN. 209 



progeny, soon conducts them from the place of her 

 retreat, selects the choicest food for their sustenance, 

 and invites them to partake of it by a clucking sound. 

 Whatever animal she thinks likely to invade her pos- 

 sessions, she flies at with the most undaunted spleen, 

 and will attack the horse, the hog, the mastiff, and even 

 venture to fly at the fox himself. 



Ten or twelve eggs are as many as this animal is able 

 to nurture and carefully breed ; for, if a larger number 

 is suffered to remain in the nest, some of them gene- 

 rally become addled and decayed. At Grand Cairo, 

 every spring, six or seven thousand chickens are 

 hatched without the least assistance from the hen ; 

 for, by placing the eggs in stoves erected for their re- 

 ception, and constantly supplying them with a regular 

 degree of heat, they are brought into the world in as 

 great a degree of perfection as if parental warmth had 

 been the means of calling them into life. 



THE PEACOCK AND THE PEAHEN. 



When the peacock appears with its tail expanded, 

 its plumage represents the greatest variety of shades ; 

 but to form a conception of the beauty of its appear- 

 ance, the living object must be presented to the sight. 

 Although the form of this bird is so completely ele- 

 gant, and its feathers diversified by the most brilliant 

 tints and shades, its voice is so thoroughly hoarse and 

 disagreeable, that it may be heard at the distance of 

 two or three miles : it is likewise allowed to be an in- 

 ;atiable glutton, and the most offensive of all the 

 lomestic tribe. 



The first peacocks that were introduced into this 

 •ountry are allowed to have been brought from the 

 ~ast Indies ; vast flocks of them are still in the Java 



p 



