72 SAVAGE SURVIVALS 



the fact by cackling. It looks as tho these two 

 instincts -Nvould in practice have, the effect of 

 counteracting each other. And they do in civiliza- 

 tion. But we must remember in seeking explana- 

 tion for the instincts of domesticated animals that 

 these instincts were for the most part laid doAvn in 

 the natures of these creatures in circumstances 

 very different from those which surround them 

 today. The hen as a wild bird laid her eggs in a 

 secret nest and cackled, long before there were any 

 beings as intelligent as men on the earth. 



It has been supposed that the running and cack- 

 ling that the hen indulges in when she leaves her 

 nest is a trick which she used to lure the fox from 

 her nest. The fox would follow the hen and for- 

 get the nest. The dove and the partridge employ 

 tricks of this kind to lure enemies from the vicin- 

 ity of their nest. And this probably is the expla- 

 nation of the noisy flight of the hen when she is 

 disturbed on her nest. 



The cackling and flight which a hen indulges in 

 when disturbed are probably a different perform- 

 ance from the ordinary cackling of the hen after 

 laying an egg. I notice that when the hen cackles 

 the rooster cackles too. And it may be that this 

 duet has in the wild state the purpose of announc- 

 ing the location of the two individuals to each 

 other. Wild chickens live in families, each com- 

 posed of a single male and several females. The 

 male is very jealous of his wives and very loyal to 

 them. He regards himself as their natural lord 



