DOMESTIC COCK. 171 



crowing often during the night before Christmas, and 

 its supposed effect of driving off evil spirits, is fami- 

 liar to us from the well-known lines in Hamlet : 



Some say, that ever 'gainst that season comes 

 Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated, 

 This bird of dawning singeth all night long : 

 And then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad ; 

 The nights are wholesome ; then no planets strike, 

 No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm, 

 So hallow'd and so gracious is the time. 



I once was staying at a friend's house in the 

 month of January, where the cock crew every even- 

 ing regularly at nine o'clock; keeping it up for 

 about ten minutes, and then desisting. 



March, 1841. A friend, residing in the next vil- 

 lage to this, communicates to me the following cir- 

 cumstance in proof of the courage and ferocity of 

 the common hen under the attacks of an enemy, 

 whilst engaged in incubation. 



A fowl, which had commenced sitting in the hen- 

 house upon thirteen eggs, was observed each suc- 

 cessive morning to have lost one or more of them 

 during the night, till the number was reduced to 

 nine. At length, one morning, a rat was found 

 lying dead on the ground near the nest, with its 

 skull fractured, whilst the hen bore marks of hav- 

 ing sustained a severe conflict : her breast was torn 

 and bloody, and her feathers much ruffled. The rat 

 was a very large one ; and there could be no doubt 



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