164 BOMBAY DUCKS 



the ladies for gaily-coloured husbands. Each cock does 

 his utmost to secure a goodly harem of hens. In order 

 to gratify his ambition he must be of gallant appear- 

 ance, of winning manners, and a good fighter. The 

 former qualities enable him to obtain wives and the last 

 to retain them when once secured. 



The Rabbi Jochanan says : " Had the law never been 

 given us, we might still have learned politeness from 

 the cock, who is fair spoken to the female in order to 

 win her. ' I will buy thee a dress/ he whispers in the 

 hen's ear, ' a dress that shall reach down to the very 

 ground.' And when the victory is achieved, he shakes 

 his head solemnly and cries, 'May my comb perish if, 

 when I have the means, I do not keep my word.' " 



If the cock and hen birds differ in appearance, they 

 exhibit still greater diversity in character. The cock is 

 a warrior, valiant, careful of his honour, hot-tempered, 

 albeit prudent, proud, and vain. The hen is the type of 

 good-tempered bourgeoisie, humble, prone to cackle, 

 subservient to her husband, foolish, and affectionate. 

 The carefulness with which she bruises every grain of 

 corn, lest it should hurt the soft palates of her chicks, 

 the way in which she teaches her children to scrape the 

 ground to make it yield up its good things, the tender 

 manner in which she gathers her brood under her wings, 

 and her anxiety and solicitude if one stray from her, 

 are among the most homely and the sweetest sights in 

 nature. But it is unnecessary to dilate upon the affec- 

 tion of a hen for her chickens ; let it suffice that it has 

 been made the subject of one of the most beautiful 

 similes in the Bible. 



