BOOK X. Lxxvi, 155-LXXIX. 158 



her brood, then her puzzled sobs as she anxiously 

 calls them to her, and finally her lamentations round 

 the margin of the pond when the eliicks under the 

 guidance of instinct take to the water. 



LXXVII. Marks of good breeding in hens are ansigmof 

 upstanding comb, which is occasionally double, 5^^^^'" 

 black feathers, red beak, and uneven claws, some- 

 times one lying actually across the four others. 

 Fowls with yellow beak and feet seem not to be un- 

 blemished for purposes of rehgion, and black ones 

 for the mystery rites." Even the dwarf variety is 

 not sterile in the case of the domestic fowl, which is 

 not the case in any other breeds of birds, though 

 with the dwarf fowl rehabihty in laying is unusual, 

 and sitting on the eggs is harmful to the hen. 



LXXVIII. But the worst enemy of every kind is Pouitry 

 the pip, and especially between the time of harvest ''"^"*^' 

 and vintage. The cure is in hunger, and they must 

 He in smoke, at all events if it be produced from 

 bay-leaves or savin, a feather being inserted right 

 through the nostrils and shifted daily ; diet garUc 

 mixed with spelt, either steeped in water in which 

 an owl has been dipped or else boiled with white 

 vine seed, and certain other substances. 



LXXIX. Pigeons go through a special ceremony Mating o/ 

 of kissing before mating. They usually lay two eggs ^^^'"^'"'- 

 at a time, nature so i-egulating as to make some 

 produce larger chicks and others more numerous. 

 The woodpigeon and the turtle-dove lay at most 

 thi-ee eggs at a time, and never more than twice in a 

 spring, and keeping a rule that, if the former lay goes 

 bad, even although they lay three eggs they never 

 rear more than two chicks ; the third egg, which is 

 unfertile, they call a wind-egg. The hen wood- 



393 



