APPENDIX. 337 



some plan. He selects a piece of clover * facing the south, and 

 sheltered from the north and east winds by a contiguous small copse 

 which he feels assured can harbour no destructive vermin. On this 

 grass-plat, if the weather is fine, he places the common barn-door 

 hens, each with her brood the moment they are hatched, under 

 separate small coops. Two or three boards run from each coop, 

 forming a temporary enclosure, which is removed in about a week 

 on the little inmates gaining strength. If he has any fear of their 

 being carried off by hawks, &c., he fixes a net overhead. The hens 

 had sat on the eggs in an outhouse. 



The first food given to the chicks is soaked bread, and white of 

 eggs cut up fine! The colour (is not that a bull ?) catches their eye, 

 which is the alleged reason for all their food being given to them 

 white. Ants' nests are procured for them, of the red ant first, of 

 the larger kind, when the chicks become so strong that the insects 

 cannot injure them later in the season, wasps' nests. When there 

 is a difficulty in procuring any of these nests, curd is often given ; 

 but should it become sour, as frequently happens in hot weather, it 

 is likely to occasion dysentery, f therefore oatmeal porridge made 

 with milk is considered a safer diet. This is eagerly picked up 

 when scattered about, sprinkled as it were, and the weaker chicks 



are thus enabled to secure a fair share. T n breeds a quantity 



of maggots for them, and at no expense, in the adjacent copse. 

 Whatever vermin he kills (whether winged or four-footed) he hangs 

 up under a slight awning as a protection from the rain. On the 

 flesh decaying the maggots drop into the box placed underneath to 

 receive them. The insects soon become clean, if sand and bran is 

 laid at the bottom of the box, and it is an interesting sight to see 

 the excited little birds eagerly hurrying from all quarters to the 

 grass-plat on the keeper striking the tray with his knuckles to invite 

 them to partake of some choice maggots, spread out on sanded 

 boards. 



If a piece of carrion is placed under a wire netting near the 

 coops, the chicks will feed with avidity on the flies it attracts. 



Change of food is beneficial : therefore, boiled barley or rice, is 

 often substituted, or oatmeal, or Indian-corn meal, mixed with the 

 flesh of boiled rabbits. 



Saucers of clean water are placed about. Water in a dirty state 

 is very injurious. It is not of any depth, lest the chicks should wet 

 their feathers when standing in it. Occasionally iron saucers are 

 used, ingeniously designed on the ridge and furrow plan. The 



* Clover does not retain the wet lump about the size of a walnut 



like common grass, and it affords to half a gallon of water also 



some shade in hot weather to the mix such a quantity of common 



very young birds. salt in their food, that the stim- 



t Until the young birds recover ulant therein is quite perceptible 



do not let them have access to to your taste, and feed more 



any water in which alum is not sparingly than usual, 

 dissolved in the proportion of a 



