DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 59 



world, this practice of the mother of retiring to 

 some secret place when she gave birth to yonng 

 was an exceedingly^ useful precaution. 



Domestic fowls hide their nests for the same 

 reason. And in those fowls like the turkey and 

 the guinea-hen, which have been most recently 

 domesticated, this instinct is much stronger than 

 it is in the more anciently domesticated chickens. 

 Some breeds of chickens don't seem to have much 



•THE GOOSE COVERS 

 HER EGGS WHEN 

 SHE LEAVES HER 

 NEST" 





of this instinct left. They lay their eggs openly, 

 almost any place where a nest is provided, al- 

 tho they may prefer to have the nest some- 

 what secluded. The goose takes the additional 

 precaution of covering her eggs with grass and 

 sticks when she leaves her nest to feed. How ab- 

 surd it is for a goose to come off her nest right in 

 plain sight, and go to work and cover up her eggs. 

 But the wheels of her nature have gone round in 

 this way so often in the wild life that they can't 

 stop now. They continue to run on after all rea- 

 sons for their movement have passed away. 

 Sometimes a goose vdW show a weakening of this 



