192 CLASS AVF.S. • 



and which I have myself seen, was alive, and in excellent 

 health. It had attained its full size, for it was more than a 

 year old. Its body was covered with feathers of different 

 colours, and it resembled other hens in every respect, except 

 the head ; this was of the usual size, but denuded of feathers, 

 and covered with a bluish skin. The cavities of the eyes 

 were completely formed like those of human eyes ; they were 

 surmounted by two small arches of down, which formed very 

 regular eye-brows. The upper part of the bill was shorter 

 than usual ; it had but one blunted point, and the nostrils 

 were underneath it, so that, although it was horn, it presented 

 the perfect resemblance of a very well made nose ; below 

 this nose, was a very regular mouth, with lips ; two rows of 

 very white teeth, close and pointed, and a rounded tongue, 

 completed this most extraordinary lusus naturce. This 

 resemblance to a human countenance had something in it 

 extremely disagreeable, and even horrid ; but it was perfect, 

 and had no need of the assistance of imagination to be 

 recognized." 



An account of another phenomenon of this kind was 

 published in the Gazette de Sante, in 1810. The resem- 

 blance to a human countenance was not quite so perfect as 

 in the last, but was nevertheless very obvious : — " The place 

 where the bill should be," says the writer, " presents a human 

 profile, resembling that of an old woman ; the bill is entirely 

 wanting; the jaws are shortened, so as to terminate in a 

 point, where the nostrils are placed in other hens ; they are 

 covered with flesh, and resemble lips. The crest, on a face 

 view, forms a kind of nose, so much the more remarkable as 

 the nostrils are placed at the point where this nose terminates 

 and are united to the jaw. A fleshy excrescence, not seen in 

 other hens, is attached below the under jaw, and represents 

 a sort of chin ; this chin is naked, with the exception of a 

 few hairs, and the naked skin which forms it is prolonged 



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