34 



44. — Though in fact the foetus of all kinds of animals is produced from 

 an egg ; the only reason therefore of this distinction is, that in some 

 animals, this egg (if I may be allowed the phrase) is hatched, or brought 

 to perfection in the uterus, whereas all of the feathered kind emit or lay 

 this egg, and produce their young from it by incubation. 



45. — The Pigeon, therefore, is an oviparous bird ; I call it a bird, 

 because all that belong to this genus feed their young ones for some con- 

 siderable time after they are hatched ; whereas, the young ones of the fowl 

 kind will search for their own food, and eat it themselves almost as soon 

 as they are discharged from the shell of that egg in which they were pro- 

 duced. 



46. — It will not here be amiss to give some account of the production 

 of the egg. Nature produces in the ovary, or upper matrix of the hen or 

 female bird, a great cluster of small yolks, sticking together like a bunch 

 of grapes, which from this similitude Dr. Harvey calls a vitellary, and 

 adds that in Pigeons, he has observed this cluster of eggs to be all of a 

 like magnitude, excepting only two which were larger than the rest, and 

 were now ready to descend into the lower uterus or womb. 



47. — The cock in the act of coition impregnates these eggs, and by a 

 wonderful operation of Nature renders them prolifick ; we shall not take 

 upon us here to determine the method by which this is performed, but 

 shall content ourselves with observing that there is a spot at each end of 

 the egg, called by the learned, chalazae, from the resemblance of a small 

 hail-stone, and, vulgarly, the cock's treadles ; these, by a mistake, have 

 been accounted to proceed from the emission of the male, and to contain 

 the plastic virtue of the foetus, but experience has abundantly proved that 

 these treadles are to be found in all eggs, whether they are prolifick and 

 fruitful or subventaneous and addle. 



48. — It is the opinion of most, and that not without great probability, 

 that all the eggs a hen will ever lay, are contained in this vitellary or 

 cluster, and that as soon as this number is exhausted, she will become 

 efFsete or barren. Some people therefore to abuse mankind, and vend a 

 useless bird, wdll oil the vent of a barren hen and force an egg into it, to 

 make you believe she is not effaete ; if you happen to be thus imposed on, 

 that you may not lose your seasons of breeding, by keeping such a hen 

 matched to a good cock, we shall give a method to prove whether she be 

 effaete or not. When the cock drives her hard to nest, give her a pair of 

 eggs, and let her hatch them and bring up ; pursue this method for two or 

 three pair, if you value her, and if she be not barren ; this, and cross- 

 matching her, that is pairing her to another cock, will effectually bring her 

 to laying. 



49. — Before we leave this head, we cannot omit mentioning the 

 dalliances made use of by this bird before coition, which are in a manner 

 endearing and peculiar only to them. And here the cock when salacious, 

 will by a voice at that time peculiarly harmonious, and by several pretty, 

 and as we may call them, foppish gestures, woo the female, and endeavour 

 to incline her to his embraces ; she, if consenting, will soon shew it by 

 her motions, as sweeping her tail, spreading her wings, and giving a nod 

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