THE HEX FEVER. 117 



tho end of fifteen days, one egg was broken, and Mr. 

 Shanghao -was thar, — alive and kicking, but as yet imma- 

 ture. 



The neighborhood was in the greatest excitement at this 

 ^irospect of success. Our friend commenced to crow 

 (slightly), and, to hasten matters, put on a leetle more 

 steam at a venture. The twenty-second day arrived, and 

 the "boys" assembled to witness the entree of three hun- 

 dred steam-hatched Shanghaes into this breathing world. 

 Our amateur was full of expectation and "fever." One 

 egg was broken ; another, and then another ; when, upon 

 inspection, the entire mass was found to have been thor- 

 oughly boiled ! 



A desperate guffaw was heard as our amateur friend dis- 

 appeared, and his only query since has been to ascertain 

 what actual time is required to boil ascertain quantity of 

 eggs at a given heat, and the smallest probable cost there- 

 of ! As far as heard from, the reply has been, say six gal- 

 lons of good alcohol, at one dollar per gallon, for three 

 hundred eggs ; time (night and day), twenty-two days and 

 seven hours ;'and the product it is generally thought would 

 make capital fodder for young turkeys, — provided said eggs 

 are not boiled too hard ! 



On the subject of the diseases of poultry many learned 

 and sapient dissertations appeared about these days. In one 

 agricultural journal we remember to have met with the fol- 



