twenty eggs, whicli are somewhat smaller and 

 more elongated than the tame turkey's, but of 

 the same color : dull cream, sprinkled with red- 

 dish dots. 



More than one hunt for the stolen turkey nest 

 has been futile because the cautious mother cov- 

 ered the eggs carefully when leaving them. 

 This is one of the wild habits that have persisted. 

 The wild hen, as the hatching approaches, will 

 not trust even this precaution, but remains with- 

 out food and drink upon the nest until the 

 chicks can be led off. She can scarcely be 

 driven from it, often allowing herself to be cap- 

 tured first. 



Mother-love burns fierce in her. Such help- 

 less things are her chicks ! She hears them 

 peeping in the shell and breaks it to help them 

 out. She preens and dries them and keeps them 

 close under her for days. 



Not for a week after hatching does she allow 

 them out in a rain. After that, against the cold 

 of a wetting, the wild mother, it is said, will feed 

 the buds of the spice-bush to her brood, as our 

 grandmothers used to administer mint tea. 



The tame hen seems to have lost much of this 

 [269] 



