CHANTICLEER 189 



two, then all, and stood confessed cockerels. In- 

 cidents like this, which are of frequent occurrence, 

 serve to keep alive the exceedingly ancient notion 

 that the sex of the future chick can be foretold from 

 the shape of the egg. As I had no personal interest 

 in the question of the future egg-supply of the 

 establishment, I was not sorry to see the chickens 

 develop into cocks ; what did interest me were their 

 first attempts at crowing — ^those grating sounds 

 which the young bird does not seem to emit, but 

 to wrench out with painful effort, as a plant is 

 wrenched out of the soil, and not without bringing 

 away portions of the lungs cUnging to its roots. 

 The bird appears to know what is coming, like an 

 amateur dentist about to extract one of his own 

 double-pronged teeth, and setting his feet firmly 

 on the ground, and throwing himself well back 

 before an imaginary looking-glass, and with arched 

 neck, wide-open beak, and rolling eyes, courageously 

 performs the horrible operation. One cannot help 

 thinking that a cockerel brought up without any 

 companions of his own sex and age would not often 

 crow, but in this instance there were no fewer than 

 ten of them to encourage each other in the laborious 

 process of tuning their harsh throats. Heard sub- 

 sequently in the quiet of the early morning, these 

 first tuning efforts suggested some reflections to my 

 mind, which may not prove entirely without interest 



