THE COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO 165 
Cruel man must cause the poor foolish bird many an 
anxious moment when he sets her to rear up ducklings. 
It is truly pitiful to watch her distress when the unruly 
brood betakes itself to the dreaded water. 
There is a story told of a goose that saw a hen in 
this predicament, and swam up to her to cackle a few 
words of comfort. The hen seized the opportunity to 
jump upon the goose’s back. The latter, although a 
little scandalized at the hen’s familiarity, was too kind- 
hearted to shake her off, so swam with her alongside her 
duckling children. The hen enjoyed her trip so much 
that she repeated it the next day. 
Then the goose, who hailed from Scotland, determined 
to float a company to take distressed hens for trips on 
the water at 2d. a—but stay! Methinks I hear the gentle 
reader complain of a pulling sensation in the leg. This 
will never do. Let us hie back to the young chicks. 
It is characteristic of the Galline that their young are 
hatched in a highly developed state, and not blind, 
naked, and helpless, as is the case with most young 
birds. The downy chick is so precocious a baby that it 
needs no nest to protect it, consequently the hen does 
not build one, but lays her eggs on the hard ground. 
While yet inside the shell the chick calls out to let its 
mother know that it is prepared to face the troubles and 
- dangers of this life ; then the excited parent breaks the 
little bird’s frail prison by pecking at it. An opening is 
soon formed and the young chick emerges, ready for a 
good solid meal as soon as its mother has taught it how 
to eat, a lesson that is quickly learned. 
Although born in so highly developed a condition, the 
