56 OBSERVATIONS IN 



more vigour, than the leg has, I conceived it to be a proper part to make 

 a comparative experiment with the leg ; the more so, since transplanting 

 would be against the experiment, if it had any effect. I took off a 

 cock's spur from one leg and placed it in his comb ; and I found that 

 this spur grew much faster than the one left on his leg ; indeed, more 

 than twice as fast 1 . 



From all which, I conclude that the power of growth is equal to the 

 power in the hen herself, and [to the power] which is within the spur ; 

 but, when transplanted to a stronger soil, the spur grows equally to the 

 powers of that soil. And this is in some degree reversed in trans- 

 planting the spur of a cock upon a hen : for, although the cock's spur 

 has full power of growth within itself, yet as the hen, on which it is 

 transplanted, has not so much power as the cock, it only grows at half 

 the rate it would have grown if it had been left on the cock. 



That it requires a certain quantity of powers, in either or both, to 

 make the spur grow, appears from the fact that some hens have their 

 spurs grow pretty considerably ; but we may observe that such hens 

 are strong and vigorous, usually coming nearer the cock. They com- 

 monly have their combs longer, which I imagine arises from the same 

 cause*. They are more given to fight, often crow, and I believe are 

 bad ' layers ;' from all which, it would appear that the true or perfect 

 female character is attended with a degree of weakness, but endowed 

 with health. 



Of the Rising of Animals. 



All the ruminating class of animals, I believe, when they rise, raise 

 their hind parts, and at the same time get upon their fore knees : this 

 is the first step. Then they raise their hind parts entirely upon their 

 hind feet ; then the fore feet are raised, but one before the other. 



When they lie down they first get upon the knees of the fore legs ; 

 then the hind parts fall down ; and then the fore legs are folded in 

 under the body of the animal. 



A horse, when he rises, first raises his anterior parts upon his fore 

 feet, the fore legs being then very oblique and the feet under his head : 

 the hind legs are brought alongside his belly and the feet are under 

 him. He then raises at once the hind parts ; in which action the 

 fore legs are brought erect, by the whole body being brought forwards 

 upon the feet. 



* To know how far the comb of a hen might grow larger on a cock, I trans- 

 planted several, but never could get them to attach themselves. 



[' Hunterian Museum, Pathological Series, Prep. No. 54.] 



