THE COCK. 15 



Eggs hatched by the heat ot the human body. 



The heat communicated by the human body 

 has been also found capable of hatching eggs 

 Livia, a Roman lady of distinction, being preg- 

 nant, took a fancy to hatch an egis: in her bosom, 

 with a view to augur the sex of her child from 

 that of the chicken it produced. fhe chicken 

 was a male, and so was the child. What Livia 

 executed, to gratify her curiosity, was under-* 

 taken, in the year 1706, by a young lady of 

 Barre, in order to procure a treat for her tutor. 

 This young lady, whose good sense, virtue, and 

 piety, are highly extolled in the Clef du Cabi- 

 net, in which this fact is related, pretended to be 

 so ill as to be obliged to ke^p her bed. During 

 this time she endeavoured, by the heat of her 

 body, to hatch a turkey's egg ; she was success- 

 ful, and took particular care of the bird, which 

 owed both its life and death to her, till it attain- 

 ed the weight of seven pounds, when she dressed 

 it ; and, (continues the above-mentioned journal), 

 the man, whom she was desirous to please, ac- 

 knowledged that he had never tasted any thing so 

 exquisitely delicate. 



The following experiment, of which we find an 

 account in Buffon's history, is of a nature too 

 singular to be omitted. It consists in cutting off 

 the crests of a pullet, and' inserting in the place 

 one of the spurs, which are then just beginning 

 to spring forth. The spurs, grafted in this mari- 

 ner, by degrees take root in the flesh, derive 

 nourishment from iv, and frequently grow to a 



