
344 
the fact of some being considerably staler than 
others, it is requisite for the safety of the entire 
brood to remove them as soon as hatched ; other- 
wise, when, for the purposes of supplying nature’s 
requirements, the hen moves off to feed, a little 
youngster may follow her. Should the nest be 
elevated, he may perhaps venture after the 
pareut bird and make his descent; but return he 
cannot. He is necessarily either left to die, or the 
entire brood to perish. Removal, therefore, in 
such a case is requisite; but this should be done 
with great care. A small basket is very handy 
for this purpose; and after having been wrapped 
in flannel and placed therein, a position before 
the fire until the remainder of his brethren are in 
a sufficiently advanced state to receive him, is 
all that is necessary or desirable—(at the same 
time no opportunity must be afforded for allowing 
his enemy, the cat, to obtain possession of his 
person). 
In most cases, I much disapprove of people 
meddling with chicks; considering it far wiser, 
and much more in conformity with the regulations 
of nature, to allow the hen the lawful privilege 
of bringing off her brood as she considers 
best. Nevertheless, a prudent glance from time 
to time, to see all is right, is not amiss. The 
nest should be as near the ground as possible, to 
allow them to take flight without descent. 
Another practice of common occurrence, and 
which proves both irritating and annoying to the 
hens, is the frequent changing and removal of 
their chicks for others not their own, whose ap- 
pearances do not always engage their fancies. 
The hen is usually sufficiently acquainted with 
the characteristics of her progeny to judge and 
recognise her own from those of others; espe- 
cially as their visible properties become developed. 
She observes their size and progress. Where 
there are, however, many others of the same age 
and color as one or two of her offspring, she is 
generally deceived. Were a hen privileged to 
lay and bring up her own, there is very little 
doubt she would become still more acute; and if 
matched with a bird of the same class and feather, 
her chicks would be more of one color; and no 
other would she allow in her broods to pass 
unnoticed, or without an effort at destruction. A 
few years ago, a friend possessed a black game 
hen (irish black), whose incubating powers were 
unequalled in the annals of bis poultry journal. 
Her instinct, too, was keen; and too acute to 
allow a chick of any other tint to escape her 
notice. Her sentence of destruction was invari- 
ably carried into execution upon every unfor- 
tunate specimen excluded, even in her own nest, 
whose appearance did not resemble hers in cast 
and color. 
Upon one occasion, a few blood-wing pile eggs 
(game), of choice quality and strain, were incau- 
tiously deposited in her nest to make up the 
number of thirteen; she at once officiated as 
incubator with her accustomed good-humor ; and 
remained a close and constant sitter at her post 
until the twenty-first day elapsed She then 
again allowed her cruelty to exceed her modera- 
tion; and of the eight chickens which, by the 
appearance of the shells, were known to have 
existed, not one remained alive. Stranger still 
to say, two in her anger were devoured (with the 




KIDD’S OWN JOURNAL. 
exception of the head and legs). It need scarcely 
be mentioned that this vixen hen was not again 
permitted to indulge her passions in the slaughter 
of her species; but was placed at the disposal of 
the cook without delay. 
If a full and goodly brood be desired at any one 
time, the best method of successfully accomplish- 
ing this is to engage the services of two mature 
hens the same day ; if one proves unfortunate, or 
some portion of the eggs unproductive, the pro- 
duce of the two may be united; and the hen, 
thus robbed of her youngsters, again allowed a 
second charge of eggs (which, by-the-bye, should 
be rather less in number than at her previous 
sitting). The success resulting from this method 
is most assuredly greater, and the means employed 
more practical, than endeavoring to make up the 
deficiency of a brood by forcing upon a hen chicks 
whose size denotes a week or two of older growth, 
whose appearance likewise arouses the lhen’s 
attention ; and their wild cries to gain her notice 
are far from desirable. Whereas, the removal of 
the newly-hatched chicks to the desired spot, if 
effected after dark, leaves neither traces of annoy- 
ance to the privileged hen, who cannot have too 
many chicks to please her, nor to the robbed one; 
asitting of eggs, if given in exchange, tran- 
quillises her mind and satisfies her fully. 
If but a day or two have elapsed since their 
departure from the nest, and if during this time 
they have been confined to their mother’s tender 
care, her color, size, and general appearance, her 
tone of voice and actions, are so well known, that 
although, from the multiplicity of others of the 
same age and color, she be unable to distinguish 
hers, they are kept distinct by the instinctive 
knowledge the little youngsters themselves pos- 
sess. Sometimes the solicitous mother, in her 
anxiety to defend her offspring from molestation, 
or the maltreatment of an enemy, or even from 
one of her own species, will rush vigorously 
forward, little heeding the mischief resulting 
from her own deeds in the trampling and scatter- 
ing of those so dear to her. 
We can, most of us, verify the truth of 
this. It is a subject we propose to allude 
to further hereafter. Meantime, we recom- 
mend that the composition of this work 
should be looked to im future numbers. The 
sentences are far too long, and ill constructed. 
Some kind literary friend should revise the 
MS. before going to press. 

A New PLAN OF PUBLISHING. By ROBERT 
HARDWICKE. 
The author of this work resides at 38, 
Carey Street. We record this pro bono. 
Hitherto all authors unknown to fame 
have published,—and been “fleeced,” of 
course. Now we are told they may publish, 
and preserve their “wool.’’ This is a fact 
which must shake Paternoster Row from 
one end to the other. What! an author 
publish, and not be brought in “a debtor !”’ 
Monstrous idea ! 
We are not going to unravel the thread of 
this apparent and really interesting mystery. 


