Birds. 



8321 



night I was unable to find it again in the morning, without more dis- 

 turbance than I liked to risk with so large an area of search. When 

 discovered, which was not till the sitting was over, it was unfortu- 

 nately broken. The highest temperature I actually observed was 96°. 

 A large Dorking hen, with the same instrument, registered 103° as the 

 maximum ; average 98°. 



Last season I noted that three more eggs w r ere laid into the nest 

 after the bird w r as settled. This year we had the opportunity of seeing 

 the female bird deliberately walk up to the nest, and therein deposit ano- 

 ther egg, without materially disturbing the sitting bird, who immediately 

 took proper charge of it. The process did not take above one minute, 

 so that it required to be in luck's way to have the opportunity of 

 witnessing it. This must have been repeated four times, for the first 

 time the bird was off long enough to enable me to get a good view of 

 the nest, there were sixteen eggs in it ! This, I believe, was too many. 

 At times, during the long period of incubation, they were not all com- 

 pletely covered. The sitting was as assiduous as last year, but this 

 season I adopted the plan of feeding the bird regularly on the nest, 

 rather than he should famish himself as before. He took compara- 

 tively little, but the restless period at the end of four weeks did no.t 

 supervene. 



In the fifth week I found one of the eggs broken in the nest, with 

 an embryo chick in process of formation. This was encouraging, 

 independently of the loss. Exactly a fortnight afterwards the same 

 thing occurred again. The progress towards chickenhood was very 

 marked ; the head, beak and legs were perfectly formed, and the 

 feathers over the body had made their appearance. I was somewhat 

 uneasy at the cause of these accidents, when, a day or two afterwards, 

 happening to catch the bird off the nest, I saw the one that was at 

 large — the hen bird — deliberately walk up, and, with a scolding air, 

 endeavour, with her strong neck acting as a lever, to force her faithful 

 partner down upon the nest again. Tn this attempt, of course, a 

 struggle ensued, and thus it was no doubt the fractures had occurred. 

 Nut being disposed to run any further risk from the same cause, I shut 

 the hen bird off from that time. 



Eight weeks were completed without further accident. We were 

 on the tiptoe of daily expectation. Nine weeks elapsed without 

 result. We all began to look serious. Two days more expired 

 fruitlessly, and I believe all but myself had quite given up all hopes. 

 The bird still continued to sit unweariedly, and I thought of the last 

 four eggs laid into the nest, the normal time for all of which could not 

 VOL. XXI. C 



