ï 44 Travels into the Levant. Part L 
C H A p. XL 
Of the Ovens that hatch ChicJ^nr. 
LL that I have related hitherto, are fuch things as may be daily feen, 
and whoever Travels into that Countrey, may fee them at his leifure, 
when he thinks fit. But there are alfo feveral other curious things that are 
cafual and temporary -, and others again, which yearly happen but at fuch a 
time and feafon. I lhall relate what I have leen of both, according to the 
order of'time they happen in, and I faw them. The firft of thefe extraordi- 
na|||^ things I faw at Cain, was the artificial way of hatching Chickens ; one - 
would think it a Fable, at firft, to fay that Chickens are hatch'd, without Hens 
fitting upon the Eggs j and a greater, to fay, that they are fold by the Bufliel: 
Neverthelefs both are true, and for that efFed, they put their Eggs in Ovens, 
The manner which they heat with fo temperate a warmth, which imitates fo well the 
of the Ovens natural heat, that Chickens are formed and hatched in them. Thefe Ovens 
of Chickens^ are io a low place, and in a manner under ground -, they are made of Earth, 
* round within, the Hearth or Floor of them being covered all over with Tow 
or Flocks to put the Eggs upon. There are in all twelve of thefe Ovens, fix on 
each fide in two ranks or ftories, there being two ftories on each fide, and 
three Ovens in each ftcrie. Thefe two fides are feparated by a Street or Way, 
through which they who work in them (who are all Copbtes) and thofe that 
come to fee them, pafs. Thèy begin to heat their Ovens about the middle of 
Fthruary^ and continue to do fo for almoft four months fpace. They heat them 
How the O- vvith a very temperate heat, only of the hot afhes of Oxen and Camels-dung, or 
vsns arc hea- ^j^g jjj^g^ which they put at the mouth of each Oven, and daily change it, put- 
^ ' ting frefli hot dung into the fame place. This they do for the fpace of ten 
days,and then lay the Eggs upon the Tow and Flocks that are within the Ovens9 
ranking them all round and they'll put about eight thoufand in an Oven. 
After twelve days time that the Eggs have been there , the Chickens are 
hatch'd, and come out ; fo that the time of heating the Ovens, and the time 
the Eggs have been in them, make in all two and twenty days : But it is plealant 
to fee thefe Chickens, in one fide fome thrufting out their heads, others ftri- 
ving and ftruggling to get out their bodies, and others again (which on the 
other fide are quite out of the (hell) tripping up and down upon the reft of the 
Eggs ; for if you ftay there but the leaft, you'll fee all thefe progrefies. When 
they are all hatched, they gather them up, meafure them in a Bufiiel that wants 
a bottom, and fell them by that meafure to all that pleafe to buy, and then 
divide the profit betwixt the Owners and the Mafters of the Ovens. During 
the four months that they plie this bufinefs, they ufe above three hundred thou- 
fand Eggs, but alldo not fucceed. Such as have a very nice palate, think that 
thefe Pullets are not fo good as thofe which art hatched by a Hen, but the dif- 
ference is but little, or rather it is only in fancy, and it is'ftill very much to 
imitate Nature fo near. Many think that this cannot be done but in ^y^gyft^ 
becaufe of the warmth of the Climate j but the Great Duke of Florence having 
fent for one of thefe Men, he hatched them afwel there as in i^gyft : The fame 
alfo (as I was told) had been done in Poland ^ and I certainly believe it may be 
done any where, provided it be in fome place undei" ground,where no Air comes 
in -, but i he great difficulty is to proportion the heat to fuch a temperate degree, 
that there be neither too much nor too little, either of which would prove 
unfuccesful. 
CHAP. 
