Chap. 79.] 
WHEN BIRDS LAY. 
537 
CHAP. 78. (57.) THE DISEASES OF FOWLS, AND THEIE EEMEDIES. 
The most dangerous malady with every kind of fowl is that 
known as the pituita which is prevalent more par- 
ticularly between the times of harvest and vintage. The 
mode of treatment is to put them on a spare diet, and to ex- 
pose them, while asleep, to the action of smoke, and more es- 
pecially that of bay leaves or of the herb called savin. A 
feather also is inserted, and passed across through the nostrils, 
care being taken to move it every day ; while their food con- 
sists of leeks mixed with speltmeal, or else is first soaked in 
water in which an owlet has been dipped, or boiled together 
with the seeds of the white vine. There are also some other 
receipts besides. 
CHAP. 79. (58.) WHEN BIRDS LAY, AND HOW MANY EGGS. THE 
VAEIODS KINDS OF HEEONS. 
Pigeons have the peculiarity of billing before they couple ; 
they generally lay two eggs, ^N'ature so willing it, that among 
birds the produce should be more frequent with some, and more 
numerous with others. The ring-dove and turtle-dove mostly 
lay three eggs, and never more than twice, in the spring ; 
such being the case when the first brood has been lost. Although 
they may happen to lay three eggs, they never hatch more 
than two ; the third egg, which is barren, is generally known 
by the name of '^urinum.'^^^ The female ring-dove sits on 
the eggs from mid-day till morning, the male the rest of the 
time. Pigeons always produce a male and a female ; the 
male first, the female the day after. Both the male and 
the female pigeon sit on the eggs ; the male in the day-time^ 
the female during the night. They hatch on the twentieth 
day of incubation, and lay the fifth day after coupling. Some- 
times, indeed, in summer, these birds will rear three couples 
in two months ; for then they hatch on the eighteenth day of 
incubation, and immediately conceive agaiu ; hence it is that 
eggs are often found among the young ones, some of which 
last are just taking wing, while others are only bursting 
the shell. The young ones, themselves, begin to produce at 
the age of five months. The females, if there should happen 
to be no male among them, will even tread each other, and lay 
28 The pip. 
29 Meaning the " urine-egg.*' 
