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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
which had a very eventful hfe that would be too 
long to describe now. 
Another case of remarkable hatching happened 
in 1867. I had never, at that time, heard of any 
attempt to hatch eggs that had crossed the At¬ 
lantic, although this has often been done sinje. 
A friend called to ask my advice about bringing 
eggs from England for hatching, as he was about 
to visit that country and was anxious to bring 
some eggs back with him. I told him I believed 
it possible, and advised him to pack them in a 
box with flue cut hay and to turn the box over 
every day, so that it would lay one side up one 
day and the other side up next day. Ho bought 
eggs in Lincolnshire, England, carried them by 
rail upwards of a hundred miles to London, stav¬ 
ed there two weeks, then transported them by 
rail about two hundred miles to Liverpool, then 
took steamer for New York, had a voyage of 
fourteeu days, during which he kept the eggs 
under his pillow and turned them every night. 
T t was cold wbon he arrived here, and he was 
two weeks longer before he could get a broody 
hen ; thus he kept the eggs altogether six weeks. 
He gave her tho thirteen eggs, from whioh she 
brought out eleven fine Silver-Spangled Hamburg 
chicks. .1 made several visits to witness the pro¬ 
ceeding. 1 attribute the successful issue to two 
causes—tho cool weather, and the turning of the 
eggs daily. 
It. takes a very hard shake to disturb tho inte¬ 
rior of an egg ; but if laid on one side a few days 
the yelk will dry to that part of the shell which 
is at the top, as it floats, thus spoiling the egg 
for hatching. If not turned daily, keep eggs 
with the big ends upward. Eggs may be sent a 
long distance by express, if turned daily. I often 
receive them from a distance of one or two hun¬ 
dred miles without finding any porceptiblo differ¬ 
ence in batching, and that VoitlunU their being 
turned, as here recommended. Henry Hales. 
--. 
POULTRY FARMS IN ENGLAND. 
Ok late we have heard much of extensive 
poultry farms which are reported to bo paying 
large profits in sonic instances. Perhaps, how¬ 
ever, these are more in anticipation than in 
actual realization. Poultry breeding on a largo 
scale has boen tried in Europe much more ex- 
tcnsvely than in America; hence our cousins 
across the big pond can speak from a larger ex¬ 
perience in this matter. Hitherto their attempts 
in this direction do not seem to promise any 
greater measure of success than those made in 
this country, judging from an article in tho 
Agricultural Gazette, in which the writer, in 
answer to the question, “ Do large poultry farms 
pay ?” says: 
“ Observing how some are proposed, and then 
and there end — how one after the other they 
appear in the market—we may emphatically and 
decidedly say that they do not pay. Moreover, 
if they have not paid during the last half-dozen 
years, there is every reason to doubt the wisdom 
of such a speculation at tho present time. That 
poultry farming might be carrried ou to a far 
greater extent than it now is, and prove an in¬ 
teresting and profitable business, we readily al¬ 
low. Though not on a poultry farm, wo are not 
of those who have advocated and still advocate 
that the very inferior grain will do well enough 
for the fow Is. On the contrary, it has been 
again and again asserted in these columns that 
wbon an ontiay is necessary, tho best of every¬ 
thing is the cheapest in the cod. In the farm¬ 
yard, during a great part of tho year, the best of 
grain msy bo picked up, and if not picked up by 
the birds, must bo lost. There may be found a 
Lealtliy range, a desirable change of food, and 
all that is necessary, at a very small cost. A 
certain amount of small and inferior grain must 
bo fouud even in the best of seasons, and this 
the farmer would be uuwise to sell; it is gene¬ 
rally described as ‘chicken’B corn,' and as such 
it will undoubtedly pay best. It grows on the 
farm, the fowls oat it., and they grow on the 
farm coming as they do to be fed, after run¬ 
ning in search of what they can get, and finding 
a vast quantity of good corn, insects, and green 
food; that which is refuse to the millers, fills 
the gap and brings its value in the quantity of 
good meat which is grown upon it. 
“ Instead of two or three extensive and ex¬ 
pensive attendants, honest old John, the cow¬ 
man, collects the eggs at a penny a score, his 
wife and he rear the chickens, and all expenses 
are soon told. In the case of a poultry farm it 
is very different; then there are expenses incur- 
led by going to and from shows, for it does not 
do to be * behind the times,' and some settings 
must realize fancy prices ; then the shades, the I 
wire, the feeding troughs and apparatus, these 
cost a lot of money, and realize very little if 
they have to bo sold. There is little or no re¬ 
fuse to be picked up; there is none of that 
healthy change which is afforded by ‘ the re¬ 
moval of the manure from the farmyard at the 
one season, and the making it at the others.’ 
Nor do we expect tile hens to lay so well as those 
which are well-fed and sheltered among the 
beasts and straw. 
“ Altogether, it is beyond tho power of those 
who have not tried a poultry farm to form an 
accurate idea of the outlay demanded, while it is 
not so difficult to describe tho profits by one 
little word. Poultry farms pay best on paper. 
The poultry on a farm never or seldom appear 
there.' No account is kept of them, aud but lit¬ 
tle account is made of them. They are regarded 
rather as a necessary evil than as stock which 
produce a great quantity of wholesome food at a 
very little cost. Poultry farms will most proba¬ 
bly collapse, but farmyard poultry are likely to 
be more appreciated, and, when better appre¬ 
ciated. to be more remunerative; and while the 
value of a spangled or penciled feather may 
diminish, the pound pf moat is likely to be a very 
satisfactory tale in the market-book.” 
♦ ♦♦- 
CLASSIFYING EGGS. 
The millions of eggs Bent up weekly to tho 
Paris market are classified according to size and 
quality previous to their exposure for sale. The 
first point is determined by their passage or 
non-passage through rings of known diameter, 
and their comparative freshness is estimated by 
“ mirage ” or subjection to reflected light thrown 
out by powerful lamps. The difference between 
an absolutely fresh and a decidedly stale egg is 
readily settled by this test, but the intermediate 
distinctions are less easily noted. For this pur¬ 
pose the application of the brine test is recom¬ 
mended, the fact being well known that if eggs 
of different ages are put into a strong solution 
of salt, they sink more or less deeply in the 
liquid according as they are fresh or stalo. 
There is, however, an obvious source of fallacy 
in this method, if roughly applied, Bince an egg 
that would pass muster as tolerably fresh wheu 
immersed in a weak solution, would rise to the 
surface as a downright, bad one in a stronger 
brine. 
The difficulty could be partly met by the inva¬ 
riable use of a standard solution of known 
strength, and such a one is now recommended 
by a Dijon chemist who has paid much attention 
to tho subject. The proportions ho advises are 
3'., oz. of table salt in a quart of pure water. 
Placed in a brine of this strength, an egg just 
laid will exactly touch tho bottom of the vessel; 
if twenty-four hours old, it does not quite reach 
it; if three days old, it floats midway in tho 
liquid ; and if more than five, it rises to tho top. 
Beyond this age, the shell rises above the sur¬ 
face of tho fluid, protruding further and fur¬ 
ther, within certain limits, from day to day. 
CAMPHOR AS A REMEDY FOR GAPES. 
The Poultry Bulletin says that it has rather 
discredited tho idea of any cure for gapos in 
chickens, but now confesses, after examination, 
that it has reason for faith in camphor. The 
camphor acts upon tho worms by vapor, tho same 
as in inhalation of carbolic acid fumes, and being 
a very strong vermifugo, it kills the worms. It 
is usual to give tho remedy in pills about the size 
of an ordinary pea, and also dilated in the water 
they drink. The chick will smell of the camphor 
for a long time after taking it, and the fumes 
cannot fail to penetrate the windpipe and lungi. 
Naturalists use camphor to keep out mites and 
various museum posts from their cabinets, and 
we see no good reason why its fumes should not 
be destructive to the gape-worm. 
&j)t Uaturalisi 
ABOUT MY BIRDS. 
How many of the readers of the Rural have 
ever raised canaries ? Those who have experi¬ 
mented in that lino may read this article or not, 
as they please ; and those who have never been 
so fortunate, may perhaps learn something that 
they did not know before about the ways and 
habits of the dear little things. 
My oldest bird, “ Spot," is a beauty, and, as 
his name implies, is yellow, with one black wing, 
a black head, and a black collar about bis neck. 
He was given to me some six years ago, aud at 
that time was suffering from a severe cold, and 
did not sing ; but by giving him seed mixed with 
raw white of egg, be soon recovered, and is now 
strong, healthy, and as fine a singer as one could 
wish. 
Early in February I procured a female, kept 
it in a small cage, near Spot, for two or three 
days, aud then put them together in a large 
brcoiling-cago. But they didn’t agree. "My 
young lady ' was too much of a coquette; so, 
after a few days of fighting aud Bcolding. I took 
her cut and got another iti her place. Such a 
chauge as there was in the actions of the new 
pair! They were friendly and loving from tho 
first, and would kiss each other, in a caressing 
way, very often. 
After they had been in the same cage about a 
week, they commenced tearing strips of paper 
from the floor, which meant that they were ready 
to build a nest. I put in a wire nest which was 
lined with flannel, and Btuck little strips of mus¬ 
lin all about the wire# of the engo, also a very 
little cotton and some curled hair, of whioh they 
used the white, separating it from the black. 
Then the female would pick up one piece after 
another till her bill whs so full she could carry 
no more. Off she flew to the nest, dropped her 
load, and went down again for more. “ Spot ” 
carried up to her sometimes, but Miss “ Lutio " 
arranged her house, and it was a loug time be¬ 
fore she was suited with her work, for after 
making, to all appearance, a nice nest, out she 
would throw everything and begin anew. This 
she did three or four times, but at last Blie seemed 
satisfied, and one morning wo discovered in tho 
nest a little blue egg. spotted with brown, about 
three-quarters of an inch long. Two more were 
laid on successive mornings, malting throo in all. 
Then commenced a patient waiting for two 
weeks. During this period •• Lutio ’’ would leave 
the nest only for a few moments at a time, and 
while she was off the male bird usually Bat on 
the eggs to keep them warm. Every little while 
during the day, "Spot,” after filling his crop 
with food, would hop up to the nost and feed his 
little wife. R was very amusing to watch them ; 
ho seemed to watch over her with such care. 
Their food consisted of hard-boiled egg chopped 
fine and soda-cracker soaked in milk, in addition 
to oanary and rape-seed. About twice a week 
they should have a very little cracked hemp- 
seed. 
On the fourteenth morning, when looking into 
the nest., we discovered a small red lump which 
we took for granted to bo a bird, although 
it bore no likeness to anything of the kind. It 
had a little down on its head and back, but no 
sign of a feather. The other two eggs proved 
worthless, so in a day or two we removed thorn 
from the nest. 
Tho young bird appeared to bo nearly all 
mouth, especially when tho old ones fed it, which 
was often. It grew with astonishing rapidity, 
and when live or six days old, was clad with piu- 
foathors. Tho mother bird sat on it almost as 
constantly ns upon tho eggs, tho male relieving 
her occasionally. At tho end iff a week its eyes 
were open, and it was about an inch and a hall' 
long. It did nothing but sleep and cat. When 
two weeks old it was covered with feathers, and 
bad begun to move about the nest considerably. 
It then ventured to tho stand on tho edge of the 
nest, and presto! off it hopped to tho perch. It 
was sport to watch the “ baby.” Its little logs 
wciA so weak that it could scarcely keep its bal¬ 
ance, and whan it hopped on the swinging porch, 
it nearly fell off ; but with tho help of the father 
bird, it succeeded in turning round, and was then 
all right. 
From that time it bid farewell to the nest and 
returned to it no more. Two or throe times a 
day I would find him, with his head tucked un¬ 
der his wing, taking a nap. Tho male bird con¬ 
tinued to feed it till it was four weeks old, but 
the littlo fellow scorned to have slight alterca¬ 
tions with his father, bo I said, “ Young man, 
you must * paddle your own canoe,' ” and ho was 
placed in a cage by himself. 
By this time the female had laid four more 
eggs. Before the little bird, Primus, was five 
weeks old be began to sing, and every morning 
at six o'clock he commences, and keeps it up 
during the day. Wo consider him a very preco¬ 
cious bird. Ho is now a little over six weeks old, 
is full-grown, and very pretty, being spotted 
something like his father. 
Only one bird of tho second brood hatched, 
and that promises to be all yellow, hut only tho 
ends of tho feathers have appeared aB yet. 
“ Lntie," the mother, is light-yellow, with only a 
small dark spot on one side of her h« ad. 
Besides this family of birds, we have “ Dick,” 
a golden-yellow bird of tho long bre.xl, who is a 
very sweet singer, and another who goes by the 
name of “Birdie,” and is the tamest one we 
have. He will oat from my fingers or take any¬ 
thing from my mouth, and will tease me to kiss 
him whenever I pasH the cage, i Then flying 
about the room, he will take ill tin pins from 
the cushion and lay them care folly )n the wiu- 
dow-Bill, and has other very cs nnin; ways. He 
will sing from morning till night. * he striking 
of a clock always starts his sonj;. y» h a family 
of birds entails a good deal of cue, e 111 they pay 
for the trouble, especially if tiny an tame. 
J JANIE R. 
- 4 ♦♦- - ——i * 
THE HIBERNATION OF SWA ilOWS. 
The controversy respecting the all god hiber¬ 
nation of swallows has receivec a nt w contribu¬ 
tion in a letter written by Sir j ohn IcNeill to 
his brother-in-law, the Duke of irgy 1 nud print¬ 
ed in a late number of Natn 1 fter a few 
preliminary remarks, the writer eunh ues as fol¬ 
lows: 
“ About twenty-five miles si ath i ! Teheran, 
the capital of Persia, there it a vi ’age called 
Keuara gird, near which is a si ream f brackish 
water rnaning in a deep bed wi h ne riy perpen¬ 
dicular banks some forty or lift} feet igb. Being 
largely Impregnated with salt, this stream is rare¬ 
ly if over frozen, and in frosty weather is resort¬ 
ed to by flocks of wild ducks. During a frost of 
unusual severity I went from Teheran to Kenara- 
gird, accompanied by Sir Henry Rawlinson, for 
the purposo of duck-shooting, tho soverity of 
the frost promising good sport. Having slept 
at the village, wo next morning followed tho 
downward course of the stream along tho north 
bank, and bad proceeded about a milo, I should 
think, when we came to a place where thore had, 
quite recently, been a small land-slip. Tho brink 
of the bank to the extent of perhaps twenty feet 
in longth, and ten or twelve broad in the middle, 
tapering off to each end, had slipped but had not 
fallen down the bank. Between this detached 
portion and tho perpendicular face about ton feet 
high, from which it had broken off, wo saw, to 
our great surprise, a number of swallows, not 
less, I am sure, than twenty or thirty, lying, as 
I at first supposed, dead, but on taking up one 
of them I found that it was alive but dormant; 
it was warm and its breathing was quite percept¬ 
ible. I examined a considerable number, aud 
found that they were all alive and breathing, but 
none of them gave any sign of copiousness. 
“ My attention was then attractod to tho per¬ 
pendicular face at our left, from which the slip 
had broken off, and which was perforated by a 
vast number of holes, each about tho size of a 
rat hole. On looking into suoh of tboBe as I was 
tall enough to see into, I found in all of thorn 
swallows in the same dormant state. 1 was able 
with finger and thumb to pull out swallows from 
several of these holes, and in eaoh ease found 
that the hole, which penetrated horizontally a 
considerable way into the bank, contained more 
swallows in the same condition. In no case did 
I sec one lying on another—thoy woro all lying 
singty with their heads inward, oacli bead touch¬ 
ing the tail of the bird before it. IIow far these 
holes penetrated into tho bank, or what number 
of swallows cacti contained, I did not ascertain ; 
but it is plaiu that tho original entrance to those 
dormitorios must have been in the external face 
of the portion that had slipped, which, as I have 
stated, was, in tho middle, from ten to twelvo 
foot thick. Tho hole# in tho undisturbed por¬ 
tion may probably have been of equal or greater 
length, and if so tho number of swallows hiber¬ 
nating there must have amounted to many hun¬ 
dreds,'’ 
It is tho Cotyb reparia —tho bank, sand or 
river swallow—-which is reported by some orni¬ 
thologists to hibornato occasionally instead of 
migratiug on tho approach of winter, like the 
other members of the hirundini&r.•, family. Of 
the fifty different spocics of Bwallows this is the 
smallest being only inches long and 1(B£ 
inches from the extended tip of one wing to that 
of the other. Its color is grayish-brown above, 
sometimes approaching to a Rooty hue, white 
beneath, with a band across the breast and sides 
of the same tint aa tho back. Unlike the others, 
it has no partiality for the society of man, but 
dwolls in communities along tho sides of sandy 
pita or river hanks, in which it excavates a tubu¬ 
lar gallery, often of considerable longth, for 
breeding purposes. It is found in immense mul¬ 
titudes in several places on tho Ohio Itiver, and 
is widely distributed all over the United States. 
There is no appreciable difference between tho 
American and European birds, though in tho 
British Isles the latter are generally known by 
the name of sand martins. 
A PAPER-MAKING SPIDER. 
In the heart of the African Continent, where 
no other paper is manufactured, the spider pa¬ 
per-maker doeB her quiot work. Back and forth, 
over a flat Burface abqnt an inch and a half 
square, on the inside wall of a hut, the spider 
slowly moves in many lines until the square is 
covered with a pure white paper. Under this 
she places from forty to fifty eggs; and then to 
fasten the squaro of paper more securely to the 
wall, she makes a strip of paper about a quarter 
of an inch broad, and with this glues the square 
carefully around the edge#. When all is done, 
the spider—which iB quite a large one—places 
herself on the center of the outside of the little 
flat bag so carefully made, and begins a watch 
which is to last three weeks without intermission. 
Apparently the young spiders would have many 
dangers to fear did not their auxiouB mamma 
wage a fierce war upon the cockroaches and other 
insects that come near. After three weeks of 
unremitting watchfulness, the mother-spider 
leaves her nest in the day-time to hunt food, but 
she always returns at night, until her young are 
strong enough to take care of themselves. 
-»♦» 
The tulo lands of San Joaquin County, Cal., 
are everywhere inhabited by droves of hogs that 
have become as wild as tho famous game infest¬ 
ing the Black Forest. They live and thrive on 
the succulent roots to bo found in the tules, and 
appear moderatoiy fat whenever they are seen. 
They are exceedingly shy, however, and it is only 
by accident that one catches a glimpse of them, 
as they Instinctively avoid the haunts of men. 
