The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-07-31
For The Cecil Wing.
Chicken Hatchiug.


propose to give you Il statement of the
process of incubation, the truth of which
can be vartied by any one who will care
fully mark a sufficient number of eggs,
place them at the same time eractly, under
three or four hens, like number under
each, for fear of some becoming spoiled,
and with an ordinary magnifying glass;
the whole of this wonderful process, is re-
duced to an "egg," not nutshell. pro-
pose i'll another number to add some ex-
tracts from Paley and Addison, upon this
subject. GA hen has scarcely sat on the
egg twelve hours, when some lineaments of
the head and body of the chicken appear
The heart may be seen to beat at the end
of the second day; it has at that time some
what of the form of a horse Shoe but no
blood yet appears. At the end of two days
the vesicles of blood are to be distinguish
ed, the pulsaton of which is plainly visible;
one of them is the left yentricle, and the
other the root of the great artery. At the
end of the tiftieth hour one auricle of the
heart appears, and resembles moose folded
down upon itself. The beating of the
heart is first observed in the auricle, after
wards i'll the vertricle. At the end of sew
enty hours the wings are distinguishable
and on the head two bubbles are seen for
the brain one for the bill; and two others
for the fore and hind part of the head
Toward the end of the fourth day, the two
auricles, already visible draw nearer to
the heart than they were before. The liver
appears toward the fifth day. At the expi-
ration of one hundred and thirty-four
hours, the first voluntary motion is oLserv-
ed; in seven hours more, the lungs and
stomach become visible; and four hours
after this, the intestines, the loins, and the
upper jaw. At the 144th hour, two ventr1-
cles are discerned, and two drops of blood
instead of the single one which was seen
before. The seventh day, the brain seems
to have some consistencc. At the 190th
hour of incubation, the bill opens, and the
flesh appears on the breast; i'll four hours
more, the breast bone is seen; and in six
the back; and the bill is plainly seen as
well as the gall bladder. The bill becomes
green at the end of 23G hours; and if the
chicken is taken out of its covering, it
evidently moves of itself The feathers
begin to shoot out toward the 240th hour,
and the skull becomes gristly. At the 264th
hour the eyes appear. At the 2SSth the
ribs are perfect. At the 331st the spleen
draws near the stomach, and the lungs to
the chest. At the end of 355 hours, the
bill frequently opens and shuts; and at the
end of the 18th day, first cry of the chick
Ell is heard. 1t afterwards gets more
strength, and grows constantly. till at length
it is enabled to set itself free from its con-
tinement. In the total of this process
must be remarked, that every part appears
at the appropriate time: if for example, the
liver is formed on the 9Th day, it is founded
on the preceding situation of the chicken,
and on the changes which are to follow
! No part of the body could possibly appear.
sooner or later, without the whole embryo
suffering: and each of the limbs becomes
visible at the proper moment. This ordi-
nat o., 50 inval liable in its effects. is mani
f'stly the work of a Supreme Being. whose
creative powers must be still more sensbly
acknowledged, when the manner in which
the chicken is formed out of the parts
which compose the egg is also considered;
how astonishing it is, that in this there
should exist the principle of life: that all
the parts of an animals body should there
in be concealed, and require nothing but
heat to unfold and quicken thenl-tlat the
! formation of the bird should be so regular
| that exactly at the same time the same
changes will take place in a great number
of eggs-tAe chicken srhen hatched is hearirr
hten tie egg aeas before. But even these are
not all the wonders in the production of the
bird from the egg (and this instance will
serve to illustrate the whole feathered
racc;) there are others, which from our
limited faculties, are altogether hidden
| from our search. NJ.