Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1875-10-30

WRITER sca THE sARTIKsBrso rspxgExDxxf
By A BERKELEY BOY.
Anecdotes Of srale Fowls

Anecdotes Of Male Fowls.
During my visit to the Fair, I
met with the good wife of nv
friend and relative, Thornton Hen
shaw, ana on her invitation passed
night with them at their farm.
very pleasantly. While waiting
for Mr.. Fl. to get through with his
mornings work, preparatory To
driving me TO town, jotted down
couple Of items Illustrating the
curious freaks OF dung-hill fowls Of
the mascu inc gender. In compli-
ance with your request to hand in
whatever / felt like writing while
in Berkeley, laid the manuscript
upon the editorial desk when got
to town. Having been informed
by you, a couple Of weeks after
wards, that you had not seen the
manuscript, came to the conclu-
sion ttat some one Of the special
assistants, whom you necessarily
had in the Office during that busy
time, had thrown it into the waste
basket, not noticing my initials as
those of an authorized contributor.
More for the purpose Of enjoying
sense Of triumph over the irrever-
ent destroyer of my poor work,
than because of any particular val.
ue attached TO the missing items,
will reproduce them for us when
you have nothing better which is
something have seldom had the
courage to attempt.
"a. i,eaas ieierred to are these:
| noticed last years rooster hur-
rying hither and thither about the
premises, with IA couple of pretty
Well-grown Guinea fowls following
him. was Informed, upon inqui-
ry of my hostess, that upon finding
the objects OF his care suddenly de-
prived OF the hen that Matched
them, by death or some other
cause-l do not remember what il
was-his roostership at once took
the mothers place in the care of
the Guinea brood.
You are aware that the Guinea
fowl is q peculiarly nervous and
restless bird, moving with much
more rapid step than the chicken.
In order not merely 10 keep pace
! with his wards, but to lead them,
as is the habit of the rooster among
the hens of his own race, he found
it necessary to greatly quicken his
pace. And SO he could be seen,
now here and now there. on an ac-
tual run, without aRy seeming OBJ
ject of his own, but in obedience to
the whims of his adopted ones. 1t
was to me sight which did not
fail to create sense of the ludic-
rous.
AS his roostership was foregoing
"tterl y the society ofthe full grown
hens of his own race, / certainly
felt warranted in voting him very
disinterested in his feelings, and
disposed to make himself general
ly useful.
Mrs. IL. described to me the equal
ly disinterested and self-sacrificing
bearing of a turkey gobler. Find
ing a brood of young turkeys for
saken by their mother at too early
an age for safety, IS he seemed to
have thought, he at once took them
in care 1t was amusing to hear
her tell how he would spread his
wings, when STORM came on, and
take the orphans under shelter. -
He became theirincessant compau-
ion, guide and protector, accompa-
nying them to their roOst as regu-
larly as the mother hen would have
! done, had she not been untrue to
her duty, as he seemed to have
concluded che had proved herself.
| remember to have seen state
mont in the Independent, made on
the authority of John Burk hart,
a week or two before the Fair, to
the effect that a gobler had taken
the notion to try his luck at hatch
ing, and had been INDUCED with
some eggs to see what success he
would have. There was a promise
added, to bring the gobler-hatched
brood to the Fair, if the freakish
experiment should prove success.
Neither seeing nor hearing any
thing further of the case, / am
afraid it was a failure. Perhaps
Mr. Burkhart will indulge MS with
a statement of what the real sequel
was. AS / am one for whom eve
rything illustrative of he instincts
and freaks ofanimal life have ever
a lively interest, / trust he will
comply. j. f. s.
WAsHINGTON, ID. @.