, 1876-01-16
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HIN SENSE ;
Interesting Tcsfr OF sz,o Inst1n.,.
EN1-3:+.

Interesting Tcst, OF sl,o Instlnr,. :.
EoE3s.
G>orce J. i.17naaes IN ya,uy,
Three years ago g-:e z peafov.'s eee :.
.Brahna hen to ta.cs,. Tito hen wa3an "a
! aud h I'd previously rea-cI many bso,ts ~ oa&
! ti'nary chickens VITA unusual eaccas1 ~ ~
for oae OF her breed. In oraer to L.tch "a y
pea-cacs, aho hal to Sit ONO week 1onesy ~ "a
il requisite to hatch an o,3iua-T .sIss @sa
I'ut in this there il nothing; very uuusn. =
Es Mr. Sp:ldi"s observes, .ae seale thio,. h"s
pens With eycr5 ben tha. h..chss oat h7o.* ~ =
due.sIiuys- Tho object vita which mala ~
experiment., borrower, VAS tia. OF asce.t,;,;aaa s.a
whether the period Of maternal care suasso1ssss
to ln.a5atio1t ad-,1ts. under peculiar cona:io,.
OF being prolonged; for = pea-ch,c5 re1r.,
e':cll c1so for q vo.y auca longer sicc tt.a DIV,
| an orcina,: chick. 4's'
! As :!e separation hc:1eon 4 hen and l..
I chickens a'waya appears to be due to ths f,rm
drivin. away the latte- vl1an .h-v aro old eaar.s
to shit for themselves, / acs7ce!7 ezpectsi 4.
hen lo this case to pToong her period Of m,ts,
nat care, and, lndoed, only triea the e1penm..t
because ] thought it she did 80 the fact yondh.
the beat ono imaginable to show in rhs. bisi
degree hereditary insti3c. may bs moliGa1 I,
peculiar individual experiences Tne r,z-n
vas va:y surprising. For the eaorrno1s na1si
of eighteen months this oil Eraan. hen =.
manned with her cTer-growlng chicken: III
throughout the whole Of that time abs coatipa.s
to pay it unrsmi.tiug attcu:ion. Sha neyer tia
aa:- eggs during this loucthened pe.iod OF m.
tcrlai SUPERVISION, and if ut ans time s!s bec,,,
accidentally separated from her charge, tas H.
tfe53 Of mother and chicaoa WAS very oy..
Eventually tia separation seemed to take n1ss
oa the side Of the peacock: bas it is rema1ssN.
that, although tho mother al: chicken e7ent,.
ally separated, they never afterwards for.x
r7f4tef J.. a..
with hens and tlielr Chickens.
So long as they remained together, the L.
normal degree Of pride which the Uoh..
showed in her wonderful ch;csen va, ncs
lu1icrous; j; but I have no space to enter ipt,
details. 1t may be stated, however, thu, bo.a
N the hat!. of frequently com0ipg out tbs to-:
knot OF her son-shs Standing on sa,:
OF other cminence, Of suitable height, ri
hs banding his head forward with eyder
satisfaction. This fact is particularly noa.
worthy, because tl,s practice OF comha,
out the tof-knots OF their chickens is cus:on.
cry among psa-hens. n conclusion ms7 d.
servo that tie peacock raised By this Biah-,
hen turned oat o timer bird IN eTery way thu
did any Of his brothers OF the came brood Will
were reared By their oTn mother: but that a
repeating tbs experiment the next year sis1
another Etahm. lien aud several po1chlcses,
the result was different, for the lien deserted
for Ordinary hens to do 30, and in conscarso4
all tho pc1-hcns ,uiserabiv pesi7hed.
I have just concluded another c3perinsa
which is well worth recording. i birc:l FEM:
stE.n.led herself by. trying to s01ee3e through
too narrow an opening She left very youei
family OF three Orphans. These I gave, i
the r1idlo OF tho day. to q Drahua h1.
which Lal been sitting Gu dummies /.
EboEs monsh- Sac too1 to them ,lmas
and remained With them r1:ka
raore than fortnight, 4; the end Of which tins
hau to ca1se separation, IN consauuenca oi
tue hen haSinc sutfocatcd one OF the fet7ets By
standing on ita uc-1- Daring the Whole Of ths
time tia. tho fer1cts ve73 left with tie han, hs
later had to sit upon tae nest foc the 5ouag
Eerr1.s of course, were not able to follow th4
Len Ebo1t AZ chickens would have done. Tht
.en. a5 might te expected. was very much p1z.
:lcd as the le:barry Of her offspring. -~--.
Two or three times dav she used to ar Of ths
nest. calling uron hsr brood to follow but NOON
le1ring their c1es OF distress from cold, she a.
TaTs returned Immediately, ant sat ni:a
'.1icnco for Elk or seven hoErs more, shoaA
:ave said thas it ONLY o7k the hen ooe dayo
cara tho meaning OF thsse cries Of distress:
OF, after thu first day, sha would always run IN
concealed tie ferrcts, provided tha.
his place WAS not too fur away from ths nssi
0 prevent her from hearlog hesa cries
# distress. Te. do nos think it would be pas-
ib1e to conceive Of & srca.cr Contrast than th,.
'etWecn tho shrill. rlping notes OF yong
hI2asn and the hoarae, growth; no:ss Of
ounE farres. On tho other haud, cannot t.7
Meaning OF tho hens c!ackics. During tha
'ho!s OF the lim3 that the hen WIS a!losedu
It upon Tho fer1e:s, ste used to co7rb out their
air With her bill. in the eame way IS hsnsia
enerat CONT ont the feathers Of their cI,ickaas
While snsas2l in til, pr,ccss, ho regsr, 81.
5cd frequently to step aod looi with cue eyst
he ~riggl,a2 nesiful VITA an ianu,7ing gazA
1nres5lyc OF 25tonlshmeus. 1t other tins
iso her family gave her good reason to be 50"
ciscd. for she naed often - tly of tae nest wsa
loud Ec-eam-aa action which was doubtless
Nc to tho unnccustomed Sensation Of b.
Il. nippcd by the yoans ferre:s il
'e1r seascl, for tho toa:s- Il is frstss
bowed SO mich uneas,ness OF mind when th3
sErets vero taken from her to be fed, that 4
,e ti.ne thought she Was going to desert then
Together. After this, therefore, the ferret
ere always fed in the nest, and with this II
the hen was perfectly sasisf1ed-ae
arcntly because sho then thougnt that shs had
'ule share in ths feeding process 1t anyrs;a,
10 used to chuck wheu she saw the milk con-
g, and surveyed tbs fee;iing with evident st.
faction.
Altogether consider this very remarkable
stacce of the pIast1city OF instincs- The hsa
sho'sd be SAID, Was q -vuung ono, and hsd
.yer reared brood OF chickens. 4 feI months
'fore she reared tho Young fcrrets, she I'D
'en attacked and nearly klllad By an old farses
ilch had escaped from his hutch Tns young
frets were taken from her several days peforo
cir ayes wero open.
In coucl'.s.on, I NAV add that, few weeks b.
re trying this experiment with the hen, l tried
similar one with rabbit. In this casa shs
rret was newly born, and garo it to shita
q rabolt which had Uttered six days befofa
lllko the hon. however. she perceived ths I'M.
stu7e at once, and attacked tho young feIzet
s2vasely that She bso.e.two OF its legs befo!s
'oula remove il. To have made this e1per.
snt parallel with tho other, however. the tSo
'thera ought to have Uttered on the game dsy.
thus case the result would probably Lave been
1etent; for have heard that uEder such cnI
instances that even such IN Intelligent an!mA
= bitch may be deceived into rearing q cA
1 rice versa.
PsupcriNs:a OF the Chinese Peoples
Le'tv jrona CAtna in Troy Times. .-
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