The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-05-03
Tint Prolific Hen.

Two or three weeks ago an account was
published in the american OF the remarka-
BILE performances OF a hen in the way OF
LAYING eggs, which was received by some Of
our exchanges with good deal Of incre-
dulity. Nevertheless, the story was strictly
true, and has since been abundantly con-
firmed. The hen is owned by Mr. q. w.
Young, who resides near Leicester, Howard
county, and is highly reputable gentle
man, whose word alone would be quite sufli-
cient to establish even so extraordinary q
fact as that heretofore related. But Mr..
Young, knowing that cautious people are
inclined to doubt stories that do not accord
with the ordinary operations OF nature, in
vited his neighbors to come and see for
themselves. Sometimes the hen produced
a half-dozen OF eggs in the presence of thirty
or forty spectators. ..
Mr.. Young's attention was first called to
the hen early in February, when he found
her one very cold morning sitting on the
floor OF the chicken-house with eighteen
eggs under her. 1t did not occur to him
that she had laid all the eggs herself, but he
thought it remarkable that she should have
furnished herself with SO many eggs and
had begun Matching on such short notice.
A nest was made for her, however, and IN
due time she brought out twelve chickens,
nine Of which are still living. The weather
being very cold, the hen and her brood
were put into the kitchen, where they re.
NAMED four weeks. On the 4th OF April she
went out on the porch and laid an egg. A
nest was made for her, and on the next
day she deposited twelve eggs in it. Mr..
Young's family were astonished and even
somewhat alarmed at this remarkable ex-
hibition OF fecundity. People in the neigh
10 pP ha ay-tr cot
and came to see it repeated. The box in
which she had her nest was carried into the
ward, and here, in full view OF as many
spectators as chose to come (and they some
times numbered as many as forty, she
dropped her eggs. On April 9th she pro-
duced eight, on the following day seven, and
on the next day (Which was Sunday she
rested from her labor. On Monday, April
9th, four eggs were laid; Tuesday, fl
teen; Wednesday, ten; Thursday, fifteen !;
Friday ten, and Saturday siX-making sixty
for the week. On Sunday, the 18th, she
again rested. During the next week she
laid sixteen eggs, six being the highest
number dropped in one day. She rested
on Saturday, and laid one egg on Sunday,
the 22d. During the succeeding three days
she laid twelve eggs, which seemed to eX-
haust her stock on hand. Between April
4th and April 25th this marvellous hen pro-
duced 1T eggs. Four hens are now setting
on the eggs, but no chicks have yet been
hatched. The eggs shown us by Dir. Young
were OF average size, and differed in no re-
spect whatever from ordinary hens eggs.
This remarkable instance OF fecundity in
q hen is so we'll attested that it would be
idle to dispute its correctness. More than
hundred witnesses (many Of them being
people Of the highest respectability and In
teliigence) could be summoned to prove
that they themselves saw the hen drop
half-dozen OF eggs in quick succession.
Scientific men are at liberty to furnish a
theory for this extraordinary phenomenon;
but no amount OF scientific demonstration
will disproye the facts. Baltimore Anseri-
can, 1st. 4. " go