The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-11-10
MASSoN'S REMARKABLE HEN
OF Wonderful Longevity, but Her Mem
ory Was Her Masterpiece.

age she bad reached fer a hen than for
her marvellous memory. Ten years
ago she was "set" for the first time, and
on duck eggs. She hatched a nice
brood, e which she was exceedingly
proud. The Mason farm and vine
yards are in the town Of Pultney, over
looking Lake Keuka. When the duck
lings were few days old the young
hen mother wandered with them to-
ward the lake. The ducklings no
sooner came in sight OF the water than
they toddled toward it, unmindful of
the calls Of their mother or her great
distress and agitation.
They plunged into the water and
went at once to the full enjoyment of
their natural element. The hen ran
'op and down along the shore, calling
irantically to her brood and manifesting
her distress in various ways. But the
duckings paid no attention to her and
sported their fluffy little selves about in
the water. By and by, seeing that no
harm came to her tender brood from
their contact with the Ito herr danger
Gus water, the hen quoted down, and
it was not long before she seemed to be
enjoying the antics Of the ducklings in
the lake as much as they were them
selves.
She watched them intenty, occasion.
ally uttering low and contented clucks,
until at last the ducklings were satisfied
with their sport and came out and re-
joined their guardian, who led them
back home again. Every day after
that the hen took her brood to the
lake bright and early, and stood by and
watched them sporting in the water
with as plain evidence OF enjoyment of
the scene as actions could give. She
continued to take daily pleasure in
watching the young ducks in the lake
until they grew out of her c,re, and
even then she occasionally strolled
down to the water and watched them
for an hour Cr SO as they swan and
dived.
The next spring the hen was set on
eggs Of der own kind and hatched a
Zine brood of chicks. The first thing
she did when she got around with her
new family was to lead it down to the
lake. She seemed to be surprised
when they showed no inclination 10
enter the water, and tried all of her
henly powers of persuasion on them to
induce them to go in. Failing in that
she presently picked up one of the
chicks in her bill and dropped the
plaintively protesting little thing into
the lake. She stood and watched the
struggles of the chick until it drowned.
This seemed to amaze the hen, but she
picked up another one of her brood
and dropped that into the water. 1t,
Of course, struggled aud drowned as the
first one had. Such perverseness amazed
the hen, and she grabbed third chick
and ssed it in, then another, and had
levidenty determined to tumble the
whole undutful brood into the lake,
when the owner Of the hen. who had
been a witness of the incident, ran TO
the rescue and drove the angry mother,
with the remainder of her family, back
to the house and shut her up.
Every year after that the hen had
hatched brood of chickens until this
year, and every one of them she had
taken to the lake as soon as she could
get there with them and tried to induce
them to enter the water, and falling
every time, exhibited the same rage and
made the same effort to force them in.
| The recollection If that first brood OF
ducklings seemed to be a sweet one to
her and her disappointment over failing
to have it realized again, from what
she evidently supposed was contrariness
on the part of her subsequent broods,
seemed to be so great that her rage
always overcame her maternal love.
So she had to be watched 50 that her
ch cks might be rescued in time. 1t
would EN- that hen that could re-
colleCt so well sho I'D have been able
Ito discover the difference between
uuLhS anu IllR hSiIHi pul SIC never Olu.
Last spring the hen, grown old and
somewhat intirm, did not show her
customary inclination to set, and she
was regarded as worthy pensioner,
and had the run of the plSce. Late in
the summer, though, tn ev, rybody's
surprise, she was seized with all the
symptoms cf the sitting hen, and would
not be put of, 1t happened lha, there
was half a dozen d OK eggs in the
house, and the contrary old hen W.,
set TO hatch them She did in du,
course, and promptly marched with tn,
brood to the lake, as had been he
wont for nine years The ducklings
of course, pumped into the water
t without a moments hesitation. Tn,
old hens delight at this is said to hav,
been indescrbable What she haC
been pining for for years had come t,
pass, and she was simply overjoyed. Ii
fact, the joy was too much for her. e.
she died soon after returning from tn,
lake with her brood She had waite,
long, and died happy.-Hdmmonds
port, N. Y, Corr San.
, The very newest fashion among ladie
J Of ST. Petersburg is to arm themst I've
,,ith lCpu C,plc uhar H., 80, - 4