Morning journal and courier., 1893-11-02
MAssoN,s REnARKABLR HEN.
OF Wonderful Longevity, but Her
Memory was Her Masterpiece.


Memory was Her Masterpiece.
From the New York sun.l
BAMNoSDsPoRT, Oct. Linn Masson's
unforgettul old hen Ia dead, and there is
great mourning around the Mason vine
yards. The hen was prized not more for
the great age abe had reached for a hen
than for her marvellous memory. Ten
years ago she was "Eet" for the fret time
and on duck eggs. She Matched a nice
brood of which she was exceedingly proud.
The Mason farm and vineyards are in the
town of Pultney, overlooking Lake Keuka.
When the ducklings were a few days old
the young hen mother wandered with them
toward the lake. The ducklings no sooner
came in sight of 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
once to the full enjoyment of their natural
element. The hen ran up and down along
the shore, calling frantically TO her brood,
and manifesting her distress In many ways.
But the ducklings paid no attention to her
and eported 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 dangerous water,
the hen quiesed down, and 1t was not long
before she seemed to be enjoying the an
tics of the ducklings in the lake as much as
they were themselves.
She watched them intently, occasionally
uttering low and contented clucks, until at
last the ducklings were satisfied with their
sport and came out and rejoined their
guardian, who led them back home sgain.
Every day after that the hen took her
brood to the lake bright and early, aud
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 watch
ing the young ducks In the lake until they
grew out of her care and even thsn she oc-
casionally strolled down to the water and
watched them for an hour or go as they
SWAN and dived.
The next spring the hen was set on eggs
of her own kind and Matched a hne 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 inclins-
ton to enter the water, and tried all of her
henly power of persuasion on them 80 In
duce them to go in. Failing in that, she
presently picked up one of the chicks In
her bill and dropped the plaintively pro-
testing little thing into the lake. She
stood and watched the struggle of the
CulCh uulll IL GIOHuCu. 1nl6 6ccucu W
amazs the hen, but che picked up another
one of her brood and dropped that into the
water. 1t, of course, struggled and
drowned as the first one had. Such per-
verseness amazed the hen and she grabbed
third chick and tossed 1t in, then anoth-
er, and had evidently determined to tum-
BILE the whole undutiful brood into the
lake, when the owner of the hen, who had
! been 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
Matched brood of chickens until this year,
and every one of them abe had taken to
the lake as soon as coon 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
of that first brood Of ducklings seemed to
be q sweet one to her, and her dissppoint-
ment over falling to have Il realized again,
| from what she evidently supposed was con-
trariness on the part of her subsequent
broods, seemed to be so great that her rage
always overcsme her maternal love. So she
had to be watched so that her chicks might
be rescued In Tins. 1t would seem that q
hen that could recollect 80 well should have
been able to discover the difference be.
tween ducks and chickens, but she never
did.
Last spring the hen, grown old and some.
what in6rm, did not show her customary
inclination to set, and she was regarded az
a worthy pensioner, and had the run OF
the place. Late In the summer, though, tc
everybody's surprise, she was seized with
all the symptoms of the setting hen, and
would not be put off. 1t happened thai
there was half dozen duck eggs In thu
house, and the contrary old hen vas!sst tC
hatch them. She did In due course, anc
promptly marched with the brood to thu
lake, as had been her won't for nine years
The ducklings, of course, pumped into tn,
water without momsnt's hesitation. TIL
old hens delight at this is said to have beer
indescribsbls. What she had been pininI
for for years had come to pass, and shl
was simply oyerioyed. In fact, the jo,
was too much for her, 1t Is supposed, 70
she died soon after returning from the lax
with her brood. She had waited long. ant
died happy.