Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-07

subject TO which i desire to call the at
tention of my fellow ornithologists
throughout the country. and especially
in this state.
For wears it has been noticed that in
tellectually the hen is failing. She is
not what she was even before the war,
and it has attracted the attention not
only of scientists, but of the average
layman- What is the cause of the hens
intellectual retrogression?
Others may have n more plausible
theory than my own, but submit here
this idea for what il is worth OF course
there is no question regarding the exist
ence Of the trouble The hen does not
shine socially as she once did She is
moody and taciturn, and her memory
is deficient You let her get into an in
closure through hole, and she will re-
main there and die before she can re-
member where that hole is or use it to
get out through
1 noticed more idiotic hens in the
past two years than ever before Brain
troubles are more noticeable More hens
arc noticed who cackle when they have
not laid an egg or who forget to cackle
when they have done so. More hens
show signs of hypochondria- The glad
and careless laugh is no longer heard
see more pale, languid hens-hens
that are still young, yet with an air of
age and senility, prematurely aged and
| tough
am led to believe that there is a
cause for this, and simple one.
A year ago 1 bought 10 plain pullets
of man who lives Mt Hogg's Neck, is
miles away. He delivered them ON the
following day, he and his son bringing
them ON foot in four punches of four
each, with legs tied together like a par
eel of spring onions For is miles they
had come with their heads hanging
down and the blood rushing to their
brains.
| As result, these hens are noticeable
for their impaired intellects. 1t is al
most pathetic to watch them dawdling
their lives away or cackling vacantly
to each other, while the rising genera
ton seems even more silly than the old
| er ones.
Where is the leading hen of the fu-
ture to come from: Where shall we 60
to find the typical American hen? These
questions must some day be met square
/ anu uo" - VIC tAA1lS L GSA 1CA-
low ornithologists to join with me in
rescuing from destruction the threaten
cd intellects of our rising hens.
So intellectually deficient has the
American hen become recently that she
is today the dry nurse for the turkey,
the duck, the guinea hen and the goose.
What other fowl would quietly and even
cheerfully hatch and rear the castOff
children of other barnyard fowls? What
warm bloOded mammal Is so far lost tC
decent pride rs to become a founding
asylum for the gander, the type and
symbol of cheerful idiOcy:
What other fowl would without COM
plant forego her vacations in order &c
sit for six weeks on child's tin dog:
What other class or genus of the brute
creation, aside from congress, is con
tent to sit its life away without tangi
BILE result: What mammal, aside from
the hen, will sit all summer s,.-:ng into
space and then come forth with n IA
diant smile and with nothing to show
for it but hot dOOrknOb or an amend
ment:
Probably one of the most cxhaustiv,
works ON ornithologyy, and one that lI
beguilcd many n weary hour for ms
when the long. long summer days hun:
warm and pulseless on the Blue Ridl,,
mountains. Is a small volume, or book
let, by Professor Parker. entitled TIN
OsteolOgy of BalPniCeIsS.'
1t has wiped away the cOllcctCS; ooh
webs of centuries. and for one / CA
truthfully say that all To- me nuy- i
clear BalHnicers have no secrets I-r'v
from me. All one calm summer Ia q.
n few weeks ago. while a large owl ii
the porte coChcrc OF our country hOu-
sang n solemn song, and big bee. :
, | weighing three-fourths Of n pound &C
casionally bumped his broad Torch n
against my own. read of the life 49,:
, times of the BalrniccPs-
, Professor Parker is also the writer @
The Osteology of GallinaccOus Bird
and Tinamous- This is not so excit
ing, however as the other work jus
mentioned But if You want something
to take with you to the seashOre there
nothing better than Professor Parker
little work entitled ''On the Skull O
; the KgithoGnathOus Birds " 1t take
line Of treatment similar to my Urea