Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-09-14
HHI{T rI y Ways s or 4 4 HEN i 2 !
Y ARE WORTHY OF MORE STUDY
j THAN THEY RECEIVE.

ANIMAL Tint Lives.
Half wild, with the ancestral habit,
OF the jungle fowl about her and tho
warincss OF fear apparent in every
energetic act, and still half tanned,
with the scnselcss7 confidence of ig
norance in evidence and showing plain.
ly in many acts, the domestic hen is
worthy Of more study than she re-
ccives.
Poultry fancicrs by long practice can
predict almost to Il feather the creature
that will result from any given cross
between two marked varieties and can
tsorcsee how many eggs new, breeds
from crosses will lay In n year, and SO
mark out tho course of the unborn or
spring from mixed mating that we
hnve but little to discover from OH
scrvation. Hut the color AMI character
OF the plumagc, the amount of egg pro-
duction and the weight and ctlibility of
the new generation are not all there is
to hrn,
The domestic fowl may not have
soul, but she has both .gizzard and n
crop. which shows she has the atlvan-
tnge of thp, human race. Surely, she
does not reason, else she would not act
as she docs, but she holds certain men
tai attributes which serve better than
any reasoning power could hope to do.
and thus gains her ends without going
TO the trouble OF thinking.
Take two dippcrs and place in ono
two quarts OF yellow flint corn such
as Is grown In Maine, and put in The
other two quarts of gald dollars. s;c!,
MS are still miEtcd in San Francisco
Now empty both dishes amon. the
gravel Of the hcnyarl and note how
the poultry will pick up and swallow
the corn leaving the gold TO lie or, and
minglc with the common earth.
To an minimizing observer gold dol
7 :lars bears fairly close resemblance to
Kernel of yellow flint corn. Both are
reddish yellow; both are nearly Of
equal, size. 10 human senses both arc
= hard and odorlcss and, until broken
open. tnstelcss. l,y what organ of
sense docs the hen distinguish The dol
lar'iron the kernel? From the human
Standpoint of The senses OF taste ANA
emdA :ahttfchnnot tell one from the 9th
er. The extra weight OF the gold coin is
not the reason why 1t Is discarded, be-
MS corn, though one holtls thirty-two
and the other ilfiy-siX pounds to the
even bushcl
LIZ the contents OF the two measures
hal been spread out in front Of mel
the. choice would not have been made
according to hen conclusions. for the
reason that men have learned how gold
dollars are constructed. I;ut if :, hen
hntl never seen II kernel OF corn or Il
gold dollar before during her cxistcncc
sic would have chosen the corn lust MS
quickly. Willy WAS size lc;i to make the
cliocc?
Among the most interesting features
.'sa,sIaifi poultry is io'llotc the rover.
- Sloh'to nnco1tial type; which crop; out
III tho young. The custodian Of The
coops may walk ;ilnut The premises
for days and weeks without creating
any gossip among tho hens. but let IL
stranger come along. and the cutlery
Of danger is made forthwith. This in
hcrtcd dread Of Il foe crops. out TO N
marked degree IN the young. If Il hen
steals her nest and incubatcs her
young and brings them to the door to
be fed every chick in the lot will scoot
away ana hide rs soon as human
being appears Oh The scene
Among game fowl AMI the smaller
breeds this fear continues for weeks.
though it nearly disappears when the
chicks become adults. Tic family dog
may Loaf about the yard for weeks and
never raise sluawk. Of protest, but
Let new dog approach the premises.
ana the oEicrics OF the poultry may
nc heard from afnr. \ skunk will
drive the poultry into Mysteries. though,
a black and whitt. striped eat that be-
longs on The place can sun itself In the
runwnys foT hours anu ne, or be walk
ened by poultry outcrics.
At whntsngc and by what manner do
chickens learn to distinguish their
friends? Having been made able 10
understand that the man who has
Charge Of them is their protector. why
'do tficy' not extend this confidence to
all human beings?
liens are ut once the wiscst and
most foolish animals that live.
fif"f hog rcceiy cS punishment few
Times for visiting n certain spot. it
VIII acquire wisdom from contact with
: tlie switch and will either sli,in the for
btuen place, entirely or will wait until
the human dealer in vengeance has
gone away. But no form of punish
ment inverted by man can wcnn q
, hon from invading garden and
scratching among tho plants. If we SUI
, perlor human beings could fa,hom the
mind fof' tho humbicst hen n,.1 could
learn all there is to know rs to her