. Cassell's natural history . doing so probably by means of its feet. The fracture varies in breadth indifferent eggs, and is even of different breadths in eggs of the same bird. The effectreqiured is the separation of the hard shell, and then of the membrane ; but it is notproduced by all chicks in the same time. Some complete it within an hour; othershave been observed at work for several days together. The little creature shoidd,however, take up the vmconsumed portion of the Jolk into its body—a provision whichwill suffice for twenty-four hours. If it makes its exit before this is done, the
. Cassell's natural history . doing so probably by means of its feet. The fracture varies in breadth indifferent eggs, and is even of different breadths in eggs of the same bird. The effectreqiured is the separation of the hard shell, and then of the membrane ; but it is notproduced by all chicks in the same time. Some complete it within an hour; othershave been observed at work for several days together. The little creature shoidd,however, take up the vmconsumed portion of the Jolk into its body—a provision whichwill suffice for twenty-four hours. If it makes its exit before this is done, the chickwill die a few days after it is hatched. All who have observed the hatching of chickens, are aware that some come forth fromthe shell before others. If, then, the first of the brood must immediately be fed, and themother had to leave the nest in search of food, the remaining eggs would suffer injuryfor want of the necessary warmth, but the supjoort yielded by the last portion of the yolkeffectually prevents this FIG. 24.— CHICKEN TWO DAYS BKFOKK EXTKUSION. The shells of eggs, it .should be remarked, are nicclj^ adapted in thickness to thestrength of the chick, that is, to make its escape. The favourite cage-bird, the canary,could not break through a sliell like that of a barn-door fowl; and were the sh^plls of thedomestic hen as thin as those of the goldfinch, they would all be crushed by her much is there, then, to admire in tliis nice adjustment! Tlie .shell, luiwever,becomes more brittle by the process of hutching, and, at the same tiin(>, tlic liningmembrane is partially separated. Sometimes the fracture of a .shell does not exceed three-fourths of the cinumferonc(>;but however this maybe, the whole uiass of the body is brouglit into action, the feelbcinf as a lever. By repeatedly pushing the body forwards, tlie iliick graduallyraises the upper portion of the .shell, and, at length, tears off all its fastenings. Siiouldany part rema
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1854
