perches to serve as roosting-places (fig. 16.), and these rails are
best of rough wood, as they afford a more secure resting-place for
the fowls than if they were round and smooth. Fowls are very apt
to crowd together in their roosting-places; and, when the rails are
smooth so that the claws of the fowls cannot take a firm hold of them,
the youngest and weakest of the fowls are very often pushed off. The
roosting-places should be furnished with a sloping board with sticks
nailed across, to enable the fowls to ascend to them. All the rooms
of the hen-house should have windows filled in with wire lattice; and
they should have shutters to close in cold weather. In some cases they
have ceilings like those of a house, and in others they are left open
to the beams of the roof. The principal thing to attend to is to keep
them scrupulously clean, and the walls frequently whitewashed. The
roosting-place should have the dung removed every morning, and in warm
weather it should be washed out every day; even in winter, unless the
weather is frosty, the floor should be washed once a week. Sometimes,
instead of fixed rails for the fowls to rest upon, hanging bars are
suspended from the roof; and sometimes the nests for laying in and for
sitting are fixed, and in two rows one above the other. Where danger
is apprehended from thieves, the door of the roosting-house is kept
locked, it being provided with an opening for the fowls to pass through.
Poultry should never be fed where they roost, if it can possibly be
avoided, and their food should generally be given to them in the open
shed act apart for that purpose. In wet weather, however, they may
be fed in the feeding-house (_a_ in fig. 14.), which has that name
because it is the place where those fowls which are to be fattened
are kept under coops (fig. 17.). For my own part I am no friend to
fattening fowls artificially, as I think they are never half so good
to eat as when they are indulged with moderate exercise, and kept in
good condition by feeding them with barley, oats, or other grain, two
or three times a day. When the poultry-yard adjoins a farm-yard, so
that the fowls can be let out occasionally to pick up the grains that
are scattered by the thresher, they become so plump and so well fitted
for the table, that it is considered the highest praise that can be
bestowed on poultry, to say that it eats as well as a barn-door fowl.
When it is not practicable to admit poultry to the farm-yard, the fowls
that are to be fattened should be kept in the feeding-house, and plenty
of unthreshed straw should be given to them to peck at, so as to let
them have constantly quite as much as they can eat, and yet be obliged
to take exercise to get it; or, if more rapid feeding be required, they
may be put under coops and fed with various kinds of food, either raw
or cooked.
[Illustration: Fig. 17. _Coop._]
A fowl, when supplied with abundance of food, eats rapidly till it has
filled its crop, in which the food is merely stored as grass or hay is
in the paunch of a cow, and from which it passes through the second
stomach into the gizzard, which digests it, by grinding it into a mass,
partly by its own muscular action, and partly by the help of numerous
little bits of gravel and small stones which the fowl swallows. This is
necessarily a slow process, when the food consists of hard dry barley;
but of course it is performed much quicker when the food is softened by
boiling, and equally, of course, the time in which the fowl gets fat is
shortened by the facility with which it can digest its food. This is
the reason why cooked grain is now preferred for feeding poultry, and
boiled rice, barley, oats, and wheat are given in preference to the old
mixture of barley meal and milk and water. Boiled or steamed potatoes
are also recommended, and they should always be given warm. All the
fowls may be fed with advantage on this prepared food, as it makes the
hens lay better and the chickens grow faster, care being taken that the
earthen pans or wooden troughs in which it is contained are always kept
perfectly clean, and that they are daily scoured with boiling water to
prevent them from acquiring a sour taste. The boiled food is always
given in the feeding-house, but after eating it the fowls are turned
into the yard to cater for themselves if they feel inclined, and many
persons advise a piece of bullock's liver or something of the kind to
be thrown in the yard, as far from the hen-house as possible, to breed
maggots, as they are particularly nourishing to young chickens, who
will devour them greedily. You will observe that I have not given any
directions for cramming fowls, as I am quite sure you would not suffer
any creatures under your control to be subjected to such treatment.
Poultry are particularly liable to be attacked by body vermin, and,
while they are annoyed by these torments, they will never feed
properly. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance that the places
in which they are kept should be perfectly clean, and that they should
have abundance of sand, in which they can wallow whenever they feel
inclined.
Domestic fowls are very pugnacious, and if there are too many cocks
they will be fighting incessantly. The usual proportion is one cock
to seven hens; and those hens should be kept for laying which are
dark-coloured, as they are not only better layers, but are said to
produce richer eggs. When a hen is about to begin laying she makes a
cackling noise for several days, when a nest of hay should be prepared
for her, and a nest egg put into it, to induce her to lay there. Some
hens lay every day, and others only once in two days, or once in three
days. The eggs should be removed as soon as laid, as the hen is apt to
spoil or break them, by sitting in the nest to lay others. Eggs may be
kept for several months sufficiently fresh either for setting or for
the table, by dipping them either in oil, or in a mixture of beef suet
and mutton fat melted together and used warm. Hens are considered in
their prime at three years old, but they will produce eggs for several
years; and some hens will continue laying all the year, except during
the season for moulting, which happens with young fowls in spring, and
with older ones generally in autumn. At this season all birds are ill,
particularly at the time when the new feathers have just forced out the
old ones, and have their quills full of blood to furnish nutriment for
their growth.
When a hen is set, care should be taken that she has only as many eggs
as she can cover easily. The usual number is from nine to thirteen;
and, when they have been put into the nest, the hen should be placed
gently upon them, and covered with a cloth till she seems quiet. When a
hen is sitting, she should be plentifully supplied with water near at
hand, as she is generally thirsty, but it is reckoned best not to put
her food too close to her, as a little exercise does her good. A hen
sits twenty-one days, but some of the chickens are generally hatched
a day sooner or later. Each is taken from the hen as soon as it has
left the egg, and is put in a basket on some wool or flannel, and
set by the fire; but no food is given till all the brood is hatched,
and returned to the hen. The chickens are then fed with eggs boiled
hard and chopped small, and boiled rice and grits; and, when they are
a little bigger, they may be given barley meal mixed with milk and
water, or, what is better, boiled barley and rice, with a few boiled
potatoes crumbled small. They will soon, however, be strong enough to
feed with the hen in shallow vessels; as otherwise they are apt to get
into the water to drink, and wetting their feet and feathers brings on
many diseases. As soon as the chickens are hatched, a little bit of
wood, with a strip nailed across it, to serve as a step, should be put
from the opening of the box where the nest is to the ground, to enable
the chickens to get in and out of the nest as easily as possible; and
when they are permitted to go out of doors, which is generally in three
or four days, the hen should be put under a coop, to prevent her from
wandering, till the chickens are strong enough to accompany her, which
will probably be in about ten or fifteen days.
There are many opinions as to what _kinds of fowls_ are the best; but
it is very difficult to decide this question, as almost all the kinds
have advantages and disadvantages peculiar to themselves; though those
are usually preferred which have rather short and slender legs, and
round, compact, fleshy bodies. White or very light-coloured fowls
are considered best for the table; but they are said to be tender
in constitution and not good layers. The common barn-door fowl is
the original stock from which most of the varieties are derived. The
Game fowl are perhaps the best for the table; but the eggs are small,
and the chickens are difficult to rear, unless they can be supplied
with maggots or some other kind of animal food. The Dorking fowls
are preferred for the table by the caterers for the London market,
on account of their large size. They have generally two hind toes
instead of one. The Jago, or Cochin-China, fowls are so very large
that it is said they can pick crumbs from a table as they stand on
the ground, and they often weigh from eight to ten pounds. They have
double combs and tufts of feathers on the head: the feathers on the
body are mottled, but those of the tail are a dark glossy green. The
eggs are very large and good. The Crested, or Polish, fowl is black,
with a white tuft on the head. The hens are excellent layers, and the
chickens are good for the table; but the hens are not good sitters, and
are apt to lay away. The Spanish fowls are also black, and very large
and handsome. The Malay fowls are very large, and the colour of the
feathers is black, streaked with brown and yellow. They are excellent
layers; and their eggs, which are very large, have so much yolk, that
two of their eggs will go as far as three of those of ordinary fowls.
The flesh is exceedingly juicy and fine-flavoured; but the legs of the
fowls are rather too large and strong to look well on the table. I
speak confidently of these fowls being good, both for the table and as
layers, because our very kind friend Charles Waterton, Esq., keeps no
others at Walton Hall.
Bantam fowls are very small, with short legs, which are generally
feathered down to the toes. They are much admired as ornamental fowls,
but are of little use, either for the table or as layers, from their
very small size.
There are several kinds of what may be called fancy fowls; but I shall
only mention one of them, and this is the Frizzled fowl, or, as it
is sometimes called, the Friesland fowl, though the name appears to
have no meaning, and to have been only adopted from its resemblance to
frizzled. This fowl is a native of Japan, and it certainly has a very
singular appearance, from its feathers being curled up and apparently
all turned the wrong way. It is, however, not worth keeping, except as
an object of curiosity; as the fowls are small and bad layers, and the
chickens are difficult to rear, being extremely sensitive to cold and
wet.
_Turkeys_ are very wild in their habits, and apt to stray, and their
young are considered difficult to rear. Turkey-hens begin to lay
in March, laying either every day or every other day; and, during
their laying season, many persons will not let them out of their
roosting-place in a morning till they have laid, on account of their
propensity to lay away. One turkey-cock is sufficient for several hens;
and if there are two they generally fight till the strongest has killed
the weakest.
When a turkey-hen is about to sit, her nest is made by twisting a pad
of straw like those worn by basket-women on their heads, and soft
hay is laid in the middle; this is done on account of the projecting
breast-bone of the turkey, which makes it difficult for her to cover
her eggs, unless she has some support. Hen turkeys begin to sit in
April; the number of eggs is generally eleven or thirteen, and they
sit from twenty-five to thirty days. It was formerly customary, as the
young were hatched, to take them away from the hen, and, opening the
beak with the fingers, to force one or two peppercorns down the poor
little creatures' throats; but now this mode of proceeding is thought
unnecessary, and the young are left with their mother till they are all
hatched. They may be then fed with crumbled curds mixed with chives or
nettles chopped small. Eggs boiled hard and cut into little bits; and
mutton or beef without salt, boiled so much as to tear easily into
shreds, are also given. The old bird should then be put with her young
ones under a coop in the hatching-house, and water should be placed
within her reach and that of her young. In a few days the young ones,
with their mother still under the coop, may be taken into the open air;
but they should not be allowed to remain there longer than two or three
hours at a time till they are about ten days old; and the mother should
be kept in her coop under the open shed till they are about six weeks
old, so that till they have attained that age they may always have a
warm dry place to fly to. Great numbers of turkey chickens die young
for want of these precautions being attended to.
When turkey chickens are about two months old, they are called turkey
poults, and about this time the fleshy membranes on the head and neck
begin to appear. This is called shooting the red; and a great many
young turkeys die at this time, unless they are well fed and kept warm.
Those turkey poults which survive this period are generally reared, and
when about six months old some of them may be fattened for the table.
At twelve months old they lose the name of poults, and are considered
full-grown turkeys.
_Guinea fowls_ can very seldom be persuaded to enter a hen-house; they
like to roost in the open air, and to lay in a bush or some similar
situation; and, where they are kept, a few bushes should be planted in
the poultry-yard for their accommodation. The hen seldom sits on more
than seven eggs; and when her young are hatched they should be treated
like young turkeys, and the hen should be put under a coop in the
turkey-house. When the young fowls get old enough to be taken into the
open air, the hen should be kept under a coop in the open shed till the
young are about two months old, as she is a most restless creature, and
would soon kill the young ones with fatigue, if her activity were not
checked.
_Peacocks_ should never be kept in a poultry-yard, as they have a
propensity for killing all the young fowls they can reach, by giving
them a violent blow with the beak on the crown of the head. They will
even kill their own young in a similar way, if they see them before
the tuft of feathers on the head has grown. Pea-hens are very fond of
laying in bushes or hedges, like guinea fowl, and when they are kept in
pleasure-grounds with peacocks they should be narrowly watched. If they
are observed to steal secretly into a bush or hedge, the place should
be marked and examined when the pea-hen has left it; and, if a nest is
found, all the eggs should be carefully removed but one. In doing this
the eggs should be handled as little as possible, as pea-hens are very
particular, and will not sit upon their eggs if they have been touched
by persons with moist hands. When I lived in the country, I never could
rear pea-fowls till the idea struck me of making the little country
girl whom I used to employ to hunt for the eggs wear gloves, and after
that time I never found any difficulty in getting the pea-hens to sit.
When the pea-hen has laid from five to seven eggs she generally shows
a disposition to sit, or rather she begins to sit on the nest she has
made for herself. When this is the case she should be left on her
nest till night, and when it is dark a cloth should be put over her,
and she should be conveyed, nest and all, if practicable, to either
the turkey's hatching-house or the feeding-house, where she should be
placed on a nest prepared for her, containing all her own eggs, and
then covered with a coop, and a cloth thrown over that. When she has
settled comfortably the cloth may be removed; but she should be kept
under the coop the whole time she is sitting. When the young ones are
hatched they are treated in the same manner as young turkeys, and, when
their head-feathers begin to grow, they suffer nearly as much as the
turkey poults do when shooting the red.
_The houses for the aquatic fowls_ should be at the bottom of the
poultry-yard, near the pool, and they should consist of separate
divisions for the sleeping and laying places of both geese and ducks.
A feeding-house is often added, and this is especially necessary when
either ducks or geese are to be put up to feed. Though aquatic fowls,
and particularly ducks, are proverbially fond of dirt, the house in
which they are kept should be as clean as possible; and it should not
only be frequently washed out, but thoroughly ventilated by the door
being left open all day. The smell of goose dung is very offensive;
and if the house in which the geese sleep be not kept very clean, it
will materially deteriorate the pleasure you will have in visiting your
poultry-yard.
Many people object to _geese_ in a poultry-yard on account of the
pugnacious habits of the gander; but when a gander is brought up with
other fowls he becomes familiar with them, and is not likely to do
them any injury. One gander is sufficient for several geese; and four
or five geese will bring up a brood of forty or fifty goslings. Geese
generally lay every other day; or, if they lay two days together, they
miss the third day. They generally begin to lay in March, and lay from
eight to twelve eggs before they show any signs of wishing to sit.
Sometimes, if they are well fed, and the eggs taken away, they will
continue laying as many as twenty or even more.
When a goose is inclined to sit, she begins to carry straws about in
her mouth as if to prepare for making a nest; and, when this is the
case, a nest should be prepared for her containing eleven or thirteen
eggs. The nest should be made in a box in one of the houses for aquatic
fowls, and food should be placed near her, as geese sit very closely,
and sometimes suffer themselves to be half-starved rather than leave
the nest. A goose should, however, be frequently examined while
sitting, as from her nest being close to the ground it is very liable
to be attacked by rats, who will frequently contrive to get the eggs
from under the goose without her being able to prevent it.
Geese are voracious feeders, and eat a great deal of grass as well
as of more substantial food. When they are to be fattened for the
table they are put under coops, and fed principally on oats moistened
with water; but at other times they may be fed on any kind of refuse
vegetable mixed with any sort of corn, and with boiled potatoes,
carrots, and turnips. When geese are fattened before they are six
weeks or two months old they are termed green geese; and those which
are kept a little longer, so as to be ready for Michaelmas, are called
stubble-geese, because, if turned into the corn-fields after the crop
has been carried, they will generally find amongst the stubble enough
grain, which has been dropped from the sheaves, to fatten them.
_Ducks_ require more water than geese, and they eat less grass, though
they are always better when grass is within their reach, on account of
the great number of slugs and other similar creatures that they find
among it. Ducks are celebrated for the voracity and coarseness of their
appetites. They begin to lay in February, and will sometimes lay as
many as fifty eggs before they show any inclination to sit. They are,
indeed, generally bad sitters, and will forsake their eggs if they have
not plenty of food and water placed within their reach. From nine to
eleven eggs are as much as a duck can cover, and, if she has more than
that number, or any she does not like, she will turn them out of the
nest without the least ceremony.
A duck generally sits thirty days; but a short time before the
expiration of that period a coop should be put over her, or else, very
probably, as soon as two or three ducklings are hatched she will take
them to the water, and desert the remaining eggs. Young ducklings are
very hardy under ordinary circumstances; but this treatment frequently
kills them, as if the water be at all cold they are generally seized
with cramp, and die a few hours after they are hatched. It is on
account of ducks being so careless of their young that ducks' eggs are
frequently set under hens.
Ducklings, when first hatched, are generally fed upon oatmeal mixed
with chopped nettles; and, when they are a little stronger, they are
given bran soaked in water, and boiled potatoes. It is also a good
plan to throw a handful of oats or barley into the water given to them
to drink, for them to dabble for, that they may get accustomed to the
water by degrees. The mother should, however, be kept under a coop till
the young ducklings are ten days old, to prevent her from taking them
into the water till they are strong enough to bear it.
When ducks are to be fattened they must be kept under a coop, and
fed with boiled potatoes mixed with oatmeal and bruised oats. Acorns
ground or bruised are a favourite food with them, and very fattening.
Malt-dust is likewise recommended; but barley is said to give them a
bad flavour. The Muscovy ducks should not be kept in the poultry-yard,
as they are so much larger and stronger than the common kind that they
are apt to fight with them and deprive them of their food; and they are
more suitable to the park and pleasure-ground.
There may be a dove-cot for _pigeons_ in the poultry-yard with
the other fowls. When the pigeon-house is large, it is generally
built round like a tower from the ground upwards; but where this is
inconvenient, a small wooden dove-cot may be fixed against the walk.
In your case I would decidedly advise you to have a pigeon-house in
your poultry-yard; and, if it is built like a tower, there should be
holes in the upper part for the birds to enter by, with a shelf under
each row of holes, and a little penthouse projecting from the roof to
keep out the wet. The interior of the pigeon-house must have cells for
nests, which are made by putting up shelves twenty inches wide and one
foot apart, and dividing the spaces between them by upright partitions,
three feet from each other. Across the back of each nest there should
be a board three inches wide, sliding up and down in a groove, to
prevent the young ones from falling out, and yet to allow of the nest
being cleaned. When the house has been stocked with pigeons, a little
hay or soft straw is put into each cell for the pigeon to form its
nest. Some persons divide each cell into two nests, as, when the young
are about a fortnight old, the female, without waiting till they are
fledged, often begins to lay again; and, when there is only one nest,
it is not an uncommon thing to see a female pigeon sitting on a fresh
set of eggs, while the young of the former hatching are still under her
care. When a pigeon-house is to be stocked, a number of young birds are
obtained either in May or August, when they are in the state called
squeakers, that is to say, not fully grown, but able to feed themselves.
When the female pigeon begins to lay, she produces only one egg, and
then waits a day or two, after which she lays another, and immediately
proceeds to sit. She continues sitting from fifteen to twenty days, or
rather the male and female sit alternately during that time; but, as
soon as the young pigeons are hatched, the mother never leaves them,
for the space of three days, though after that time she commits them,
very frequently, almost entirely to the care of a male, who feeds them
in the same manner as she does herself, by swallowing peas or other
large seeds, and, after keeping them in the crop till they are partly
macerated, forcing them up again, and ejecting them into the open
mouths of the young ones. While the young are thus fed, they are called
squabs, and in that state they are reckoned best for pies; but, when
they get old enough to feed themselves, they are called squeakers. They
breed very often, but only continue prolific for a few years, and are,
in general, short-lived.
A pigeon-house soon becomes very dirty, and has a most intolerable
smell; it should, therefore, be cleaned out as often as practicable,
taking care that the cleaning is always done in the morning before
mid-day, as pigeons go to roost very early, and, if disturbed in the
afternoon, they will very often take a sulky fit, and sit outside of
the pigeon-house all night.
Pigeons should always be fed in the open air, with peas, small
horse-beans, buck-wheat, and old tares, as new tares are said to be
unwholesome. They should be supplied with abundance of water, some in
a shallow vessel for them to wash in, and some in a wooden trough for
them to drink; as they are very cleanly, and will not drink the same
water that they have washed in, though they require more water to drink
than any of the other inhabitants of the poultry-yard. They require to
have access to gravel or sand, and it is customary to supply them with
a heap of lime rubbish, over which salt and water has been poured; and
in some cases this is put into an earthenware vessel with holes in it,
called a salt cat; in other cases a little salt is thrown over a heap
of sifted gravel. When pigeons are put in a new house, it is customary
to give them cummin seed or asafœtida, as they are so fond of these
strong-smelling substances, that they soon take a liking to any place
where they are to be found.
Pigeons are very hardy, and are subject to very few diseases. The two
eggs laid by the female pigeon generally produce a male and female
bird; and, when this is the case, if by any chance one of them is
killed, it is very difficult to provide the other with a mate. Pigeons
are proverbial for their constancy, and the same pair will produce
broods for several years in succession.
The _diseases of poultry_ are very numerous and often fatal. The _pip_
comes in the shape of a little blister on the tip of the tongue, which
afterwards becomes a thickened membrane. If seen in its first state it
should be pricked, and the fowl kept a day or two without food, but
plenty of water should be given to it. If the membrane has formed, the
fowl is thrown on its back, and, the beak being opened, the membrane
is removed by passing the finger nail or a fine needle under it. The
tongue is then moistened with a little oil, and the fowl for a few
days is given very little to eat, but plenty of water to drink: some
persons give fowls affected with this disease rue chopped fine and
mixed with butter. It is a very common disease with young fowls, and
generally attacks them, if the weather should be hot, in August and
September. When fowls appear to suffer from immoderate thirst, it is a
sign of _fever_, and they should be supplied with abundance of clear
water, and only fed with a little soaked bread; and a similar mode of
treatment is generally efficacious when the fowl appears to suffer
from constipation. When a fowl is _crop-sick_, that is, suffers from
indigestion, it is usual to put a piece of iron in some of the water
given to it, but it should also have plenty of pure water. Pepper
is often given, and no other food is allowed than mashed potatoes
or boiled cabbage cut small, and both given warm. When fowls have a
voracious appetite, and yet look out of condition, it probably arises
from the fowl having too much acid on its stomach, and it should be fed
with mashed potatoes mixed with chalk and given warm. In _diarrhœa_
boiled rice is given, occasionally mixed with milk, taking care,
however, that the milk is perfectly sweet; or chalk may be given, and
the fowl fed on wheat, oats, or buck-wheat. The _roup_, or influenza,
is, however, the most fatal of all the diseases which attack poultry.
It begins with what is called the gapes; that is, the fowl, being
unable to breathe through its nostrils, keeps its beak open, with a
kind of convulsive yawn; the eyelids then become swelled and close,
and there is an offensive discharge from the nostrils. As soon as
any fowl is observed to be affected with this disease, it should be
separated from the rest, as the disease is very infectious. The mouth
and nostrils should be first washed with warm water and soap (which
will make the creature sneeze and discharge a great quantity of the
offensive matter), and then gently rubbed with a dry cloth. A grain of
calomel made into a pill with bread may be given, and the fowl put into
a rabbit-hutch near the fire, on a bed of soft warm hay. Some hours
afterwards the head should be again washed in warm water and rubbed
dry, and the fowl should be crammed with a few balls made of barley
meal, flour, mustard, and grated ginger; and warm water with treacle
in it should be given to drink. The hay should be changed twice a
day, and warmed before it is given. The washing and feeding should be
repeated several times a day, and in about a week a little more calomel
should be given, and afterwards flowers of sulphur. This treatment will
soon effect a cure.
LETTER XVI.
THE INHABITANTS OF THE PONDS: FISH; AND AQUATIC FOWLS, INCLUDING
SWANS, EXOTIC GEESE AND DUCKS.--INHABITANTS OF THE WOODS: INCLUDING
PHEASANTS AND PARTRIDGES, HERONS AND BITTERNS.--AVIARY.--APIARY, AND
THE MANAGEMENT OF BEES.--SILK-WORMS.
When a fish-pond is to be made, a situation should be chosen where
there is a natural hollow, so that the ground which is to form the
bottom of the pond may be as little disturbed as possible. If this
situation be near a river so that a feeder may be led into it, nothing
else is wanted to form a fish-pond but an embankment and a sluice, and
these you must have made by persons used to such employments. It is
necessary, however, to take care that the pond is fed from a river, as
spring water is not only too cold for the fish, but is seldom quite
free from mineral substances. The pond should be made at least six feet
deep, and if twelve feet or more it will be better for the fish: as in
frosty weather they will remain near the bottom, and will find enough
air in the great body of water above them to enable them to live a long
time after the surface is frozen over; while, on the contrary, if the
pond be shallow, the fish will soon exhaust all the air it contains,
and will perish unless the ice be frequently broken, to admit air from
the atmosphere. In shallow ponds, also, the rushes and other weeds grow
so fast as to occasion considerable expense and trouble in having them
cleared away.
The extent of a pond must depend upon circumstances, but it should
never be less than five or six acres, and as much more as is
convenient; in shape it should be rather long, as regards the front of
the mansion, than broad, and its outline should either be varied, or
broken by planting trees and shrubs in small groups on its banks. Where
ponds are intended solely for fish, without regard to their appearance
in the landscape, their banks should be quite straight, and their shape
square or oblong. The pond, whether ornamental or not, may be divided
into two parts by an embankment in the centre, which is kept about two
feet below the general surface of the water when the pond is full.
The use of this is, that, when the pond is to be run dry, either for
clearing it of its mud or catching the larger fish, only one half need
be emptied at a time; and the other half may serve as a place to put
the store fish in while the first division is being cleared out; and,
when that is quite clean and the water let into it again, the fish may
be transferred to it while the second half is being cleared. Of course,
according to this arrangement, there must be a wooden sluice for
letting off the water in each division. The beauty of a pond depends
principally upon its being well supplied with water, and this constant
supply can only be insured during the summer months, by having a brook
or rivulet running through the pond. Where the pond is of sufficient
size, there should be an island or two for the swans and other aquatic
birds to make their nests on.
Where several kinds of fish are desired, different soils may be laid at
the bottom of the pond, to suit the fish which breed in it. Thus, trout
will never thrive unless the pond in which they are kept has a gravelly
bottom. Carp (of which there are two kinds, the common, and the
Prussian which is much smaller than the other,) and tench require loam,
with abundance of aquatic weeds; and eels will only thrive in mud. It
is very seldom practicable to keep all kinds of fish in the same pond,
as some kinds destroy other kinds; but providing them with different
bottoms is the most effectual way of keeping them, as they will remain
in separate communities in the part of the pond that suits them best.
Of the kinds of fishes with which a pond should be stocked, carp
are, perhaps, generally speaking, the best. They breed rapidly, are
very hardy, and grow very fast. Tench resemble carp in all these
qualities, and both are quiet fish, which would live together without
fighting or destroying each other. Perch, on the contrary, are said
to be so ravenous that they will devour their own spawn, and that of
other fishes. They breed freely and are quite hardy, but do not grow
rapidly. Trout, when kept in ponds, are rather ravenous; but pike far
exceed all other fish in this respect. A large pike will destroy nearly
all the small weak fishes in a pond; and, indeed, he has been known
to seize young ducks, and devour them. These and similar acts have
obtained for the pike the name of the fresh-water shark. Amongst the
other enemies to young fish are counted the little creatures called
sticklebacks, which are so small, and apparently so insignificant, that
no one would suppose it possible that they could prevent the stocking
of a pond. They do so, however, by devouring the spawn, and thus
preventing the number of fishes from increasing. When a pond is once
stocked very little care is necessary; the principal thing which needs
to be attended to being to break the ice in severe frosts to supply the
fish with air, if the pond should not be deep enough to render this
unnecessary. When fish appear to want feeding, earthworms, steeped
grain, and ground malt, should be thrown into the water.
Besides the regular fish-ponds, it is very convenient in the country
to have small ponds or stews adjoining the kitchen-garden, or somewhere
contiguous to the house, where fish can be kept and fed, and yet caught
at any moment when they may be required. Carp and tench are the best
fish for keeping in stews, as they are the quietest; but, as stews
are so contrived that the different kinds of fish may be kept in them
separate from each other, perch may be kept in one of the divisions,
and fed with garbage or any refuse animal food from the kitchen, till
they have attained a large size. Pike might be kept in another stew in
the same manner, but a pike should never be put into a stew with any
other fish.
Every pond in a pleasure-ground should have some ornamental aquatic
fowls upon it to make it look complete; as without some kind of living
creature, the finest piece of water in the world would have a look of
coldness and desolation.
Of all the ornamental aquatic fowls known in England, the _swan_,
though perhaps the commonest, is the noblest; and it has the advantage
of being useful in clearing ponds of weeds as well as being ornamental.
A swan should generally have a pond at least three acres in extent, and
they seldom thrive unless there is an island in the centre overgrown
with long grass or underwood, in which they can make their nests.
Swans are tolerably hardy, and only require to be taken up in time
of frost. They are very fond of rambling over grass when they feel
themselves in perfect security; and they eat a great quantity of slugs
and snails when thus employed.
In the month of May the female swan generally prepares to make her
nest, which she does secretly, as, if the cobb or male bird perceives
her, he will prevent her if possible. The cygnets, or young swans, are
generally hatched about July, and when they first appear their feathers
are of a dingy brown instead of being white. When they first go into
the water the female, or pen bird, as she is called, only lets them
swim a little way, and then, if they appear tired, she takes them on
her back. When the cygnets grow bigger, the mother swims round the pond
with them following after her like a company of soldiers. As soon as
they get about three parts grown, the cobb drives them away from their
mother, and forces them to provide for themselves. At this period, if
they happen to have been hatched late, they may be fed with boiled
barley and bread. They do not become perfectly white till the second
year.
When two full-grown cobb swans quarrel they fight tremendously; and,
though the common species is called the mute swan, they make a loud
hissing noise something like that of the goose, but louder and hoarser.
A cobb swan will also, when enraged, attack a dog, or even a man,
striking tremendous blows with its wings. It is said that a full-grown
swan could break a man's arm with a blow of its wing. Swans were
formerly considered royal birds; and those upon the river Thames are
still the property of the crown, and the young ones are marked every
year under the superintendence of the Lord Mayor, the ceremony being
called swan-hopping, which is said to be derived from swan-upping, a
part of the ceremony being to decide how far up the river the swans
have a right to go.
In hard frosts the swans, and all the other ornamental aquatic fowls,
must be sheltered, and fed in the same way as the common ducks
and geese in the poultry-yard; and there is generally some place
contrived near the water for this purpose; as, for example, under
the fishing-house, or adjoining the boat-house. It is also necessary
to take some means of preventing aquatic fowls from flying away, and
the barbarous operation of cutting off one joint of the wing with
a penknife, or a very fine saw made from the spring of a watch, is
frequently resorted to; it being the second joint of the wing that
is taken off. For my own part, I should prefer losing my birds to
resorting to such measures for their preservation; and I think I have
understood, that, by depriving them of the alternate feathers of
their wings, they may be rendered incapable of flying while they are
strangers to the place, and I would trust to kind treatment to make
them wish to stay with me when we became better acquainted.
The _black swan_ is a native of Australia, and it is so common in that
country, that it gives its name to the Swan River. In a wild state, it
is generally seen floating on lakes or rivers, in long lines formed by
eight or ten or more swans swimming in a single file; and when alarmed
they rise all together and fly off, uttering wild but not unmusical
screams, retaining in the air the same position as that they occupied
in the water. You must, however, take care, if you put a black swan on
the some water with the white ones, that they do not injure it. Some
years ago, two white swans on the water in the Regent's Park pursued a
black one with the greatest ferocity; and, according to Mr. Yarrell,
from whom I have taken this account, one of them having succeeded in
grasping the black swan's neck between the mandibles of its beak, shook
it violently. The black swan with difficulty extricated itself from
this murderous grasp, hurried on shore, tottered from the water's edge
a few paces, and then fell to die. The white swans did not attempt
to pursue it, but continued sailing up and down the water with every
feather on end, and seeming proud of their conquest.
Of _geese_ there are many ornamental kinds.
The _Chinese goose_ is a beautiful creature, which breeds readily in
this country.
The _bean goose_ is frequently kept on ornamental pieces of water; and
a pair belonging to the Ornithological Society of London have produced
young in St. James's Park, and are remarkably tame. This goose has
received its name from its fondness for beans and other pulse; and it
is one of the three species of wild geese which pay passing visits
to the ponds and lakes in the North of England and Scotland. It is
found in great abundance in the Hebrides and other western islands of
Scotland; and large flocks fly together, either in a diagonal line or
in two such lines forming an acute angle, making a loud cackling noise
as they fly, and going, as has been supposed, at the rate of more than
twenty miles an hour.
The _Canada geese_ are very remarkable in their appearance, from
their glossy black necks and white cheeks, and their very remarkable
trumpet-like notes. These birds appear in such quantities in Canada,
that it is calculated that two or three thousand are killed every year
by the English at Hudson's Bay. This bird is sometimes called the
cravat goose; its beautiful black and glossy neck and white breast
bearing considerable resemblance to a black silk cravat upon a white
shirt.
The _bernicle_, or brent goose, is interesting from the curious
superstition which formerly prevailed respecting it, as it was supposed
to have sprung from the shell called the barnacle or lepas, which
adheres to the bottoms of ships, and which has a fringe of cirri
projecting from between its valves bearing some faint resemblance to
the feathers of a bird. These geese are very small, and not above half
the size of the Canada geese; and yet Mr. Waterton found a large old
Canada goose on his noble sheet of water at Walton Hall pair with a
bernicle gander.
The _Egyptian goose_ is interesting from the strong resemblance it
bears to the figures of a goose found in Egyptian hieroglyphics, in
which it was the emblem of caution.
Amongst the other ornamental kinds of geese found on ponds in
pleasure-grounds, I may mention the _snow_, or _red, goose_ from
North America, which is of large size, and has its bill armed with
twenty-three strong indentations like teeth; and the _laughing goose_,
which has a white front, and makes a strange laughing-like noise. There
is also an African goose called the _gambo_, which is furnished with a
curious spur on the upper part of the wing.
Of the ornamental _ducks_ the best known species is that with red
wattles on its head and neck, which is generally called the _Muscovy
duck_, but which is not, as its name imports, a native of Muscovy; for
the name is a corruption of moschata or musk duck, in allusion to the
peculiar smell of the creature. These ducks are found wild in Guiana,
where they nestle on the trunks of trees close to the water's edge.
They are easily managed in this country, but require protection in cold
weather. They breed freely, and are not difficult to rear, except about
the time when the red wattles appear round the head, when many of them
die. In other respects they considerably resemble the common duck.
The _shieldrake_, or burrow duck, is remarkable for its constancy, as
a male and female when they once pair continue to breed together every
year as long as they live. This duck is also one of the most beautiful
of the ornamental water-fowl. In its native state it is generally found
on the sea-coast, or within a few miles of the sea, where it breeds in
rabbit burrows and other holes in sandy soils. It will, however, live
in an inland situation, provided it is fed with periwinkles and other
shell-fish, and hence it was originally called the shelldrake. In some
parts of Scotland it is called the skeeling goose.
There is another species of shieldrake which is sometimes called the
_ruddy goose_, and which has a glossy black ring round its neck and a
reddish breast. This bird has the same burrowing habits as the common
species, but it prefers the neighbourhood of a river to that of the
sea. The voice of this bird when flying is said to resemble the tone of
a clarinet; but in a state of confinement it bears more resemblance to
the cry of a peacock.
The _shoveller_, or broad-bill, is a fowl occasionally kept on ponds
in pleasure-grounds. In a wild state it inhabits marshes and the muddy
shores of lakes and rivers, and is generally considered only a winter
visitor to this country, though some remain every year to breed. They
feed principally on insects, and are so fond of flies, that one of the
common names of this species in France is _canard gobe-mouche_. The
English name of shoveller alludes to the broad beak, each mandible
of which is bordered with close set rows of teeth resembling those
of a weaver's reed, and which fitting into each other form a kind of
sieve. With this beak the shoveller digs up the soft mud, and letting
its watery particles escape, retains the very small worms and other
insects which constitute the principal food of the bird. These ducks
being very ornamental and curious, many attempts have been made to keep
them on the ornamental pieces of water in the London parks and gardens,
but hitherto without success; for I am told, on the authority of our
excellent friend Captain Mangles, that, though they may appear healthy
for a time, they are very apt to die off suddenly without any apparent
cause.
The _gadwall_, or grey duck, is an ornamental bird; but it is of little
use to have it in pleasure-grounds, as it is so shy, and so fond of
hiding itself among thick weeds and long grass, that the pair in the
Zoological Society's gardens are scarcely ever seen.
The _pintail duck_, or sea pheasant, though also shy in its native
habitats, is more easily tamed, and is well deserving of being kept on
ornamental pieces of water, not only from the beauty of its plumage,
but from the singular appearance produced by its long tail when it is
swimming on the water. This bird has a singular patch of green on its
wings, and yellow feet. It is very difficult to get it to breed.
The _teal_ is the smallest of the British ducks, and one of the
prettiest. Its breast is spotted with black tinged with purple, and
it has a rich dark-brown mark on its head, encircling the eye and
spreading down the back of the neck. The teal bears confinement well,
and it breeds regularly every year in the gardens of the Zoological
Society. The eggs are white tinged with buff, and generally about an
inch and a half in length. The nest is formed of decayed vegetable
matter, lined with down and feathers, and it contains eight or ten
eggs. The teal feeds on grass and water plants, and also on various
kinds of insects; but, when kept in this country all the year, during
the winter it requires grain.
The _widgeon_, Mr. Waterton tells us, "is a much more familiar bird
than either the pochard or the teal. While these congregate on the
water, beyond the reach of man, the widgeon appears to have divested
itself of the timidity observable in all other species of wild-fowl,
and approaches very near to our habitations." The widgeon has such a
shrill cry, that it is sometimes called the whistling duck.
The American widgeon is the constant attendant on the _canvass-back
duck_, so celebrated in the United States for its excellence as an
article of food. These ducks have been introduced into England, but
they do not thrive in this country probably for want of a species of
Vallisnèria on which they feed in their native land. The best way of
managing them would be, to give them plenty of grain, particularly
wheat, of which they are remarkably fond; though, probably, buck-wheat
would answer the purpose, and would be much more economical. The
Vallisnèria, also, on which they feed, might be introduced into
England, though it would require to be grown in running water.
The _eider duck_ is very scarce on ornamental pieces of water, though
it is abundant in the North, particularly on the Fern Islands off the
coast of Northumberland, and especially on St. Cuthbert's rock; and
hence it is sometimes called St Cuthbert's duck. It was long supposed
that the eider duck would not live in confinement; but the Earl of
Derby has several in his splendid collection at Knowsley, which were
reared by feeding them on slugs and other mollusca.
The king duck, the beautiful little western duck, the magnificent surf
scoter, and the red-crested duck (a beautiful stuffed specimen of which
is in the possession of Mr. Waterton), are all highly ornamental, and
well deserve to be kept in pleasure-grounds for their beauty.
The _pochard_, or dun bird, is remarkable for the excellence of its
flesh, which closely resembles that of the celebrated canvass-back
duck of America. Like that duck it feeds greedily on a species of
Vallisnèria and on grass-wrack and sea grass (_Rúpia marítima_); which
last, Mr. Yarrell tells us, is "called also in America eel-grass, from
the form and length of the stem. The ducks dive and pull up these
aquatic plants to obtain the tender roots, the only part they seem to
eat. The two plants last named are common near the coast in England."
I think you will now be pretty well tired of aquatic fowls; and
therefore I will only mention one more, viz. the _coot_, respecting
which there is a great diversity of opinions. "If a gentleman wishes
to have plenty of wild-fowl on his pool," says Col. Hawker, in his
_Instructions to Young Sportsmen_, "let him preserve the coots and
keep no tame swans. The reason that all wild-fowls seek the company of
the coots is, because these birds are such good sentries to give the
alarm by day when the fowl generally sleep." "If you wish to have your
water-fowl breed," says Captain Mangles, "have no coots, for if you
have they will destroy all the eggs." Where there are coots, and it is
wished to destroy them, it is extremely difficult to do so by shooting
at them, as the moment they see the gun, they dive into the water,
and when they come up again, are frequently a hundred yards from the
place where they sank. They also make a great commotion in the water by
flapping their wings along its surface, and making a tremendous rushing
noise, so that it is not very easy to approach them even with a boat.
Almost every park where there are trees contains _pheasants_; and in
many places especial contrivances have been resorted to for feeding
and keeping these birds. The places which they like to frequent are
woods and plantations where there is plenty of undergrowth, and they
are particularly fond of places where fern and brake grow abundantly.
When it is wished to stock a park with pheasants, it is usual to set
the eggs under a common hen, and when they are hatched, which will
be in from twenty-three to twenty-seven days, the young ones should
be put into a basket with a bit of flannel till the whole are hatched
and the shells have been removed from the nest. They are then put back
to the hen, and fed with eggs boiled hard and then cut small, and
curd made by mixing new milk with the water in which a lump of alum
has been dissolved. They should also have a few ants' eggs if they
can be procured, and, if they cannot, a raw egg should be beaten up
and mixed with as much flour as will make it into a paste, and then
rubbed through a coarse sieve so as to leave it in little grains. Young
pheasants should be fed often, and have but a very little at a time.
When they are able to run about, they are first put out with the hen
under a coop like chickens; but, when they get older and stronger,
the hen is put on one of the lower branches of the tree in the
poultry-yard, and tied to it by the leg, so that she can move about on
the branch, but not descend to the ground; the young pheasants seeing
her on the tree will fly up to her, and thus learn to perch. In a few
days the hen is put upon one of the higher branches of the tree, and
the young pheasants soon learn to follow her. In a week or ten days
after this, they are generally old enough to leave the hen, and they
may be turned into the woods; though they will require feeding every
morning and evening for some weeks. Pheasants are naturally very shy,
and even when reared in this manner they become so timid in the course
of a few weeks that they will not suffer any one to come near them.
Many persons suppose that, as they are natives of Asia Minor, they are
tender, and easily affected by the cold; but this is not the case, as
they will bear cold better than most others of the feathered race.
Some persons try to fatten pheasants by putting them in a small
enclosure covered with a net; but pheasants treated in this manner are
never so good as those shot wild in the woods.
Many plans have been devised for feeding pheasants in the woods, but
none are better than those of Mr. Waterton at Walton Hall. At that
most interesting place, which may be called the paradise of birds,
Mr. Waterton has formed clumps of hollies, by planting twenty or
more in a circle, and then making an inner circle, containing ten or
fifteen trees, and scattering the food for the birds between the two
circles, or in the centre of the inner one. In other places a yew tree
surrounded by a holly hedge forms a place of shelter for the birds;
but the first kind is preferred for a feeding-place. The pheasant
requires a great deal of food; and Mr. Waterton, whose knowledge of
the subject is proverbial, tells us that "it is fond of acorns, beech
mast, the berries of the hawthorn, the seeds of the wild rose, and the
tubers of the Jerusalem artichoke. Boiled potatoes (which the pheasant
prefers much to those in the raw state) are," he adds, "perhaps the
most nourishing things that can be offered in the depth of winter."
The plantations of hollies afford the pheasant a retreat to feed in
admirably suited to its timid nature, and they serve at the same time
to keep the smaller birds at a distance.
Pheasants are generally considered worth encouraging in a park, for
their ornamental effect when sitting on the trees, or rising with a
loud whirr from their covers. It is also agreeable to hear their call
in the woods at roosting-time and early in the morning. A wood without
any living creatures in it presents only a dreary scene, or at best
only gloomy pictures to the imagination; but, as soon as it is instinct
with life, its whole aspect seems changed, and cheerful feelings are
excited. I like, therefore, to encourage birds and other half wild
animals in extensive parks, and I would only banish those whose natural
propensities make their presence more likely to give pain than pleasure.
_Partridges_ require very little aid from man, provided only the common
kind is desired. All that is necessary is, to prevent the hen from
being disturbed while sitting, or while brooding over her young. May
is the month in which the partridge generally lays her eggs, and, from
that time till the end of June, care should be taken not to disturb
her. "Partridges pair early in spring, and once united it is rare that
any thing but death separates them." The female lays from fourteen to
twenty eggs, and makes her nest upon the ground. The young one runs
as soon as it is hatched, and frequently while it has still part of
the shell upon its head. The hen partridge rears her young as a hen
does her chickens, scratching the ground to get insects for them, and
sheltering them under her wings while they are at rest. Partridges
succeed best in temperate climates; for extremes of heat and cold are
alike unfavourable to them. Partridges make a peculiar noise called
jucking when they settle down for the night; when this noise is heard,
it is a certain indication that there is a covey or brood of young
birds close at hand.
The _red-legged_, or _Guernsey, partridge_ is very abundant in France,
and in many parts of the Continent; but it is rare in England, except
in Suffolk, where it is not liked for the table. Its habits differ
materially from those of the common partridge. It will only thrive in
mountainous situations covered with wood; and, instead of roosting on
the ground, it passes the night on trees. It is also generally found
perched on trees in the daytime; and it lives in large flocks, and
not in coveys consisting only of a single family. If you wish to try
the experiment of rearing some of these birds, you have only to get
fifteen or twenty of the eggs through some poulterer from France or
Guernsey, or from Suffolk, and to set them under a common hen. They
will be hatched in about the same time as pheasants, and the young
birds require exactly the same treatment.
I do not think I need say any thing of the other kinds of game birds
common in England, as you are not very likely to go out shooting; and
they are too wild to suffer themselves to be approached.
_Hares_ may be occasionally seen lying in their forms, or scudding
across a field; but they are too fond of pinks and carnations for me to
be very partial to them; and, indeed, it is hardly possible to have a
good flower-garden where there are a great many hares and rabbits.
_Herons_ are very interesting birds, but, as they only frequent marshy
land, it is not every situation that is suitable for them. They have
certainly a striking appearance in a landscape, when they are seen
standing for hours together on the banks of a piece of water watching
the fish; and, when they fly, the flapping of their long wings, and the
cries they utter, have something in them extremely wild and romantic.
The booming of the _bittern_, too, which is often heard on the borders
of marshy land, has a very striking effect, and harmonises well with
the cry of the heron.
If you have any gold and silver pheasants, or other curious birds that
you do not like to trust wild in the park, you will perhaps find it
advantageous to have an _aviary_; of which there are two kinds. Small
aviaries are, in fact, but birdcages on a large scale, divided into
compartments to suit the nature of the birds that are to be confined
in them; while a large aviary is only a superior kind of poultry-yard
covered in with wire network to prevent the birds from escaping. The
aviary of the Earl of Derby at Knowsley Park, which is generally
considered the best in England, is of this latter description.
The _apiary_, or stand of beehives, should be placed in a sheltered
situation with a southerly aspect, and care should be taken that there
are no bad smells near it; such, for instance, as those proceeding
from a pigsty or a dog-kennel. There should, on the contrary, be a
garden full of pleasant flowers as near as possible to the bees, as,
though they will occasionally go even miles in quest of food, it
is much better for them on every account to have it close at hand.
Bees are particularly fond of the flowers of buck-wheat, and, though
other plants may be more abundant in honey, none are more useful in
affording what is called bee-bread, or the substance on which the bees
live while they are laying up their winter store. The working bees,
indeed, manufacture three distinct substances from the juices they
obtain from the flowers. These substances are, the wax of which they
make their combs; the honey which they store in them, for consumption
during winter; and the bee-bread on which they feed, and a portion of
which they lay up in the cells in which eggs are deposited, in order
that the young bee may feed upon it while in its larva state.
When you want to form an apiary, it is necessary at first to decide
upon what design you will prefer, and then to adapt your bee-house to
it; the bee-house itself being a wooden closet with shelves in it, each
large enough to hold two or more hives. The holes for the entrance
of the bees must be in front of the apiary; and they are generally
made three inches long, and a quarter of an inch high, with a little
shelf before each for the bees to alight upon before they enter the
hive. Many kinds of hives have been recommended, and Nutt's hive is a
very good one, where the bees are kept merely for an amusement, and
it is wished to see them at work; but, where honey is an object, I
believe the common straw hives are found to answer best. I may observe,
however, that where Nutt's hives are used, no ornamental front is
required to the apiary, as the hives are quite sufficiently ornamental
in themselves.
When a hive of bees is to be bought, the person who selects it
generally taps it to see if it is full of bees, and, if he is satisfied
in this respect, a thin board is slipped under it, and it is left quiet
till night. When it is dark, the board is gently raised by having a
person on each side of it, so as to keep it as level as possible. A
cloth is then slipped under the board, and drawn up and tied closely
over the hive. When thus secured the hive may be easily carried to any
distance that may be necessary; and, when it is placed on the board
where it is finally to stand, the cloth must be taken away from the
lower part of the hive before it is placed; as, when it is once fixed,
it should not be moved again if it can possibly be avoided.
In May or June bees generally swarm, that is, the bees having become
too numerous for the hive, a portion of them go forth to seek a new
abode. A short time before swarming the bees come out of their hive,
and hang together so as to form a chain. After hanging in this manner
for some time, and frequently for several hours, they leave the old
hive and settle on a tree in the neighbourhood; and, as soon as this
is the case, a table is set under the tree covered with a white cloth,
and a man experienced in such matters ascends the tree with an empty
hive in his hand, and sweeps the bees into it. He then brings the hive
down, and places it on the table which was previously covered with a
cloth. A very great bustle immediately takes place among the bees, and
the cloth is completely covered with them. Gradually, however, they
become settled in the hive, and at night the cloth may be drawn round
them, and the hive removed to wherever it may be wished to place it.
There must be one queen bee in every swarm, and, if by any accident the
queen bee is killed, the remaining bees are in the greatest trouble
and confusion, as if seeking for her, and if they do not find her
they separate, and disperse themselves among the other hives. If, on
the contrary, the queen is only held in confinement, they fly to her
as soon as they find out where she is, and forming themselves into a
chain, wait till she comes forth to lead them away.
There are many curious facts relating to the domestic economy of bees
well worthy of your notice, but this is not exactly the place to relate
them. I shall, therefore, only say a few words on the mode of taking
the honey, and on the management of the bees during winter. Many plans
have been devised for taking the honey without killing the bees; but
this appears to be a mistaken kind of humanity, as it is more merciful
to kill the bees at once than to condemn them to die of starvation by
depriving them of their winter food. The ordinary mode is, to put linen
rags dipped in melted sulphur into a hole in the ground, and, after
having lighted them, to set a hive full of bees over the hole. Another
plan is to set the full hive on an empty one inverted, and then to
introduce a sulphureous smoke into the full hive by means of a pair of
fumigating bellows. The bees will all fall from the full hive into the
empty one, and the combs in the full hive, when cleared of the bees,
may be cut out. When the lives of the bees are to be preserved, the
full hive is inverted, and the empty hive being put over it, and both
of them enclosed in a cloth, the lower hive is tapped several times on
the outside with a stick, and gently shaken, so as to drive the bees
from it into the upper hive. A board is then slipped between the two,
and, the hive containing the honeycombs being removed, the other hive
is left with the bees in it. This operation should be performed in
August, as, if it is later in the season, the bees will not have time
to provide themselves with a fresh stock of honey before winter. If the
bees are to be destroyed when the honey is taken, it is generally done
in October.
When winter sets in many cover their hives with a thatching of straw;
and, if a few warm days occur which tempt the bees out, they are fed
with sugar and water boiled into a syrup, and not with merely sugar
dissolved in water, as is frequently the case. Some persons recommend
the syrup given to bees to be put on a plate and crossed with straws,
to enable the bees to take it without drowning themselves; while others
recommend paper pierced with holes, or perforated zinc, for the same
purpose. It may be useful to mention that the sting of a bee, being a
powerful acid, may be cured by the application of an alkali; and thus
chalk, or any similar substance, will very soon allay the pain.
I shall now add a few words on keeping _silk-worms_, and then I think
I shall have said quite enough on the animals usually kept in the
country. Silk-worms succeed best when fed on the leaves of the white
mulberry, but those of the black mulberry are unwholesome for them.
When the leaves of the white mulberry cannot be procured, lettuce
leaves or those of the maclura are the best substitute. Where the
mulberry is grown purposely for silk-worms, the trees are cut down to
the ground every year to make them send up strong vigorous shoots. The
leaves of these shoots are gathered in the morning after the dew has
gone off, so that they may be perfectly dry, and, when stripped off,
they are deposited in a bag kept open with a hoop round the top, in
order that they may be preserved in as fresh a state as possible; and
every leaf is taken off one tree before another is begun upon, as it
is found that this plan of stripping the trees entirely injures them
less than taking a few leaves from each at a time; as, after the tree
has been for some time entirely denuded, it forms a fresh set of leaf
buds, and produces a second crop of leaves. None of the leaves of this
second crop, however, must be taken off. Where labour is sufficiently
cheap, the leaves are best cut off with a pair of scissors.
If you should feel inclined to try your skill in feeding silk-worms,
you can purchase the eggs in Covent Garden market for ten shillings
an ounce, and, if kept in a cool place, they will remain good for
nearly a year. When they are to be hatched, they must be exposed to a
temperature of 86° Fahr., and they are best kept in a room appropriated
for the purpose, and heated by a stove. If you have any small room
adjoining your laundry, or any other place where there is a constant
fire, you will have no difficulty in managing your silk-worms.
Supposing you to have a room of this nature, it will be well to have
tables and shelves provided for keeping the insects on; the shelves
should not be let into the wall, but should be so contrived, by being
suspended on holdfasts or in some other way, as to have the air on
every side; and they should be furnished with ledges round them to
prevent the insects from falling off.
As soon as the mulberry begins to unfold its leaves, the eggs of the
silk-worms should be laid on the shelves, and when they begin to turn
white, which will be in about ten days if the room has been kept at
a proper temperature, they should be covered over with little trays
made of writing-paper turned upside down, and pierced full of holes
with a large knitting-needle. On each tray should be laid some young
twigs of the mulberry, which the insects will smell as soon as they
are hatched, and, crawling through the holes in the paper, will begin
to eat. As soon as a twig is covered all over with silk-worms, it
should be carefully removed to another shelf, and the insects placed on
blotting-paper. Each insect should be allowed about a square inch of
paper. It should then be fed with chopped leaves, and it will appear
to pass the greater part of its time in sleep till it changes its
skin. In its second state it will also appear to pass a great portion
of its time in sleep; but it may be fed with young leaves without
chopping, till it changes its skin a second time. In its third state
the silk-worm becomes more lively and vigorous, and it will devour
full-grown leaves without chopping. Up to this period of its life it
will be sufficient to feed it three times a day. After changing its
skin a third time, the silk-worm becomes of a flesh colour, and eats so
greedily that it should be kept supplied with a succession of leaves
all day long. After the next change the silk-worm eats abundantly night
and day, and should be kept warm. It now begins to get restless, and
instead of eating is continually stretching out its head as though it
were in search of something; its body will have become transparent,
of a clear pearly hue, with bands of gold colour. Little bits of wood
should now be fixed on the shelves in such a way as to give the insects
a feeling of security; and they will immediately begin to make their
cocoons, which they will complete in from four to seven days.
When the insects have done working, the cocoons are taken from the
sticks, and a few being selected to breed from, the rest are prepared
for unwinding. The insects enclosed are first killed, either by
putting them in bags and enclosing them for half an hour in an oven
heated to 88°; or by putting them in sieves, and, after covering
them closely with a woollen cloth, placing the sieves over boiling
water or boiling spirits of any kind. The insects being killed, the
loose or floss silk is removed from the cocoons, and they are put by
handfuls into basins of hot water, which has been heated almost to
the boiling point; and the cocoons are stirred round in it for a few
minutes with a whisk of broom. In a very short time the gum with which
the insect had covered the cocoon is dissolved, and the loose threads
beginning to float on the water, five or six of them are collected,
and the reeling of the silk begins. If well fed and kept in a proper
temperature, the caterpillars will finish their labours twenty-four
days after they are hatched. An ounce of eggs will produce about forty
thousand caterpillars, which will consume nearly eleven hundred pounds
of leaves, and will produce about eighty pounds of cocoons, or eight
pounds of raw silk.