WHICH IS THE MOTHER?

Bruce Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 2265, 15 May 1891, Page 6

WHICH IS THE MOTHER?

[ Which ia tho inothor of Iho chick — tliu hen that iayts tho egg or the hen that hatches it? Thia is a question just .decided by Juatico McMahon, of Paikvilly, a Buiall but interesting suburb of Brooklyn. It ig the first case of the kiud known to hare been brought into Court, and by reason of its unique unporlauue the trial has occupied much of the time of the presiding justice. The facts are that Farmer McCaughn and Farmer Gormley are next door neighbors, and their henneries adjoin each other. Farmer McCaughn owns choice game birds, but the fowls belonging to hia neighbor are of the ordiaary farmyard standard. It was testified to that OD6 of Farmer McCaughn's hens scrambled over the fence and indiscreetly, if not wickedly and feloniously, did lay two eggs, at divei-n times, on Farmer Groz'inloy's premises. Tho triumphant note which heralded thia material achievement did not suggest to Farmer Gormley the propriety of picking up the egga and delivering them into the possesion of the owner of the hen. On the coatrarvj be proojptJy- put them under a sitting hen owned by himself, aud in due course of time they were hatched. So soon as their feathers and little red combs began to grow Farmer McCaughn observed that these dubious chickens were full-blooded game birds, like those of his own hennery, and he made a demand for them. Farmer Gormley denied the claim of ownership with emphasis and disdain. Then Farmer McGaughn summoned his chickenraising neighbor before the court for trial, and issue was joined. The qnestion was not between hen and heu, but between farmer and farmer, or, rather, it was a question as to whose hen was the mother of the chicken?. Now, ordinary commonsense would suggest that as the hatching of chickens ia a mere mechanical process, chiefly dependent upon caloric, as science has demonstrated most thoroughly, it is not characteristic, or necessarily even suggestive of motherhood. The fitting hen is unquestionably an efficient incubator, and so, too, would be a rooster if you could get him to ait long enough ; but who would presume to say that a rooster could become a mother even if he should hatch a dozen broods 1 Justice McMahon has decided that Farmer Gormley must surrender the two chickens to Farmer McCaughn, or pay to him tho full amount of their value, But is not Farmer Gormley entitled to pay for the labor and services of hia hen in hatching the eggs ? The decision of the justice is righteous aa to the main point at issue, but he seems co have overlooked the fundamental propriety of a counter claim. We adviae Fai'mer Gormley to appeal, — ' New York Tribune.'