CHAPTER V

 July 10th.

 

At ten thirty or so in the morning the cackling begins.  I wonder exactly what it means!  Have the forest-lovers who listen so respectfully to, and interpret so exquisitely¹, the notes of birds—have none of them made psychological investigations² of the hen cackle?  Can it be simple elation³?  One could believe that of the first few eggs, but a hen who has laid two or three hundred can hardly feel the same exuberant⁴ pride and joy daily.  Can it be the excitement incident to successful achievement?  Hardly, because the task is so extremely simple.  Eggs are more or less alike; a little larger or smaller, a trifle whiter or browner; and almost sure to be quite right as to details; that is, the big end never gets confused with the little end, they are always ovoid and never spherical⁶, and the yolk⁷ is always inside of the white.  As for a soft-shelled egg, it is so rare an occurrence that the fear of laying one could not set the whole race of hens in a panic; so there really cannot be any intellectual or emotional agitation⁸ in producing a thing that might be made by a machine.  Can it be simply “fussiness”; since the people who have the least to do commonly make the most flutter about doing it?

 

Perhaps it is merely conversation.  “Cut-cut-cut-cut-cut-DAHcut! . . . I have finished my strictly⁹ fresh egg, have you laid yours?  Make haste, then, for the cock has found a gap in the wire-fence and wants us to wander in the strawberry-bed. . . . Cut-cut-cut-cut-cut-DAHcut . . . Every moment is precious, for the Goose Girl will find us, when she gathers the strawberries for her luncheon¹⁰ . . . Cut-cut-cut-cut!  On the way out we can find sweet places to steal nests . . . Cut-cut-cut! . . . I am so glad I am not sitting this heavenly morning; it is a dull life.”

 

A Lancashire poultryman drifted into Barbury Green yesterday.  He is an old acquaintance of Mr. Heaven, and spent the night and part of the next day at Thornycroft Farm.  He possessed¹¹ a deal of fowl¹² philosophy, and tells many a good hen story, which, like fish stories, draw rather largely on the credulity of the audience.  We were sitting in the rickyard talking comfortably about laying and cackling and kindred matters when he took his pipe from his mouth and told us the following tale—not a bad one if you can translate the dialect:—

 

‘Aw were once towd as, if yo’ could only get th’ hen’s egg away afooar she hed sin it, th’ hen ’ud think it hed med a mistek an’ sit deawn ageean an’ lay another.

 

“An’ it seemed to me it were a varra sensible way o’ lukkin’ at it.  Sooa aw set to wark to mek a nest as ’ud tek a rise eawt o’ th’ hens.  An’ aw dud it too.  Aw med a nest wi’ a fause bottom, th’ idea bein’ as when a hen hed laid, th’ egg ’ud drop through into a box underneyth.

 

“Aw felt varra preawd o’ that nest, too, aw con⁵ tell yo’, an’ aw remember aw felt quite excited when aw see an awd black Minorca, th’ best layer as aw hed, gooa an’ settle hersel deawn i’ th’ nest an’ get ready for wark.  Th’ hen seemed quite comfortable enough, aw were glad to see, an’ geet through th’ operation beawt ony seemin’ trouble.

 

“Well, aw darsay yo’ know heaw a hen carries on as soon as it’s laid a egg.  It starts “chuckin’” away like a showman’s racket, an’ after tekkin’ a good Ink at th’ egg to see whether it’s a big ’un or a little ’un, gooas eawt an’ tells all t’other hens abeawt it.

 

“Neaw, this black Minorca, as aw sed, were a owdish bird, an’ maybe knew mooar than aw thowt.  Happen it hed laid on a nest wi’ a fause bottom afooar, an’ were up to th’ trick, but whether or not, aw never see a hen luk mooar disgusted i’ mi life when it lukked i’ th’ nest an’ see as it hed hed all that trouble fer nowt.

 

“It woked reawnd th’ nest as if it couldn’t believe its own eyes.

 

“But it dudn’t do as aw expected.  Aw expected as it ’ud sit deawn ageean an’ lay another.

 

“But it just gi’e one wonderin’ sooart o’ chuck, an then, after a long stare reawnd th’ hen-coyt, it woked eawt, as mad a hen as aw’ve ever sin.  Aw fun’ eawt after, what th’ long stare meant.  It were tekkin’ farewell!  For if yo’ll believe me that hen never laid another egg i’ ony o’ my nests.

 

“Varra like it laid away in a spot wheear it could hev summat to luk at when it hed done wark for th’ day.

 

“Sooa aw lost mi best layer through mi actin’, an’ aw’ve never invented owt sen.”

1 exquisitely   

adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地

参考例句：

• He found her exquisitely beautiful. 他觉得她异常美丽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He wore an exquisitely tailored gray silk and accessories to match. 他穿的是做工非常考究的灰色绸缎衣服，还有各种配得很协调的装饰。 来自教父部分

2 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

3 elation   

n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意

参考例句：

• She showed her elation at having finally achieved her ambition.最终实现了抱负，她显得十分高兴。
• His supporters have reacted to the news with elation.他的支持者听到那条消息后兴高采烈。

4 exuberant   

adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的

参考例句：

• Hothouse plants do not possess exuberant vitality.在温室里培养出来的东西，不会有强大的生命力。
• All those mother trees in the garden are exuberant.果园里的那些母树都长得十分茂盛。

5 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

6 spherical   

adj.球形的；球面的

参考例句：

• The Earth is a nearly spherical planet.地球是一个近似球体的行星。
• Many engineers shy away from spherical projection methods.许多工程师对球面投影法有畏难情绪。

7 yolk   

n.蛋黄，卵黄

参考例句：

• This dish would be more delicious with some yolk powder.加点蛋黄粉，这道菜就会更好吃。
• Egg yolk serves as the emulsifying agent in salad dressing.在色拉调味时，蛋黄能作为乳化剂。

8 agitation   

n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动

参考例句：

• Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
• These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

9 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

10 luncheon   

n.午宴，午餐，便宴

参考例句：

• We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
• I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。

11 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

12 fowl   

n.家禽，鸡，禽肉

参考例句：

• Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
• Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。