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The chief natural enemies of the turtle are vultures and alligators, which devour the newly-hatched young as they descend in shoals to the water. These must have destroyed an immensely greater number before the European settlers began to appropriate the eggs than they do now.
They advance in a long column live or six deep, while thinner columns forage on either flank, till they arrive at a mass of rotten wood abounding in insect larvae, when they surround it, and do not again move forward till every particle of food has been carried off! When they discover a wasp's nest, they attack the papery covering to get at the larvae pupae and newly-hatched wasps.
Day after day they go over the same fields, finding newly-laid eggs and newly-hatched young where only twelve hours before they brushed their counterparts off to be trampled under foot.
If it is at all possible to protect the eggs and the little fish, it is best to hatch out the eggs in the pond which it is intended to stock, for it is exceedingly difficult to keep the newly-hatched fish in a rearing-pond on account of their very small size. It will be necessary to use muslin or flannel screens instead of perforated zinc.
But there are many exceptions; and if this greater alertness and activity is what is meant by "wildness," then the young of some wild birds rhea, crested screamer, &c. are actually much tamer than our newly-hatched chickens and ducklings.
Sooner or later, as we have seen, it falls to the ground, either by accident or intention. The tiny creature, no bigger than a flea, has preserved its tender newly-hatched flesh from contact with the rough earth by hanging in the air until its tissues have hardened. Now it plunges into the troubles of life. I foresee a thousand dangers ahead.
Several eggs lie out of the nest, and are thought to be intended as food for the first of the newly-hatched brood till the rest come out and enable the whole to start in quest of food. I have several times seen newly-hatched young in charge of the cock, who made a very good attempt at appearing lame in the plover fashion, in order to draw off the attention of pursuers.
"Now, then, I feel like a man vot has found a nugget perfectly happy for the time being, but miserable as soon as the excitement has passed away, 'cos he don't know when he shall get another." "When did you reach Ballarat?" Fred asked, as soon as Steel Spring was inclined to hold his tongue. "This evening. I've been on the road two days, but feel as fresh as a newly-hatched parrot."
A few newly-hatched chickens were at length offered to him as an experiment, and he immediately took charge of them with every token of satisfaction, conducting them about in search of food and imitating all the actions of a hen. Finding him so good a nurse, large broods were given to him, and the more the foster-chickens were the better he seemed pleased.
In imagination the little ranch house had thrown out as many wings and as easily as a newly-hatched dragon-fly, had been beautified and made convenient in all sorts of ways, a flower-garden had sprouted round its base, plenty of room had been made for papa and the children and Katy and Ned, who were to come out continually for visits in the long lovely summers; they themselves also were to go to and fro, to Burnet, and still farther afield, over seas to the old Devonshire grange which Geoff remembered so fondly.
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