Two of the old hen's chicks must have wandered away, so that at first they did not hear the mother hen's cluck. Now see how they flutter their wings as they hurry back toward the others!
Two Mothers and Their Families
The old mother hen takes such good care of her little chickens! When it is very cold she will spread out her wings until all the little ones are covered. She keeps them warm and snug. If it rains, and she cannot get them under shelter, she will protect them with her wings in the pouring rain, much as she dislikes it. Every day she must scratch for bugs and worms for them and teach them how to scratch for their own living.
She watches carefully to see that nothing harms them. Sometimes big birds, called chicken hawks, fly over the yard ready to swoop down and carry little chickens away in their claws. Then there are other things to be feared, such as weasels and rats; even cats and dogs might harm her little ones. Is it any wonder the mother hen is anxious, and apt to be cross when we go near her little chicks? It is best to be careful, then, for if she thinks you mean to hurt them she will fly at you and hurt you with her sharp bill.
When the artist, Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau, visited this home and saw the mother and her child watching this old hen and her chickens, it is no wonder she wanted to paint them. She wanted to make us feel the love of the mother hen for her little ones as well as that of the other mother for her children.
The child is delighted, as, safe in his mother's arms, he looks around to see if she is watching, too. There is a little baby sister in the cradle, and that is the reason he keeps very quiet and does not speak. No doubt the mother has rocked the baby to sleep. You can see how the baby is fastened in the cradle so she cannot fall out. That odd-looking top over part of the cradle is placed there to keep the light from the baby's eyes. Just now it is moved a little to one side, and we can see part of the baby's face.
This home probably belongs to a French peasant who goes to his work very early in the morning, or he would be with his family now.
It must be a very hot day in summer, for both mother and child are barefooted and they are dressed for warm weather.