231 



Examination was made at the same time of other eggs which had been put in 

 the drawer of the table in the office during the month of April, 1891, and left there 

 since untouched, till date of opening, as given below, with date when laid and 

 result of examination. 



No. 1.— An egg laid on the 20th March, 1891, and opened on 18th March, 1892, 

 was found as follows: — Air sjDace fills one-third shell; yolk firm and natural in 

 colour ; white nearly transparent ; slightly clouded ; contents quite sweet, and free 

 from all mustiness or unpleasant odour. 



No. 2. — Laid 4th March, 1891. Yolk natural in colour; just like No. 1, but yolk 

 partly adherent to shell. 



No. 3. — Laid 27th March, 1891. Same as No. 2, but air space fills more than 

 one-third of shell, 

 . No. 4.— Laid 20th March, 1891. Same as No. 3. . 



No. 5. — Laid 22nd March, 1891. Quite sweet; white entirely evaporated ; yolk 

 firm and sticky, but natural in colour, and quite free from mustiness or any offensive 

 odour. 



No. 6. — Laid 18th March, 1891. Air space fills about half of egg; white more 

 than haU' evaporated; nearly transparent, slightly clouded; yolk of natural colour, 

 but much firmer than natural ; contents quite sweet, and free from all mustiness. 



No. 1. — Laid 18th March, 1891. Contents occupy about one-third of the shell ; 

 yolk very firm and sticky; quite sweet, and free from all mustiness. 



Nop. 8, 9 and 10. — Same as No. 7, except No. 10, which has a small quantity of 

 albumen, but quite sweet. 



Weight of Eggs. 



During the past year much attention has been directed to the size of eggs and 

 the breeds that lay them. It is well known that the breeds which lay the most 

 eggs do not always lay the largest — for instance, take the Black Hamburg's, which 

 lay from 200 to 240 eggs per annum, under favourable conditions, but their eggs 

 are much smaller than those of any other of the standard breeds. On the other 

 hand, the Brahmas, which are credited with laying an egg of large size, only lay 80 

 to 100 per annum, while there are a number of breeds which lay eggs of medium 

 size and number. Again, different strains of the same breed lay eggs of different 

 size. Pullets do not lay as large eggs as they do when they are hens. Fowls which lay 

 all winter do not lay, as a rule, as large eggs as the hens that have been idle during 

 that time, and only begin to lay when the warm spring weather sets the egg 

 machinery in motion. Eggs laid by hens in confinement are not as large as the 

 eggs laid by the sam.e hens when running at lai-ge. It will be said by one person 

 that the AVhite Leghorns lay a small egg as compared with those from the Plymouth 

 Eock and Brahma. Soon after another person will be heard to exp'-ess surprise at the 

 small eggs laid by their Brahmas or Plymouth Eocks as compared with their neigh- 

 bour's White Leghorns. Some of the eggs laid by the Farm Buff Cochin hens of the 

 same age are remarkable in their difference of size, one hen laying duj-ing last month 

 an egg weighing 2|- ounces, while an egg laid about the same time by her full sister 

 only weighed If ounces. Both hens were kept in the same pen under the same 

 conditions. 



