U>I7J ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 73 



days the hirds all hecame weak in the legs, ate sparingly, and gradually 

 became comatose. They were all dead on the forty -sixth day. Pen 2 was fed 

 wheat flour, best grade, baked, and inorganic phosphorus. The eggs were 

 small and yolks white. Two birds died with the same symptoms as those in 

 pen 1. Another bird recovered and laid eggs, but showed leg weakness. Pen 3 

 was fed ground wheat, baked in cakes. The eggs were normal, and, aside from 

 one weakling, the birds remained healthy throughout the trial. Pen 4 was 

 fed rice meal, baked in cakes. The eggs were small, the yolk almost white. 

 One of the birds was attacked and eaten by her mates, having become too 

 weak to defend herself. Her bones were very pliable. The others improved 

 after eating their mate. Pen 5 was fed rice meal, baked, and inorganic phos- 

 phorus. The eggs were small, the yolks very pale, but the birds stayed in good 

 condition throughout the trial. Pen 6 was fed polished rice, boiled. The eggs 

 were normal. The birds showed alternate periods of normal feeding and sick- 

 ness. When feeding normally the droppings were very watery. Pen 7 was 

 fed unpolished rice, boiled. The birds kept in good condition throughout, but 

 the droppings were very watery. Pen 8 was fed cracked yellow corn, boiled. 

 The eggs were very small but normal in color. The birds kept in fair condition, 

 but the droppings were watery. Pen 9 was fed yellow corn meal, baked. The 

 eggs were normal in size and color. One bird showed weakness in legs and 

 trembling after 41 days, but twice made a temporary recovery. Pen 10 was 

 fed corn meal, baked, and phosphorus. The eggs were normal and the birds 

 kept in good condition throughout the trial. Pen 11 was fed a starvation 

 allowance of corn, wheat, barley, oats, and peas. The eggs were normal and 

 the birds were very hungry but were the most healthy and active of all the 

 birds. Pen 12 received a normal quantity of corn, wheat, barley, oats, and 

 peas. The eggs were normal and the birds kept in good condition all through 

 the trial. The inorganic phosphorus used in the above trials consisted of equal 

 portions, by weight, of ground phosphate rock and basic slag. This was sup- 

 plied in very small quantities, but helped to keep the bii'ds in better condition 

 when fed on rations normally low in this element. Even in a ration of corn 

 meal, which is not so deficient in phosphorus as some other feeds, there was a 

 marked difference in the condition of the birds. Boiled rice and boiled corn 

 seemed to have about the same laxative effect on the birds. 



A large number of eggs were measured and weighed in order to find out 

 what effect the extreme dimensions had upon the weight. It was found that 

 an increase in length or width above the normal was not always accompanied 

 by an increase in weight. It appears that the degree of tapering either at one 

 or both ends has a greater influence on the comparative weight than either of 

 the extreme dimensions. 



From records kept it is estimated that it costs 21.9 cts. to hatch and rear one 

 duckling to three weeks of age. 



Studies on the physiology of reproduction in the domestic fowl. — XV. 

 Dwarf eg'gs, R. Peabl and Maynie R. Cubtis {U. S. Dept. Agr., Jour. Agr. Re- 

 search, 6 (1916), Ko. 25, pp. 977-1042, pis. 2, figs. 4).— This paper discusses (1) 

 the different types of dwarf eggs in respect to shape and also in respect to 

 contents; (2) the variability in respect to size and shape; (3) the interrela- 

 tions of the variations in dimensions, shape, and size; (4) the frequency of the 

 occurrence of dwarf eggs compared to normal eggs and of dwarf -egg producers 

 compared to birds which do not lay dwarf eggs; (5) seasonal distribution of 

 dwarf eggs; (6) dwarf-egg production by birds with normal and with abnormal 

 oviducts; (7) the relation of dwarf -egg production by normal birds to the age 

 of the bird and to the position of the egg in the clutch and litter; (S) physio- 

 logical conditions which lead to dwarf -egg production; (9) the relation of the 



