12 



BIRD NEWS 



vomica or spirits of aromatic am- 

 monia. In worst cases it may be 

 necessary to steam the abdomen, 

 this is best done by holding the part, 

 between your divided fingers over a 

 teacup full of hot water; be paitent, 

 twenty or thirty minutes, and don't 

 scald the bird. If this does not suc- 

 ceed the case is serious and a pur- 

 gative dose of castor oil is about all 

 you can safely resort to. Plenty of 

 room, green feeding, a little scalded 

 rape-seed, and not too frequent 

 breeding generally prohibit the 

 more serious cases of egg-binding. 



The Eggs. — Many fanciers have 

 many ways. It is better to remove 

 the eggs each morning as they are 

 laid. This obtains greater unifor- 

 mity in the hatching and also in the 

 age of the nestlings. Handle the 

 eggs not at all, if possible, lift eggs 

 by forceps made for the purpose, or 

 a small thin egg spoon or a paper 

 scoop; place the egg so removed in 

 an egg box, one made of light wood 

 or cardboard, a division for each egg 

 — keep box in a dry, cool place, and 

 don't allow it to be jarred or rough- 

 ly handled. Keep each bird's eggs 

 in their own division. Don't mix 

 them up. The eggs should be re- 

 turned On the evening of the day on 

 which the third egg is laid. If a hen 

 fails to lay on the third morning, 

 you may conclude she is "short" and 

 is only going to lay two eggs. In 

 this case return her eggs at once. 

 If as sometimes happens a hen lays 

 only one egg — there is something 

 wrong, don't let her sit; separate 

 her for three or four weeks; try 

 again, and if similar results, remove 

 her from your bi'eeding sets. Many 

 fanciers use nest eggs to replace the 

 egg removed. This plan is good in 

 nervous or young hens; old breeders 

 frequently do not need these substi- 

 tutes. The nest-egg may be an imi- 

 tation made of papier-mache, wood, 



celluloid, or a "clear" egg blown out, 

 dried and a little copal varnish run 

 into the shell, to strengthen and 

 make it sweet. Before returning 

 the eggs examine carefully if you 

 can detect any traces of red mite in 

 nest; if so, follow directions given in 

 a preceding number. It never does 

 any harm to presume the red mite is 

 "still there" and dust the nest with 

 insect powder. 



If the eggs are dirty from any 

 cause, they should be washed with a 

 little tpid water — and a camel-hair 

 pencil, then dry by mopping with a 

 tiny swab of absorbent cotton. The 

 process is a delicate one, if the eggs 



get broken don't swear. Be 



sure not to use hot water; "poached 

 eggs won't hatch." 



Incubation. — On the fourteenth 

 morning, counting the day the eggs 

 were returned to the nest, the young 

 birds may be expected. Some hens 

 are "kinder-smart" and hatch in 

 thirteen days, others again will take 

 a day longer. An expert can gen- 

 erally tell a fertile egg in about five 

 days. Between the eighth and ninth 

 day the eggs are "dark" — that sug- 

 gests the eggs are fruitful. But it 

 is a good custom not to be meddie- 

 some, bide-a-wee and the results 

 will be all the better for so doing. 

 The less you disturb your breeding 

 birds the better for "all parties con- 

 cerned." 



Ki'oken Kggs — Not infrequently 

 eggs get broken in the nest, if you 

 discover such remove them at once. 

 See to the claws of the old birds — 

 manicure them when necessary. 



7iii'(ls l>eatl in tlie Shell. — This is 

 not uncommon and is generally due 

 to the hen not turning the eggs on 

 the nest, or from a lack of moisture 

 due to too heated a nesting site. 

 The nest should always be in a re- 

 tired or shaded corner of the cage, 

 (To be continued). 



