72 



THE OOLOGIST. 



handsome family and the old ones are 

 very proud of their progeny as they sit 

 in the dense branches of the thorn 

 shrubs. 



Freak Hen's Eggs. 



By Richard F. Miller. 



Mr. Hobble's very interesting- letter 

 in the December "Oologist" regarding 

 "One egg within another" was read 

 with considerable interest by the writ- 

 er who has observed some interesting 

 data relating to freak Hen's eggs. As 

 they may be of interest to many read- 

 ers of the Oologist, I have contributed 

 them : 



In the spring of 1903, Mr. John Luft, 

 of Barnville, Berks county. Pa., found 

 a Hen's egg in his chicken coop reputed 

 to be the largest and first of its kind 

 ever reported in that county. It meas- 

 ured 6 1-2 by 8 1-2 inches in circumfer- 

 ence and weighed 4 ounces. Ordinary 

 sized Hen's eggs weigh only 2 1-2 

 ounces. Inside its original shell was 

 another perfectly formed egg with a 

 hard shell, measuring 4 1-2 by 5 1-2 

 inches in circumference. Near Eves- 

 boro, N. J., last May, on the Chene's 

 farm, a large Hen's egg was found. In- 

 side was another perfectly formed. The 

 outer egg contained the yolk only. Was 

 unsuccessful in my attempt to obtain 

 the size of this egg. 



Mrs. Joseph L. Woodring, of Schoen- 

 erville. Pa., had a Hen (and may still 

 have it,) that laid in the spring several 

 eggs within eggs, the outer ones being 

 extra large, and both eggs having hard 

 shells and perfect yolk. Also failed to 

 obtain any definite information regard- 

 ing these eggs. 



A Canton, N. J. man, Mr. E. Smith 

 had an enormous Hen's egg. It meas- 

 ured 9x7 inches in circumference and 

 weighed six ounces. This is the largest 

 Hen's egg that I have a record of. 



In my collection I have four abnorm- 

 al Hen's eggs. One is a runt, spherical 



in shape and no larger than a Catbird's 

 egg ; second is the size of an Antwerp 

 Pigeon. Both of these eggs are of the 

 ordinary shape. None contained any 

 yolk. The fourth is abnormal in shape 

 as well as size. It is alligator egg 

 shaped, double ended, size 3.25 x 1.75 

 inches and 8 1-2 by 4 1-2 inches in cir- 

 cumference. It contained a double yolk 

 and weighed about four and a half oun- 

 ces. It was laid, as was the three oth- 

 ers, by the Great American Hen. 



A farmer of Argus, N. J., had a Hen 

 that laid eggs with three yolks, an un- 

 usual occurence. In my collection of 

 alcoholic specimens I have a four-legged 

 chick. It lived only a short time after 

 birth. 



My note book used especially for in- 

 formation relating to freak hen's eggs 

 and other interesting notes regarding 

 the hen, I unfortunately lost. It con- 

 tained much of interest and value and 

 several list of freak chicks, with one- 

 leg, four- legs and wings, twoheads, etc. 



A Mourning Dove Cronicle. 



By Morris Gibbs, M. D. 



A pair of Mourning doves has occu- 

 pied our yard or vicinity for a period 

 of eight years successively and the not- 

 es taken have been so entertaining that 

 they are offered for publication. 



Probably but one pair has occupied 

 the locality during a season and as two 

 birds have never been heard singing at 

 the same time and three old birds have 

 not been seen at the same time, it is 

 quite likely that only the one pair or 

 their descendents have bred in the 

 neighborhood. Our neighborhood is 

 within two blocks of the center of a city 

 of 30,000 inhabitants and previous to 

 this invasion of the locality by these 

 happy mourners it was very rare to 

 hear the notes in this vicinity, though 

 birds are abundant in the surrounding 

 country and frequently nest in the out- 

 skirts of the city. 



