ply assistiiiuf. If it is toiiiid liuit tlii' uldjica is oli 

 striiL'ted, the faecal masses sliciild hv icnioNed in tlii' 

 inanuer described under constipation. If the ^"^}i is 

 large, oi- the passage small, the injection of oil or 

 glycerine may enable the heu to expel it. If, however, 

 it cannot be removed in this manner an attempt should 

 be made to expel it by i)lacing the hen upon her back 

 and pressing above the egg through the abdominal 

 walls and in that way forcing it out. If it canno't he 

 removed in this way, the only alternative is to break 

 it and remove the shell piece by piece. • The fragments 

 of shell should be removed with the finger or a pair of 

 forceps. When the pieces of shell cannot be removed 

 at once, sweet oil should be injected in order to In 

 bricate the passages as freely as possible and facilitate 

 the removal of the shaip. broken pieics. 



4. 1XFL.\M.M.\TI()N OF THE OVIDUCT. 



The oviduct sometimes becomes intlamed as the re 

 sail of the manipulations necessary to overcome the 

 condition of egg-bo-und. and sometimes it becomes in 

 llamed fi-om causes that are not understood. When 

 this inflammation exists, the heu makes movements as 

 though she were attempting to lay an egg, is very 

 uneasy, rubs the j-osterior jiortion of I lie body along 

 the ground, and in these ways indiciites ii'ritation of 

 that part. Sometimes the tiist symptoms of beginning 

 inflammation of the oviduct is the jirodiirtiun of eggs 

 with soft shells. This condition lias hci-n found not 

 51 



