190 Farm Poultry 



a nest or shallow receptacle for the eggs, usually 

 on the ground. After laying a number of eggs, 

 the hen becomes "broody" and commences to sit, 

 or incubate. At this time the under part of the 

 hen's body is more abundantly supplied with 

 blood than during the laying or moulting pe- 

 riods. In other words, what is known as the 

 organ of incubation, or plexus, most fully de- 

 velops at this time. This consists of a network 

 of arterial blood-vessels, near the surface of the 

 body, which bring greater heat to the eggs than 

 would otherwise be supplied. In order to per- 

 fect systems of artificial incubation, many per- 

 sons have made a close study of the natural 

 method and have been led to adopt some devices 

 or practices which were accidental or necessary 

 to the hen, but not essential to perfect incu- 

 bation. The fact that hens sometimes leave the 

 nest in the early morning to search for food, 

 when the grass is still wet with dew, and upon 

 returning moisten their eggs with their wet 

 feathers, has led some to sprinkle the eggs at 

 various periods during the process of incubation. 

 This, however, has been shown to be unnec- 

 essary, except possibly in localities where the air 

 is very dry. Poultrymen have also learned by 

 close observation that, in the nest, particularly 

 as the period of incubation advances, the eggs 

 are arranged mostly with the large end upper- 



