HOUSES FOR BREEDERS. 



59 



the watchman's house, Fig. 20, or storeroom, or other 

 permanent building, and operated by clockwork every 

 twenty minutes. Of course, bell wires may also be 

 pulled by the clockwork, but this will not be found 

 worth while ; for, as has been said, the sound of the 

 hammer stroke will answer quite well as a call, -although 

 when a clock is not employed, calls are a pretty good 

 thing, since they can be so readily put up and operated. 

 Under each shelf, a pile of straw should be kept to 

 make work for the birds in addition to the running 

 back and forth which the feed dropping induces. One 



FIG. 20. OFFICE AND WATCH HOUSE. 



great advantage of the long runs is that the birds will 

 make frequent trips of their own accord to see what 

 there is good to eat at the other end, the remembrance 

 of a series of feasts being always vivid in their minds. 

 Even if bells, hammers and shelves are operated but 

 once every hour or two, or only three or four times 

 daily, the fowls will keep running back and forth fre- 

 quently. The difference between a given amount of 

 ground space in a yard of a square form and in one long 

 and narrow, as regards the exercise conferred respec- 



