CARE OF THE EGGS. 283 



ing they get is unimportant, or else a slight but neces- 

 sary evil, as is evidenced by the care she takes to stick to 

 her nest for days at a time in cold weather or indulge in 

 very brief absences, while she treats herself to liberal 

 vacations of several hours' duration when the mercury is 

 in the nineties. 



We have tried thorough coolings, moderate airings, 

 and none at all, repeatedly, and with results always in 

 favor of the latter, when every other condition was nor- 

 mal. We are aware that experiments of others have 

 sometimes shown up in favor of cooling, but we are satis- 

 fied that in such cases it will be found, on close investi- 

 gation, that the eggs had first been subjected to too 

 much heat, or too much moisture, or both. 



To cool several hundred eggs to a temperature of 80 

 or 85 or thereabouts, reduces the temperature of the 

 egg chamber for quite a time when they are returned to 

 it, as the thermometer and regulator will show you. But 

 the warmth of the hen, whose blood has been quickened 

 by her outing, till a fine glow has been established, very 

 quickly brings back the heat of the important top parts, 

 where the germs are, of the small number of eggs she 

 has in charge, and the nest itself retains heat enough 

 during her absence to keep the less important under 

 parts warm. If the eggs are removed from the incuba- 

 tor to be turned, the machine should be closed at once, 

 especially if the incubator room is cold, for the egg 

 chamber would otherwise part with its warm air very fast 

 during the turning of the eggs and the shifting of them 

 from one part of the tray to another part. The opera- 

 tion of testing eggs should be performed in a room of 

 the temperature of at least 70, and 75 or 80 is better 

 if the operator can stand it. 



The eggs, first, last and all the time, should receive as 

 little cooling as possible ; for, although the passage of 

 fresh air through the pores of the shell is indispensable, 



