have had from one to six chicks hatch on the 

 second and third days after placing the eggs in the 

 incubator ; that they knew the eggs were perfectly 

 fresh, having taken them out of the nests each 

 day, and that they would like us to explain the 

 cause of the " premature " hatches. 



They were simply mistaken. There was no 

 doubt that the eggs hatched at the times stated, 

 but that they were all fresh laid could not be true, 

 unless a miracle had been wrought. Human 

 ingenuity has dispensed with the hen as an incu- 

 bator, but it is and ever will be beyond human art 

 or science to shorten the period of incubation. 

 Newly laid eggs of certain breeds of vigorous 

 fowls hatch from twelve to forty-eight hours earlier 

 than eggs from some other breeds, or older eggs 

 from the same fowls ; but that is natural, and can- 

 not be changed by man. 



Those "premature" eggs had certainly been 

 under a hen or hens, or subjected to a heat of at 

 least 101 for from sixteen to seventeen days pre- 

 vious to being placed in an incubator. 



Now, if a few of the eggs were sixteen or seven- 

 teen days old, we may reasonably presume that 

 some of the others were nearly as old, and ii 

 those which hatched on the second and third days 

 had live chicks in them, might not some of the 

 others have had dead chicks in them, chicks 

 that had started and, after being taken from the 

 nest, died before they were placed in the incubator ? 



If these eggs were tested on the fifth or sixth 

 day, any large chicks would show, and they would 

 38 



