EGYPTIAN INCUBATING HOUSE. 



The ' ' mahmal " or incubating house is built of 

 sun-dried bricks and contains from eight to twenty- 

 four ovens. On each side of a passage is a row of 

 ovens and fire-places. The ordinary size of 

 the ovens is 10 feet long, 8 feet wide and 6 

 feet high. The fire-places are above the ovens, 

 and are the same length and width as the ovens, 

 but not so high. There are doorways to each 

 oven, large enough for a man to enter, and a small 

 opening between the ovens and the fire-places. 

 Besides this there is an opening connecting all the 

 fire-places. The latter have places for the smoke 

 to escape, and there are also chimney holes in 

 the roof of the passage but they are seldom 

 opened. The eggs are placed in the ovens upon 

 mats or in chopped straw, in tiers one above the 

 other, usually hot more than three high. The 

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