PRESERVATION 109 



tenant of the Duke of Grafton's shootings 

 at Euston, and as the keepers there added 

 chipped eggs to their wild pheasants' 

 nests at the time of hatching, there arose 

 some little confusion on the subject, and 

 Mr. Gregory's invention became generally 

 known as the 'Euston' system. 



Its objects are twofold. In the first 

 case, it seeks to protect the eggs by keep- 

 ing them from all danger from the first 

 week of laying to the hour of hatching ; 

 secondly, it aims at lessening the danger 

 to the sitting bird and her nest by shorten- 

 ing the period of incubation from three 

 weeks to one. 



In brief, its methods are these : all 

 nests possible are found and each bird is 

 allowed to lay four eggs without interfer- 

 ence ; these, and all subsequent eggs as 

 she lays them, are then taken by the 

 keepers and either put into the incubator 

 or set under hens, being at the same time 

 replaced in the nest by artificial eggs. 1 



1 The original artificial eggs were found very unsatis- 

 factory, and birds often refused to have anything to do 



