HATCHING OUT AND INCUBATORS. 39 



dry gravel for a few hours before moving them to 

 the field. 



The old-fashioned sort of coop is the best in the 

 long run, and certainly the cheapest, although almost 

 every keeper and authority on the subject has his 

 own particular fancy ; and as for the manufacturers 

 who advertise the newest and most attractive novel- 

 ties in this line, their number is positively appalling. 

 Still, the old-fashioned sort do their work very well, 

 and, as I am writing for people who are supposed to 

 be attempting to rear a considerable number of young 

 birds, expense becomes a serious consideration, and 

 the coop and run which I propose to describe ought 

 to be easily procurable at from five to six shillings 

 apiece. This item will, of course, be much reduced 

 in the case of keepers who have their masters' own 

 sawmills and estate carpenters to appeal to. 



The coop should be made with five bars in front, 

 the centre one movable, to run up and down upon a 

 cross piece, so that it can at any time be fixed to its 

 side bars at any desired height, supposing that the 

 coop should be used, as it is pretty certain to be later 

 on, for the purpose of catching up birds. 



The dimensions of the coop may advantageously be 

 as follows : height in front, 2oin., sloping down to 

 io^-in. at the back ; 2i|-in. wide at the bottom, the 

 same in length ; in fact, 2i^-in. square will well 

 describe the whole interior economy. Let the roof 

 be well match-boarded to keep out the rain, and a 



