86 



THE CALL OF THE HEN. 



others are going bankrupt raising poultry, he holds his own 

 and is making a good living. Figs. 42 and 43 show a hen 

 with an excellent head for breeding purposes. The thumb 

 in this case is l / t of an inch behind the forefinger. If this 

 hen is mated to a male bird of the same type and prepotency, 

 her eggs will be very fertile, and a large number of the progeny 

 will be equal to and some will excel the parent stock in the 

 lines that predominate in the parents. By selecting these 

 few specimens each season for breeding, it is possible to 



FIG. 43 Showing how to hold bird between knees after you 

 become proficient in testing head while bird is in sack. 



. breed a highly valuable type in the course of time. Fig. 43 

 shows how to hold a bird between the knees after you be- 

 come proficient in. testing the head while the bird is in a sack. 

 After a little practice you will become so proficient that you 

 can test birds for prepotency without having to put them 

 in a sack. 



