THE CALL OF THE HEN. 127 



Trap nesting will, if persistently followed the entire year, give 

 nearly the exact individual record, which is not material to one 

 egg man in a thousand. It can not be exact, however, as a 

 shut in and otherwise disturbed hen never does her best. 



This method applies to other birds as well; turkeys for 

 instance. Last fall I bought two turkeys for experiment. One 

 was SMALL with LARGE egg development; the other 

 LARGE with SMALL egg development. The small bird has 

 laid and hatched out two litters of fourteen each, the present 

 season, and has at this date laid twenty-three eggs towards a 

 third litter. The large one laid and hatched fourteen eggs ear- 

 ly in the season, and has shown no signs of laying since ; but 

 has taken on much more flesh than the laying turkey. This 

 would, in addition to indicating laying turkeys, also show what 

 to breed, if large birds only are desired as would nearly al- 

 ways be the case with turkeys. 



The absolute surety of never killing a bird for market or 

 home consumption that is laying, about to begin laying, or is 

 liable to lay in the near future, is another decided advantage 

 over the trap nest; and one of the quickest available advan- 

 tages of the system. 



Again, the process requires no investment in patent nests, 

 leg bands or other fixings, which amount in trapnesting to 

 many times the first and only cost of this method. For accur- 

 acy in all the advantages claimed for this method, we will 

 most gladly submit a test with the greatest expert trap nester 

 that can be selected, if it can be so arranged that some high 

 authority in poultry matters or some government experimental 

 station shall have charge of it. This unconditional offer we 

 make to the world. 



HOW TO SELECT. 



As the basic principle of this method of identifying capac- 

 ity for egg production is the width and relative condition of 

 the pelvic bones and surrounding construction, it is obvious 

 that exact measurements can not be given unless a distinct 

 breed be designated. A Cochin lays a large egg and is built 

 accordingly. A Bantam lays a small egg and its pelvic devel- 



