64 The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



In these practical notes, by a gentleman who has devoted more patient study to the subject of 

 artificial hatching than any one else now living, we have perhaps the nearest to a real " guide to 

 success " which can possibly be given, and all interested in the matter will feel under obligation 

 to Mr. Halstcd for thus freely imparting the final results of his long experience in tliis hitherto 

 disappointing field. The unpretending record with which he concludes will give quite sufficient 

 authority to the practical instructions which precede, and conclusively proves that success is 

 within the reach of all who will desei-ve it. About seventy-five per cent, of chickens from fertile 

 eggs is perhaps as much as can be counted on even from hens, taking into account all the chances and 

 casualties of the natural process ; but his own detailed directions form the best corroboration of 

 our own statement many years ago, that merely to purchase an incubator and expect to hatch eggs 

 with it can only result in failure, and that "by constant and careful attention to these minute 

 details, and tluis only, success in hatching can be attained."* That he is correct in supposing the 

 early stages to be the most critical time in the life of the egg we are from our own experience fully 

 convinced, having repeatedly noticed, as stated in our last chapter, that half an hour's absence is 

 sufficient to chill or addle eggs at the commencement of incubation, whereas later on some hours 

 may frequently be borne without injury. It is the more important to recur to this fact, as the 

 contrary has been stated even by some who, without much real knowledge, assume to be authorities 

 on poultry matters. Our own experience would lead us to conclude that occasionally, at least, 

 this comparative immunity extends up to the veiy end of the period ; but perhaps the one instance 

 we quoted (page 49) is hardly sufficient to form a general conclusion. We are however thoroughly 

 satisfied, from repeated and costly personal experience, that the idea so commonly conveyed in 

 works on poultiy, of long absence of the hen during the first few days being less fatal than later 

 on, is an entire fallacy, and that after at most twenty-four hours' incubation, greater care needs 

 to be exercised than at a later stage. The suggestion as to the greasy and polished appearance of 

 the eggs after a while having something to do with the preservation of vitality, we believe to be 

 well-founded. By dipping such eggs in water, after say ten days have elapsed, the existence of a 

 film of oil will be made evident to any one ; and we think it possible that by periodically rubbing 

 the eggs in an incubator with a cloth very slightly oiled, the same object might to some extent 

 be secured of preventing evaporation from within. At all events, the success here actually 

 recorded proves conclusively that artificial hatching is a perfectly practicable thing, but that it is 

 only by the careful study of Nature in the first place, and afterwards by faithful imitation of such 

 apparently trivial details, that such a desirable result is to be achieved. The incubator cannot 

 be merely played with ; and just in proportion to the amount of honest faithful ivork bestowed 

 upon it will be the measure of success attained. 



Just as this chapter is going to press, we have received from Mr. L. Wren, of Lowestoft, some 

 memoranda respecting experiments made by him, and not yet completed, but which have held out 

 very encouraging prospects of success in the same field. In this case gas has been the source of 

 heat employed ; and Mr. Wren, with the assistance of a skilful mechanic, has perfected a regulator 

 of the very simplest character, but which effectually secures uniformity of temperature within the 

 limits of at most two degrees under any circumstances. The incubator itself employed in these 

 experiments is not specially constructed, but is one of the simplest kind, sold by a manufacturer 

 for £2. I OS. Nevertheless, of the first four eggs put in the incubator, three were successfully 

 hatched, and are doing well. In the second batch, the experiment was made, in accordance with a 

 theory held by some, of reducing the temperature several degrees after the first ten days ; and after 



• " Practical Poultry Keeper," p. 21 1. 



