266 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 1908. 



.shown in Figure 11 is plain. At the top of the sheet there is 

 placed the "Parentage ;" that is, the designating band numbers 

 of the two individuals that compose the mating which is char- 

 acterized in the records by the mating number at the upper 

 right hand corner of the sheet. For convenience an arbitrary 

 rule is made to put the band number of the male bird above 

 that of the female. The date at the top of the sheet is the date 

 •at which the mating was made ; that- is, it is the date on which 

 the two mated birds were put together in the mating pen. 

 There is also placed at the top of the sheet the number of the 

 pen in which these mated birds were kept. Below the horizon- 

 tal double line on the mating sheet the space is devoted to the 

 progeny which arise from the mating. In the first column is 

 put the chick band number of each chick hatching from this 

 mating. As has been said the chick leg bands are numbered 

 consecutively. They come from the manufacturer in bundles 

 of 25. No attempt is made in banding the chicks to sort these 

 so that on any given mating sheet the numbers shall run con- 

 secutively. They are simply taken within the bundle of 25 at 

 random. The second column provides space for the insertion 

 of the adult band numbers for such of the chicks coming from 

 the mating as are kept over as adult birds, either for egg record 

 tests or, in the case of cockerels, for breeding purposes. In 

 the third column is recorded the sex of each chick as soon as 

 it can be determined. In the fourth column is placed the date 

 of hatching of each chick. This column is of the proper width 

 to take the ordinary band dating stamp. 



The fifth column which is headed "Matings" on the sheet 

 is intended to contain a very important part of the pedigree 

 records. In this column are inserted the mating numbers of 

 those matings into which each individual may in its adult life 

 enter. Through the mating numbers in this column the connec- 

 tion is made between the parent individuals at the top of the 

 page and all their grandchildren and progeny farther removed. 

 An example will illustrate how this is done : Suppose that an 

 individual having an adult band number 244 has the number 

 622 in the column headed "Matings." This will signify that to 

 look up the records of the offspring of bird No. 244 one must 

 turn to mating number 622. On that mating sheet will be found 

 a record of all the immediate offspring of this bird arising 



