DWARF EGGS OF DOMESTIC FOWL. 



307 



Table 6. 

 Seasonal Distribution of Dwarf Egg Production. 



Month. 



1911-12 and 1914-15 Combined. 



Total 



number 



eggs. 







Per cent. 





Number 



of total 



Number 



dwarf eggs 



number 



dwarf 



per 



eggs 



eggs. 



10,000 



produced 





eggs. 



during 

 month. 



Per cent. 



of total 



dwarf eggs 



produced 

 during 

 month. 



September 

 October; . . 

 November. 

 December . 

 January. . . 

 February. . 

 March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August. . . . 



Total. 



2,564 

 5 ,529 

 6,484 

 9,917 



11 ,560 



12 ,784 

 19,135 

 19 ,292 

 18,789 

 17,201 

 15,157 



13 ,324 



6 

 3 



12 

 15 



17 

 27 

 22 

 12 



151 ,736 



11.7 



1.8 



12.3 



5.0 



5.2 



2.3 



6.3 



7.8 



19.0 



15.7 



14.5 



9.0 



8. .6 



1.69 



3.64 



4.27 



6.54 



7.62 



8.43 



12.61 



12.71 



12.38 



11.34 



9.99 



8.78 



100.0 



2.29 



.76 



6.11 



11.45 

 12.98 

 20.61 

 16.79 

 9.16 



100.0 



during these months. The small number of normal eggs pro- 

 duced at this season gives great weight to these dwarf eggs in 

 calculating the number of dwarf eggs per 10,000. Both the 

 actual number of dwarf eggs and number per 10,000. increase 

 through the spring, reaching a maximum in early summer 

 some months later than the maximum for normal egg produc- 

 tion. It is thus shown that the dwarf egg production is actually- 

 highest, and also highest in proportion to the normal egg pro- 

 duction, during the spring and early summer. 



It appears that the disturbances in physiology which result 

 in the production of dwarf eggs become more frequent with 

 the onset of the natural breeding season and continue to increase 

 in frequency during this season. The probable nature of these 

 disturbances will be discussed later. 



VII. Dwarf Egg Production by Birds with Normal and 

 with Pathological Oviducts. 



The production of a dwarf egg is usually an isolated phe- 

 nomenon. That is. a bird usually produces only one such egg. 

 This fact is easily seen from Table 7. 



