36 THE CALL OF THE HEN. 
Fic. 18—Showing hen in very poor condition. The feathers being plucked away 
shows the actual condition of the flesh. We call a hen in this condition ‘‘three fingers 
out of condition,” which indicates that her abdomen has shrunken up three fingers. 
If she now has a capacity of one finger, when in good condition she would be four fingers 
abdomen; if she has a capacity of two fingers now, she would have five fingers capacity 
when in good condition. 
Fig. 20 is somewhat thinner, as indicated by breast-bone. We call 
her one finger out of condition. 
The degrees of condition show the amount of shrinkage in ab- 
dominal depth. One finger out of condition shows she has shrunken 
Fic. 19—Showing hen in good condition. You will note that the flesh is even 
vit the breast-bone. This hen would show her normal abdominal depth when exam- 
ined. 
