CHAPTER V. 

 EMBRYOLOGY. 



During the breeding season man}' fanciers are 

 troubled with bad hatchings, and the3' are often unable 

 to account for it. In some cases it maj' be the result 

 of breeding with birds which are too old, too j^oung, or, 

 which owing to some weakness, either of the generative 

 organs or some other part of the body are not fit and 

 proper subjects to be engaged in the propagation of 

 their species. 



I heard rather an interesting argument on this point 

 some time ago at a gathering of fanciers, and various 

 were the reasons assigned for the state of things pre- 

 vailing. Each member of the party had some pet 

 theory of his own to propound as to the why and 

 wherefore of it, yet none agreed with the other. One 

 argument adduced was that in these cases of fertile eggs 

 not hatchino-, the hen, and the hen alone, was to blame, 

 because once a cock had fertilised an egg it was fertil- 

 ised, and its after development depended entirely upon 

 the hen. If a hen was strong and healthy the young 

 Pigeon had nothing to do but mature in the same 

 manner as a seed grows and develops in the ground. 

 At the time the argument seemed to me very convinc- 

 ing, but afterwards came the thought that there was 

 bad seed and bad .ground, and unless a gardener puts 

 good seed into good ground he cannot produce a prolific 

 crop. 



PERFECT CONDITION NEEDFUL. 



Does not the same hold good in embrvologv ? 

 Surely when one thinks the matter out carefully it is 

 absolutely necessary that both parents should be as fit 

 as fit can be. An unhealthy or immature cock cannot 

 fertilise the eges so effectively as one which is in full 

 strength and vigoiu'. Poor seed cannot produce a prolific 



