6() THE TRAP KK.ST TEXT BOOK 



one might forget to look for an egg the night before and the next day 

 forget that they forgot. If one uses tray) nests it would seem that this 

 sometimes-dismissed matter might be settled. 



Let us look into it from that standpoint. With any or all trap nests 



but one hen is supposed to use the nest al any < time. "No admittance 



except on business and admit but one then" is the rule of the accurate 

 trap nest. It cannot exclude the hen that enters on business but is till- 

 able to transact it. Curiosity is. however, discouraged if the trap is a 

 practical one. If we find at the close of the day's business that No. 19, 

 for instance, is credited on the record sheet with an egg twice, we may 

 conclude that there can be no doubt that she laid both of them. 



This will depend upon several things. When collecting eggs from 

 trap nests the attendant should keep his mind upon the work in hand. 

 Should he be dreaming of "The Law of Sex" as outlined in All That 

 There is to Know About Poultry Keeping he might absent-mindedly 

 remove No. 19 from the nest and record her number before she had laid, 

 and later in the day find her on the nest with her egg and record her 

 number again. 



The same cause might result in forgetting to remove the egg the first 

 time and Xo. 19 being a little inclined toward broodiness might be found 

 on the nest, with the same egg, again witii the same result upon the re- 

 cord sheet. 



Non-belief in the ability of a hen to lay twice in one day, and a care- 

 ful attention to business would prevent such an error. 



To illustrate, clearly enough to be understood, the ways in which 

 inaccurate nests can deceive the record keeper it will be necessary to 

 refer to experiences of my own with unreliable nests. 



I used at one time a nest that permitted two hens to occupy it at once 

 and also permitted one hen to escape leaving the other one with two 

 eggs in her possession, or llio egg laid by (he hen thai escaped might be 

 credited to the hen that remained. As she was removed and went back 

 and laid later, she would gel credil for bolh eggs — if the attendant 

 happened to be a novice. 



Another type of nesl, one thai created somewhat of a sensation a few 

 years ago, presented some still more perplexing' problems lo one who 

 was nol overly anxious to discover (he sMKl-egg hen. This nest box, 

 acording lo the testimony of its inventor, permitted any number of 

 liens to enter at once, yet we could determine, with accuracy, the origin 

 of each egg found within. It worked with me as follows: Hen Xo. 1 

 entered a nest and not being wholly pleased wilh it went through a rear 

 door into another nest behind the first one. 



Hen No. 2 entered the nest just vacated b\ ben X<>. l and laid an egg. 

 Hen No. 1 in the rear apartment, being in a partially-broody condition, 

 was much interesled in the performance of hen Xo. 2. Needing eggs 



