7H THIS THAI' N!'>T TKXT HOOK 



the period. If sufficient and suitable food is given I sec no reason why 

 harm should result. Such Laying may effect fertility. With the single 

 exception that mutual attraction between male and female appears in 

 some cases to be weaker after laying has been in progress a long time I 

 can as yet find no reason why any well-nourished egg should not be- 

 come fertilized no matter to what part of a laying period it belongs. 



If tlie egg has not been starved I see no reason why the fertilized 

 germ should not thrive. 



THE ROOSTER AND THE TRAP NEST. 



A man, at one time a servant of the state of Kliode Island at their 

 Agricultural College, found his rooster in a trap nesl and said that there 

 was no apparent reason why he went there. Neither could he under- 

 stand how any trap nest could prevent egg-eating. 



As some other trap-nest novice may be more interested in the relation 

 of cause to, effect I will explain the rooster matter here and the egg-eat- 

 ing question elsewhere. 



Male birds that go on the nest are known to observing poultry breeders 

 as "coaxers." Some male birds seem to possess an intuitive knowledge 

 of the most favorable time for the female to male with a view to 

 reproduction. So Ave often find them paying almost exclusive attention 

 to those of their mates that are about to begin a period of laying, or 

 have been laying but a short time. They carefully protect them from 

 annoyance, see that they get choice bits of food and frequently coax 

 them to enter a nest by entering themselves and then calling their mates. 

 An observing care-taker AA'ill perhaps find, as I have, that when the male 

 bird is found in an Ideal nest, a favorite that has not been laying for 

 some time, or but recently began will be in evidence. The record sheet 

 and an observing eye avj'11 tell the story. Her eggs will almost surely 

 be strongly fertilized. It would seem to be of good omen when the 

 male is found on the nest. If then' is any valid-objection to this behav- 

 ior it can be laid to the bird and not to the nesl. 



The facts connected with this matter no doubt have an important 

 bearing on fertility, especially when one male head.- a large Hock of 

 females. The larger the flock the more hens there are likely to be that 

 are not in a receptive condition, hence do not mate willingly, or at all. 



The natural mating time is at the beginning iff a laying period audit 

 is certainly recognized as such by some mail's and females. When the 

 eggs from hens in the midst, or near the end of a long period of laying 

 are well fertilized it simply shows thai oilier conditions have overcome, 

 or lessened the force of natural tendencies. That this is a desirable end 

 to be sought and attained is believed by many. II is simply a problem 

 to solve and some appear lo be solving it. 



