46 
HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
indifferent to' the noise of battle, and prefer it to 
the treacherous quiet of pease, when the inhabi- 
tants of the countryside have plenty of time to 
hunt and otherwise annoy them. 
Nightingales and larks sing close to the 
front, and no bombardment has been fierce enough 
to stop their song. 
In the trenches cats show no fear until the 
bombardment becomes intense, when they hide 
in the inner recesses. 
A dog was accustomed to sleep in an outer 
trench, but one day puppies were born, when it 
insisted on removing to a safer place with the 
family. 
EGG TRAIN. 
G.E. RAILWAY CAMPAIGN IN 
EAST ANGLIA. 
The first move is to be made next week in a 
great scheme to stimulate food production in that 
wide section of the eastern counties served by the 
Great Eastern Railway. 
Commencing on Monday, the company will 
run an egg and poultry demonstration train 
throughout Norfolk and Suffolk to impress upon 
producers- of all classes, and more especially far- 
mers, the undeveloped capacity of their holdings. 
If justified by results in the Diss area, which is 
the first to be visited, the demonstration will be 
extended over the whole of East Anglia. 
The train, consisting of five vehicles, will 
visit about 20 centres within the district named, 
remaining at each one day. As far as possible 
the time of the weekly markets will be selected. 
FOUR DEMONSTRATION VANS. 
Four vans ha\e been specially fitted to demon- 
strate the latest and most suitable forms of poul- 
try houses and other appliances for practical 
operations and the best systems for profitable 
production of eggs and poultry. 
Displays will be made of the class of eggs 
and chickens which command the highest returns, 
and methods of testing, grading, and packing 
eggs in conformity with the requirements of 
traders and consumers will be shown. 
REACHING THE VILLAGES. 
Following the demonstration train, local con- 
ferences will be arranged throughout the entire 
area, and it is also hoped to send a motor demon- 
stration van to villages far distant from the rail- 
way. 
The company has already announced import- 
ant concessions in respect to farm produce rates, 
and will endeavour to expedite in every way the 
conveyance of goods to consuming areas. 
Norfolk and Suffolk produce yearly about 
7:5, 000,000 of eggs, but it is computed that these 
two counties could easily send forth 400,000,000 
every year, in addition to a vastly increased num- 
ber of chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys. The 
latent possibilities, therefore, are in cash value 
upwards of one and three-quarter million pounds 
sterling. 
LONDON'S BIG MOUTH. 
Before the war Greater London consumed up- 
wards of 800,000,000 eggs and 7 millions fowls 
every year. It is plain, therefore, that a market 
is ready to hand for Eastern County enterprise. 
The country generally is dependent upon im- 
ports for 40' per cent, of its eggs and poultry, and 
the extent of this trade can be imagined when it 
is noted that in 1913- nearly 180^,000 tons of eggs 
and 14,000' tons of poultry were brought over- 
seas to England. 
WHY PRICES ARE HIGH. 
As imports have dropped by about half, the 
h'gh prices prevailing can be understood. 
Mr. Edward Brown, F.L.S., who is to ac- 
company the train as lecturer and demonstrator, 
to-day conducted a party of visitors over the well- 
appointed train at Liverpool Street Station. 
He proved himself a mine of information 
about the egg, the only question he could not 
answer being the one as to why one hem laid a 
brown egg and the other a white one. 
GAVE IT UP. 
He had studied and made experiments for 
over 30 years, he said, but had been obliged to 
give it up. 
Birds reared and fed in exactly the same 
way would produce differently coloured eggs, and 
all he could say with assurance was that it was 
quite a fallacy to suppose that one was better than 
the other. 
Mr. Brown, however, expected that the pub- 
lic would still exhibit its fond and touching pre- 
ference for the egg' with the brown shell. 
