Our  Canaries 
"  {i.)  Rigidity  of  end  of  oviduct  at  its  junction  with  cloaca,  or  rigidity  of  the 
vent.— If  these  are  present,  a  greater  force  than  usual  is  necessary  for  their 
expansion  sufficient  to  allow  the  egg  to  pass. 
"  (ii.)  Constipation,  with  a  loaded  lower  portion  of  the  bowel.— The  egg  filling 
up  the  lower  portion  of  the  abdomen,  the  bowel  runs,  as  it  were,  over  its 
surface  on  the  right  side,  and  if  this  is  full  it  prevents  the  egg  from 
coming  sufficiently  down  to  satisfactorily  distend  the  oviduct  end  and  vent, 
and  a  certain  amount  of  force  will  have  to  be  unnecessarily  expended  in 
drawing  out  the  contents  of  the  bowel. 
"  (tii.)  Deficient  moisture  in  the  parts.— U  there  is  lack  of  secretion  in  the 
lower  part  of  oviduct  the  natural  lubricant  for  the  egg  in  its  extension  is 
lessened  in  quantity,  and  defective  lubricant  means  increased  resistance. 
"  {iv.)  Deficient  Expulsive  force.— The  muscular  contractions  of  the  oviduct 
and  abdominal  walls  form  the  power  that  is  necessary  to  overcome  the  various 
resistances  present.  Any  cause  which  interferes  with  the  full  development  of 
the  muscular  strength  becomes  a  factor  in  the  case,  {a)  An  aged  hen  has  less 
strength  than  a  young  one,  although  the  lack  of  strength  in  the  old  bird  will 
be  compensated  for  to  some  extent  by  the  expansile  parts  having  already  been 
distended  by  previous  egg  laying.  {b)  General  debility  from  over  egg 
production  or  strain  of  rearing  several  successive  broods.  (c)  Over-fat  hen. 
Muscles  that  are  infiltrated  with  fat  cannot  work  as  satisfactorily  as  those 
that  are  not.  In  these  fat  hens  there  is  also  a  quantity  of  fat  in  the 
abdominal  organs,  and  therefore  the  lessened  room  for  the  egg  in  the  abdomen 
must  entail  a  compensating  stretching  of  the  abdominal  wall  with  a  further 
diminution  in  the  available  power. 
FAULTS  IN  THE  EGG. 
"  B.    In  the  Egg.    {i.)  Shell-less.— The  lower  part  of  the  oviduct  secretes 
the  necessary  lime-salts  to  form  the  shell  of  the  egg.     Inflammation  of  the 
oviduct  may  produce  irregularity  of  secretion  and  more  be  thrown  out  at 
various   points,   producing    a   rough   and    irregular    surface    instead   of  the 
uniformly   smooth  one   of  a  normal   egg.     With    defective   lubrication  this 
roughness  would  help  to  form  a  resistance  to  be  overcome.     If  no  lime-salts 
are  secreted  the  egg  becomes  shell-less,  so  with  the  object  of  preventing  such 
a  thing,  I  always  see  that  as  much  lime  salts  as  the  hen  will  eat  is  given  in 
the  form  of  crushed  old  mortar.     I  think  the  shell  is  secreted  in  the  last 
twelve  hours  before  laying,  as  I  have  felt  a  soft  egg  at  night  which  has  been 
laid  with  a  normal  shell  next  morning.     A  shell-less  egg  is  soft  and  elastic 
and  there  is  not  the  same  grip  for  the  expulsive  muscles  as  in  the  case  of  the 
hrm,  unyielding   egg  with  a  shell.     Some   of  the  muscular    power  is  lost 
in  mdentmg  the  egg,  in  the  same  way  that  a  rubber  ball  is  indented  and 
altered  in  shape  by  the  circular  pressure  of  the  finger  and  thumb. 
B3 
