PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 
of the day when the birds were busiest. Earlier 
and later in the day his visits have not been so 
frequent. More nests in the pen would reduce 
the frequency of his visits. To remove a hen 
the nest is pulled part way out, and as it has no 
cover she is readily lifted up and the number 
on her leg band noted on the record sheet that 
hangs at hand. After having been taken off 
a few times they do not object to being handled, 
the most of them remaining quiet, apparently 
expecting to be picked up. 
The nest box is very simple, inexpensive, 
easy to attend and certain in its action. It is 
a box-like structure, without front end or 
cover. It is 28 inches long, 13 inches wide and 
13 inches deep—inside measurements. A divi¬ 
sion board with a circular opening lb inches in 
diameter is placed across the box 12 inches 
from the back end and 15 inches from 
the front end. The back section is the nest 
proper. Instead of a close door at the entrance, 
a light frame of inch by inch and a half stuff is 
covered with wire netting of one inch mesh. 
The door is ten and one-half inches wide and 
ten inches high, and does not fill the entire 
entrance, a space of two and a half inches being 
left at the bottom and one and a half inches at 
the top, with a good margin at each side to 
avoid friction. If it filled the entire space it 
would be clumsy in its action. It is hinged at 
the top and opens up into the box. The hinges 
are placed on the front of the door rather than 
at the center or back, the better to secure com¬ 
plete closing action. 
The trip consists of one piece of stiff wire 
about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter 
and eighteen and one-half inches long, bent as 
shown in the drawing. A piece of board six 
inches wide and just long enough to reach 
across the box inside, is nailed flatwise in front 
of the partition and one inch below the top of 
the box, a space of one-fourth of an inch being 
left between the edge of the board and the 
partition. The purpose of this board is only 
to support the trip wire in 
place. The six-inch sec¬ 
tion of the trip wire is 
placed across the board, 
the long part of the wire 
is slipped through the quar¬ 
ter inch slot, and passed 
down close to and in front 
of the center of the seven 
and a half inch circular 
A -IT 
St 
Single Nest Removed. 
opening. Small wire staples are driven nearly 
down over the six-inch section of the trip 
wire into the board, so as to hold it in place 
and yet let it roll sidewise easily. 
4 When the door is set, the half-inch section 
of the wire marked A comes under a hard wood 
peg, or a tack with a large round head, which 
is driven into the lower edge of the door frame. 
The hen passes in through the circular opening 
and in doing so presses the wire to one side, 
and the trip slips from its connection with the 
door. The door promptly swings down and 
fastens itself in place by its lower edge striking 
the light end of a wooden latch or lever, pres¬ 
sing it down and slipping over it, the lever 
immediately coming back into place and lock¬ 
ing the door. The latch is five inches long, one 
inch wide and a half inch thick, and is fastened 
loosely one inch from its center to the side of 
the box, so that the outer end is just inside of 
the door when it is closed. The latch acts 
quickly enough to catch the door before it 
rebounds. It was feared that the noise arising 
from the closing of the door might startle the 
hens, so instead of wooden stops, pieces of old 
rubber belting were nailed at the outside en¬ 
trances for the door to strike against. 
The double box with nest in the rear end 
is necessary, as when a bird has laid and desires 
to leave the nest, she steps to the front and 
remains there until released. With one section 
only she would be very likely to crush her 
egg by standing upon it. 
One experiment which has been undertaken, 
and which requires a long period of time in 
39 
