PIGEOXS AXD ALL ABOUT THEM. 65 



HELPING YOUNG. 



NEVER give up an egg, or the young one in it, till it is 

 dead. I have seen eggs completely chilled, cracked 

 eggs, eggs with pieces absolutely broken out, that 

 hatched, and youngsters that were picked up stiff on a loft 

 floor, that soon came to life and flourished. 



After an egg has gotten well along in the process of incu- 

 bation, it will stand a great deal. If not cracked so badly as 

 to let the white run out, paste a little court plaster over it, 

 or a piece of postage stamp. If a little piece is broken out, 

 do the same. 



If you find a youngster out of the nest and chilled, hold it 

 in your warm hands and gently breathe on it, and then as 



soon as it moves, slip it under a close setting hen. It is rare- 

 ly necessary to bring it in to the fire, for the warmth of the 



bird is more natural, and again, when it begins moving, the 

 hen is liable to give it warm food. 



Along about the eighteenth day, it is well to look at all 

 eggs. It' the little dotted break in the shell looks all right, 

 and you can hear the young bird working merrily away, it is 

 no doubt strong and active and will get through without any 

 help. Look at it again the next day, say 24 hours after, 

 and if the broken line is no further along, it is a good idea to 

 help a little, but be very careful and do not over do the mat- 

 ter. I take my thumb nail and gently, very gently, indent a 

 continuation of the* line, or make a very small hole. 



Now, don't hurry the bird. Give it plenty of time, for if 

 you do too much and puncture one of the little veins, the bird 

 is lof-t. Hundreds of thousands of young birds are killed, 

 through the impatience of the fancier. I have known many 

 cases where it took three days for a bird to emerge from the 

 shell even after it had made a good break. Remember the 



