658 



Junior Naturalist Monthly. 



came to my mind that Junior Naturalists could learn much and have a 

 great deal of pleasure if there were pigeons round about the school 

 building. I am wondering if it would be possible to do this. It seems 

 to me the experiment might be interesting. If you decide to have pigeons 

 you ought to make the home for them yourselves. In Fig. 5 you will 

 see a very simple pigeon house. The floor space is 15 inches square and 

 the house is 15 inches high. The door, which has a small platform in 

 front, is 6 inches in height. Almost any boy could make such a house 

 and it would do for a beginning. 



One can learn a good deal of bird life from pigeons and they are 

 so tame that they become the most friendly kind of playfellows. If you 

 can succeed in getting a pair at nesting time they will probably stay in 

 the house you have made for them. 



When you make your school garden you can plant some things for 

 food for the pigeons. They eat millet, oats, rye, corn, peas and barley. 

 I think it would be fun to raise some of these crops for the pigeons that 

 live at the school. Talk this matter over with your teacher and see 

 whether she is willing to experiment with them. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR OBSERVATION OF PIGEONS. 



1. Note how pigeons drink. Com- 

 pare the way a pigeon drinks with the 

 way a hen drinks. Perhaps some boy 

 will have a pet pigeon that he will 

 bring to school for a lesson. 



2. Describe a pigeon when walking. 



3. How many colors can you see 

 on a pigeon? 



4. Notice how it flies. Notice the 

 difference in the flight of a pigeon, a 

 crow, and a hawk. 



5. The boy or girl who can describe 

 a pigeon accurately will be able to de- 

 scribe wild birds so that they can learn 

 their names. This you will be glad 

 to do. Learn, therefore, to give the 

 colors of the head, the neck, the 

 breast, the back, the tail, the beak, the 

 eyes, the legs, the feet, and claws of 

 the pigeon. 



6. What enemies have pigeons? 



Fig. 4. — Favorite nesting place for 

 pigeons. 



