BOOK OF DOVECOTES 



while a boiled goat's head forms a prominent 

 feature of another prescription for the same 

 purpose. 



It is melancholy to observe that the im- 

 morality of any attempt to "decoy your neigh- 

 bour's pigeons " to your own dovecote does 

 not seem to occur to either Roman or British 

 writer. 



Hawks were a frequent menace to the 

 pigeons of Rome. A method of snaring them 

 was to take two twigs, lime them, and bend 

 them towards each other till they formed an 

 arch, below which could be placed as bait the 

 carcass of some favourite prey. 



Young birds intended for speedy fattening 

 were separated from their elders as soon as 

 covered with down. They were then fed, or 

 rather "crammed," to use the modern poultry- 

 keeper's phrase, with white bread already 

 half chewed by men specially hired for the 

 work. These men were highly paid, as one 

 would fancy they deserved to be; indeed it 

 was a question with experts whether the game 

 was worth the candle, the wages of the chew- 

 ers eating up the extra value of the squabs. 



lO 



