WOOD AND WASTE 175 



As before, too, though his eyes were 

 rivetted to his parent, yet his body pointed 

 to the claw scratched bough leading to the 

 nest. Again he sat with his head pointing 

 across his shoulder, as step by step the old 

 bird sidled dovm the bough. 



Once more, after due pause for exact 

 measurement of distance, were the beaks of 

 parent and child locked together, and as 

 before the contents of her crop transferred 

 to him. Both parents, I believe, fed the 

 nestling, but the female was the more bold 

 and more frequent visitor. 



How often young Pigeons may be fed in 

 very early life or immediately before leaving 

 the nest I have no means of knowing, but 

 about nine o'clock and about four o'clock 

 were *'Pidgy's" meal hours during a con- 

 siderable portion of his nest life, and 

 experience gained by the artificially reared 

 birds bears out the belief that Pigeons 

 only feed twice a day. My trio, while on 

 their made-up nests, were never ready for 

 food oftener, and to this day in full liberty 

 come down to be fed but twice in the 

 twenty-four hours. 



