17 THE HOUSE OR LOFT. 



and air, should be provided. It should face the south, to 

 admit the sunlight, and have a wide board adjoining, for the 

 birds to rest on. The most domineering of them will mono- 

 polise this place as much as they can, but their domestic duties 

 will prevent their being always there, so that all will have 

 some advantage from it. 



Feeding Boards. 



Pigeons may be fed either from a flat board that has a mar- 

 ginal edge running round it, raised about an inch, to prevent 

 the scattering of the grain, or from a self- supplying hopper. 

 By the exercise of due care in not putting down more grain 

 each time the bii'ds are fed than they will eat, there need not 

 be much waste of food. Giving them too much at a time, 

 and then grudging to throw away any that becomes soiled, 

 is but poor economy, and a likely cause of disease among 

 them. If a flat board be used for their feeding on, it should 

 be covered with sand or gravel to the depth of haK an inch, 

 which should be renewed weekly. 



Hoppers. 



In the breeding season, when a constant supply of food is 

 more necessary, hoppers made of zinc or wood, such as shown 

 in Fig. 2, will be useful. They can be made of any desired 

 length. The lid, or lids, if they are intended to be divided 

 inside, open with hinges, and should be at such an angle as 

 will prevent the birds resting on them. A wire run along 

 the ridge, raised an inch and a half, will keep them from 

 settling there. As the food is eaten from the trough, the 

 bulk inside will continue falling down, thus insuring a con- 

 stant supply as long as it lasts. By an inside division, 

 separating the hopper into two parts, two kinds or two 

 separate mixtures of food may be supplied. Fig. 3 represents 

 a very useful feeding box, which I have used for some years. 

 The inside wires are 2in. apart, and prevent scattering of the 



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