Kinds of Food, 195 



Soft meat is a sort of milky fluid or pap 

 seci'eted in the craw of pigeons, by the wise 

 providence of nature, against the time when 

 it will be wanted for the nourishment of theii* 

 young. In all probability, from instinct, the 

 pigeons eat a greater quantity at this time, 

 and tiie grain goes through a certain process 

 in their crops, which produces the soft meat 

 or pap in question. This they have the pow- 

 er of throwing up at will ; and, in feeding, 

 they inject it from their own bills into 

 tiiose of the young ones, which are taken 

 into their own. This kind of feeding con- 

 tinues six or seven days, when the old ones 

 begin to mix some harder food with it, un- 

 til at length they feed with whole grain. 

 When the time approaches for the hen to 

 lay, the cock is often seen driving her from 

 place to place, not suffering her to rest any 

 where but in her nest, apparently from an 

 instinctive apprehension that she may drop 

 her egg in an improper place. 



-^FooD. Pigeons are entirely granivo-, 

 rous, and very dehcate and cleanly in theip 

 diet ; tliey will sometimes eat green veget^- 



K 2 



