246 ON THE REARING AND MANAGEMENT 



often so induced. Mowbray's were cleaned daily, 

 thoroughly once a week, a tub standing at hand for 

 the reception of the dung ; the floor covered with sifted 

 gravel, often renewed. 



" Pigeon-houses are of three kinds, small boarded 

 cases fixed on posts, trees, or against the ends of 

 houses; lofts fitted up with holes or nests; and de- 

 tached buildings. The first are generally too small to 

 contain a sufficient brood, and are also too subject to 

 variations of temperature ; and the last, on the other 

 hand, are now-a-days too large, and therefore the most 

 suitable for the farmer, is a loft or tower, rising from 

 a building, in which no noisy operation is carried on. 

 The lofts of any of the farm-buildings, at a distance 

 from the threshing-machine are suitable, or a loft or 

 tower over any detached building will answer well ; 

 but the best situation of all is a tower raised from the 

 range of poultry-buildings, where there is such a 

 range, as the pigeons can thus be more conveniently 

 treated, and will feed very readily with domestic 

 poultry. For a tower of this sort, the round form 

 should be preferred to the square; because the rats 

 cannot so easily come at them in the former as in the 

 latter. It is also much more commodious; as, by 

 means of a ladder, turning round upon an axis, it is 



