112 AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



consume an enormous amount of feed. They are so bold, cun- 

 ning and daring that they will find and enter a remote opening, 

 fly right into a nest room and almost take possession of same. 



Inch mesh wire is the best protection against sparrows. In 

 this way they can be kept out of the fly pens and therefore out 

 of the squab house. 



Hawks and owls do not bother pigeons if they are kept in fly 

 pens, for the reason that they cannot get through the wire, but 

 hawks often prey upon pigeons if they fly out. They are more 

 apt to catch the young birds that are just learning to fly, but 

 often dart down and pick up an old one. 



Owls will only bother pigeons in the country and not then 

 unless the birds occupy a bam loft or some place where the 

 owls can conceal themselves in the day time and prey upon 

 the birds at night. 



As a whole, however, there is little to fear from hawks and 

 owls, as it is harder to catch old birds and young ones are not 

 usually in a place where they can get them. 



If sparrows bother to any great extent they can be disposed 

 of double quick by soaking wheat or other small grain in alcohol 

 for a couple of hours or over night, then scatter the wheat out 

 where the sparrows can eat it. When they do, it will make them 

 drunk and they can be picked up by the basket full if there 

 are that many. 



The wheat should be placed somewhere so that the pigeons 

 or chickens, if you have any, cannot get to it as it will affect 

 them the same way and if they get too much it will kill them. 

 It takes ten or fifteen minutes for a sparrow to topple over after 

 eating the soaked grain, but it will not get far away as it takes 

 effect in a short time. 



