246 THE DOVECOT PIGEON. 
mediately force the door to get at the pigeons. 
Should, however, their original survey of the dove- 
cot, prior to their mounting on it, have shown them 
that the door is strong enough to resist their 
attempts to break it open, they take the precaution 
to leave a man on the roof, where he seizes the 
pigeons as soon as they become entangled in the 
net. In the mean time, his associates below tap 
sufficiently loud at the door of the dovecot to cause 
the pigeons to start from their roost and try to 
escape. Thus the hopes of the farmer are utterly 
destroyed, and a supply of birds is procured for the 
shooting matches in a manner not over and above 
creditable to civilised society. It remains with the 
members of the club to decide, whether it be 
honourable or just in them to encourage these 
midnight depredators. They must be aware that 
all the pigeons which they buy are old ones ; and 
that old ones are never offered for sale by the 
owners of dovecots. The dovecots in this neigh- 
bourhood have been robbed repeatedly; and it is 
well known that the pigeons which have been stolen 
from them have fallen at shooting matches near 
forty miles distant. : : 
No farm-yard can be considered complete erithe 
out a well-stocked dovecot, the contents of which 
make the owner a most ample return, and repay 
him abundantly for the depredations which the 
pigeons are wont to make upon his ripening corn. 
He commands a supply of delicious young birds 
for his table; and he has the tillage from the 
dovecot, which is of vast advantage to his barley 
er a 
