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 with- 

 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 



