37 MANAGEMENT. 



apart from their former mates, should they have had such, for 

 even when these are themselves rematched, and with young 

 ones, they will occasionally be inclined to go together again ; 

 but in this respect, and in many others, pigeons show the 

 most various dispositions. Two or three lofts save much 

 trouble to the fancier, and he can always work his birds 

 about in them, so as to save time in his breeding operations. 

 When a pair show signs of becoming matched up, they 

 may be allowed to go together for a day, when the union 

 between them will become more fixed than if turned into the 

 loft at once. For this purpose, matching pens have generally 

 a sliding wire division, withdrawable at pleasure. Once or 

 twice in my experience I have found it impossible to per- 

 manently match up a pair of pigeons. Though each would 

 pair in the ordinary way with other birds, they invariably 

 separated after being together a short time, seeming to 

 have some antipathy to each other. In such a case, the only 

 plan for keeping such a pair together, should there be some 

 special reasons for doing so, will be to place them in a room 

 by themselves. 



Nesting. 



When all goes well, the pair will soon begin building a nest, 

 if provided with materials for doing so, and, usually in 

 a week or ten days, the hen will lay her first egg, very near 

 five o'clock in the evening. She will not sit on it through 

 the following night, but stand over it ; but next day the cock 

 will generally be in such a hurry to begin the process of 

 incubation, that it is always better to remove the egg when 

 laid, substituting another, so as to insure the two hatching 

 simultaneously, for when one is hatched a day before the 

 other, the difference in size and strength of the young ones 

 seems to get more marked day by day, and to increase rather 

 than diminish. Many hens are apt to lose the power of their 

 limbs when about to lay, and such must be carefully looked 



