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PIGEONS. 99 ^ 



this latter shelf, a trap, or "aerie," should be affixed, the 

 intent and purposes of which I shall presently explain. At 

 the upper part of the loft, rough branches should be placed as 

 perches in the manner shown in the representation. At about 

 four feet from the floor, breeding boxes, according to the 

 number of birds intended to be kept, should be securely fixed 

 to the wall, care being taken to protect them from rats, &c. 



Some fanciers furnish their boxes with little earthenware 

 pans, or small baskets, for the birds to deposit their eggs in ; 

 although the eggs are not so likely to be broken in the baskets 

 as in the pans, the latter, if supplied with straw, are cleaner 

 than the baskets ; the pans should vary in dimensions, accord- 

 ing to the class of pigeon for which they are designed. It is 

 well to put two of these receptacles in each little room, as the 

 hens frequently go to the nest again when their broods are 

 about three weeks old, leaving them to the care of their mates. 

 Instead of egg boxes, shelves partitioned off, and having 

 sliding fronts for the convenience of cleaning, are used; if the 

 young fancier intend to keep " pouters," the shelves should be 

 fourteen inches in breadth, and at least twenty inches apart, so 

 that the birds may not acquire the habit of stooping, which 

 depreciates their value. 



As pigeons drink differently from most other birds, that is, 

 by taking a long-continued draught, like cattle, a fountain, or 

 large-bottomed glass bottle, with a tolerably long neck, for water, 

 should be provided for their house ; it should be placed on a 

 small three-legged stool, so that its mouth may incline into an 

 earthenware pan, into which the water will trickle slowly, and 

 cease when it reaches the level of the mouth of the bottle, and a 

 continued supply of fresh water thus be kept up; two or three 

 bricks will serve instead of a stool, to give the bottle the neces- 

 sary elevation. 



To insure the thriving of the birds, the loft and shelves 

 should be kept clean, and gravel strown on the floor; indeed, 

 gravel must on no account be omitted, as pigeons are exceed- 

 ingly fond of pecking it. 

 A The " aerie" before mentioned, which is fastened on the 

 ££»- <» 



