o:>- 



100 



PIGEONS. 



shelf outside of the loft, is a trap made of laths. It has two sides 

 and a front only, the wall of the loft forming the back ; the 

 front and sides act upon hinges, so that they may be thrown 



AERIE OPEN. 



open, and laid flat on the platform, as in the above figure 

 A, B, C ; and on the upper parts of these flaps are fastened 

 strings, united to a single string in the middle of the trap ; the 

 string is carried over the swivel JEJ, at the top of the machine, 

 to a hiding place, whence the owner can see all that passes, 

 and when a bird alights within the aerie, he jerks the string, 

 the flaps are elevated, and the bird is immediately a prisoner. 

 The aerie, when shut, presents the appearance shown in the 

 following illustration. This kind of trapes used not only by 



AERIE CLOSED. 



fanciers, but by amateurs ; and is an important appendage to 

 the loft, both as a means of self-defence to secure strays, and 

 to shut in their own birds. Among amateur fanciers, the first- 

 mentioned purpose is to secure valuable and favorite breeds 

 from being deteriorated through stray birds of no value pairing 



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