36 THE PRACTICAL PIGEON KEEPER. 



the facility with which pigeons can, as apart from the cumber- 

 some bodies of poultry, and the fragility and wildness of 

 smaller birds, we suspect gives a sense of personal possession 

 and enjoyment which counts for much in the long-run. 



The hen sits all night, usually coming off about ten in the 

 morning, though the exact time depends a little on the amount 



Fig. 17. HOLDING A PIGEON. 



of light. She generally stays off till two or three in the after- 

 noon, during which period the cock takes her place. Not the 

 slightest anxiety need be felt about the eggs being allowed to 

 chill. 



Many pigeons would die in the shell if not assisted, par- 

 ticularly among the very short-faced birds, whose beaks, when 

 of the quality desired, seem sometimes too short to pierce the 

 shell. When the time is fully up, therefore, and hatching has 

 not begun, if the young one can be heard inside, it will be well 



