FEEDER OR NURSE. 41 



sedulously as their high-class Carriers, though quite worthless 

 from any other point of view. 



When feeders are required, they should be chosen with 

 some reference to the kind which has to be fed. Thus, for long 

 and heavy-beaked birds like Carriers, Dragoons make the best 

 feeders, having a similar kind of head on a more moderate 

 scale. They will also feed well any pigeons with average heads, 

 like Pouters, or even Barbs, which have large heads and beaks, 

 though short. But for Barbs, shorter-headed birds, like the 

 weedings of exhibition Antwerps, answer better ; while either 

 would be too coarse in beak for fine-headed young pigeons like 

 short-faced Tumblers. For these, common Jacobins, or most 

 common Toys, or long-faced Tumblers make good feeders. In 

 all cases the quietest birds should be selected. The transfer 

 should be made in the dark, if possible, and before the plumage 

 is so far grown that the cheated birds can discern any startling 

 difference in colour. With this precaution there is scarcely 

 ever any difficulty ; but we repeat our advice that every 

 beginner should confine himself for the first season to birds 

 which can bring up their own young, that he may grow 

 accustomed to them before attempting more difficult tasks. 



But we have alluded to " helping " the young while the 

 natural food from the parent was not forthcoming ; and this 

 may be necessary for several reasons. The parents cannot 

 make the soft food without having food themselves ; and the 

 accidental omission to replenish a hopper may cause the 

 evening or morning supply for all the young squeakers to fail. 

 Or there may be no nurses for the young of bad feeders, whose 

 food has failed after a week or ten days. Must the young ones 

 die in such a case? Not a bit of it. Nothing is more easy 

 than to feed young pigeons artificially after, at least, a day or 

 two. The simplest, easiest, and quickest way is to chew small 

 mouthfuls of some plain milk biscuit into a smooth pap, to 

 take the little squeaker in hand, and feed from the lips, into 



