MODE OF TRAINING. 217 



stomach, and never tossing near a building, which might tempt 

 them to pitch. The birds should be thrown steadily, well up, 

 and taking care to open the hand so as not to pull out any 

 feathers. 



After this we would toss at ten miles, and thence by about 

 ten mile stages to fifty miles. After that the tosses must be as 

 happens, from fifteen to thirty miles apart, and losses increase. 

 In Belgium they will make the training stages fifty or a hundred 

 miles, or even more apart; but the losses from such are enormous, 

 and rapidly weed out all but a few. In fact, we are convinced 

 those few often reach home more by luck than talent, and that 

 some of the best birds are thus thrown away. As soon as 

 systematic training commences, regular notes should be kept of 

 all the different performances, with the weather, wind, and all 

 circumstances ; for the rule must be rigorously observed of 

 never breeding from a bird that habitually comes in late in a 

 race. We do not consider that young birds should be flown 

 beyond one hundred and fifty miles the first season. 



The English system formerly was to toss the birds singly. 

 The Belgian system is to open the basket and let all fly at once. 

 By the latter plan much fewer are lost, as the more sagacious 

 nurse the others home, showing them at least the proper direc- 

 tion. Of late the" Belgian plan has become usual in England. 



The baskets or panniers used in training vary in size and 

 pattern, but are generally oblong. They should be, however, 

 nine inches clear in depth, and every bird should have at least 

 twenty-seven to thirty superficial inches of floor space. The 

 best material for the bottom is the dry tan we have already 

 recommended. It is clean and wholesome, and the birds can 

 see grain on it better than on anything else. It is usual, 

 however, to have one or both ends of the basket partially open, 

 so that the pigeons can put their heads out for food and water. 

 There is generally a small trap-door in the cover to put the birds 

 in, and the whole cover lifts up to start the birds. The covers 



