148 MATCHING INCUBATION. 



long neck, holding from one to five gallons, its belly 

 shaped like an egg, that the pigeons may not light 

 and dung upon it. It is placed upon a stand, or 

 three-footed stool, made hollow above, to receive 

 the belly of the bottle, and let the mouth into a 

 small pan beneath : the water will so gradually de- 

 scend out of the mouth of the bottle as the pigeons 

 drink, and be sweet and clean, and always stop 

 when the surface reaches the mouth of the bottle. 



To MATCH or PAIR a cock and hen, it is necessary 

 to shut them together, or near and within reach of 

 each other ; and the connexion is generally formed 

 in a day or two. Various rules have been laid down, 

 by which to distinguish the cock from the hen 

 pigeon ; but the masculine forwardness and action 

 of the cock, is for the most part distinguishable. 



INCUBATION. The great increase of domestic 

 pigeons does not proceed from the number of eggs 

 laid by them, but from the frequency of their hatch- 

 ing. The hen lays but two eggs and immediately 

 proceeds to incubation. Having laid her first egg, 

 she rests one day, and, on the next, lays her second 

 egg. They usually stand over the first egg, not 

 sitting close until they have two, whence, both the 

 young are hatched nearly at the same time : there 

 are some exceptions, however, to this rule of nature, 

 and the hen having sat close at first, one young 

 bird may be hatched a day or two before the other. 

 They often spoil their first eggs from inexperience. 



The PERIOD Of INCUBATION is NINETEEN Or 



TWENTY days from laying the first egg, and SEVEN- 

 TEEN or EIGHTEEN from the last. The labour of 



