DOMESTIC PIGEONS 235 



corn is excellent, if used in moderation, but is not always 

 obtainable. Tares, or bird vetch, is one of the very best 

 pigeon foods, but is rather expensive. Canary seed and 

 hemp are eaten with eagerness, but should be used as an 

 occasional treat, not as a regular item of diet. 



Two methods of feeding, apparently with an equal num- 

 ber of adherents, are in vogue. Some feed once or twice 

 daily, giving just what the birds will pick up and no more. 

 Others supply grain in hoppers, always accessible to the 

 pigeons. The first system, in spite of the rather unnatural 

 stuffing of the crop, will keep the birds fit and free from the 

 many disorders of the digestive tract which follow over- 

 feeding. It is very necessary, however, when squabs are in 

 the nest, that food be available at all times, so it would 

 seem best to accommodate the mode of feeding to the 

 seasons. 



Green food is an article which many pigeon-keepers neg- 

 lect to give their birds, but which, nevertheless, is of im- 

 portance in the maintenance of health. Clover, lettuce, 

 cress, sprouted oats, etc., are among the best. 



Small grit, in the form of oyster shell, or some of the 

 many prepared articles, should always be accessible. The 

 quantity which pigeons consume, in the breeding season and 

 out, is astonishing, and trouble will follow if the supply is 

 not kept up. 



Pigeons are well known to be very fond of salt, and will 

 seek it in the most unusual places. Most breeders keep a 

 lump of rock salt in the loft, at which the birds work with 

 great perseverance but small result. 



When well accustomed to it there certainly is no danger, 

 but pigeons which have been deprived of salt for some time 

 may suffer from diarrhoea if suddenly given free access 

 to a lump, particularly if the atmosphere is damp. 



Pigeons are inveterate bathers, and for this reason drink- 



