Chapter XV. 

 PIGEONS FOR MARKET. 



A bird in the loft is worth t7vo in the pot-hunter's bag. 

 1)1 a neighborliood wJicre pigeons Jiy both peas and peace 

 take ifini^. — Tim. 



Jg The old practice of fastening nest- 



^^m boxes on the outside of building and 



^^^^^ allowing the occupants to range at will is 



^ -ifciiw j^Q^ ^Q l^g commended. However made 



they present an unsightly appearance, and pigeons at 



liberty in a community are an intolerable nuisance. 



It is better in every way to have a separate build- 

 ing for pigeons, and to have an outside fly of wire 

 netting connected with it and thus to keep the birds 

 confined at all seasons. This plan is especially recom- 

 mended when any considerable number is kept. 



The accompanying 

 illustration shows a loft with -^.„;,:. 

 the breeding-room eight by , J 



sixteen feet and a cage or ^\\^ ., i-r 



fly Sixteen by sixteen feet '" ^^^ - -^ ' ' 



that will accommodate twenty to forty pairs. In 

 building it posts are set firmly in the ground, pans 

 inverted over them to keep out rats and mice and 

 the sills nailed to the posts. 



For larger numbers the house shown on the next 

 page illustrates a cheap and practical building. It is 



