130 BIGGIyE POULTRY BOOK. 



and begin to breed in the following winter and spring. 

 Pigeons breed in pairs, and when once mated 

 remain faithful to each other unless the union is 

 broken by death or by the coquetry and intrigue of 

 unmated birds. The latter are sure to make mischief 

 and care should be taken to exclude them, or to 

 remove them from the loft when discovered. It is 

 always best to mate pigeons, that are not known to be 

 already mated, pair by pair, before turning them into 

 the loft. This may be done ])y placing the couple in 

 a coop or cage alone for two or three days. The 

 novice may attempt to mate two of the same sex. 

 If l)oth be males, the cooing and strutting and fight- 

 ing will make the mistake evident. If both be 

 females, there ^vill l)e no love-making, Ijut may be 

 some quarreling. How to distinguish the sexes 

 frequently puzzles experts. The experienced eye 

 can generally detect the masculine or feminine 

 features of a bird, and will name the sex nine times 

 out of ten. There is no way to get this experience 

 except by long and careful observation. The female 

 is smaller, as a rule, than the male, and has a feminine 

 look about the head and neck, the eyes being milder, 

 the head narrower and the neck more slender than 

 the corresponding parts of the cock. 

 The hen lays tw'O eggs and then 

 K^^' ^' y\ both birds assist in hatching them. 

 >^m:. J \jJ The hen sits all night and a part of 

 the day : the cock sits the balance 

 of the time. Both assist in feeding 

 FANTAiL. tiie squabs. If the hen lays again 



before the first brood are oiit of the nest the cock will 



