THE BELGIAN 137 



the ones that excel in nerve and action, and seldom 

 require so much training as the shorter, stouter birds 



Not Delicate if Properly Treated. 



It is generally thought that the Belgian is delicate. 

 I never found it so. Mine were kept in a cold room 

 and I have known many breeders in Cumberland, Lan- 

 cashire and Yorkshire who kept their stock in cold rooms, 

 and if they can stand the winter in cold rooms in those 

 counties they cannot be so very delicate. I can under- 

 stand that if Belgians are kept in a warm room they 

 would be delicate, because when travelling in their 

 open cages to shows, and when standing on the show 

 benches in the extremes of temperature which one finds 

 in shows they would feel the changes, and suffer accord- 

 ingly. But kept in a cold room in large, roomy cages, 

 and fed without any pampering, the Belgian does as 

 well as any other breed. 



Speaking generally, Belgians are good parents. They 

 sit well, they feed their young in excellent style, and seldom 

 does a Belgian hen sweat her j'oung. In selecting birds 

 for breeding purposes, be quite certain that they are in 

 good health. 



Another point worthy of consideration is as to whether 

 it is wise to breed from birds of this variety till they are 

 two years old. My own experience is such that I should 

 advise that no bird be bred from till it reaches that age. 



The Training of a Belgian. 



When your birds reach the age of two months you must 

 begin to train them, that is, teach them to run from 

 one cage to another, and also to go into position. Never 

 handle Belgians unless you are positively obliged to ; 

 it makes them nervous and timid, and consequently 

 spoils them for exhibition. When training the birds 

 to run from cage to cage, you must place the cages with 

 the doors opposite each other, that is, the cage containing 

 the bird and an empty cage ; then take a small cane 

 introduce this into the cage, and gently drive the bird 

 into the empty cage. In commencing the practice it is 

 wise to put two birds in the cage, an old one and a young- 



