58 



FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



next to the living-room. The hens enter the nests from 

 one side, and the eggs are removed from the other. 



Above the row of nest-boxes is a platform, three feet 

 broad, and so projecting into the living-room two feet be- 

 yond the boxes. This constitutes the dining-table, and it 

 has on the side next to the hall, and extending the whole 

 length of it, a trough for the reception of spft food. 



Above the dining-table, again, at the distance of three 

 feet, is another platform not so wide as the lower one, which 

 serves as a shelf for the reception of various boxes, pans, 

 &c, used in connection with the culinary department, but 

 especially and designedly the support of three boxes, with 

 handles, placed at equal intervals, under as many round 

 holes in a large trough. This trough is a principal feature 

 of the "chamber," or sleeping apartment, which must be 

 briefly described. It consists of this wide trough, with a 

 floor slanting from its inner edge to the sloping roof of Abe 

 building. 



The perches, three in number, extend, two of them, right 

 over the trough, and the other along the slanting floor ; so 

 that the droppings fall either into the trough or on the floor, 

 and thence into the trough. 



But we are going more into description than we intended. 

 Some people carpet their floors with wool, some with sand ; 

 but our poultry family seem to delight most in having their 

 floor well littered with clean straw. But it must be renewed 

 at least once a week, and so this morning the old straw was 

 to be replaced by new. The boys were to do this, while 

 their papa was to scrape and brush off the dining-table, and 

 sweep the contents of the trough into the three boxes and 

 carry them out. When Carlie began to rake the straw, he 

 found it all dry, and said he thought there was no need of 

 changing it ; but his papa told him that although it looked 

 pretty well, yet, in fact, it was quite fllthy, and the fowls 

 had ceased to pick among it. He would see how industri- 

 ously they would go to work, scratching, pecking at, and 

 eating the little fibrous stems of the fresh straw as soon as it 

 was furnished. 



By the time papa had the dining-table and the sleeping 

 chamber nicely cleaned, using dry ashes to absorb any mois- 

 ture that existed in places, Carlie had the old straw all raked 

 up in a heap by one of the windows, ready to be thrown 

 out; and Eddie had some new ready to take its place. Papa 

 helped them to finish their work, and then all enjo3 r ed seeing 

 the whole family of " Cockey Lockeys" and " Henny Pen- 

 nies " eat their breakfast. 



This consisted of a trough full of scalded bran and shorts, 

 mixed and seasoned with a little salt and pepper; their 

 drink being a basin of pure, tepid water. They ate with 

 great relish, their soft feed, and then went to work with 

 great satisfaction, as was predicted, scratching and pecking 

 at their new carpet, while the boys and their papa responded 

 to their call to breakfast; and so ended their first hours' 

 work in the New Year. 



J. L. Daymude. 



Davenport, Jan. 1, 1874. 



PIGEONS OF EGYPT. 



The Egyptians are great admirers of pigeons. M. De 

 Norr says, "The houses of Upper Egypt are vast dovecots, 

 in which the owner reserves only a chamber for himself, 

 and there he lodges with the hens, chickens, &c, exposed to 

 the devouring insects which beset these animals." The 

 Egyptians spend much time on pigeons. They have many 



singular varieties, but, like most earnest fanciers, they keep 

 the best for themselves, so that it is difficult to obtain even 

 a sight of their best birds. Out of the varieties which are 

 to be found in Egypt may be mentioned Turbits, Owls, 

 Turn-crown Barbs, Tumblers, Labores, Swifts, and hosts of 

 others, no doubt, with which I am not familiar. Lahores 

 are said to be Indian pigeons ; such may be the case, but I 

 know they are cultivated extensively in Alexandria, for I 

 have on several occasions seen them unshipped at Liverpool 

 from that place. Swifts are Egyptian birds, and remarkable 

 ones ; they are almost unknown in England, therefore I 

 briefly describe them. They have a round head, short thick 

 beak, and a very singular-looking pale yellow eye. They 

 are actually small birds, though in appearance they are 

 large. Their wings and tail are unusually long, and give 

 the bird a novel appearance. The legs of these birds are 

 short. Their colors are various ; the most striking are those 

 with a bronzed appearance and light hackle. Pied and 

 spangled ones seem the most numerous. Why they are 

 called Swifts I cannot comprehend. It cannot be from the 

 speed at which they fly, for, like most birds with long pin- 

 ions, they cannot fly fast. The long wing is most desirable 

 in birds that have to perform great distances, but the short 

 and sharp-pointed wing for speed. Owls, of course — that is, 

 the smaller and better kind, are peculiar to Africa, as most 

 fanciers know ; in fact, that fruitful portion of Africa 

 abounds in high-class pigeons.— J. W. Ludlow, in Journal of 

 Horticulture. 



THE CARRIER-PIGEONS. 



REMARKABLE FLIGHT OF : ' ARIEL" — -SIXTY-FOUR MILES 

 IN THIRTY MINUTES. 



We last week expressed the opinion when " Ariel " was 

 again flown he would make the distance to Eivercliff, sixty- 

 four miles, in half an hour. The prediction met with little 

 favor ; but incredible as such a performance seems, it was 

 actually verified in the bird's flight on Saturday last. 



A gentlemen who is to form part of The Daily Graphic 

 transatlantic balloon staff, was at the Domestic Sewing 

 Machine Company's establishment at three o'clock, and took 

 the birds in charge. 



A crowd had assembled to witness the starting of the birds. 

 At 3 : 10 the first bird was tossed up. It was a female 

 home-bred, and appeared to be very much confused with the 

 houses and the noise and movement on the streets. She 

 flew about quite rapidly at first, and then began to fly in 

 circles. She flew in this way until lost sight of. The second 

 bird was a male home bred. He was freed five minutes after 

 the other one. He lingered upon the hand of the starter, and 

 seemed rather averse to flying. When tossed up he also flew 

 wildly about, and presently began to circle, and finally was 

 lost sight of, as in the former case. At 3 : 20 the third bird 

 was tossed up, [He was one of the imported birds, Gold 

 Ring, "No. 6."] His performance, on feeling his wings, was 

 most remarkable. He rose in a very narrow spiral ("just 

 like a corkscrew," said the starter) to an immense height, 

 so as to be nearly lost to view. Then, catching sight of 

 some distant familiar object on the Sound, he darted off 

 homeward with great velocity. At 3 : 30 the bold and beau- 

 tiful " Ariel" was taken from the cage. He comprehended 

 the situation at once ; and on being tossed up he unhesita- 

 tingly took his course across Fourteenth Street and the Opera 

 House, and was soon on the road home. All the birds had 



