166 



521. It will not answer to put an egg in your mouth that is much chipped, or a little 

 smashed, owing to the old birds having set too heavy on the eggs, the blood within will 

 cause the shell to adhere so tight to the bird ; in this case the young Fancier must ex- 

 ercise his judgment, how he can judiciously with care (when the smashed shell is dry) 

 pick it off. Again when the bird has sprung the shell, which is always where the beak 

 lies, and the bird appears fixed tight in the shell it cannot move about, take a drop of 

 sweet oil, after picking off the shell, if not akeady off, passing it between the head and 

 the shell, by which means it will be greatly assisted in extricating itself, and many a 

 valuable bird saved. The cause of my writing much on this subject is, if you are not 

 careful you will loose the birds most desired to be saved, experience teaches me, if the 

 bird to be hatched on the last day (that is the seventeenth from laying the last egg) is 

 not out of the shell by the eighteenth day, it must be under particular circumstances 

 I would leave it there so long ,• I should not expect to see it out aUve, this requires 

 judgment. To the best of my recollection, I never heard the bird alive in the shell, 

 twenty-four hours, or so long ; if the beak does not puncture the shell — or, let in air, 

 the bird is suffocated in the shell. 



522. There are Fanciers who take the eggs from the Almond two or three days before 

 hatching, and place them imder a pair of feeders — such as baldheads or beards which 

 set closer, hatching sharper than the Almonds. It is done by placing the eggs of the 

 Almonds under the baldheads or beards, and vice, versa ; when the Almonds eggs 

 are hatched, then exchange again. At the same time, it does not follow their soft 

 meat, is up ; although they have set their time — seventeen days. It sometimes happens 

 their soft food does not come on for two or three days after ; you must get them fed 

 from somewhere, otherwise they will perish. It would be xmcharitable to expect the 

 young Fancier will know all at once ; experience keeps a dear school, the most ex- 

 perienced Fancier that ever lived, had to learn in this school. Some of the Almonds 

 do not set close, particularly the old and valuable ones (why I say old and valuable 

 ones, had they been otherwise they would have been discarded) ; they do not appear to 

 have sufficient heat in their bodies to hatch their eggs. When this is discovered, you had 

 better set their eggs at the commencement under feeders, that have laid at the same 

 time, by exchanging their eggs ; must not be done in a forgetful manner. You may 

 always know when you begin to imderstand whether their soft food is on or not, by 

 trying the craw or crop of the birds, if on, it appears soft and pappy ; on the contrary, 

 hard, but will come on in a few days. 



523. When I get a little nonpareil out of the shell, I am lost in wonder and astonish- 

 ment how I shall get it fed. I have heard it stated there are Fanciers who keep doves 

 to feed their short-faced birds, I am assured they feed well, and longer than Pigeons. 

 As I never tried I do not know ; if they will, many a valuable short-faced bird would 

 be saved. I have before now been placed in such difficulty with a particularly short- 

 faced bird, after trying half a dozen pair of birds that had hatched at the same time, 



• yet could get none to feed it. It may be worth trying doves, as they have eight broods 

 a year. The shorter faced your feeders the better, I think they ought not to exceed 

 six-eighths ; if you feed with strong long-faced, take for example a dragon, one inch 

 and a quarter, you wUl observe when the young little short-faced birds leave their pans, 

 if hungry, chase the old ones in their pen, aviary, or loft, in their haste to obtain food 

 will thrust its head into the old bird's mouth, or comparatively speaking, down its 

 throat, to meet the food, by which means the young bird's head is flattened, (being 

 soft at the time), the contrary of what could be desired, a lofty head ; it follows, having 

 long-faced feeders, you flatten the head and wrench the beak ; on the contrary, having 

 short-faced feeders the young ones cannot thrust their heads into their mouths, neither • 

 will the beaks be so wrenched. If the owl Pigeon was not so shy, I should prefer it 

 for a feeder. But short-faced hardy blue tumblers, beards, or baldheads are very good. 



524. There are Fanciers who would not shift oftener than once, neither wovdd I, pro- 

 vided I thought it safe to trust to that shift to finish the birds ; as I do not, I shall 

 make my remarks : — I approve of shifting the young birds at six days ; giving the old 

 ones an older bird to draw off their soft food, which they do in about ten days. The 

 danger of their being off the young ones a considerable time, suffering them to die of 

 cold, with their crops full, while the ones are calling to nest. In your experience you 

 will find as many or more die of cold crammed full, than those that are not fed, the 

 reason is this, they reqxiire warmth by being set on, as much or more than food. I think 



