167 



crammed as they are, the food getting chilled or cold, is the cause that accelerates their 

 death. I give the young birds another shift when they are twelve or thirteen days old, 

 under a pair of feeders that have fed three or four days, for the sake of warmth ; and 

 now my last shift, however weU apparently, the pair of birds feed that have the shift of 

 the birds twelve days old, will this pair of birds finish them, by feeding four weeks till 

 they can feed themselves — it may, or it may not be so. You cannot help your thoughts 

 on this or any other subject ; I do not think it safe, I endeavour for the last shift, to 

 get them at twenty-one days old under a pair of good tempered birds, there is a vast 

 difference in their tempers after they have fed a week ; calculating they will feed them 

 well for three weeks, which will finish them, by this time they wUl feed themselves. 



526. Experience teaches: I can take extreme cases. I will give you two that hap- 

 pened. I had a black mottled picked up the tares, and fed well at three weeks; at 

 five weeks it left off feeding itself, as it had lost all idea of being fed it died. The 

 other happened in my loft where I flew my feeders, a pair of short-faced would not 

 learn to feed themselves, although would take a fly round with the feeders, they were 

 fed by one or other in the loft, until they would feed them no longer, they both were 

 starved to death at two months old. These are not the rules, the exceptions; some- 

 times it happens you experience difficulty in shifting a bird so old as three weeks. I 

 am aware it is easier for the last shift, to shift at seventeen or eighteen days, the feeders 

 taking to them more kindly. When you shift the birds that have grown pretty old and 

 large comparatively, do not let the old birds come and take a sight of them, put the hen 

 upon the young. It is better to shift these large birds as near dark as possible; be 

 sure to put the hen on, in the morning she will not discover the exchange, or else be 

 reconciled to it. Should the colours of birds shifted vary much, experience teaches me 

 it is not so much in the size of the bird as the colour — was it not for the fighting atti- 

 tude the young bird puts itself into about three weeks old — therefore you will see the 

 propriety in shifting these large birds at dark. It wotdd not do to exchange under 

 your feeders a young white bird, where before there had been a black one; and the 

 reverse by shifting a black one, where before they had a white one; the result, very 

 likely a good tempered pair of feeders after looking at and going from it a good many 

 times, might at last take to it: while the ill tempered pair would kill it at once. You * 

 will see the impropriety of shifting colours differing so widely; endeavour to shift by 

 giving the colour as near as possible. 



527. It is important in shifting, your nest pans should be the same size and height; 

 if your feeders had a nest two inches high, in your shifting you gave them a pan 

 four inches high, the one comparatively they could walk into, while they would have to 

 jump up to the other, cause them to be suspicious all was not right, forsake the pan 

 after kiUing the birds, owing to a little neglect on your part. You will find it a good 

 plan to put the shifted birds into their pans, till the feeders are reconciled to the biids 

 shifted, then you can with safety exchange the pans if necessary, owing to being dirty. 



528. I observed before, young ones vary much as regards feeding themselves; I will 

 inform you my method of treating young birds to learn to feed themselves. I have a 

 pen two feet square, nine inches high, made of strong wire, the wires not more than 

 one inch and a quarter apart, the birds will get out if further, wires up and down, no 

 bottom, the floor will form the bottom besides being easier to clean. Let it be wired 

 over the top, it will give more light; I have mine made in two halves, owing to my 

 aviary being parted; have an opening in the partition large enough to let the young 

 pigeons through, by placing one piece on each side of the partition it again becomes a 

 square, then form within and without the wire work, a frame work of wood, one inch 

 and a half, making three inches together. There is not any need of its being a fixture 

 whether you have them in squares or halves, I can place the half against the wall or 

 any where else ; you will find the advantage in having them made in halves. Let this 

 frame work be one inch and a half high from the flooring where the wire work rests, it 

 will form a kind of trough — fill it up with the best old tares — at the same time so con- 

 structed that the water from your carboys, fountains, or other proper vessels, shall come 

 within the wire- work; now make all the old birds come to feed and drink where you fix 

 this pen. I informed you there is not any fiixed rule or time when the young birds feed 

 themselves, much will depend on the strength and forwardness of the birds, otherwise, 

 writing from observation, the hardy and forward onciS at a month old are more inclined 



