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Agate; so will you my yon.ng Fancier. It is all plain to him who understands, I will 

 inform you how to discover it: — look at the eye or eyelid, if a white Agate it will 

 appear ferrety, red, and fiery: while the Almond will be the contrary. The other 

 remarks as to colour of the birds by the beak, my experience teaches is correct, the 

 Fancier who first discovered it must have been a very close observer, and entitled to 

 great credit. If you match extraordinary rich feathered Almonds together, you will 

 breed more or less Agates, of various colours — yellows, reds, &c., some of these birds 

 have beautiful pearl eyes; if you breed a pure white, which is still an agate (owing to 

 its coming from Almonds), which rarely have pearl eyes, otherwise would be considered 

 a curiosity, a proof you had matched your birds too high, as it is called. 



543. I feel pleasure in seeing how heartily my birds engage in washing, should think 

 a bird not well that did not wash with great earnestness; if I became possessed of a 

 fresh bird, I should observe whether the bird took delight in wasliing, if not, should say 

 this is no favourite of mine, unless possessing some undeniable properties, I cannot 

 endure a bird dirty in body with a scrubby flight and tail. Deep earthen pans are 

 extremely dangerous, there being no foothold for the birds to get up the sides, many a 

 good bird is drowned. I will guard you against such a calamity, by informing you of 

 the construction of my tubs for the washing and cleansing of the birds : my tubs are 

 twenty inches in diameter, six inches high, both in the clear, with four steps aU round 

 the tubs equal distances, one inch wide (similar to steps to go down into a bath or 

 a staircase) ; should some of your pigeons stand low, enter the tubs with avidity, if 

 they get out of their depth, they rush to the sides and climb up the steps, otherwise 

 they would be drowned. There is a small brass plug at the bottom of the tub to let 

 off the water gently after washing, you would find the tub and water heavy if you 

 attempted to turn it over, making a mess, besides splashing yourself; take especial care 

 the waste water is drained off cleverly; the tubs have lids to cover over after washing, 

 which forms a kind of pitching place for the birds; let the tubs be thick, or place a 

 beading round the top of the tub about three quarters of an inch wide; if you do not 

 adopt this plan let the top of the tub be rounded (it is dangerous to have any sharp 

 edges where there are Almonds), the birds coming out of the water after washing, they 

 rest upon the top of the tub, which cleanses their flight and tail ; if they happen to 

 draw their wings on the floor, (this is called by the gentlemen of the Fancy drop 

 wings) ; they would not do this if the top of the tub was sharp and hurt their feet. I 

 employed a plasterer to form the steps or stairs inside my tubs who used compo, it set 

 as hard as stone; it is possible a carpenter or cooper would accomplish it. 



544. I believe few Fanciers ever tried so many experiments as I have, I wiU give 

 you one; — I considered if it was possible to put anything into their water to clear their 

 plumage, at the same time to destroy the insect, if any were there, without affecting 

 the health of the birds when they drank it. I consulted my friend the chemist upon 

 the subject, it was more than a dose for him; therefore I had to prescribe, which 

 bothered me ; while thinking, a thought came into my head if I put soap into their 

 water, believing it would not hurt them if they drank it, it might give them a gentle 

 purge, (recollecting some Fanciers adopt the plan of taking their shaving box, make a 

 strong lather, then with their shaving brush rubbing their birds aU over to destroy the 

 insects) I got half a pound of soft soap, put it into a quart pot, filling it up with boiling 

 water, stirring it up to cause it to dissolve, leaving it in the pot overnight, in the morn- 

 ing mixed it with the water they were to wash in; the birds did not approve I suppose 

 the colour of the water, and did not wash. I cannot help thinking if I had acted 

 more prudently, when I pulled out the plug to let off the water after washing, then 

 filling the tubs again, putting in the quart of soap and water, well mixing it, placing 

 the lid over to settle, keeping the birds an extra day from washing, but what they 

 would have eagerly plunged into the water — however, I have not tried it. The birds 

 shoidd not have water to wash in oftener than three times a week, unless it is the hens 

 that are parted ft-om the cocks, for some of them are rank sooner than the cocks ; it 

 would not be judicious to match them up so early in the spring, letting the hens have 

 the water four or five times a week, greatly cools them, and somewhat prevents their 

 calling to nest. 



545. Should it happen your taste or fancy lies in having coarse, long-faced, mousey- 

 headed, and fiery-eyed binis, fly them by all means, not only fly them, fly them hard. 



