lays the second egg on the third day. Seventeen days after 

 being laid the eggs hatch. The egg first laid hatches a day 

 before the second, sometimes, but usually the parents do not 

 sit close on first egg, but stand over it, and do not 

 incubate it. Sometimes one squab may get more than its 

 share of food, and the younger one will v^'eaken and die. 

 This seldom happens but if you see one squab considerably 

 larger than the other, the thing to do is to exchange with 

 a squab from another nest that is nearer the size of the re- 

 maining squab. The old birds will not notice the change 

 but will continue feeding the foster squab. 



From the day of its hatching to market time the squab 

 is fed by its parents. The first food is a liquid secreted in 

 the crop of both cock and hen, and called pigeons' milk. 

 The parent pigeons open their bills and the squabs thrust 

 their bills within to get sustenance. This supply of pigeons' 

 milk lasts from five to six days. It gradually grows thicker 

 and in a week is found to be mixed with corn and wheat in 

 small particles. When about ten days old, the squabs are 

 eating the hard grain from the crops of the mature cock and 

 hen, v.'hich fill up at the trough, then take a drink of water 

 and fly to the nest to minister to the little ones. You see how 

 important it is to have food available at all times. 



In 14, 15 or 16 days after the first pair of squabs have 

 been hatched, the cock begins "driving" the hen again. This 

 shows the necessity of a second nest for the pair. In this 

 second nest the hen lays two more eggs, and the care of the 

 first pair of squabs, now between two and three weeks old, 



41 



