inside of the house, next the wires) the bird will push the 

 wire door and go in. It takes only a day or two for the; 

 pigeon to become accustomed to the trap. If you connect 

 the trap with a simple make and break electric circuit, the 

 pigeon on its arrival home from its flight will ring a bell in 

 any part of your house or barn. ■ 



When you have a record of the flyers, you will have a 

 guide for mating. The majority of fanciers recommend a 

 medium-sized Homer. A large hen should be mated to a 

 small cock, or a large cock to a small hen. Instead of mat- 

 ing birds of equal age, try an old cock with a young hen, and 

 vice versa. For vitality and stamina, it is best to mate birds 

 of different colors. 



A pair of breeding pigeons will occupy the same pair of 

 nests year after year, and they never will change mates, but 

 you may break up an undesirable mating if you choose and 

 re-mate the birds according to your determination, using the 

 mating coop as described. 



CHEAP BREEDERS ARE EXPENSIVE. 



There is a great difference between common and Homer 

 pigeons, although they look alike to a beginner without ad- 

 vice. Indeed, there are many common pigeons which are 

 larger and fatter than Homers, but the squabs they raise are 

 as skinny as sparrows. It is an effect not' of flesh but of 

 feathers, which in a common pigeon are fluffy. The feathers 

 of a Homer are laid tight as a board, the skin fits as close 

 as a glove, and the flesh is hard and firm. The flesh of a 

 common pigeon is flabby and soft, and the skin loose. The 



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