72 PIGEON RAISING 



the same age. These homers came down daily 

 and assisted the bereaved father to feed and 

 hover his little ones until they were old enough 

 to leave the nest. 



Mr. Bronze Tumbler had one of his estab- 

 lishments in one side of an orange box, while 

 the Newlyweds were setting up housekeeping 

 on the other side. In the partition between was 

 a large knot-hole through which Bronze Tum- 

 bler watched the proceedings of the young 

 couple while he hovered his week-old squabs. 

 As the young couple flew back and forth with 

 straws, Mr. Bronze, with a mischievous look 

 on his comical little face, drew straw after 

 straw through the knot-hole until he was well- 

 nigh buried in loot. His neighbors opposite 

 seeing what he was up to telegraphed the news 

 down the line, and everybody that was off duty 

 flew to see the fun, while those attending to 

 eggs or squabs craned their heads out of the 

 nests to hear the chattering. 



Then the little bride, coming in to settle her 

 furniture, became cognizant of the cruel joke 

 that had been played upon them and was at 

 once the picture of hurt dejection; I really felt 

 like offering her my handkerchief to wipe away 

 her tears, for the other pigeons were having no 

 end of amusement at her expense. In flies Mr. 



