The Feather's Practical Pigeon Book 



sport is over (for the birds enjoy it and make sport of 

 it) the water that is left will be of a milky whiteness 

 and the surface covered with the dust from their bodies. 

 This shows conclusively the necessity for a frequent 

 bath. Birds allowed the free use of clean water are 

 always exceptionally free from lice, and their plumage is 

 bright and glossy. 



Another piece of furniture necessary is a landing-net. 

 This is made of rattan or any light material, looped at 

 one end, and from which is suspended a bag of cloth or 

 netting, about i8 inches in length, the upper or open end 

 of the bag being attached to the loop in the handle. 

 Wishing to catch any particular member of the loft, you 

 take the handle of the net in the hand, and by a dex- 

 terous movement cast the net over the bird and it is a 

 prisoner. This manner of catching a bird avoids the 

 necessity of chasing it about and alarming the whole 

 ilock, startling the sitting birds, and making all wild 

 and suspicious. A little practice will render one so skil- 

 ful in its use as rarely to miss the bird aimed at. 



Another necessary article is a scraper, for removing 

 the droppings from the perches, the nesting-places, and 

 the floor. For the shelves and elevated places an ordinary 

 triangular ship-scraper is often used, or a portion of the 

 blade of an old hand-saw, about 6 inches long and 4 or 

 5 wide, fitted with a wooden rim to protect the hand, is 

 as good a scraper as one can use. For the floor have 

 a piece of the saw fitted on the end of a handle 5 feet 

 long. With this you can work easily and very efifec- 

 tively. If one has the time, a little attention every day 

 will keep a loft in excellent order, and by working 

 quietly the birds on the nests are not disturbed, and 

 all soon learn that they are not going to be injured and 

 pay but little attention to the worker. 



38 



