30 



Fancy Picreons. 



of keeping each pair entirely to themselves, and they are generally able 

 to hold their own against all comers, as there is little room for fighting 

 on them. 



BB (Fig. 5} is the open air flight of B, and has resting boards, 3}ft. 

 from the ground, ISin. wide, and close to the wall, running round it. 

 When there is a space between the board and the wall it is dangerous for 

 pouters, fantails, and such pigeons. I like the broad resting boards, as 

 they give plenty of room for the birds passing each other. WW are the 

 water fountains for the open air flights, placed outside, with their saucers 

 projecting through the wire. In the front of BB there is a trap fitted 

 with bolting wires, enabling the birds when at liberty, which they always 

 are in good weather, to enter, but not to pa3s out, unless the bolting 

 wires be tied up. C is a room 12ft. by 12ft., fitted up with three tiers of 

 nests for pouters. Each nest is 2ft. long, ISin. deep, and ISin. high. I 

 had them with hinged doors, something like those shown in Fig. 6, but 

 did not find them to answer for pouters. In the winter they are quite 

 open, and have a block of wood placed in them, for the birds to perch 

 on, In the breeding season I cover them half in, run a piece of wood 

 Sin. square up the centre, and the birds nest in the dark half. Like 

 others I know, I could never be satisfied with so few birds as I could find 

 accommodation for on the ground, so must run certain risks from the young 

 ones falling from the higher nests, and be as careful in guarding against 

 such mishaps as possible. D is another room, 10ft. by 12ft., fitted up 

 with nesting places as in C, and has a flight of 18ft. long, marked DD. 



There is a great advantage in having several compartments in a 

 pigeonry, for without them it will sometimes be found almost impossible 

 to ujimatch certain pairs, when it is desirable to do so. 



Earthenware nest pans of from 8in. to lOin.in diameter are used very 

 much in England for pigeons breeding in ; but in Scotland, or at least 

 in the eastern part of it, they are not much in request. I have used them 

 myself, but never found any advantage from them, and have long ago 

 given them np. As a protection for the eggs I spread coarse sawdust 

 in the nesting pilaces to the depth of an inch. On this the birds build their 

 own nests of straw, or I make them for them when necessary. In 

 the breeding houses I have used sawdust over the floor, to the depth of 

 one or two inches, and have found it very suitable. When passed through 

 a riddle of |in. mesh once a week, it wiU last for several weeks, but should 



