10 



THE PRACTICAL PIGEON KEEPER. 



arrangement we are indebted to a hint from Mr. Hallam, of 

 Birmingham. There will still be left double sets of nests for 

 six pairs of birds, which in our opinion are all that should be 

 kept in such a loft ; but if more must be accommodated, the 

 wire-fronted pens and the floor are also available. 



We can thoroughly recommend this size and plan for a loft, 

 which is drawn from our own experience ; and the same plan 

 can be followed at the top of a house by nailing the shelves to 

 the rafters, and the partitions at the proper intervals to their 

 sides. In one or two Scotch lofts we have seen a very broad 



rig. 1. 



a a. Shelf. 



!i h. Partitions. 



c Cf L-shaped Screens, 

 d df Nest-pans. 



shelf — two feet wide or so — fixed against the wall, with a 

 partition here and there, and no other fixtures at all, each 

 nest-pan being simply sheltered by two pieces of board nailed 

 together like an L, or the two sides of a box, and stood up on 

 end cloiuB to the wall, so that the pan lies in the angle, as 

 shown in Fig. 4. We, however, prefer the foregoing. 



The nesting place preferred by Mr. Fulton is shown in Fig. 5. 

 Each half of the nest is a foot square, and the hinged cover is 

 made slanting, so that the pigeons cannot perch upon it. Its 

 advantages are three. The first is that the nests being upon 

 the ground, delicate or weakly hens have no difficulty in 

 reaching them ; the second is that the pans are very dark and 

 private ; the last is that the partition in the middle j)revents 

 young birds from going to the hen, and teasing her while she 



