126 THE PIGEON BOOK 



crowding. Having got your perches arranged, the only 

 other additional fitting required in a loft is nesting 

 quarters during the breeding season, which should com- 

 mence about the end of February and terminate by the 

 end of July or early August at the very latest, thus giving 

 both the young and old stock good time for getting 

 through the moult in readiness for the shows to come, 

 which commence in earnest about October. For clear- 

 legged varieties I prefer the nests to be off the ground, 

 and so do the birds themselves. The simplest and best 

 arrangement is the system of shelves fitted along one side 

 or end of the loft, which should be about twelve inches 

 wide and divided by partitions at about the distance of 

 thirty inches apart. Another good plan which amounts to 

 practically the same thing is to fix up a quantity of Tate 

 sugar boxes side by side and one over the other. You then 

 place an earthenware eight-inch nest pan in one corner, 

 containing a little sawdust or finely-cut chaff, and every- 

 thing is in readiness for a start at breeding. Nothing 

 further is needed until after the first pair of youngsters 

 have hatched and duly attained the age of about ten days, 

 when it will be necessary to provide a second nest pan for 

 the old birds to go to nest again in. This has caused a 

 great deal of anxiety with many fanciers to know how to 

 arrange this second nest so that the first youngsters are 

 unable to trespass therein. This they are very fond of 

 doing should the opportunity be given to them, and the 

 consequences generally mean " broken eggs." To avoid 

 this I have adopted a plan for several years past which 

 has proved most successful. It is this : surmount the 

 second pan in the opposite corner of the nesting box on 

 top of a small stool or box. I use little stools, which can 

 easily and cheaply be made by anyone a bit handy with 

 tools. The height of stool should be six inches from the 



