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she is two days younger than her brother and has less chance 

 to get a start. Thus it happens that every loft produces 

 more cocks than hens, a circumstance which has led some 

 of the hucksters who sell pigeons as squab-raisers to send out 

 lots of birds in which there were many more cocks than 

 hens. This is why we have insisted that the buyer should 

 buy from a reliable breeder and buy mated pairs. 



In a loft containing fifty young cocks and fifty young 

 hens, it almost always happens that the matings are not 

 all made up, as some birds refuse to mate with certain other 

 ones, and there may be a few birds which have not mated. 

 In this case the odd birds may be put among other young 

 birds and so find mates that suit them. 



In catching pairs at the time they are being recorded, or 

 when they are to be sold as breeders, two people should 

 do the work. A catching net, which is a netted bag the 

 mouth of which is fastened to a hoop with a long handle, 

 is used. The pigeon breeder soon gets so expert that he 

 can trap a pigeon in such a net without fail and without 

 disturbing the other birds in the loft. 



When a couple of pigeons is found driving, the one who 

 does the catching traps one of them with the net while 

 his helper keeps watch on the other one of the pair. The 

 captured pigeon is examined and its band number put on 

 record. Then the helper takes the net and catches the one 

 he has been watching and the band number is taken, always 

 remembering that a bird with a band on the right leg is 

 a cock and one with a band on the left leg is a hen. 



If the method here recommended is followed, the pigeon- 

 keeper will be able to know just what each pair of birds 



