37 



to (bed themselves, much will depend on the strength and forwardness of the bit-ds, 

 otherwise, writing from observation, the hardy and forward ones at a month old 

 are more inclined to pick up than at a more advanced age ; therefore, it is policy 

 to look round your aviary or loft for these birds and place them inside the penn 

 constructed for them. You will now observe what I have been driving at, and 

 that is, the old birds coming to feed and water, taking care that they cannot get it 

 elsewhere, (only water on the days you allow them to wash,) teaches the young 

 birds to feed and drink. 



It does not foWow because you have placed them under this penn for the old 

 ones to teach them, that they will feed, but you must have your eye and judgment 

 upon them, and feel their craw or crops if it is filled out with food. To assist you 

 I will now suppose a case, that you have brought down six young Almonds, their 

 ages differing a little, and placing them in » penn in the morning, between five 

 and six o'clock in the evening examine them by feelin^ their crops, which is easily 

 felt by your hand ; should only one have fed full, leave it under the penn, and put 

 the other five back to their places from whence you took them, and the old ones 

 will fill them full for the night; repeat this plan, by putting them under the penn 

 in the morning, and if there is not sufficient food in them in the evening, place 

 them back from where you took them, continue this plan till they feed themselves, 

 which will prove my assertion, that while some birds will feed at a month, others 

 are not safe to be trusted at six weeks ; be sure before you draft them off to 

 another place that they feed themselves, for it may turn out that they are fed 

 from old birds about the place (that have lost their young by death or being 

 shifted) through the wires of the penn, as some will feed any young ones about 

 the place, I have tried experiments by way of enticing them to eat, giving them 

 liemp, rape, wheat, &c. but I think these are bad, and often prevent their 

 feeding on tares, which is to be desired while they are young, of which I will 

 give you an instance ; I bred a very rich bright yellow whole- feather, beautiful 

 in head and beak, I was very desirous of rearing it, and I decoyed it to feed 

 by giving it hemp, rape, wheat, and tares : it took to wheat, and would eat 

 nothing else ; it was now three months old, I was determined to break it off wheat 

 and that it should feed upon tares — it beat me, by dying, for it would not take to 

 tares ; nevertheless a little of these might not do harm. The best plan I ever 

 found was to get or sift the tares as small as possible, put some in a small pipkin, 

 pour boiling water over them, and put them into the oven by the side of the fire 

 over night, and in the morning when the young birds were under the penn, I made 

 them a little heap of these tares (taking care that the old pigeons could not reach 

 them) as I supposed about the same warmth as though they had come from the 

 feeders, and the young birds would eat them freely while they continued warm. 

 I think you will find your interest in trying this. You will act unwisely if you put 

 the youn" birds into the places in the evening from where you took them in the 

 morniiig,°provided they are full ; for if they feed themselves keep them to ;t for a 

 . week, and then if you can put the young into an aviary, loft, or parted place, to 

 prevent the old ones from worrying them, they will improve rapidly. The sooner 

 your young birds feed themselves the better, they are likely to be smaller, the 

 beak less wrenched, and at all events the head not less round. 



You are not to expect the head of a bird at three months old, to appear as 

 beautifully formed as a bird's head that is three years old ; for they fill out, or, 

 more properly speaking, as it is termed by the Gentlemen of the Fancy, — 

 " Make Up," therefore it will be clear that you require time and experience to 

 know these things. Again, the Almond Tumbler does not arrive at its highest 

 pitch of plumage till it has moulted three or four times ; some will still increase 

 in beauty, while others will decline till they become mottled, splashed, or whole- 

 feather. I have now endeavoured to instruct you how to breed and rear the 

 Almond Tumbler. 



