32 



PIGEOXS AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



and kill a man's best birds before he knows hon" it is done. 

 The fancier whose loft is near stables in a closely settled 

 nei;^hborhoiid is in constant danger, and the more so because 

 be usually jiersists in putting an alighting board in front of 

 the loft entrance. There is no need of one. Let the birds 

 fly into the loft through the aperture. They do not need 

 to light till they strike the loft floor. 



Figure 7. 

 If a man has ever lost birds in this way and has not killed 

 the rats that got in he is in nightly danger. A rat is very 

 cunning and will generally find a way to enter. They can 

 almost climb a blank wall till they get to the aperture. Or 

 they will get en the roof and slide from the eaves close to 

 the aperture, trusting to luck to find eometbiug to which to 

 cling till thev reach it. 



