CARE OF PENS, BANDING, NESTING MATERIAL. 103 



determine mated pairs, and the nest box they occupy. By 

 using different color bands with numbers thereon one band on 

 each bird is sufficient for both these purposes. 



There are several systems of numbering and color banding, 

 but I think the following plan is easiest to keep track of and 

 the most serviceable: For instance, if you have 30 pairs of birds 

 in a nest room,. select three color bands for that particular nest 

 room. For example, white, pink and light blue, with numbers 

 arranged from one to ten in each color. Band the males on the 

 right leg and the females on the left, using the same number 

 and- color for each pair. All numbers come in duplicates so as to 

 supply the same number and color for the male as for the 

 female. Make a record on or over the door of the nest room 

 of the band colors and numbers to be used for that pen. That 

 is, write "White 1-10," "Pink 1-10," "Light Blue, 1-10." In the 

 next nest room use "red," "yellow,'' and "green." In the next, 

 "orange," "cherry," "dark blue," etc. 



There are two objects in using three colors for each pen. First, 

 if you, desire to find male number 6 with; white band your 

 number of birds in the pen that are likely to be the bird that 

 you want are reduced to 9, as there are only 9 other cocks in 

 the pen with white bands, while if 30 cocks in the pen had 

 white bands it would be three times as difficult to find the 

 desired bird. Second, by using bands of different colors you 

 can keep your numbers to a small denomination, which will 

 also render you service in picking out special birds, for the 

 reason that single numbers, such as 1, 4, 6, etc., are much larger 

 and more easy to see than double numbers, such as 13, 15, 16, 

 etc., and as a rule you will find it is hard to tell the first or 

 second figure where numbers in two figures are used. You can 

 see one figure but will not know what the second figure is 

 as it is partly oii the other side of the bird's leg, or you can see 

 the second figure and cannot tell what the first figure is. An- 

 other thing, if a number gets a little dirty it is difficult to 

 distinguish 13 from 15, 16, 18 or 19, or to tell the difference 

 between 23, 25, 2fe, 28 or 29. These numbers look more or less 

 alike when part of them are covered up with dirt, but with a 

 large single figui-e on a band the number can be readily told 

 clear across the hest room or fly pen. 



