144 AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



Squabs have a larger beak than old pigeons, and this furnishes 

 a good means of distinguishing squabs from old birds. Until 

 they are eight to ten weeks old the beak is very soft and ap- 

 pears large. One reason for this is the lack of feathers around 

 the beak, which grow down as the bird gets older. 



ANATOMY OF THE PIGEON 



Mr. J. W. Williamson of Glassboro, N. J., has been kind 

 enough to furnish me the drawings of the inside of a pigeon 

 which are here reproduced together with his description of same: 



How true is the saying: "We are fearfully and wonderfully 

 made," and as we study the frame of men with its wonderful 

 organism held intact and the wonderful mechanism of each 

 organ, one depending upon the other fulfilling their several 

 tunctions with the heart pumping away day and night from 

 birth till death, it is no wonder we look with amazement at our 

 own construction. But can we not find something interesting 

 in the construction of the squab or pigeon? I believe we can, 

 which will be fully covered in a book I have well under way, 

 entitled: "The Anatomy of the Pigeon." In this chapter how- 

 ever, will be found three important plates, the squab, male bird 

 and female, which I believe of value to the squab raiser. 



It is surprising to note how fully developed are the organs of 

 a squab, as when only four weeks old. The respiratory organs, 

 the heart, liver, gizzard and intestines appear as fully devel- 

 oped as a bird one or fifteen years old, and the carcass in many 

 cases the same size as its parents, but with fowls it takes a 

 squab broiler chick a year to get the growth of its parents. 



Plate I. is a photograph of a squab 4 weeks old. Figure 1 

 shows the heart on the right side, just the reverse of the human 

 being, 2 the liver, 3 the gizzard and 4 the intestines. 



In dissecting a female pigeon the first thing that excites a 

 person's curiosity is the difference between a female and female 

 fowl. As will be noticed in the ovary, commonly called the egg 

 bag, there is not a large quantity of' eggs as there is in a fowl. 

 In a fowl they gradually increase in size due to laying every 

 day or skipping a day now and then. But with the pigeon they 

 are noticed in pairs as the pigeon lays two eggs close together, 

 and then does not lay again until the embryo is grown into- a 

 squab, 2, 3 or 4 weeks old. 



