The 3I0ULTIXG Season. 117 



moult. Some time since a young fancier, a first season 

 man, came to me m great distress. He had four pairs 

 ut birds up, and he had not bred a 3'oungster " What 

 shall I do to get my hens to lay ? They go to nest, 

 and sit ! sit ! ! sit ! ! ! But they will not lav." I dis- 

 covered m the course of conversation that his stock 

 was pretty old ere it came into his hands, and that 

 rtie hens were bred with late the previous summer 

 Their previous owner did badly, and bred late on in 

 the season m his endeavour to repay himself for the 

 early misfortunes. As a consequence, the hens were 

 so pumped out that they had not laid an egg— not one 

 of the four ! Their present owner wanted to know 

 what he could do with them. My advice was, " Stop 

 breeding at once, get them moulted through early, 

 give them plenty of flying room, and then next season 

 you might be able to get something from them." 



CHIIXS TO BE AVOIDED. 



Warmth being an essential factor in a successful 

 moult, fanciers should see to it that their birds arc 

 enabled to get the full benefit of all the warmth which 

 the sun gives, and that they are protected from 

 draughts, and also from damp. Draughts and damp 

 are fatal to Pigeons under any circumstances, more 

 especially during the moulting season. vSo serious are 

 the effects of a chill caught by exposure to draught 

 or damp during the moult, that they often check the 

 moult altogether, causing the birds unnecessar^i- pain, 

 consequent illness, and sometimes death, and even if 

 death does not supervene the birds are reduced to a 

 poor state of health, and never recover sufhciently from 

 the effects of the bad moult to be ready to take their 

 places in the breeding pens later on. During the 

 moult birds are more or less without their full com- 

 plement of clothes, and thus are very liable to attacks 

 of cold or chill. Therefore, it is the more necessary at 

 this time to exercise the greater care in their mana.ge- 

 nient. 



A LIBERAL DIETARY NEEDED. 



During the monlt the feeding should be of a liberal 

 and generous character. The corn .given should be 



