188 PiGEuNs AND All Aboi't Theii. 



room wash-basins are as good as any, and about 

 the right size. One is required for the washing, one 

 for the first rinsing, and one for the final rinse. A 

 small honeycomb sponge, a nail brush, a tablet of 

 soap, three or four nice soft towels (old discarded 

 Turkish bath towels answer the purpose best), a big 

 jug of cold water, a jug for the hot water, a bottle 

 ol glycerine, and the household blue bag. 



The soap plays an important part in tlie proceed- 

 ings, especially if birds of a delicate colour are to 

 be operated upon, because coarse common soap con- 

 tains a lot of free alkaline matter, and this acts pre- 

 judically upon the colour. High-class soap is more 

 carefully made, its ingredients are purer, and it does 

 not injure either the plumage or its colour. Most 

 fanciers ha\e some particular kind of soap which they 

 consider best for the purpose. Thus, whilst one 

 swears by the old-fashioned Brown AMndsor Toilet 

 Soap, another will only use Glycerine Soap, another 

 is w.edded to Castile, whilst all the talk in the world 

 would not con\'ince some that ^^^^ite Curd can be im- 

 proyed upon. The truth of the matter is that all 

 these are good, as is any c:irefully prepiu'ed toilet 

 s(5ap. My opinion as to the best soap for the pur- 

 pose is that Spratt's Pcjultry and Pigeon Soap is the 

 best. Not only is it as carefully prepared as the best 

 toilet soaps from the purest ingredients, but in its 

 manufacture thought is giyen to the special purpose 

 for which it is to be used, and in addition to the 

 cleansing ingredients in ils composition there are also 

 others whose special woi'k is to destro^■ any insert 

 li!e \\-liich may be concealed about the plumage. 



HOW TO PRY THE BIRDS. 

 In addition to the washing utensils, something is 

 alsi> needed in which to dry the birds. Some fanciers 

 use a drying box. That is, a lono- Ijox about three 

 feet long, eighteen or twenty inches deep from bark 

 to front, and about the same in height. Tliis has 

 ^\■ooden top, bottom, ends, and back. Tlie front is of 

 oDcn wire work — often the fronts of a couple of 

 Pigeon or Bantrmi pens; some use a Poultry pen. 



