The Washing of Pigeons. U' 



much at home in putting his little petb through the 

 suds as he does in taking his own early morning 

 sponge. The birds know and appreciate the diiier- 

 ence between the two forms of handling. 



The birds must not be allowed to get too dry in 

 the drying cage, and after being close to the tire for 

 some time, sav twent\ minutes or half-an-hour, they 

 should be mo\ed a little turther back. In about one 

 hour from the time when thev were put into the drying 

 cage, or basket, thev may be taken out and placed in 

 some clean pens, which ha^e been fixed up pre\iously, 

 either on the kitchen table or dresser. It takes from 

 eight to twelve minutes to wash a Pigeon, sponge 

 and wipe it, and place it in the drying cage, and it 

 takes fiftv or sixty for it to dry thoroughly. 



During the time the birds are in the basket they 

 should be taken out occasionally, grasped firmly by 

 the thighs, and allowed to flap their wings about a 

 bit. This loosens the body feather, and helps forward 

 the drying process by letting the air get into the 

 feather. It also assists in the webbing up again of 

 the flights and tail. 



Once a bird has Iseen washed it must be remem- 

 bered that it C|uicklv soils. Therefore, all pens into 

 which newly washed birds are put should be scrupu- 

 louslv clean, or the washing will have been of little 

 eft'ect ; in fact, will have been in vain. Birds with 

 soiled plumage are se\ erelv handicapped in the race 

 for supremacv, so keen is the competition nowadays, 

 and it takes verv litlle to turn the scale one way or 

 the other. 



THE V.AI^UE OF SPRAYING. 



When the birds are nearly feathered up, say two 

 hours after the \^•ash, or perhaps three, it will be 

 beneficial to sprav them lightly with a little water and 

 glycerine, the two being mixed in proportion of a 

 teaspoonful of glycerine to a pint of water. This 

 spraving assists in the tightening up of the feather, 

 and also in the putting on of a soft glossy 

 appearance. 



It is generally thought that white birds are the 

 onh' ones improved bv a v\'ash, but this is a verv mis- 



