DOVECOTES AND PIGEON LOFTS. 45 



likely to be overset by the old birds resting on the edge. Some fanciers object ta 

 the use of nest-pans, on account of the young occasionally falling out and perishing 

 from cold. Others endeavour to obviate this evil by sinking the pan in a hole cut 



FIG. XI. EARTHENWARE NEST-PAN. 



in the shelf or board on which it rests ; but we have never found it necessary to 

 have recourse to this plan. The advantages of nest-pans over all other contriv- 

 ances of the kind are very great. They are superior to boxes or baskets, on 

 account of the slight harbour they afford to vermin, and the ease with which they 

 can be cleaned. Then the facility they afford for examining and shifting the young 

 birds should not be lost sight of. They are much cleaner and more healthy in use 

 than any other contrivance that can be employed. When the nestlings are very 

 young, if the pan becomes wet, a handful of dry sawdust or bran speedily absorbs 

 all moisture, and the nest becomes dry and wholesome ; and as the young become 

 stronger, the dung is ejected over the sides of the pan, and the nest remains 

 unsoiled. Some persons object to their employment, thinking that they are apt to 

 chill the eggs ; but we never experienced that evil, and the pans are readily made 

 warmer by a little soft hay, cut straw, bran, or sawdust being placed within them. 



We are convinced that with high-class delicate birds a very much larger 

 number of young can be reared when nest-pans are employed than when they 

 are not used. 



When nests are made on the ground, some persons place a few bricks around 

 them, to prevent the eggs being rolled away ; but the plan is far inferior to the 

 employment of the nest-pan. In some parts of the country there may be some 

 difficulty in getting these simple appliances, but as they can be made by any brick, 

 tile, or coarse earthenware maker, they should be accessible anywhere. 



Another appliance, very necessary to the health and comfort of the birds, must 

 not be overlooked, — that is the washing-pan. Pigeons are not dusting-birds, like 

 fowls, but, on the contrary, cleanse themselves by washing ; they are fond of lying 

 down in shallow pools of water, expanding their wings, loosening the arrangement 

 of the feathers, and then, when the plumage is well-nigh saturated, they give a 

 vigorous shake, and the water at once becomes quite white and milky with the 

 scurf thrown off from the skin of the bird. 



When kept in aviaries or in lofts, it is cruel to deprive them of this pleasure, so 

 conducive to their well-doing ; and therefore shallow pans of water should be 

 provided. In our own lofts we use milk-pans for the £>urpose ; but any broad, open 

 vessels, capable of holding two or three inches' depth of water, will answer 

 equally well. 



