XII. A PAWANG’S INSTRUCTIONS FOR SELECT- 
ING DOVES AND TURTLE-DOVES. 
By Aspvu’L-Majip Bin Haji Zarmnu’p-pin. 
toget 
which has been carefully measured and incensed over burning 
kéményan, with prayers for the Prophet (salawat) repeated 
over it. The cage (with the bird and rice inside) should be 
hung out for the night. Next morning the rice must be 
thirty-three. Both these numbers are significant of good luck. 
Thirty-six and thirty-eight are considered unlucky numbers, 
but thirty-seven mark a bird that will be useful as a decoy. 
The other numbers are neither very lucky nor unlucky. 
The dove (itkukor) suitable for training for fighting 
purposes or as a decoy should have :-— 
(2) its body like a pigeon’s, i.e. roundish and strong in 
lid ; 
(5) the feathers of its wings long: if possible the ends 
of the feathers should cross one another, as this 
is believed to enable it to strike its adversaries 
better and harder ; 
(c) its head roundish ; 
(d) its beak thick and short ; 
(¢) the black line under its eyes (ch8/ak) small ; 
(f) its eyes small, not projecting like those of a lizard : 
(g) the small feathers all over its body short and 
round ; 
(2) one feather in its tail overlapping the others (daun 
tindeh sa-hélat) ; 
(?) its neck not too long or too small ; 
(j) the feathers on its neck (bulu réntak) broad with 
small speckles ; 
