114 



PIGEON-COTS AND 



The game-vendor forwards the pigeons to the 

 appointed destination ; and in due time, he receives 

 his reward from the director of the shooting-match. 



Here then, is exposed the root and mischief of 

 a new diversion risen up in our own time: — a 

 pastime atronised by those, who, should they read 

 this paper, will clearly see, that their shooting- 

 matches are supported by crime, and terminate 

 manifestly to the cost of our industrious farmers, 

 who never send old pigeons to the market. Where- 

 fore, we may safely calculate, that, the old birds 

 which have been procured for the shooting-matches, 

 have all been stolen from the farmers dove-cot. 



If this nefarious pastime be persisted in much 

 longer, the supply of young pigeons for the market 

 will scarcely be worth noticing : — and to the 

 shooting-matches alone, will be traced the lament- 

 able diminution of a dish so well known to the 

 public, under the appellation of pigeon-pie. 



A tenant of mine, in Walton village, used 

 formerly to pay great attention to his pigeon-cot ; 

 but having had it robbed twice in one year, he has 

 now abandoned it in utter despair of evermore being 

 able to protect the birds from our nightly depre- 

 dators, hired to procure supplies of living pigeons 

 for the shooting-matches. Whilst I was in Italy, 

 my own dove-cot was robbed twice of its old birds. 



