C o L V M B A. 831 
in honey, with the addition of a little fait and water ; this 
competition is faid to have fuch an effect on pigeons, that 
they will never after leave their habitation ; and is of life 
in drawing ftrange pigeons to it. But there is nothing 
Superior to the fall-cat, if made as follows : Take lifted 
gravel, brick-maker’s earth, and the rubbifh of an old 
wall, a peck of each ; or, if you vrfe lime inltead of rub- 
bilh, half the quantity will do; add to theie a pound and 
a half of cummin-;.ed, a quarter of a pound of bay-fair, 
or l'altpetre ; let thefe ingredients be well mixed together, 
with as much It a 1 urine as will mike a It iff cement. Let 
it be put into old tin kettles, or Hone jars, with large holes 
in the tides for the pigeons to peck at it; let them be co¬ 
vered at the top to prevent their dunging upon it. When 
pigeons are with egg they are generally very fond of lime, 
and it is of great ufe in hardening the (hell of their egg ; 
and by this means they r.i e kept from pecking the mortar 
off the tops of houfes; though the damage they do is 
trifling, their beak being not long enough to loolen any 
tile that is properly fixed. The la.lt and urine provoke 
their thirff, and they being ofa Jiot nature, it occafions 
them to drink often, which is ol fervice to them. The 
ltrong fmell of the cummin-feed delights them much, 
keeps them at home, and allures others that are hovering 
about. The oily nature of the earth is a great help to 
them in the difeharge of their foft meat, when they are 
feeding their young ones 5 and the gravel fcours their 
gizzard, and promotes digeftion. Pigeons are remarkably 
fond of fait, nor is there a cure for fcarcely any of the 
dil'orders to which they are lubjebt, without the aififtance 
of this ingredient; which proves that inftinft the wife 
Creator beltows on animals for the neceflary prefervation 
of their welfare; and accounts for the extraordinary fond- 
nefs pigeons have for the mortar that is found in old walls, 
which contains a fait little inferior to the common fait 
petre; for which reafon feme people place cakes of fait, 
candied, againft the walls of their pigeon-houfe. 
It has always been a matter of fome difficulty to form 
a right judgment in diftinguifhing the males from the fe¬ 
males. In this particular l'ome of the ableft and btft fan¬ 
ciers have erred; in order, therefore, to afeertain this 
point, breeders have given the following rules : The cock 
has always a longer and ltouter breaft-bone than the hen. 
His head and cheeks are broader and fuller, and he has a 
bolder look than the hen. The vent in the hen, and the 
bone near the vent, is always more open than in the cock. 
In young pigeons, that which lqueaks longeft in the neft 
generally proves to be a hen ; and where there are two 
in the neit, the largeft ufually turns out to be a cock. 
The coo of the cock is longer, a great deal louder, and 
more mafeuline than that of the hen ; and the cock often 
makes a half round in his playing, which the hen feldom 
does, though a warm lively hen will fometimes fliew, and 
play very,like a cock, and when libidinous will even at¬ 
tempt to tread another pigeon. 
Though pigeons are very conftant and faithful birds, 
feldom or never parting when once mated to each other, 
yet it is fometimes attended with difficulty to make fancy- 
birds couple to our liking. In order to efrVft this, let 
itwo coops be built dole together, commonly named 
matching-places by the breeders; let there be a partition 
made of lath placed between them, that the birds may 
fee each other, and it may eafily be fo contrived that the 
birds may feed our of the fame vefiels; fupply them well 
with hemp-feed, which will foon make them falacious, 
and when the hen is perceived to fweep her tail and (hew 
to the cock, as he plays in the adjoining pen, let her be 
removed to his pen, and they will immediately pair. 
Where the above convenience is not to be had, two large 
wicker-cages, placed fide by flde, will anfwer the fame 
purpofe. When the pigeons are thus matched, give them 
the liberty of the loft, and the privilege of fixing upon 
what neft they pleafe; but, if it be wiflied to fix them to 
any particular neft, make ufe of the following method : 
Get a machine made of lath, the length of the breeding- 
places, let this he inclofed with boards both at bottom 
and top'; this machine may project as far as the loft will 
admit; one of the top boards muff lift up with hinges, 
for the purpofe of fupplying them with food; this may 
be placed before any neit, and the pigeons put in. After 
they have remained in this fituation about a week, let 
the machine be removed, which ought to be done in the 
night, and they will not leave that neft. 
The difeafes to which pigeons are moftly liable are the 
following : The wet-roop ; in this cafe give; them three or 
four pepper-corns, once in three or four days, and fteep 
a handful of green rue in their water, and as this is very 
wholefome, all the other pigeons may drink of it. The 
dr.y loop is generally known by a dry hufley cough, that 
always attends it, and is fuppofed to proceed from a cold, 
to which they are very lubjedf, particularly during the 
time of moulting; to remedy this, give them every day 
three or four cloves of garlic. The canker ufually takes 
its life from the cocks pecking and fighting one another; 
though fome fanciers fay, that giving them water in a 
metal, or a tin, veflel, will bring on tiffs diforder. To re¬ 
move it, take burnt alum and honey, and rub the affedted 
part every day; but, when this has not its defired eft'eft, 
difl'olve five grains of Roman vitriol in half a fpoonful of 
white-wine vinegar, mix it with the former medicine, 
and anoint thg part affedted. When the flefli or wattles, 
round the eyes are torn and pecked, bathe them with 
ftale urine for feveral days ; if this does not prove fuccefT- 
ful, difl'olve two drachms of alum in one ounce and a half 
of water, and wafh the grieved part; but, when the cafe 
is obftinate, mix half an ounce of honey with twenty 
grains of red precipitate, and anoint the part. 
Pigeons are infefted with fmall infedts, particularly 
during the hammer months, which the fanciers call lice; 
when this happens, fumigate their feathers well with the 
fmoke of tobacco. There is another kind of vermin 
which are very pernicious, and frequently prove fatal'to 
the young ones in the neit, el'pecially when iirft. hatched,, 
by creeping into their ears, and hindering them from 
thriving; to prevent this, fprinkle the dull of tobacco in 
the neit, and alfo over the young pigeons, and it will kill 
thefe vermin : they are called the blacks by fome, and by 
others pigeon-bugs. 
The vertigo, or, as it is more commonly called, the 
megrims, is a difeafe in which the pigeon flutters about 
at random, with its head reverted in 1'uch a manner that 
its beak refts on its back. This malady is pronounced 
incurable by molt fanciers, and if it baffles the power of 
the following medicine it is fo; Infufe in half a pint of 
water one ounce and a half of fpirit of lavender, and a 
dram of fpirit of fil-ammoniac that has been diltilied with 
quicklime ; in the courfe of a day force down the bird’s 
throat a fpoonful and a half of this compolition, and, if 
the bird finds benefit, repeat the medicine every third or 
fourth day, only lefiening the quantity, and in the inter¬ 
mediate days give it a clove of garlic, or three or four 
pepper-corns; if after a trial there is perceived no amend¬ 
ment, it will be belt to kill it. 
When pigeons do not moult freely, or are at a ftand in 
their moulting, fo that they do not throw their feathers 
kindly, it is a fure criterion of a bad Ifate of health; to 
amend this the following method will be of ufe: Put 
them In a warm place, and pull out their tail-feathers, 
mixing a good quantity of hemp-feed with their common 
food, alfo a little clary or faffron with their water; though 
fome prefer cochineal,-or elder-berries, for this ufe.’ Pi¬ 
geons are alfo liable to a fcouring, particularly in moult¬ 
ing time, which makes, them weak, faint, and thin ; to 
remedy this, give them pump-watei, w ith a lump of chalk 
in it, or force the quantity of two liorfe-beans down their 
throat every day; if this faiis, give fome finith’s forge 
water,, which is very binding. The grit that remains in. 
the trough under a grinditone, where, they grind edge- 
tools, is very good for a fcouring, but mutt be ufed in. 
imall quantities, it being of a very coliive nature. 
The 
