There is a large family of small parra-
keets, the so-called love-birds, of remark-
able beauty of plumage, at the head of
which, for beauty, hardiness, and docility,
is the shell parrot of Australia. This bird
breeds in captivity as readily as the canary,
and, as it is very gregarious, it does best in
an aviary, where numerous pairs can be let
loose. For breeding it must be provided
with a log, with a suitable hole made in it,
its native nest being built in hollow logs.
There are other varieties of parrakeets kept
in captivity, but some of them are delicate
and hard to keep. They can be fed on
millet, maize, canary seed, and the like.
Pigeons.
There are few pets which give so little
trouble to keep and rear as pigeons, owing
to the fact that they bring up and feed their
young until these are old enough to provide
for themselves. Cage-birds, it is ttue, do
the same, but there are many dangers and
mishaps to birds grown in confinement,
which the pigeon, with its outdoor exercise,
escapes — except in some of the highly arti-
ficial " fancy ' ' varieties.
In keeping pigeons, the first rule to ob-
serve is never to crowd the birds. If there
is only a small space, one good pair of
pigeons wall rear more young in it than sev-
eral pairs. A room with six feet square
of space will accommodate about six
pairs of breeding-birds, — not more. There
should be fewer, unless the 3^ oung are sold
or eaten as they grow large. The pigeon -
cote in a wall or at the top of a pole is fit
for only the most common and hardy
pigeons, and these if used remain wild and
cannot be tamed or handled.
Pigeons must either be allowed to fly
out at liberty or have a wire-enclosed space
outside in which they can take exercise.
A space twelve feet long and six feet wide
and high will do ver}'- well. It should have
shelves at the ends, affording a flight from
one shelf to the other. The f^oor should be
covered with lime and sand or some form
of concrete, so that it may be easily cleaned.
It needs nothing else except a vessel of
water for the pigeons to bathe in. This
may be three or four inches deep and two
or three feet square, the water being re-
newed every morning.
Within the loft nesting places must be
provided. A simple kind is a series of
shelves across the back of the loft, with an
upright partition in the middle, dividing it
into two sets of shelves. Boards must be
nailed down the front, leaving a central
opening for the birds to each shelf space.
Each length of shelf forms a breeding place
for one pair of pigeons.
459
92
THE MODEL COOK BOOK
Perches for the birds must be fixed along
the sides of the loft, as roosting places, with
slanting boards beneath to catch the drop-
pings of the birds. These can be very easily
cleaned. The loft should be painted, and
scrubbed at intervals with carbolic soap, or
whitewashed at suitable periods with hot
lime. To avoid fleas or other vermin, cover
the floor with an inch of coarse pine saw-
dust. If the droppings be raked oflf every
few days, this need not be renewed for sev-
eral weeks.
Page 114
Presented as published in 1901. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
There is a large family of small parrakeets, the so-called love-birds, of remarkable beauty of plumage, at the head of which, for beauty, hardiness, and docility, is the shell parrot of Australia. This bird breeds in captivity as readily as the canary, and, as it is very gregarious, it does best in an aviary, where numerous pairs can be let loose. For breeding it must be provided with a log, with a suitable hole made in it,
its native nest being built in hollow logs. There are other varieties of parrakeets kept in captivity, but some of them are delicate and hard to keep. They can be fed on millet, maize, canary seed, and the like.
Pigeons.
There are few pets which give so little trouble to keep and rear as pigeons, owing to the fact that they bring up and feed their young until these are old enough to provide for themselves. Cage-birds, it is true, do the same, but there are many dangers and mishaps to birds grown in confinement, which the pigeon, with its outdoor exercise, escapes — except in some of the highly artificial " fancy ' ' varieties.
In keeping pigeons, the first rule to observe is never to crowd the birds. If there is only a small space, one good pair of pigeons wall rear more young in it than several pairs. A room with six feet square of space will accommodate about six pairs of breeding-birds, — not more. There should be fewer, unless the young are sold or eaten as they grow large. The pigeon - cote in a wall or at the top of a pole is fit for only the most common and hardy pigeons, and these if used remain wild and cannot be tamed or handled.
Pigeons must either be allowed to fly out at liberty or have a wire-enclosed space outside in which they can take exercise. A space twelve feet long and six feet wide and high will do very well. It should have shelves at the ends, affording a flight from one shelf to the other. The floor should be covered with lime and sand or some form of concrete, so that it may be easily cleaned. It needs nothing else except a vessel of water for the pigeons to bathe in. This may be three or four inches deep and two or three feet square, the water being renewed every morning.
Within the loft nesting places must be provided. A simple kind is a series of shelves across the back of the loft, with an upright partition in the middle, dividing it into two sets of shelves. Boards must be nailed down the front, leaving a central opening for the birds to each shelf space. Each length of shelf forms a breeding place for one pair of pigeons.
Perches for the birds must be fixed along the sides of the loft, as roosting places, with slanting boards beneath to catch the droppings of the birds. These can be very easily cleaned. The loft should be painted, and scrubbed at intervals with carbolic soap, or whitewashed at suitable periods with hot lime. To avoid fleas or other vermin, cover the floor with an inch of coarse pine sawdust. If the droppings be raked oflf every few days, this need not be renewed for several weeks.