File:Harper's New Monthly Magazine Volume 34 December 1886 to May 1887 (1887) (14596577258).jpg

Identifier: harpersnew72various (find matches)
Title: Harper's New Monthly Magazine Volume 34 December 1886 to May 1887
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: various
Subjects:
Publisher: New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers
Contributing Library: Brigham Young University-Idaho, David O. McKay Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University-Idaho

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he birds havemated—which is done by placing the cockand hen in the same cage or contiguouscages for a few days—they are inseparablywedded to each other for life. There is joy in the family when Mrs.Pigeon deposits her first egg. Proudlyshe stands over it to prevent its prematurehatching, for, on the third day after, she 770 HARPERS NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. intends to lay another. This done, shenestles down upon the twain, and bland-ly receives tlie compliments of her spouse.During the eighteen days which is theperiod of incubation Mr. Pigeon is a par-agon of devotion. He even takes his turnin sitting on the eggs. The hen general-ly sits from five oclock in the afternoon turning to her nest at the proper hour, thecock bird will go in search of her, and bypushing and pecking oblige her to takewing, when he drives her back to her nest,and then stands guard over her. Five days before tlie eggs hatch, the oldbirds begin to secrete a soft milky sub-stance in their crops. This is partly di-
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POUTKRS, CARRIERS, AND BARBS. until nine oclock in the morning, andthen she trips off to chat witli her neigh-bors, while the cock at once takes herplace on the nest. In rare instances whenthe hen bird displays carelessness in re- gested food, and is inreality the veritablepigeon milk, regard-ed by so man 3^ as amyth. The young-lings, which are almostalwaj^s a male and fe-male, on emergingfrom the shell are be-yond question the mosthelpless and hideousoffspring in the domes-tic animal kingdom.For ten dajS both pa-rent biids feed, in turns, tlieir ()ffsi)ring,taking the young birds bills in tlieir own,and by a pumping action ingesting tliissoft food into the young birds crops. Onthis food the young birds grow with sur- PLEBEIAN AND ARISTOCRATIC PIGEONS. 771

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