ROAST PIGEONS

974. INGREDIENTS.--Pigeons, 3 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste.

_Trussing_.--Pigeons, to be good, should be eaten fresh (if kept a little, the flavour goes off), and they should be drawn as soon as killed. Cut off the heads and necks, truss the wings over the backs, and cut off the toes at the first joint: previous to trussing, they should be carefully cleaned, as no bird requires so much washing.

_Mode_.--Wipe the birds very dry, season them inside with pepper and salt, and put about 3/4 oz. of butter into the body of each: this makes them moist. Put them down to a bright fire, and baste them well the whole of the time they are cooking (they will be done enough in from 20 to 30 minutes); garnish with fried parsley, and serve with a tureen of parsley and butter. Bread-sauce and gravy, the same as for roast fowl, are exceedingly nice accompaniments to roast pigeons, as also egg-sauce.

_Time_.--From 20 minutes to 1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 6d. to 9d. each.

_Seasonable_ from April to September; but in the greatest perfection from Midsummer to Michaelmas.

THE PIGEON--The pigeon tribe forms a connecting ling between the passerine birds and poultry. They are widely distributed over the world, some of the species being found even in the arctic regions. Their chief food is grain, and they drink much; not at intervals, like other birds, but by a continuous draught, like quadrupeds. The wild pigeon, or stockdove, is the parent whence all the varieties of the domestic pigeon are derived. In the wild state it is still found in many parts of this island, making its nest in the holes of rocks, in the hollows of trees, or in old towers, but never, like the ringdove, on branches. The blue house-pigeon is the variety principally reared for the table in this country, and is produced from our farmyards in great numbers. When young, and still fed by their parents, they are most preferable for the table, and are called _squabs_; under six months they are denominated _squeakers_, and at six months they begin to breed. Their flesh is accounted savoury, delicate, and stimulating, and the dark-coloured birds are considered to have the highest flavour, whilst the light are esteemed to have the more delicate flesh.

THE PIGEON-HOUSE, OR DOVECOT.--The first thing to be done towards keeping pigeons is to provide a commodious place for their reception; and the next is, to provide the pigeons themselves. The situation or size of the dovecot will necessarily depend on convenience; but there is one point which must invariably be observed, and that is, that every pair of pigeons has two holes or rooms to nest in. This is indispensable, as, without it, there will be no security, but the constant prospect of confusion, breaking of eggs, and the destruction of young. The proper place for the pigeon-house is the poultry-yard; but it does very well near dwellings, stables, brewhouses, bakehouses, or such offices. Some persons keep pigeons in rooms, and have them making their nests on the floor. The object is to escape the danger of the young falling out; but in such cases, there is a great risk of rats or other vermin getting at the pigeons.

ASPECT OF THE PIGEON-HOUSE.--The front of the pigeon-house should have a southwest aspect, and, if a room be selected for the purpose, it is usual to break a hole in the roof of the building for the passage of the pigeons, but which can be closed at convenience. A platform ought to be laid at the entrance for the pigeons to perch upon, with some kind of defence against strange cats, which will frequently depopulate a whole dovecot. Yet, although cats are dangerous neighbours for the birds, they are necessary to defend them from the approach of rats and mice, which will not only suck the eggs, but destroy the birds. The platform should be painted white, and renewed as the paint wears off, white being a favourite colour with pigeons, and also most conspicuous as a mark to enable them to find their house. The boxes ought also to be similarly painted, and renewed when necessary, for which purpose lime and water will do very well.

THE NECESSITY OF CLEANLINESS.--As cleanliness in human habitations is of the first importance, so is it in the pigeon-house. There the want of it will soon render the place a nuisance not to be approached, and the birds, both young and old, will be so covered with vermin and filth, that they will neither enjoy health nor comforts, whilst early mortality amongst them will be almost certain. In some cases, the pigeon-house is cleaned daily; but it should always be done, at any rate, once a week, and the floor covered with sifted gravel, frequently renewed. Pigeons being exceedingly fond of water, and having a prescience of the coming of rain, they may be seen upon the house-tops waiting upon it until late in the evening, and then spreading their wings to receive the luxury of the refreshing shower. When they are confined in a room, therefore, they should be allowed a wide pan of water, to be often renewed. This serves them for a bath, which cools, refreshes, and assists them to keep their bodies clear of vermin.

BREEDING PIGEONS.--In breeding pigeons, it is necessary to match a cock and hen, and shut them up together, or place them near to each other, and in the course of a day or two there is little doubt of their mating. Various rules have been laid down for the purpose of assisting to distinguish the cock from the hen pigeon; but the masculine forwardness and action of the cock is generally so remarkable, that he is easily ascertained. The pigeon being monogamous, the male attaches and confines himself to one female, and the attachment is reciprocal, and the fidelity of the dove to its mate is proverbial. At the age of six months, young pigeons are termed squeakers, and then begin to breed, when properly managed. Their courtship, and the well-known tone of voice in the cock, just then acquired and commencing, are indications of their approaching union. Nestlings, while fed by cock and hen, are termed squabs, and are, at that age, sold and used for the table. The dove-house pigeon is said to breed monthly, when well supplied with food. At all events, it may be depended on, that pigeons of almost any healthy and well-established variety will breed eight or nine times in the year; whence it may readily be conceived how vast are the numbers that may be raised.

THE CARRIER PIGEON.--Without doubt the carrier is entitled to rank first in the pigeon family, with the exception, perhaps, of the blue-rock pigeons. No domestic fowl can be traced to so remote an antiquity. When Greece was in its glory, carrier pigeons were used to convey to distant parts the names of the victors at the Olympian games. During the holy war, when Acre was besieged by King Richard, Saladin habitually corresponded with the besieged by means of carrier pigeons. A shaft from an English crossbow, however, happened to bring one of those feathered messengers to the ground, and the stratagem was discovered, the design of the Saracens revealed, and so turned against the designers, that Acre was in the hands of the Christians before the wily Saladin dreamt of such a thing.

PIGEON PIE (Epsom Grand-Stand Recipe).

975. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2 lb. of rump-steak, 2 or 3 pigeons, 3 slices of ham, pepper and salt to taste, 2 oz. of butter, 4 eggs, puff crust.

_Mode_.--Cut the steak into pieces about 3 inches square, and with it line the bottom of a pie-dish, seasoning it well with pepper and salt. Clean the pigeons, rub them with pepper and salt inside and out, and put into the body of each rather more than 1/2 oz. of butter; lay them on the steak, and a piece of ham on each pigeon. Add the yolks of 4 eggs, and half fill the dish with stock; place a border of puff paste round the edge of the dish, put on the cover, and ornament it in any way that may be preferred. Clean three of the feet, and place them in a hole made in the crust at the top: this shows what kind of pie it is. Glaze the crust,--that is to say, brush it over with the yolk of an egg,--and bake it in a well-heated oven for about 1-1/4 hour. When liked, a seasoning of pounded mace may be added.

_Time_.--1-1/4 hour, or rather less. _Average cost_, 5s. 3d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

TUMBLER PIGEONS.--The smaller the size of this variety, the greater its value. The head should be round and smooth, the neck thin, and the tail similar to that of the turbit. Highly-bred birds of this variety will attain an elevation in their flight beyond that of any other pigeons; and it is in seeing these little birds wing themselves so far into the skies that the fanciers take such delight. For four or five hours tumblers have been known to keep on the wing; and it is when they are almost lost to the power of human vision that they exhibit those pantomimic feats which give them their name, and which are marked by a tumbling over-and-over process, which suggests the idea of their having suddenly become giddy, been deprived of their self-control, or overtaken by some calamity. This acrobatic propensity in these pigeons has been ascribed by some to the absence of a proper power in the tail; but is nothing more than a natural habit, for which no adequate reason can be assigned. Of this variety, the Almond Tumbler is the most beautiful; and the greater the variation of the colour in the flight and tail, the greater their value.

THE RUNT PIGEON.--This is generally esteemed among the largest of the pigeon varieties, and being possessed of proportionate strength, with a strong propensity to exercise it, they keep the dovecot in a state of almost continual commotion by domineering over the weaker inmates. They breed tolerably well, however, and are valuable for the table. There is both the Leghorn and the Spanish Runt, variously plumaged; but when red, white, or black mottled, are most highly esteemed. One of the great advantages connected with the Runt is, that he is not likely to fly away from home. Being heavy birds, they find it difficult, when well fed, to mount even to a low housetop. Again, they require no loft, or special dwelling-place, but, if properly tended, will be perfectly satisfied, and thrive as well, in a rabbit-hutch as any where. Their flavour is very good; and it is not an uncommon thing for a squeaker Runt to exceed a pound and a quarter in weight.

THE NUN PIGEON.--The Tumbler bears a strong resemblance to this variety, which is characterized by a tuft of feathers rising from the back of the head, and which, on the whole, is an extremely pretty little bird. According to the colour of the head, it is called the red, black, or yellow-headed Nun. To be a perfect bird, it should have a small head and beak; and the larger the tuft at the back of his head, the handsomer the bird is esteemed, and proportionately valuable in the eyes of pigeon-fanciers.

THE TRUMPETER PIGEON.--From the circumstance of this bird imitating the sound of a trumpet, instead of cooing, like other pigeons, it has received its designation. It is of the middle size, having its legs and feet covered with feathers, and its plumage generally of a mottled black-and-white. It has a tuft springing from the root of its beak, and the larger this topknot is, the higher the estimation in which the breed is held. In their powers of trumpeting some are more expert than others; and whether this has any effect in influencing their own estimate of themselves, we cannot say; but they are rather select in the choice of their company. If two of them are put in a pigeon-house with other doves, it will be found that they confine their association almost entirely to each other. As much as two guineas have been paid for a well-trained docile bird of this kind.

THE WOOD, OR WILD PIGEON.--Buffon enumerates upwards of thirty varieties of the pigeon, which he derives from one root,--viz. the stockdove, or common wild pigeon. All the varieties of colour and form which we witness, he attributes to human contrivance and fancy. Nevertheless, there exist essentially specific differences in these birds, which would appear to be attributable rather to the nature of the region, soil, and climate to which they are indigenous, than to the art and ingenuity of man. The stockdove, in its wild state, is still found in some parts of Britain, forming its nest in the holes of rocks, old towers, and in the hollows of trees; it never, however, like the ringdove, nestles in the branches. Multitudes of wild pigeons still visit our shores in the winter, coming from their more northerly retreats, making their appearance about November, and retiring again in the spring. When forests of beechwood covered large tracts of the ground of this country, these birds used to haunt them in myriads, frequently covering a mile of ground in extent when they went out in the morning to feed.