Archimedes Texts

103
For a Place to keep Rabbits in, build a Wall
of square Stone, with its Foundations dug so
low as to be in Water; within the Space en
closed make a Floor of male Sand, with little
Hillocks here and there of Fuller's Earth. Let
your Poultry have a Shed in the Yard facing
the South, and thick strewed with Ashes, and
over this Places for them to lay their Eggs,
and Perches to roost upon in the Night. Some
are for keeping their Poultry in large Coops in
some handsome inclofed Area facing the East;
but those that are defigned for laying and
hatching of Eggs, as they are more cheerful,
having their Liberty, so too they are more
fruitful; whereas, those which are kept in a
dark confined Place, seldom bring their Eggs
to any Thing. Place your Dove-house so as
to be in View of Water, and do not make it
too lofty, but of such an easy Heigth, that the
Pidgeons wearied with flying, or after sporting
about in the Air with one another, may gent
ly glide down upon it with Ease and Pleasure.
Some there are who say that when the Pidgeon
has found her Meat in the Field, the farther she
has it to carry to her Young, the Fatter she
makes them with it; and the Reason they give
is, because the Meat which they carry Home
to feed their Young in their Crop, by staying
there a good While is half concocted; and up
on this Account, they are for placing the Dove
house on some very high steep Situation. They
think too, that it is best for the Dove-house to
be at a pretty good Distance from its Water,
that the Pidgeons may not chill their Eggs by
coming to them with their Feet wet. If in
one Corner of the Tower you enclose a Kastrel,
it will secure your Dove-house from Birds of
Prey. If under the Door you bury the Head
of a Wolf strewed over with Cummin-seed, in
an earthen Vessel full of Holes for the Smell to
get out, it will bring you an infinite Number
of Pidgeons. If you make your Dove-house
Floor of Chalk, and wet it thoroughly with
Man's Urine, you will bring Multitudes of
Pidgeons from the Seats of their Ancestors, to
take up their Abode with you. Before the
Windows let there be Cornices of Stone, or of
Olive-wood, projecting out a Cubit, for the
Pidgeons to light upon at their coming Home,
and to take their Flight from at their going
Abroad. If the Young ones which are con
fined have a View of Trees and the Sky before
they can fly, it will make them Droop and
Pine away. Other smaller Birds which you
have a Desire to breed, ought to have their
Nests and Apartments made for them in some
warm Place. Those which walk more than
they fly, should have them low, and upon the
Ground itself; for others they should be made
higher. Each should have a separate Apart
ment, divided by Partitions on each Side to
keep their Eggs or Young from falling out of
the Nest. Clay is better to make the Nests of
than Lime, and Lime than Terrass. All Sort
of old Stone new cut is bad; Bricks are better
than Turf, if not too much baked. The Wood
either of Poplar or Fir is very useful. All the
Apartments for Birds ought to be smooth, clean
and sweet, and especially sor Pidgeons. Even
four footed Beasts, if kept nasty, will grow
Scabby. Let every Part, therefore, be well
done over with Rough-cast, and plaistered and
white washed, not leaving the least Cranny un
stopped, that Pole-cats, Weezels, Newts, or the
like Vermin may not destroy the Eggs, or the
Young, or prejudice the Wall; and be sure to
make convenient Places to keep their Meat and
Water in. It will be very Convenient for this
Purpose to have a Moat quite round your House,
wherein your Geese, Ducks, Hogs and Cows
may water and wash themselves, and near
which, in all Weathers, they may have as much
Meat lying ready for them as they will eat.
Let the Water and Meat for your smaller
Fowls be kept in Tunnels along the Wall, so
that they may not seatter or dirty it with their
Feet; and you may have Pipes into these Tun
nels from without, through which you may
convey their Food into them. In the Middle,
let there be a Place for them to wash in, with
a constant supply of clean Water. Make your
Pish-pond in a chalky Soil, and dig it so deep
that the Water may neither be over heated by
the Rays of the Sun, nor too easily frozen up
by the Cold. Moreover, make some Caverns
in the Sides, for the Fish to run into upon any
sudden Disturbance of the Water, that they
may not be wasted and worn away by conti
nual Alarms. Fish are nourished by the Juices
of the Earth; great Heat torments them, and
extreme Frost kills them; but they are very
much pleased and delighted by the Mid-day
Sun. It is thought not amiss to have the tur
bid Floods after Rains flow into the Pond some
times; but never upon the first Rain after the
Dog-days; because they then have a strong
Tincture of Lime, and will kill the Fish; and
afterwards too they should be admitted but
rarely, because their stinking Slime is apt to
prejudice both the Fish and Water too; but