Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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1For 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

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