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ALBERT R. MANN
LIBRARY

NEw YorK STATE COLLEGES
OF
AGRICULTURE AND HoME ECONOMICS

AT

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

THE GIFT OF
PAUL POMEROY IvEs 2D
IN MEMORY OF
PAUL POMEROY IvEs

Cornell University Library

Pigeons and all about the

Cornell University

Library

The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924000115729

PIGEONS

AND ALL ABOUT THEM.

Mr. C. A, House.

PIGEONS

AND ALL ABOUT THEM.

C. A. HOUSE.

Author of ‘‘The Fantail Pigeon,” ‘‘ Long-faced Tumblers, and All
About Them,”

“Bantams and How to Keep Them,” ‘Rabbits,
and All About Them,” ‘

‘Rabbits for Food,” ‘Cats, Show, and
Pet,” ‘“Cavies, their Varieties and Management,” ‘‘ House's
Canary Manual,” “ British Birds and Hybrids,’
“Canary and Hybrid Culture,” etc.
THIRD EDITION. REVISED.
IDLE, BRADFORD:
Printed and Published at the office ot ‘ Pigeons
and Pigeon World.”
1920.
1920.

1990

PREFACE.

So far as Pigeon books are concerned, the majority
of existing works deal very largely with the technical
and more advanced, and not enough with the element-
ary and practical side of Pigeon-keeping. It has been
my desire in writing ‘‘ Pigeons, and all about them,”’
to make it easily understood, and to this end I have
avoided, as much as possible, the idea that my readers
have got beyond the elementary stage. I have also
endeavoured to eschew the use of highly technical
language, and to write in a plain, practical manner, so
that the young fancier may readily understand my
meaning, and the earnest seeker after Pigeon know-
ledge find that which he seeketh.

Another strong reason why I have undertaken the
compilation of ‘‘ Pigeons, and all about them,”’ is
because many of my friends, who for the past twenty-
five years have followed my writings in ‘‘ The Fanciers’
Gazette,’ ‘‘ Pigeons and Poultry,’’ and ‘‘ Pigeons,’’
have expressed a desire to possess the same in a com-
plete and more permanent form.

A third reason, and by no means the least, is that
my old friend and colleague, Mr. J. E. Watmough, the
Editor of ‘‘ Pigeons,’’ whom I have known for a big
slice of my life, and with whom, for over thirty years, I
have worked in closest friendship and most hearty
accord, asked me to undertake this work.

So much as to the reason why “‘ Pigeons, and all
about them,’’ has been prepared. I send it forth
conscious that it is far from perfect, but I ask for it
that kindly indulgence which the fanciers of the

Viil PIGEONS AND ALL ApBour THEM.

United Kingdom have ever given to my work; and not
only from fanciers at home do I ask this, but also from
those of that Greater Britain beyond the seas, and of
America, many of whom have, from time to time,
written to me upon matters concerning the Fancy, and
who have shown much appreciation of my past work.

Cc. A. HOUSE.

CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER

CONTENTS.

I.—HOvusING
II.—SELECTION OF

TV .—BREEDING
V.—EMBRYOLOGY

STOCK
III.—GEnNERAL MANAGEMENT

VI.—COoNCERNING PIGEON’sS MILK

VII.—THE Mov.trine

SEASON

VIII.—SucckssFUL ENHIBITING

IX.—THE WASHING
X.—TuHE BREEDS
NI.—DISEASES

OF

OF

PIGEONS
PIGEONS

H
oO £—
wnNwmoanw

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Mr. JAMES H. SmrrH

Mr. W. WarmouGy ee

1917 SILVER ENGLISH Owl HEN

WHITE Fanrair, Cock, ‘Danby PRINCE ”’

Dr. W. FE. BARKER, M.B., CH.B.

Mr. J. E. Watmoucu

Mr. RopertT E. PAuweE.s

Mr. R. H. BELLAMy

Mr. JAMES StTaITE MurRRAy

Capr. St. JOHN HorRNByY

Mr. Harry INGRAM

Mr. Jas. F. KInG as ae

Rep Lack Fantrain, ‘ AuruMN LEAF ”’

1914 Brive EnGiish Own Cock, ‘‘ Lorp
KITCHENER ”’ — ae ee

PURE SMERLE HEN

Mr. G. A. PELLING HANDLING YELLOW
CHEQUER COCK

ADULT YELLOW DRAGOON Cock

Our Newest BreEp—‘‘ MartTIAN,’’ A TYPICAL
YELLOW MartTHAM HEN

1919 Brack CHEQUER ANTWERP HEN.
1919 STRAWBERRY MEALY SHOW HOMER Cock

THE Home oF THE NEWARK RED SELF
TUMBLERS

il PIGEONS AND ALL AxBout THEM.

Waite Picmy Pourer Hen, Se ADS
Bayarpo ”?

RED NORWICH CROPPER HEN ae
BLuE L.F. Sappie Barp TUMBLER, ‘‘ BILLY

LONG-FACED Brack SELF (‘TUMBLER HEN,
““Carro_ GEM ’’

A Famous LONG-FAcED BLACK BEARD TUMBLER

RED SELF L.F. TumMBLER HEN, ‘‘ IDLE JEAN ”’

Two of Mr. R. A. BRIGGS’ CHAMPION AFRICAN
OWLS te

LILLE CROPPER Cock

‘“ CAMBRIDGE YELLOW QUEEN

Mr. LEONARD GORMAN av ae

Two YELLOW-PIED PIGMy POUTER WINNERS

1916 Rep Turpit HEN

1908 Brack Turpit HEN

”

”

mw Ww WwW bb
-H wow Ww
a O Ge eH

INTRODUCTION.

In the past writers of Pigeon books have generally
made their first chapter historical. It is possible to
play too much upon one string, and I intend to discard
this historical one for the simple reason that nothing
of practical value can be gained by my readers from an
enumeration of Pigeon lore from the days of Noah and
the Dove until the twentieth century. In the course of
one year something like one million Pigeons are bred
in the United Kingdom alone. These figures seem
stupendous, yet when one comes to analyse them they
are found to be well within the mark. In the first
place, there are about 100,000 Pigeon keepers in the
kingdom, many of whom breed anything from 50 to 200
birds in a season, thus it will readily be seen that in put-
ting one million as the number of Pigeons bred in one
season I am well within the mark, as it is only an aver-
age of ten to each breeder.

PIGEON BREEDING OF TO-DAY.

Pigeon keeping and breeding to-day stands on a
far more exalted plane that it did years ago, when every-
thing connected with Pigeons was considered to be
plebian andlow. King Edward the Peacemaker, and
King George V. both have been known breeders,
keepers, and lovers of Pigeons. Many men of high
degree are also interested in Pigeon culture, and thus
the reproach has been wiped out.

Again, the value of high-class Fancy Pigeons has
done not a little to bring into the ranks of columbophil-
ists a better class of man, and to-day we find in all
branches men of culture and intellect engaged in the
peaceful, genial, and profitable hobby of Pigeon breed-
ing. To the uninitiated the high prices which first-
class Fancy Pigeons realise seem quite fabulous, and to
“‘ the man in the street ’’ the idea of £100 for a Pigeon

xiv. PrcGeons anp At, Axsour THEM.

seems madness. Yet this price has been paid upon
many occasions, and for different breeds, whilst £50,
£40, £30, and £20, are common everyday prices; and
once the high figure of £200 was paid for a Pigeon—
an English Owl.

PERFECTION THE GOAL.

Although so many thousands of breeders are en-
gaged in the pursuit of breeding high-class Pigeons, the
perfect bird has yet to be produced. This is where the
great charm of the Fancy lies. Perfection is the goal,
but as we near the goal our ideal becomes higher, we
see points which need refining which we had previously
overlooked, and thus the object of our ambition is kept

from our reach. Well it is that it is so, because it
makes the fight for supremacy keener, and tends to
more healthy rivalry. Another great charm about

the Pigeon Fanev is the manner in which its favours
are distributed. The successful man is not always he
who by reason of his wealth is able to build palatial
aviaries, and fill them with the bluest of blue-blooded
stock. These men find that whilst their wealth will
do much for them, it will not unaided secure them
the highest prizes of the Pigeon Fancy. Well it is
that it is so, and that the earnest toiler, the man of
small means, yet rich in practical knowledge and ex-
perience, stands as good a chance of breeding the
champion Pigeon of the vear as his richer brother.

This being so, there is a chance for the youngest,
as well as the poorest, fancier, if he will possess his
soul in patience, to reach the height of his ambition,
and breed the champion of the vear.

WHY MEN BECOME PIGEON BREEDERS.

For diverse reasons do men enter the ranks of
columbophilists. Some desire to add to their incomes,
some seek pleasure and relaxation from the cares of
business, and some to while away the time and give
them zest and interest in life. All seek and find what
they want. ‘There are men known to me to-day who
when they first commenced Pigeon breeding did so with
the object of securing that relaxation of which I have
spoken, vet so earnestly and practically did they pur-

INTRODUCTION, XV.

sue it that they quickly found that it considerably
augmented their income year by vear, and now these
self-same men have abandoned their trades and pro-
fessions and live entirely out of the income derived
from their Pigeons.

ALL START LEVEL.

Whatever position a Pigeon lover may ultimately
attain in the Fancy he has to start like all his fellows
at the bottom rung of the ladder. None of us com-
mence the breeding of Pigeons with a ready-made
storehouse of knowledge. True, some have a greater
aptitude for dealing with live stock than others, and
more quickly grasp the lessons that must be learned,
vet they have to go through the probationary stage
just the same as their more slow-witted brethren.
From this it will be gathered that health, relaxation,
recreation, pleasure, and profit may all be found in the
Pigeon Fancy.

TO AID THE NOVICE.

I have said that mv chief object in writing this
work is to aid the beginner to so advance that he
may readily grasp and overcome the mysteries, the
difficulties, and the intricacies of the art of becoming a
successful breeder and exhibitor of high-class Pigeons.
“ Pigeons, and all about them,’’ is not an advanced
treatise. It does not profess to cater for the experi-
enced breeder, but rather for the novice, who, devoid
of the knowledge derived from actual experience, needs
some guidance, some assistance in dealing with the
mazy problems that arise and confront him in his
early efforts.

In a work of this character, in which space is
necessarily limited, not much can be said upon the
different breeds My notes upon them will be brief,
but I shall devote all the space that is needful to the
more practical side of Pigeon keeping, and to give such
instruction in housing, feeding, and rearing as wil
enable my readers to reach to the heights and delights
of exhibiting, in which I shall also strive to direct their
efforts to a pleasurable and successful issue.

CHAPTER I.
HOUSING.

Of Pigeon houses there are designs innumerable,
but many of them, such as the locker against the wall,
the cote on the top of a pole, and the artistic three-
decker arrangements for lawns, are not suitable for
the breeder who wishes to breed birds for exhibition
purposes. Such houses as these cannot be properly
cleansed, and are far more adapted to the process of
breeding vermin than to the breeding of Pigeons. Such
habitations are most insanitary, and totally unfitted
for the breeding of high-class stock. In a Pigeon
house, there are three essentials needed. It must
be perfectly damp and draught proof, and it must be
well ventilated. Pigeons are hot-blooded creatures,
and can withstand a tolerable amount of cold providing
the atmosphere in which they live is dry. |. Damp and
draughts they cannot stand, and the strongest quickly
succumb to the influences of either. Therefore,
secure dwellings which are dry, well ventilated, yet not
draughty.

NOT CHOICE, BUT FORCE.

Pigeons, like their owners, have to dwell in diverse
places, and the lover of Pigeons forced to live in a
town cannot possibly give his birds the accommodation
that one living in the country can. Yet under the
most unlikely and unfavourable conditions much may
be done by the zealous fancier possessed of a fervent
love for his birds, and an unbounding zeal for their
comfort Now-a-days few town dwellers are allowed
to keep birds in the attic; the sanitary authorities will
not allow it. Yet on the Continent there are
thousands upon thousands of such lofts; in fact, ninety-
nine out of every hundred lofts I have seen in Belgium,
Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France, are
situated in the attic at the top of the house.

B

2 Pickons anp ALL Apout THEM.

A USEFUL TOWN LOFT.

If the town-dweller can commend a loft over a shed
or stable, such can rapidly be converted into a good
dwelling place for Pigeons. One-half might be wired
off, and used as the breeding place, and the remainder
used for the young birds. If large enough, it may be
again divided, but in such a loft the birds should be

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Flight attached to Window of a Stable Loft Aviary.

given more space for exercise than in an out-door dwel-
ling. <A loft so situated should contain fewer birds
than one of the same size built in a field or garden,
because the winds of heaven will not have such free
access to it, and the birds will not obtain so much fresh
air as their more favoured brethren.

Closely associated with the character of the dwel-
ling place is the question of breed to he kept. Stables,
sheds, outhouses, and lofts in the confined yards of a
town are only suitable for such breeds as Loneg-faced
Tumblers, Short-faced Tumblers, coloured Fantails
Archangels, and other small breeds. = They are amis
unsuitable for such breeds as Dragoons, Antwerps, and

HOUSING. 3

others which need plenty of fresh air and exposure to
keep their ceres and wattles in good order.

AN ADDED CONVENIENCE.

Such lofts may be made of considerably more use
if it is possible to erect an outside flight (such as illus-
trated) in front of the window. This would allow the
birds coming out and securing not only fresh air, but
a sun-bath occasionally; and one has only to watch
Pigeons for a very little while to become convinced of
the fact that they do enjoy basking in the sun.
Pigeons, like cats, will lie for hours in the blazing sun
of the hottest day in July or August. This being so,
it will readily be seen that any house provided for their
accommodation will yield better results if it gives them
the opportunity of taking a sun bath whenever they
feel inclined. In fitting up such an outside flight the
boards forming the floor should have a space, say, of
half-an-inch left between each board to allow rain and
other moisture to drain away quickly. If this is not
done the floor will be continually damp, and this is not
conducive to the health of the birds.

CLEARING THE GROUND.

A loft or shed of the character described should be
thoroughly gutted of all impedimenta ere it is made into
a Pigeon loft. You want nothing but bare walls, a
floor, roof, door, and windows when you commence the
process of conversion. Having cleared out everything,
set to and limewash the inside of the roof and walls,
having first of all swept and scraped away all dirt and
filth should any exist. After clearing and cleansing it,
fit up your perches. For the Tumblers and other
small breeds the best perches are those in the form
of a bracket projecting from the wall. Fantails do
better without perches, as they soon ruin their plumage
if given them. During the breeding season they may
be given a long broad board to fly to, but during the
moulting and show seasons they are best kept on the
floor, and not given the opportunity of perching. If
it is at all possible when fitting up a loft, seek the

“AAGINY OF-UEOT poyUsy-osuISs Vv

HOUSING. 5
advice and assistance of some old fancier, it will save
not only money, but much worry and vexation.

DWELLERS IN SUBURBIA.

I now pass on to the fancier who is privileged to
live in the suburbs of one of our large towns or cities,
or the country, and who has command of a walled-in

Ferch Corn Perch

i House Lobby House wight

- ft ~ 2ft9" om oft

Ground Plan of Double-flighted Lean-to Aviary.

garden. A garden wall is most useful in such cases.
It allows of a Pigeon house being built with economy
of space and capital. I have seen hundreds of most
admirable little lean-to buildings erected in the gardens
attached to suburban dwellings. Such a wall pro-
vides a good back to the house and flight, and all

Perc
Flight House sp] fle
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AN
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Ground Plan of Single Lean-to Aviary.

that is needed is roof, ends, and front. First of all
a stout framework of timber should be set up, the
posts for supporting which should be 4in. by 3in., and
the remainder 2in. by 1%in. The roof should be 34in.

6 PiGEoNs AND ALL ABour THEM.

or lin. boards, tongued and grooved, and then covered
either with asphaltic felt or corrugated iron. If the latter
is used it is not advisable to fix it close to the wooden
root, but to raise it about an inch so as to allow of
a current of air sweeping underneath it. This will
keep the loft cool in summer and warm in winter.
The walls should be of the same thickness. In fixing
up such an aviary, it is well to have two houses, one
at each end, and the flight divided, in the middle;
such an arrangement means saving of cost and space.
The length and width of such an erection must be
governed by the space at command.

COVERED FLIGHTS BEST.

I recommend such flights to be covered the same
as the house. There are several reasons for this, but
the chief one is that cats, which are always prowling
about, cannot get through a wooden or corrugated iron
roof, whereas they will get through a wired top.
Again, in such a situation, dirt, smuts, and blacks
abound, and even if one keeps self-coloured birds,
such are best kept away. A third reason is that the
floor is kept in better condition. |The houses proper,
or sleeping places, should be built of timber of same
thickness as the roof, and may be covered with
asphaltic felt, the walls being tarred, or painted, as
the faney of the owner may direct. If appearances
are to be considered, then dark green paint is the
thing, with the windows and doors picked out” or
relieved with white. The floor should also be built
of the same thickness of timber. I refer to the floor
of the house proper.

THE BOTTOM OF THE FLIGHT.

The floor of the flight may be covered with sand,
or it may be given a layer of concrete and cement. A
fair sized window should be affixed to the house, and
a like remark applies to the door; but the door should
open into the flight, and not direct inta the garden,
the reason for this being that a bird may, if startled
make a dash over one’s head, and be out and away
before there is the slightest chance of stopping it,

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8 PiGEoNs anp ALL About THEM.

And it is not a very pleasing experience to sec your
winner of first and challenge cup at the Club Show
careering in the air. If the pocket will allow, the
house will be more comfortable and more substantial
if it is inner boarded or lined, and the space between
the boards filled with sawdust. Where the frame-
work of the roof joins the wall a course of cement
should be laid, so as to prevent the rain from beating

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Ground Plan of Double-fronted Aviary,
down the side of the wall. <A gutter should be run

round the eaves and connected by a pipe with the drain,
or else a good big tub. A rain tub is a useful article
for a Pigeon fancier. Rain water is handy for bath-
ing purposes. The front of the flights should be
composed of strong 34in. mesh wire-netting, and the
doorway should be not less than 2ft. 6in. in width.
Ventilation may be arranged by having what are
known as stable ventilators. That is, a sliding board

HOvuSING. 9

fitted to slide to and fro over a space covered with
perforated zinc, close to the roof at either end of the
house. The perches in the flight may be fixed to the
wall, and the same in the house itself. I am no be-
liever in fixed nesting places, and much prefer to use
portable boxes; cube sugar boxes make very useful nest
boxes, and they can be destroyed at the end of each
season.

HOW MANY DWELLERS?

The dimensions of such a dwelling must be
governed by the space at command. I may, how-
ever, give some idea of the relation of space and the
needs of the birds. A lean-to, such as I have des-
cribed, would, if covering say six feet by 50, provide
accommodation for eight pairs of Tumblers, or other
small breeds, or six of Homers, Dragoons, or other
large breeds. This would give a house at either end
6ft. by 8, and two flights 6ft. by 17. Some would
say more should be given. I agree it would be better,
but still suburban accommodation has to be considered.
One of the two houses would serve as a breeding house,
and the other as a nursery for the young birds during
the breeding season. Then in the fall when the
birds are divided one house will accommodate the
cocks and the other the hens.

WHERE SPACE IS NOT VALUABLE.

In the country where space is not so valuable I
prefer a span roofed house, which may be built of wood,
in the same manner as that described for the suburban
lean-to, or of brick. If one can afford it, and is an
owner and not a tenant, I should advise brick build-
ings in preference to any other. To build a good
sized Pigeon house with slate roof is a costly affair,
and not one to be taken in hand by the new beginner
even if he has the necessary capital. Far better to
bide a wee, try your luck in some more unpretentious
erection ere launching out into the spending of a lot
of good money. Years ago when I was myself turn-
ing out winners with a fair amount of regularity, my
Pigeon houses were wooden erections, six feet six
inches at the eaves, rising to ten feet in the centre

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HOUSING. 11

of the roof, which wasa span. The ground space was
ten feet by ten, and the houses each had a flight
eighteen by ten. They were very strongly built, the
framework being 4in. by 8in., and the roof, sides,
floors all of lin. boards, tongued and grooved, the roof
being covered with felt. The ends and sides were
painted. The birds had egress from the house into
the flight through a large sliding window, 3ft. by 6ft.
The flights also were span-roofed, the covering being
corrugated iron. In each of these houses I used to
breed ten pairs of birds, the young being removed to
the nursery when a month old.

A MAGNIFICENT RANGE.

One of the most practical ranges of Pigeon houses
known to me is that of my friend, Mr. Richard Woods,
of Mansfield, the famous Dragoon King. This is
built of brick, each house having a floor space of 9ft.
by 9ft., and a flight 9ft. by 14ft. With this I give a
bird’s eye view of a section of the range, and a ground
plan of the whole. To build such a range of houses
is a costly proceeding. The walls are double all
round, and are what are known in the building trade
as cavity walls—that is, having a space between each.
This ensures dryness, and is an aid to efficient ventil-
ation, as ventilating bricks may be used in the top
courses. The fronts have substantial door and
window frames and sills, and are fitted with the slid-
ing windows of which I spoke in connection with my
own lofts. The doors are of one inch thickness, the
roof is a lean-to, and this is netted over so as to allow
the birds access for their sun bath, of which I spoke
earlier on. The ground plan shows a gangway
between the two ranges of houses, and this provides
a good vantage ground for the owner to watch and
study his birds.

COVERED FLIGHTS.

This stamp of house, whilst most admirable for
Dragoons, Homers, Owls, Turbits, Carriers, Antwerps,
and other strong clean-legged birds, would not do at
all for Pouters, Pigmies, Trumpeters, Fantails,
Jacobins, or any of the breeds of delicate colour, such

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‘playsueWw ye salselAy yo aduey jo uo0lj9eS

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LEASE EASE 5
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HOUvSING. 13

as red, yellow, or almond. For such birds a large
house with covered flights is a necessity—for the long
feathered birds because of the need for keeping the
feather in good order, and for the delicate coloured
birds to preserve the plumage from the ravages of the
sun. Such a house may be built in threc divisions.
The centre may be the pen and store-room, flanked on
either side by a house from which extends the flight.
The bottom portion of all flights should be wood. By
this I mean that 2ft. 6in. or 8ft. from the ground should
be boarded up. This will keep the birds from being
frightened by cats or dogs which may be prowling
about, also prevent the rain from driving in on ie
floor of the flight.
ANOTHER USEFUL LOFTY.

For the benefit of those who prefer a lean-to I
describe another such house. Built against a
garden wall, it should be about eight or nine feet at
the back, sloping to six feet six inches in front. Its
length and width will, of course, depend upon the
number of birds and the variety. A house twenty
feet long and ten feet from front to back, divided
into four houses, each five feet by ten, would give
ample accommodation for twelve breeding pairs of such
birds as Carriers, Dragoons, and Show Homers, that
is three pairs to each division. Of the toy or smaller
varieties, each of such divisions would accommodate
five or six breeding pairs. At one end of this house
should be a door, and there should also be a door in
each of the dividing interior walls, so that the owner
could enter at one end and walk right through.

HEIGHT OF FLIGHTS.

The flights should be as high, or a little higher,
than the back of the house, and extend from the lean-to
wall to whatever distance in front of the house there is
ground available, say, six to ten yards. The reason
why the flights should extend over the top of the house
is that birds delight to walk about and sun themselves
on the top of a roof, and it is conducive not only to their
happiness, but also to their health. The woodwork of
the flights should be strong, and the corner posts should

14 PIGEONS AND ALL ABout THEM.

be at least four by three, and, if possible, should be
each cut out of a straight young oak or elm tree, so that
the part which goes into the ground may be in its
natural condition—that is, with the bark on. If this
is not possible, then some extra pieces of wood should
be nailed on that portion of each post which is sunk

Wire Pens -
}
Store Show Room & Covered Flight House?
7p
Porch
pat
| House Flight Flight House |
feeremres SS
Pp Saeeee ence
| House Flight Flight House}
P Sa es
ies Sen P
*| House Flight Flight House r
aa ae 7
ie ke) were z
| House Flight Fliynt House F
= ers
A : -
Sir} House Flight Flight House |r
ff eee es
oft x l4fe ASR 14fe 6 ony

Ground Plan of Mr. Richard Woods’ Aviaries, at Mansfield.

in the ground, and it should be well tarred, or treated
with some preservative before being put in position.
The side stays need not be so strong; 1l?2in. by 2'sin.
will be ample. Each flight should be fitted with a
door close to the house so that it is possible to walk right
through the range without comine out; and in addition
each one should have its own separate entrance at the

HOvwsING. 15

end turthest from the house. The whole should be
covered with strone one-inch mesh wire. In fixing
the wire have plenty of side rails and top rails; if this
is not done the wire will sag and bend, and not last a
quarter of the time it will if drawn hard and taut. I
have said the whole of the flight should be covered
with wire. This is hardly correct, as about three
feet from the ground should be boarded, or covered
with corrugated iron sheets. If the wire is tarred it
will add to its strength and lasting power.

COVERING THE FLOORS.

As a covering for the floors of the lofts, there is
nothing superior to two or three inches of coarse pine
sawdust. If only a scanty covering is put down it
flies all about the place, gets into the eyes and nostrils

Elbow or Bracket Perch, for Tumblers, Magpies,
Nuns, etc.

of the birds, and often causes serious irritation and
inflammation of the organs of sight and breathing.
The ground in open flights should be dug out to the
extent of three feet, and the hole filled up to within a
foot of the top with coarse broken clinkers or bricks,
then should come nine inches of coarse gravel, whilst
the surface three inches should be fine white or yellow
sand. Care should be taken as to where the sand
comes from, because if it is ironstone sand it is apt to
soil birds of delicate plumage. Where it can be ob-
tained there is nothing to surpass as a top layer sand
from the seashore, for in addition to making a nice
covering for the flights, it contains much in the way
of lime and mineral salts which are most beneficial to

16 Pickons AND Att Apout THEM.

the birds. The top layer of sand should be swept
occasionally, and renewed at least once a year. If
ordinary sand is used it is most valuable for the garden

when it is removed from the flights.

a 4 ,
aml
|

I
(( |
) NUS CUT
ht “4 qeceikss ses
I ay pa eee ee
ee i.

Perches for Carriers, Dragoons, and Show Homers,

INTERNAL FITTINGS.
Different fanciers have different ideas as to the
manner and method of fitting up a Pigeon loft. Some
like bracket or elbow perches, and they are the best

Platform Perch, suitable for Mutted Tumblers
Fairy Swallows, ete.

for small birds; others fix perches, which are like a
capital V inverted; others prefer box perches, for all the

Mr. James H. Smith.
An enthusiastic fancier since the age of 14, and a_ highly
successful breeder and exhibitor of African Owls, English
Owls, and Show Homers. Has bred some of the best birds of
these breeds ever exhibited.

HOvuSING. 19

smaller breeds. For Carriers, Dragoons, Antwerps,
and Show Homers box perches are much the best, but
they should project some distance from the wall so
that the birds may stand facine the window and door,
and all their excreta drop behind the perch. Box
perches which are fixed flush with the wall are always
dirty, because the excreta is dropped on them owing
to the birds standing sideways. Another objection to
the box perch which fits close to the wall is that birds
damage their plumage considerably. The reason why
box perches are to be preferred for the breeds men-

Perch suitable for Pouters and Pigmy Pouters.

tioned is because they are more or less quarrelsome
and pugnacious, and the divisions between each perch
prevent the birds interfering with each other. For
Pouters, Pigmy Pouters, and Trumpeters a shelf perch
is the best; that is a good broad shelf projecting some
eight or nine inches from the wall. On such a perch
the foot feather is not so apt to become damaged. The
same kind of perch is useful with other muffed-legged
breeds such as Swallows, Fairy Swallows, and Muffed
Tumblers, as is the platform perch also shown in one
of the illustrations.

20 PIGEONS AND ALL ABOUT THEM.

NEST BONXE

wn

Iam altogether opposed to fixed nest boxes. They
are not easily cleaned, and are propagators of vermin
and disease. Ina fixed range of nest boxes if intec-
tious disease of anv kind makes its appearance the
whole range is infected, and must be pulled down and
destroyed. Further, fixed boxes, especially when
some height from the floor, have other serious dis-
advantages. Hens, when about to lay, are often unable

Open Nest Box, with Upper Open Nest Box with Division
and Lower Compartments, on Floor Level.

to reach their box and lay on the floor, or they injure
themselves in their attempts to reach the box. Again,
if a youngster falls out of such a box the jar when he
reaches the ground oft knocks the life out of his body,
or else breaks a limb. Portable nest boxes are, I
am firmly convinced, much the best to use. Each
pair may have a double box about two feet six long
and sixteen inches deep, or two single boxes of smaller
size. These comprise all the internal fittings needful
in a Pigeon loft. | Nest boxes should only be there in
the breeding season; removed at the end of that season,
thoroughly cleansed, allowed to remain exposed to the
weather for a few weeks, then scrubbed, dried, and
put away till the following spring, or else broken up
for firewood. If specially made boxes are preferred,
then I advise that they be well painted inside and out,

HOvSING. 21

say three coats, and given one fresh coat after each
autumnal cleansing.

In the flights the best kind of perch is a long
narrow shelf running the whole length of the flight on
either side. This shelf should be about 3in. wide,
and one inch in thickness. Such a perch may be
affixed to the framework of the flisht by iron brackets,
but should be kept off the wire or the birds’ tails may
get damaged.

AN OLD IDEA.

Moore’s ‘‘ Columbarium,’’ published in 1735, gives
the following on ‘‘ The Method of Building a Loft ’’—
“ A Pigeon Loft ought to be built to the South or
South-West, the Sun lying warmest from those

Nest Box for Corner Position,

Quarters; but if you have not that Convenience, you
may make a Hole in the Roof of your House, and there
lay your Plat-form, smaller or larger as you think
proper: A Carpenter that is used to such work will
put you in a Method, always remembering to erect
proper Works to keep off those tormentors of the
Gentlemen of the Fancy, the Cats, for in one Night’s
Time they will make a very great Havoc, and are gener-
ally observed to destroy those Pigeons which you most
value; so that ’tis better to be at some Charge at

22 Pickons and Arty, Apout THEM.

first, to prevent the Incursions of such dangerous and
fatal Invaders, who seldom or never give any Quarters.
Let your Loft be large enough to contain the Number
of Pigeons you intend to keep, always allowing at
least two Holes or Breeding Places for every Pair; for
the more Room they have, the more quiet they will sit,
and breed the better.”’

This is the advice Moore gave to his readers.
There is certainly not much wealth of detail, but there
is much common-sense. A South aspect is, indeed,

Nest Box, with Sloping Roof,

Designed and used by Mr. Richard Woods, for use of Dragoons,
Carriers, and other breeds inclined to be pugnacious.

good. Pigeons love the sun, and invariably do well
in a loft which is exposed to its power. The ideal
aspect is South-East, as the birds get the early morn-
ing sun, and this is a great help in the breeding
season.

NEEDFUL IMPEDIMENTA.

Amongst things needful in the Pigeon loft are nest
pans, and these should be of good size (many cases ot
crooked breasts are caused by the nest pans being too
small), and drinking fountains; the more simply made
the better. Never use a fountain which is not easily
cleansed. Long-handled and short-handled sweep-
ing brushes, a three-cornered scraper, a short-handled
shovel, a sieve for riddling the sawdust on clearing-out

HOvwsING. 23

days, and a finer one for use with the corn every day,
separate corn bins tor peas, tares, wheat, dari, maize,
and canary seed; baths—I like zinc baths, 3in. or 4in.
in depth, 20in. long by 15in. wide, with a 3in. flange
ali round; these are easy to handle and keep clean,
whilst the flange is useful to keep the water from being
thrown all over the loft or flight floor, and to afford a
resting place for the birds so that they may shake them-
selves on leaving the bath. Two or three small
sponges (these are most useful); a pair of small tweezers
a pair of large, and a pair of small scissors, a ball of
twine, a bottle of tincture of arnica, a bottle of iodine,
a tin of Epsom Salts, a box of zine ointment, a bottle
of glycerine, a bottle of Sanitas or Condy’s Fluid, and
the show baskets, are all things which should be kept
in the pen room.

THE PEN ROOM.

In a large loft the pen room will be part of the
range, or a small house by itself. It should be fitted
with good broad shelves so as to accommodate a walk-
ing pen or two, and a number of ordinary show pens.
If the stud is only small, or if the outdoor accom-
modation is of a circumscribed character, then the pen-
room must be in the owner’s dwelling house. Every
stud, big or small, needs a pen room of some kind or
other. It is impossible to select birds for showing
or breeding unless they can be penned side by side.
Again, such a room is most useful in case of temporary
indisposition. A day or two in a pen, and the applic-
ation of the ordinary remedies will often prevent a
serious ang possibly fatal illness. A pen-room allows
of many things being done which could not be done
without it, and adds considerably to the pleasure to
be derived from a stud of birds.

CHAPTER II.
SELECTION OF STOCK.

The reason so many fanciers fail in Pigeon breed-
ing is because they start wrong. Two great mistakes
are made by new hands. The first is, that they in-
variably overload themselves—that is, overstock their
aviaries. They buy a lot of birds thinking they stand
more chance of breeding winners than if they only have
afew. They overlook two very important consider-
ations. ‘The first is, that the best bird of the year
in any given variety can only come out of one egg;
and the other is, that quality should at all times be
preferred to quantity. No fancier should at starting
select more than three or four pairs of birds. It takes
some time for one to become accustomed to the needs
and desires of a stock of Pigeons, and it is impossible
for a new hand to successful look after a big stud.
Another mistake is in thinking that all one needs
to do is to buy a number of high-class birds, great
winners, pair them together, and straightaway winners
will be produced. Those who have had experience
known only too well that such methods invariably
bring failure. To become a successful breeder of
Pigeons one must serve a fairly lone apprenticeship,
and possibly come through much disappointment and
vexation ere the goal is reached.

HOW TO REACH THE GOAL.

The first steps are most important, and it is my
wish that students of ‘‘ Pigeons, and all about them,”’
should made their first steps upon a firm and clear
roadway. Before commencing to keep Pigeons, that
is high-class ones, the would-be breeder should visit a
few shows, gain some knowledge of the different breeds
and the differences between them This will enable

SELECTION OF STOCK. 25

one to decide upon a breed most suited to the condi-
tions under which one will be forced to follow the
pursuit of breeding. Then betore deciding to make
a plunge the advice of some experienced fancier should
be sought, as to the best and most suitable breeds for
the personal conditions. If no local fanciers are to
be got hold of, then a letter should be addressed to the
Editor of ‘‘ Pigeons,’’ giving full particulars of the
accommodation, what money is to be spent, what the
atmosphere in the neighbourhood is like, and anything
else likely to be of use to him in answering the question
as to which breed is the most suitable under the cir-
cumstances.
BREEDS FOR DISTRICTS.

Too little thought is given by fanciers as to the
breeds most suitable for the district in which they live,
or to the acquisition of their initial stock. If it were
otherwise we should not find, as we often do, so many
of our young hands ‘‘ clearing out ’’ year after year
as they do. Whena young fancier comes in he should
do so with the idea of staying in. No good can come
from breeding one season a few Jacobins, then throw-
ing them up for Show Homers or Magpies, or something
else. This question of beginning rightly or wrongly
has not received from writers on Pigeons that amount
of consideration it should have done. It is often said
of some fathers that they have forgotten they were
ever boys themselves, and thus have no interest in, or
sympathy with, the doings of their sons. So it is with
thany writers on Pigeons. They seem to take it that
it is unnecessary for them to go into the elementary
details of breeding and management, as they are well
known and understood. Ves, they are, by those who
have been richt through them, and emerged on the top
triumphant, but they are not understood by those who
are just beginning to flounder about in the intricacies
of Pigeon-keeping.

IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD START.

A good start is half the battle, and I want the
youngsters who read this chapter to make that good
start. It will save them not only much worry and

26 PicEoNS AND Atty ApoutT THEM.

much disappointment, but also some considerable
amount of pocket money. Before purchasing the
initial stock I would advise every beginner to think
well as to which variety he likes best. Having made
up his mind on this point, he should consider next if
the accommodation at his command is suited for the
variety which he has fixed upon, because if not, he
must endeavour to foster a love for a breed which will
fit in with his surroundings. Asan example, it would
be useless his attempting to breed such birds as White
African Owls, White Fantails, White Jacobins, or
Magpies, in a small back-vard loft in a large town.
He would never be able to keep them in the spotless
purity of plumage in which such breeds need to be kept
to be seen to advantage.

Again, in the far North, heavy wattled birds will
not do as well as in more Southern neighbourhoods.
The reason why Ireland has so lone been pre-eminent
in the culture of such birds as T'rumpeters and Jacobins
is because the mild humid character of the climate in
the Emerald Isle is particularly conducive to the ex-
cessive growth of feather. Thus it would be folly
for anyone living in the mild, humid, relaxing atmos-
phere of such places as Torquay, Bournemouth, South
Wales, South Devon, and Cornwall, to hope to com-
pete successfully in the production of such birds as
Show Homers, Antwerps, and Dragoons, with breeders
living in the more rigorous climate of Yorkshire,
Lancashire, Durham and Northumberland. The
mild, soft atmosphere would encourage the growth of
wattle and cere too much, and render both too soft and
flabby. Yet such districts are most admirably suited
for such breeds as Carriers, Trumpeters, Jacobins,
Fantails, Muffed Tumblers, Swallows, Blaze-faces, ete.,
because what 1s a climatic disadvantage in relation to
the former breeds, becomes of real assistance in the
erowth of the essential show properties of the latter.

FOR TOWN DWELLERS.
Then, whilst the immediate vicinity of large towns
is not conducive to successful keeping of birds with
white, or light, plumage, it is suitable for birds such as

Mr. W. Watmough.
Former Editor of ** Pigeons and Pigeon World.”* Author of
* Pigeon Keeping tor Beginner General Manager of the
Fanciers’ Newspaper and General Printing and Publishing
Company, Ltd. A successful breeder, exhibitor, and judge of
English and African Owls.

SELECTION OF STOCK. 29

Black African Owls, Black Tumblers, Black Jacobins,
Archangels, Chequer Dragoons, Chequer Show
Homers, Black and Mottled Trumpeters. Again, a
loft situated in an open spot in the South or West of
TIingland, with little or no protection from the blazing
rays of the sun, would be most unsuitable for such
breeds as Red, Yellow, and Cream Magpies, Red and
Yellow Tumblers, Red and Yellow Owls, because the
all-powerful rays of Old Sol would quickly bleach and
ruin their coats.

In a small country town, or village, where there is
little dirt and smoke, birds of white, light, and delicate
plumage may be kept with ease, comfort, and pleasure,
but for dwellers in large towns to keep such is the
height of folly. They can never hope to successfully
compete with their more favoured brethren, whose lives
are cast in more pleasant and favourable surroundings,
because no matter how good a Magpie, a White Jacobin,
a White Fantail, or a White Owl may be in actual
structural and feather properties, it can never show its
natural beauty to advantage against the country-bred
bird, because cleanliness has much to do with beauty.

From this it will be seen that if success is hoped
for, considerable thought must be given to one’s sur-
roundings ere finally deciding which variety to keep.
Thus, whilst the cold, bleak North is just the place
to keep such breeds as are apt to grow too much wattle
and cere, its cutting winds which mean success in
tightening and hardening wattles and ceres would
effectually prevent the full fruition of the beauty of
feather needed in the long and softer feathered breeds.
After reading these notes it should not be difficult for
the veriest novice to decide what kind of Pigeon is likely
ta do well in his particular district.

HOW MANY PAIRS.

Having decided upon the breed, the next question
is: How many pairs? ‘This is generally decided by
the accommodation at hand, and, as a consequence,
failure speedily comes. Most voung fanciers like to see
a bird on every perch; vacant perches are an eyesore
to them. They want to see a lot of birds about the

30 PIGEONS AND ALL ABpout THEM.

place. It looks well if anyone comes to see the stud!
This is a big mistake in many ways. Visiting fanciers
would muen rather look at and handle one or two good
birds than a dozen second-raters. It is a mistake for
a young fancier to overload himself; he will get more
real pleasure from two or three pairs of birds than he
will from a dozen. With only a small number he can
learn much more than it he is overloaded. Again,
seeing that with most young fanciers money is a very
important consideration, it is far better to put the same
amount of money into two pairs ot birds than into a
dozen.

“Quality, not quantity,’’ should be the motto of
every aspirant to fame on the show bench. The chal-
lenge cup winner of any breed can only come from
one egg, and that it is just as likely to come from the
one egg laid by a hen owned by a novice as it is from
one of those owned by a champion exhibitor, ‘‘ provided
always and at all times,’’ as the gentleman learned in
the law say, the quality is there.

It must not for one moment be supposed that our
leading fanciers breed all their winners, even though
they have such tremendous studs. They do not. I
know of several champions which have won_ high
honours at the Dairy, Palace, and Specialist Club
Shows which have not been bred by the men who now
own them, but by small struggling working-men fan-
ciers who have received from the big guns a good
price for the flower of their flock ere parting with it
to the big exhibitor. But the big exhibitor would
not have required such had they not possessed quality.
The lesson to be learnt from this is—With all your
getting, get quality.

HOW TO OBTAIN THE BIRDS.

Having decided which variety he intends keeping
and how much money he will spend—the latter is quite
as important as the former—the young fancier should
seck out the best breeders of the particular breed that
he has decided upon. The best way to do this is to
read carefully the show reports appearing in the pages
of ‘‘ Pigeons,’’ also the advertisements of the particular

SELECTION OF STOCK. 31

variety. If you are living in a country district away
from any other fanciers, you will have to rely entirely
upon your own judgment in selecting a breeder to
whom to apply. But should it happen that you are
resident in a district where a number of fanciers reside,
it will be wise to consult them, and ask their advice,
not only in deciding whom to get birds from, but also
in the choice of a variety. They, with their knowledge
born of experience, will be able to give sound advice
on both points.
A FANCIER’S HONOUR.

The decison having been made, as to the breeder
and the breed, you, my young aspirant for fame, should
write to the fancier you have selected, and place your-
self unreservedly in his hands. Tell him how much
money you have to spend, also that vou know nothing
whatever about the breed, and wish him to do his best
in mating you up one, two, or three pairs of birds as
the case may be, to the best of his knowledge and
ability, and with a view to their producing something
which may be able to give a good account of itself in
the show pen. By so doing you are almost certain to
get better served than 1f you approach the big breeder
on his own level, pretending to know all things when
you know little or nothing. Most breeders, when put
on their honour, will give a new hand a bit more for his
money than they will the man who knows as much as
themselves. Not infrequently have I known fanciers,
having sold a young hand a pair of two of birds, and
given him full value for his money, to at the finish
give the young beginner a pair of birds for luck.

The great advantage of going to a man with a name
and reputation to sustain is that he is not likely to do
anything to besmirch his fame, also that the birds
secured will be of one particular family and thus more
or less related. This is a most important factor in the
success of a loft. Gencrallvy speaking, it is useless
expecting to breed winners if the stock birds are un-
related.

HOW NOT TO DO IT.

Some short time ago I was consulted by a well-

known Southern exhibitor as to the selection of a hen

oD PIGEONS anD ALL ABour THEM.

for a first prize cock which he had claimed at the
Crystal Palace. To avoid the use of names, and the
giving of free advertisements, I will refer to individuals
by the letters of the alphabet. © The bird ny friend had
claimed was shown by W—, and when he spoke to me
he said, ‘‘ Now I shall want a hen for this bird, shall
I get it from A—, or B?” naming two well-known
breeders of the variety. I replied, ‘‘ Look here, old
man, you have, to my knowledge, been breeding for
nearly twenty years, and you have never bred a win-
ner vet. Year by year you purchase winners from
Tom, Dick, or Harry, and go to Harry, Dick, or Tom
for hens to pair with them. Now, if you have claimed
W.’s bird, why not write to W., and ask him for a hen
that will mate with it, and not go introducing strange
blood again? You have year after year gone on this
foolish plan, and never had any pleasure or satisfaction,
whilst the amount of money you have wasted is enor-
mous.”
WHAT OFTEN HAPPENS.

My friend dees not stand alone. There are scores,
aye, hundreds of others like him. Thev have an idea
that if they rurchase their cocks from one breeder they
must go to another for their hens. Scldom, indeed,
does such a procedure bring success. When birds
are somewhat related the chances are that they may
hit and produce progeny equal, if not actually superior,
to themselves. But when birds absolutely unrelated
are put together, the chances are a hundred to one that
they will not hit. It does occasionally happen that
when birds are paired together, even though they be
of the same strain, or family, that the result is not what
is expected or desired, though the parents are really
good birds. When this does occur the voung hand
is apt to discard the progeny, and the old birds as well.
This is foolishness, or worse The young birds hav-
ing been bred from birds of high merit, must, of
necessity, have in their veins the same blood and the
same properties as the birds they have come from,
even though these good properties have not shown
themselves. In the general and ordinary way the
young hand is disappointed with his young birds, and

SELECTION OF STOCK. 33

as they are not so high in standard merit as his old ones,
he sells them, and possibly the old ones, too. He sells
at a sacrifice, and purchases again birds of great merit
and high price, only to have his unsatisfactory ex-
periences repeated. This goes on for another year or
two; the young fancier becomes disheartened and dis-
gusted, thinks he has been deceived, and throws up
the Fancy in despair.
THE OTHER SIDE.

Now it must be evident to anyone who thinks, that
two very high-class birds being mated, their good pro-
perties must be in the blood of the progeny, even if they
do not show outwardly. Therefore, the breeder’s task
is to bring them out. This can best be done by pairing
the best young hen back to her father, the best young
cock back to his mother, or pairing two of the young
together. Itis a hundred pounds to a penny that such
mating will bring the desired success, and if followed
will prove both profitable and pleasurable, whereas the
constant introduction of fresh blood can end in nothing
but disaster and disappointment. It stands to reason
that such close pairing must not be persisted in, or
disaster will quickly follow. ‘The old hand may breed
closer than the novice, because he has experience to
guide him. Fuller information on this point will be
found in the chapter on ‘‘ Establishing a Strain,’’ and
also in my book, ‘‘ In-Breeding.’’

VALUE OF PEDIGREE.

The great value of securing one’s original stock
from one stud is that one is not so likely to breed a lot
of wasters as when the birds are gathered together
from all parts of the compass. Well bred second-rate
birds—that is, birds just removed from the category
of prize winners, will, if related, breed far better stock
than a lot of high-priced winners of firsts and specials
which are unrelated. It is a hundred to one against
the latter producing anything but a lot of wastrels,
because having been bred in different lofts they have
not been bred upon the same lines. Further, the
admixture of strange blood often gives rise to sports.
On the other hand, the birds of one strain only once

c

34 PIGEONS AND ALL ABout THEM.

removed from being prize winners, and bred from the
same blood, will, if correctly mated, produce stock
generally superior to themselves. In mating such
birds, one has to carefully blend the excellencies and
deficiencies of each in such a manner that they are
calculated to produce a perfect whole. This process
of covering the weak points in one bird by the strong
ones of its mate is deeply interesting, even as it is
generally successful. Further, it is the only way in
which a strain can be built up and maintained. A
stud of birds got together and managed in the manner
indicated must of necessity, sooner or later, yield
‘ what’s wanted.’’ Time and patience will be needed
in the work, but they will receive great reward if per-
severance is added thereto. ‘‘ Rome was not built in
a day,’’ neither can a stud be made in a season. But
pedigree will tell. The aim and object of the breeder
must be to intensify and increase the good points in
his original stock, whilst at the same time he eliminates
and reduces the bad ones.

FIXING THE IDEAL.

In starting a strain, a fancier needs to fix the ideal
in his mind, and to let nothing turn him aside there-
from. He must keep his mind’s eve ever fixed upon
it, and plod steadily along until it is reached. In so
doing, he must keep a careful record of all his matings,
and each season every bird mated up should have all
its faults and excellencies carefully recorded in the stud
book. The keeping of a stud book is absolutely
necessary if success is to be achieved. By its aid
one is able to avoid making mistakes, because a glance
at the stud book shows exactly w here the good and
bad points in the strain are coming from. Memory
is not to be compared to a carefully tabulated record,
and the man who trusts to memory will never attain
the heights of the Fancy. But with carefully selected,
related original stock and a stud register, all things
become possible. :

1917 Silver English Owl Hen.

Winner, as a youngster, of Ist Manchester (E.0.C, Show),
and is a descendant of Mr. Brayshaw’s famous Esquilant
Trophy hen. .

The Property of Mr. Harry Tattersall.

CHAPTER II.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT.

A good start having been made by the purchase
of some well-bred stock, it must be followed up by
strict attention to the general management. Good
food, regularity in feeding, plenty of fresh water for
drinking and bathing, the provision of grit, abund-
ance of fresh air, and systematic cleanliness are the
great essentials to success.

THE FOOD SUPPLY.

Food and feeding are items of the first impor-
tance. Nothing is gained by the purchase of cheap
food. Many fail to realise this, and think that any-
thing is good enough for Pigeons to eat. ‘This is a
grave error to make. I would impress upon my
readers the absolute necessity of using only the best
corn. It is cheapest in the end. Many diseases may
be directly traced to the use of inferior, unsound, and
unclean corn. Regularity in feeding is also essential
to success. Birds should be fed as near as possible
about the same time each day, and the best times for
feeding stock birds are about 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. in
Summer, and 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. in Winter.

GROUND V. HOPPER FEEDING.

When and wherever possible I advocate feeding
on the floor of the flight. When birds are fed on the
floor of the loft they are apt to pick up bits of saw-
dust and other matter which is not good for them.
If there is no outside flight, and the birds must be
fed inside, then hoppers should be used; but I pre-
fer hand-feeding to hopper feeding, because one is
able then to feed just so much as the birds require.
Further, much pleasure is derived by watching the
birds as they feed, and should one be looking a bit

38 PIGEONS AND ALL Axsour THEM.

owt of sorts, then is the time to see it and attend to
it. The best hoppers are those of galvanised iron or
‘namel ware, with divisions to prevent the birds
scattering the corm about the floor. For stock birds

Metal Food Hopper. Earthenware Nest Pan

the best general feed is maple peas and tares for the
medium-sized birds, with the addition of a little dari
for the smaller breeds, and some tic beans for the
more robust breeds.

DRINKING WATER AND FOUNTAINS.

The provision ef clean fresh water is a point
which must receive great care. In winter the foun-

Stoneware Fountain. Covered Enamel Fountain,

tain should be filled regularly every morning, and in
summer time twice or even thrice a day should the
fountain be re-filled. There are fountains of all kinds,
shapes, and sizes on the market, but the best are the
round enamel ware ones. Stoneware is apt to chip

GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 39

and break, especially in frosty weather, and the
majority of them are not so easily handled, by reason
of their weight, as those made of iron and enamelled ;
neither are they so easily cleansed. The fountain
should stand in the flight in a shady corner, so as to
keep the water cool. Sun-warmed water is apt to
cause diarrhoea. Further, the water is not so likely
to become fouled as if placed in the loft. In the loft,
sawdust, dirt, and dust are all apt to find their way
into it.

THE ORDER OF THE BATH.

Many fanciers are apt to undervalue the impor-
tance of the bath. I may tell them that if Pigeons
are to be kept in good health it is of the most vital
importance that they should be allowed to bathe
freely. This fact is not sufficiently appreciated and
recognised by fanciers, and many who attend well to

Zinc Bath.

other details of management are apt to be lax about
the bath. Water is cheap enough, and,, generally
speaking, plentiful enough. Therefore, there is
neither sense nor reason in withholding it from the
birds. In summer most Pigeons will, if given the
opportunity, bathe every day, and in winter time
every other day, and they should be given the oppor-
tunity. One of the first symptoms of a bird being out
of sorts is a refusal to bathe, and birds which do not
bathe should be examined and watched carefully. I
have, in speaking of the utensils needed, described
the form of bath which I favour. Pigeons delight in
the tub. They are amongst the cleanest of animals,
and the pleasure and enjoyment they receive from
being able to indulge in the luxury of a good bath is

40 PIGEONS AND ALL ABouT THEM.

great. When birds are in good health they go boldly
into the water, opening their wings and splashing like
a lot of kids bathing on the beach. They lie in the
water, allowing it to permeate their plumage and
loosen the dirt and scurf of the body; and in a little
while a bath soon has the appearance of containing
chalky or milky water. No better proof could be
given of the necessity of the bath for Pigeons. <A
final word of warning. Remove the bath immediately
the birds have finished their ablutions. If this is not
done some of them may be tempted to drink from the
bath instead of the fountain, and thus take into their
systems the dirt which is floating on the top of the
water.
GRIT AND ITS USES.

This is one of the things Pigeons cannot do with-
out. Grit, in some shape or form, is absolutely need-
ful to their welfare. Sharp, flinty grit is needed to
assist them in the digestion of their food, and to keep
their bodies in good health. With the grit should be
given salt, and most of the grits which are now

Covered Grit Box,

specially prepared for the use of Pigeon fanciers con-
tain salt in some form or other. Lime, too, is need-
ful to assist the hens in preparing the matter with
which to shell their eggs, whilst for the young birds
it provides matter for the building up of bone and
feather. Old mortar used to be in great request by
Pigeon fanciers, but I would warn my readers against
using this. Mortar is not now made like it used to

White Fantail Cock, ‘‘ Dandy Prince.”

Winner of ist and spl. best cock Middlesex Columbarian
Society’s Show, 2nd Fantail Club Show, ete.

Bred and Exhibited by Mr. H. Thurston-See,

GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 43

be, and dire results may follow the using of it.
Further, there is no need to run risks by using mat-
ter about which nothing is known, when by the ex-
penditure of a few shillings enough grit, properly
medicated and salted, may be obtained to last a large
stud ‘the year round. Some prepared grits contain
more salt than others, and if it is thought that more
salt 1s required by the birds, then they may be given
a lump of rock salt to lick. This, like the grit, should
be placed in a wooden box. This grit box should
be placed in a corner of the flight under a cover, so
as to keep it clean and afford protection from the
weather. A word of warning as to the use of salt.
Too much is as bad as too little. It impoverishes the
blood and causes the feather to be thin, harsh and
brittle.

The loft should be cleaned regularly and
systematically. If possible, all droppings under the
perches should be removed daily; and once if not

A Useful Scraper.

twice a week the perches should be scraped, and the
sawdust on the floor riddled so as to remove the loose
droppings which it may contain. When the cleaning
is done regularly it does not occupy much time, and
it is astonishing how quickly a handy man can clean
up a loft; half-an-hour a day spent in this manner
will accomplish great things. A clean loft means a
healthy loft, and a healthy loft means a successful
loft. A dirty loft breeds vermin and disease, and
where these are there cannot be successful results.

OBJECTIONABLE VISITORS.

Cats, rats, and mice are all enemies of Pigeons,
and have to be guarded against. In lofts which are
raised from the ground there is little to be feared from

44 Pickons and Ay ABour THEM.

rats and mice, but in brick buildings, or those which
rest on the ground, they are apt to make their appear-
ance, there a watch must be kept so that if either
make their appearance, measures may be imme-
diately taken for their extermination. Rats
will boldly attack and carry off young Pigeons,
whilst they, and mice, too, foul the food if
they come in contact with it, and many cases
of diarrhcea, and other diseases, may be traced to this
cause. Nowadays there is no need to lay down
poison, which the birds may get at as well as the rats
and mice, but no harm can result from the use of
Liverpool Virus, which spells death to all such
gentry, and is easily prepared and laid about their
runs.

CHAPTER iV.
BREEDING.

To the ardent fancier the breeding season is the
season of the year. It may be a time of anxiety,
expectation, and vexation, yet it is also a time of
great joy, pleasure, and dehght. Great, indeed, are
the fascinations of the breeding season. To the true
fancier no season brings such joy and pleasure. Even
to the hard bitten show-goer ‘the delights of the
breeding season are keen. Many a time have I heard
an old warrior exclaim that he derived far more
pleasure from his birds during the breeding season
than he did at any other time of the year. The best
way to secure all the pleasure that this most interest-
ing of times can give is to so prepare and carry
through its work that it shall at least deserve, if it
does not bring, success.

MAKING READY.

In preparing for the breeding season the first
thing to do is to give the Pigeon house a thorough
clean out from top to bottom, like a good housewife
does her spring cleaning. Many people do a lot of
work with the whitewash bucket and brush at this
time, but I am no advocate of whitewash at this
season of the year. Pigeons don’t like damp, and it
does not like them. ‘They can stand anv amount of
cold if it is dry, and their house is snug and dry, but
damp and draught will soon play ‘‘old Harry ’’ with
them. The spring cleaning which I recommend con-
sists in first removing all perches, then sweeping the
roof and walls well and thoroughly with an ordinary
house broom, and the carrying away of all soiled saw-
dust. This done, the walls should be given a good
dry scrub with a scrubbing brush and a bucket of
clean sawdust. The brush should be dipped in the

46 Pickeons anp Ary AxBout THEM.

sawdust, a certain quantity of the sawdust brought
out of the pail on the face of the brush, and the walls
well scrubbed and rubbed with the brush and saw-
dust. Each dip of the brush should cover about two
or three feet of the wall. It is astonishing how clean a
loft wall may be made by a dry scrub. The walls hav-
ing been done in this way all round, should again be
swept, as should the floor, and all the dirty sawdust
used in the scrubbing process taken away. Follow-
ing this, the floor should be covered with two or three
inches of clean, coarse, sawdust. A dry, fine day
should be selected for this cleaning down process, so
that the birds may be turned into the flight whilst it
is going on.
BRINGING IN THE BONES.

I have expressed my preference for dry cleaning
of the walls over the white-washing method, and it
may be as well to give the why and the wherefore.
In the early months of the year the walls of a Pigeon
house, be they of wood or brick, are naturally more
or less damp by reason of the moisture contained in
the winter atmosphere, and they will not be dry until
the sun obtains more power. To give the walls a
coating of whitewash would make them damper still,
and the damp being given off from the walls, whilst
the nights are cold, cannot by any possibility be good
for the birds. Further, I have known more than one
good Pigeon have its eves troubled by the lime com-
ing off the walls. Many beheve in the cleansing
powers of hme, and that 1s the reason for advocating
its use. It also is a good cover for dirt, and causes
many a fancier to give his loft what is only a surface
cleansing; that is, instead of thoroughly cleansing
and sweeping the walls, as I advise, the owner is apt
to take the whitewash bucket and brush, and make
a tour of the walls, covering up the dirt instead of
taking it off.

The house having been swept and garnished, the
perches should again be fixed, and the nest boxes
brought in. I believe in portable nest boxes, and
always use ordinary cube sugar boxes. If vou are

BREEDING. 47

dealing with the small varieties, such as Tumblers,
Magpies, Archangels, Fantails, Jacobins, etc., one
box is sufficient for each pair, but if you keep Runts,
Pouters, Carriers, Dragoons, or Show Homers, then
two of these sugar boxes will be needed for each pair,
and they must be so arranged that each pair of birds
will know their own nests, and thus not be inclined
to wander away and interfere with their fellows in the
loft. If you have a pen-room or a shed where you
can fix up a few matching pens such as are adver-
tised in ‘‘ Pigeons,’’ you need not trouble about doing
anything to these boxes beyond nailing a strip of
wood along the front, so as to form a barrier or fence
to prevent the young birds, when you have any,
from wandering away out of the nest. If you have
no room or shed in which to mate your birds, or can-
not afford the cost of a few mating pens, tt is wise to
put a few bars on the front of each box, and a door,
so that the box looks something hike a Rabbit hutch.
A few laths nailed on with fine 1gin. French nails,
a door with two pieces of old leather for hinges, a
piece of wood to act as a button fastener, and the
nesting place is complete. What is properly the top
of the box becomes the front when the box is laid
on its side lengthways, and the sides become the bot-
tom and top. The bottom should be well covered
with sawdust, and the birds which are to be mated
should be put in together, and kept fastened up for
three or four days until they have sworn eternal
loyalty and allegiance. The food can be put on the
floor of the boxes, and water may be given them in
smal! jam jars ottside.

FOR BETTER OR WORSE.

When ‘they seem to have decided to take each
other ‘‘for better or for worse,’ the doors may be
taken off, and ‘the birds allowed to come out into the
loft. Careful watch must be made at this time to
see that they do not break. It sometimes happens
that a gay voung cock or a giddy young hen will
break away from the partner you have chosen, and
go flirting with some other body and the strange

48 PIGEONS aNpD Ary, Apout THEM.

thing is that these self-formed attachments of Pigeons
are ‘generally speaking, very strong and binding upon
the parties concerned. But as promiscuous pairing
cannot for one moment be allowed in a well-ordered
aviary, the birds must not be given the chance to pick
their own partners. Some birds pair up very quickly
and readily, and are such good-tempered, sweet dis-
positioned little creatures that they never cause their
master or mistress a moment’s worry or anniety,
whilst others are so full of the spirit of contrariness
that they would almost make a saint swear. Still, it
is no use losing one’s temper in the Pigeon loft.
Kindness, firmness, and perseverance bring their own
reward there, even as they do in many other things.

A NEEDED VIRTUE.

Patience! One needs a goodly stock of this
virtue at the commencement of the breeding season,
especially if there are any of these giddy, flighty,
refractory birds in the loft. If the birds have settled
things nicely ere you let them out, you will have no
trouble, but if you see the least sign of coldness or
indifference to the charms of the mate you have
picked for any particular bird, you must at once put
them in confinement again. If not, there will be
trouble, and a lot of it. Should you have a place in
which you can pen your birds for pairing, you should,
when they are ready, put them all in the loft together
and let them select their own nesting places. There
will be a few free fights, but you need not interfere
unless a couple of cocks should be extra puguacious,
and feel inclined to fight to the death. This does
happen sometimes, but very rarely. When it does you
must step in and fasten one pair up in a box, and let
the others take the box over which the battle- roval
arose. It is the cocks, as a rule, which select the
breeding place when the birds are turned loose in the
loft in this fashion, and it is astonishing how they
will fight for Possession of the box to which they
have taken a fancy. Speaking generally, cocks which
fight well for their ieee make most excellent parents
and good breeders.

BREEDING. 49

FEED LIBERALLY.

When the birds are first paired up they should be
fed liberally upon the best corn. Good, sound maple
peas and tares are the best feed at this time of the
year, with the addition of a few handfuls of small
maize two or three times a week.

Just a word of caution ere I leave speaking of
pairing up. Never pair up any birds that are not
thoroughly fit and ready. All birds should be
thoroughly fit, full of life and vivacity, clear in the
eve, hard and tight in plumage, bold and vigorous
in their movements, clear and bright in their calls one
to the other. Never pair birds which are dull in eye,
heavy and listless in their movements, and soft and
slack in plumage. When birds are fit the results of
the breeding season are generally good, but when they
are not, ome can expect a series of shell-less eggs,
unfertile eggs, egg-bound hens, and hens ‘‘ down
behind.’’ he latter is a term used when hens have
had such trouble in laying 'that they have ruptured
the ovaries, and have become unfit for breeding.
Condition plays a great part in the success or failure
of a loft. Get it, keep it, cling to it, and success will
be attained and failure avoided.

CONCERNING NEST PANS.

It is not wise to put the nest bowl into the box
immediately the birds are turned down in the loft, as
it is apt to make some birds a little too eager to go to
nest. It is wise to ‘‘ bide a wee,’’ watch the progress
of events, and not to introduce the nest bowl until
you see the birds are intent upon going to nest. This
you can easily tell by the manner in which the hen
is driven about all over the loft and flight by the
cock. You need not be alarmed at this driving about ;
it is quite a natural process, and the cock will not
hurt the hen. On the contrary, this ‘‘ driving to
nest,’’ is a wise provision of Nature, and its object is to
fit the hen for the task of laying. A hen that is well
driven by the cock is seldom subject to egg-binding,
the driving having the effect of reducing the flesh on
the hen, making the muscles of her body strong, yet

50 PIGEONS AND ALL ABout THEM.

flexible, so that when she comes to lay she is able to
command the full power of her muscles in the act of
voiding the eggs.

When you put the nest bowls in they should be
half filed with sawdust, upon which has been
sprinkled a few drops of turpentine. The object of
this is to keep down insects. On the top of the saw-
dust should be laid a handful of straw, in leng'ths of
three or four inches. Before putting the straw in
the bowl, rub it well in the hands so as to soften it.
lf this is not done, the eggs are apt to roll about the
bowl and get cracked, chipped, or smashed altogether.
As the birds themselves lke to have a hand in mak-
ing their nests, a handful or two of this cut straw
should be Jittered about the loft floor. This will
afford them amusement, and also keep them steady
and occupied.

A TIME FOR INSPECTION.

When you see a hen standing about in the nest
bowl after the driving process has been in operation
for a few days, you should keep a keen eve on her,
and if she has not laid when you shut the birds up
for the night, you should lift her up and examine
her carefully to see if she is egg-bound or not. If she
is, the vent 1s likely to present a swollen and distended
appearance, and upon pressing it gently you will be
able to feel the egg; but if vou cannot feel the egg
you need not worry, as hens often stand in the nest
bowl at night for a day or two before they lay the
first egg. I will say more about egeg-binding later
on. The first egg is usually laid about four or five
o’clock in the afternoon, the next day is missed,
and then about one or two o’clock on the third dav
the hen drops her second egg. During the interval
between the laying of the first and second egg the
hen will mount guard over the first egg, but she will
not commence to sit until she lays her second egg.
The period of incubation is eighteen days. Some
fanciers commence their reckoning from the date
when the first egg is laid, others when the second
makes its appearance. If you adopt the former prac-

Dr. W. E. Barker, M.B., Ch.B.

A great authority on the Racing Homer. Well known as a
writer on Pigeon matters over the nom- de-plume of ‘* De Lacy.
A regular contributor to PreEons on the subject of Racing
Homers for the show pen. His hen, True Blue, won the
Northern Section of the National Race from Mirande (727
miles), and a cock, Missing Link, won the show championship
in 1916, beating over 6,000 birds.

s)
:
Be
=

BREEDING. 58

tice, you may expect the young birds on the twen-
tieth day; if the latter, eighteen days. In the early
part of the season the hatching may be, and is, some-
times delayed a day or two longer, and contrariwise
in the height of summer the young birds chip the
shell from twelve to twenty-four hours earlier.

THE HATCHING PERIOD.

I intend speaking of some more of the trouble-
some obstacles to progress, and also hope at the same
time to show my readers how to avoid them, or
to alleviate and minimise the results thereof. The
first is a very common trouble, and arises generally
from one or two causes. It often happens that an
ege gets a slight puncture, or is cracked, during the
process of incubation. Sometimes this is caused by
the sand and excreta adhering in little balls to the feet
of the old birds, which destroys their sense of feeling,
and interferes with their turning the eggs properly.
lf the birds’ perches and nest boxes are kept thorough-
ly clean, and they are given a bath daily, eggs will
seldom, if ever, be punctured from this cause. At
other times, it may arise through a strange bird in-
vading the nest-box, and wanting to usurp the privi-
leges of its regular occupants. In such cases there
is usually a battle royal, and eggs, if not absolutely
smashed, are either punctured or cracked.

INSPECTING EGGS.

The eggs should be looked at once each day,
either first thing in the morning or the last thing at
night, the latter for preference, because accidents
more often happen during the day than they do dur-
ing the night, and, as a consequence, remedies can
be applied more quickly, and evil results more often
prevented if the diurnal inspection takes place at
night. When an egg is found to be either punctured
or cracked (that is the shell only, because it is useless
doing anything if the inner membrane has been rup-
tured), it should at once be repaired. This can be
done in two ways, one by cutting out one or two thin
strips of stamp edging, and sticking them over the

54 Pickons and Avr ApBout ‘THEM.

puncture, or along the line of the crack, or by apply-
ing a little collodion to the place injured; the latter
dries at once, and forms a complete airtight covering
over the puncture or crack; but I prefer the strip of
stamp edging myself. Care must be taken in putting
on the collodion not to let it run over the outside of
the shell; and ‘the strip of stamp edging must also
only be of sufficient width to cover and hold the shell
along the line of the puncture or crack. If much of
the outside of the shell is covered its porous character
is lost, and the young bird will be suffocated ere it
has strength enough to get out of the shell. Further,
the day previous to the egg beimg due to hatch it
should be soaked for five minutes in warm water, so
as to remove the stamp edging. I this is not done it
is quite possible the egg will not chip properly owing
to the shell being held together by the stamp edging ;
and thus the young bird will not be able to emerge
from the shell, and will be found dead, death having
been induced by its hidebound condition, consequent
on not being able to cast off the shell.

VALUE OF MOISTURE.

Some fanciers sprinkle the eggs occasionally
during the period of incubation, but this is not neces-
sary if the birds are allowed the daily use of the bath.
The reason why it is done is to prevent the inner
membrane of the shell from becoming hard, tough,
and dry. When it reaches this state the young bird
has a difficulty in penetrating it when the time comes
for the shell to be chipped. In its efforts to release
itself from the shell the young Pigeon pecks at the
inside of its prison, going all round in a straight line
at the bottom of the air space in the top of the eee.
If the inner membrane has become hard and tough
it docs not readily respond to 'the attacks of the little
bird’s beak; further, it sometimes adheres to the
head of the bird and prevents it working itself round
the egg. Those who do not sprinkle the eges day by
day during incubation, often soak them for five or
six minutes in blood-warm water the two evenings
previous to their being due to hatch. Some, instead

BREEDING. 55.

of soaking them in warm water, hold them in the
mouth for a few moments. The idea in each case is
the same, as is the effect—the softening of the inner
membrane of the egg.

ASSISTANCE IN HATCHING.

It occasionally happens that young birds chip the
egg, make the first indentation, and then for some
reason or other are unable to do more. This gener-
ally arises from weakness. When such happens a
little assistance is often attended with good results.
In fact, one friend of mine assisted twenty out of his
first thirty youngsters out of the shell during one
season. The young should hatch on the eighteenth
day following the day upon which the second egg was
laid. Therefore, on the cighteenth day, if an egg is
found to be chipped one may take it that things are
going on all right, but, if twenty-four hours after the
first little puncture has made its appearance there is
no other break, the owner might try what he can do
to assist in the breaking of the shell. Generally
speaking, at the end of the period of incubation the
shell is very brittle, and there is not much difficulty
in cracking it. A thin, blunt piece of wood or a
toothpick should be inserted in the small aperture
which the bird has made, and gently lifted upwards
and outwards round the top of egg at the line where
the body of the bird is lying. This operation must
be very carefully conducted, and only the most minute
portion of the shell broken at once. Any rough or
clumsy treatment will, nine times out of ten, mean
instant death to the young squab. Having broken
away a small portion of the shell, moisten the inner
portion by applying a little saliva from the tip of
your fore-finger. This will prevent injury to the
squab by the inner membrane being softened. Often
when this membrane is dry and adhering to the body
or head of the bird, to attempt to remove it causes
the bird pain, and brings away not only the mem-
brane, but some of the down on the squab’s head or
shoulders as well, and this is not at all desirable.

56 PIGEONS AND ALL ABpout THEM.

DON’T HURRY.

Having removed a small portion of the shell, and
lifted the membrane, if it has been found adhering
to the squab, put the egg back under the old bird,
and leave it for about one hour; then have another
look. It is quite possible you will find that the slight
assistance you gave has enabled it to move more
freely in the shell, and that it has gone on with the
work of breaking the shell itself. If it has not, you
can do a little more, but don’t do too much. Don’t
be in too great a hurry 'to make the youngsters leave.
the shell. If it is living and breathing freely be
patient, and the chanees are a hundred to one on
everything proceeding to a successful hatching. If,
however, after several hours you find the bird has
made no progress on its own account, you must do a
little more yourself. In removing the shell be very
careful to keep well within the line of the air space,
and above the head of the squab. Should you get
below you are apt to rupture some of the delicate
membranes with which the bird is enfolded, and
should you do this there is small chance of the bird
coming out alive. Keep a sharp look-out whilst vou
are cracking the shell, and should you see the faintest
trace of blood desist immediately. But one thing
never forget in these operations, and that is, the
softening influence of a little saliva.

During damp weather, there is not, as a rule,
much difficulty experienced in hatching out, unless
the parent birds are not robust. Then the young
often fail to leave the shell because they have not the
necessary vigour to burst the wall of their prison,
but when strong, healthy birds are paired, it is only
in very dry weather that there is much difficultv in
this matter. Prevention, however, in this, as in all
other matters, is better than cure. ‘Therefore, it is,
as I have said, a good plan to soak the eggs in warm
w rae see rca know n_as blood-heat. The
soaking should take place the day before the eggs are
due to hatch, and should last about five or six
minutes. There are some fanciers who do not believe
in this soaking of 'the eggs. They say it is not

BREEDING. 57

natural. Granted! But what is absolutely and en-
tirely natural in the manner in which domestic
Pigeons are bred and reared? Breeding under the
artificial conditions we do we cannot ensure natural
methods being followed. ‘Therefore, the best we can
do is to get as near to them as possible, and when we
cannot get as close as we should like, let Art step in
to aid Nature. The eggs of wild Pigeons are exposed
much more to the dampness of the atmosphere than
are those of domestic Pigeons, and the dampness thus
denied must be supplied in some other manner. The
soaking in warm water I have proved over and over
again to be of much service. JI have soaked thousands
of eggs, and I believe with the most beneficial effects.

A LESSON FROM NATURE.

That a moist atmosphere is conducive to the suc-
cessful hatching of eggs has been proved over and
over again. In addition to its exposure to the
moisture of the atmosphere, the nest of the wild
Pigeon is damped and moistened by the parent birds
themselves. They have to seek their food among
the wild grasses and growing crops, and these at morn-
ing and night contain a great deal of moisture, which
is to some greater or lesser extent communicated to
the feathers of tthe birds as they seek their food.
Again, the birds bathe in the streams in the woods
and on the edge of ponds, and bring the moisture
back to their nests. This teaches us that during the
period of incubation the bath should be liberally sup-
plied to birds which are breeding. Every day should
the baths be given. One day early in the morning,
so that the cocks may bathe before they take up their
position on the nest, and the next day after the cocks
are on the eggs. This method ensures cocks and hens
getting a bath every other day, and when it ts pro-
vided in this manner few Pigeons there are that will
refuse it. If the bath is given late in the morning
the cocks never get the use of it during the incuba-
tory period, and this is a mistake. Further, if it is
given early and allowed to remain all the morning.
so that the hens may have a turn as well as the cocks,

58 Picgons anp At, AgBoutT THEM.

the hens get nothing but dirty water to bathe in
This is most injurious to their health. I never like
to see baths in an aviary at all hours of the day. The
first thing a Pigeon does when it stands on the edge
of the bath before taking its plunge is to drink, and
if the hens have the dirty water of the cocks left for
them, it of necessity follows that they swallow a
quantity of the refuse which has been thrown off the
bodies of the cocks whilst they were bathing.

Threefold is the use of the bath during the breed-
ing season, and the fancier who allows his birds to
indulge freely in its use will never have cause to
regret the same. It makes for health, strength and
vigour in the old birds, it prevents the incubation and
accumulation of undesirable parasites, and it assists
in giving the moisture which the nest requires. The
baths should never be allowed to remain all day in
the aviaries, because if so the cocks will often bathe
when they come off the nests in the afternoon, and
this in the early part of the season means that they
cannot properly dry themselves ere the shades of
night with their chilling winds are upon them. Late
bathing is apt to result in colds and roup.

FIRST AID.

There is just one more point T would like to men-
tion in connection with helping backward hatching
youngsters. It is this: When a bird is a long time
coming out after it has first chipped, some fanciers
adopt the system of giving a little stimulant, a kind
of “first aid.’’ The difficulty which is experienced
by so many young birds in getting free of their prison
house is doubtless due to lack of vigour, therefore a
little stimulant supplies them with ‘“‘Dutch courage,”’
and they break the bonds which hold them.

The stimulant used in such cases by the knowing
ones is very weak brandy and water, the strength
being ‘about ten drops of water to three of brandy.
Why brandy in preference to any other spirit?
Because brandy is the juice of the grape. We know
what brandy is, and, therefore, it is safe to use it.
The way to administer the brandy and water is to

BREEDING. 59

take a quill toothpick (quill toothpicks are wonder-
fully useful things to a Pigeon fancier), dip the broad
end in ‘the brandy and water, taking up about three
or four drops of it, then touch the beak of the squab
with the tip of the finger; it will generally open it
slightly; as it does so, you can place the end of the
toothpick in the slight aperature, and the squab will
suck the brandy and water down.
TREATMENT OF DELICATE SQUABS.

It sometimes happens that when young birds
have emerged from the egg successfully, they are
somewhat weak, and cannot take the nourishment
their parents wish to give them. At other times the
squabs are anxious to be fed, but their parents, for
some reason or other, are not quite ready with the
needful supply of soft food. From whichever of the
two causes named !the youngsters are not being fed
it does not much matter; the fact is there, and unless
food is given to them the weakly babies will not be
long for this world. In such cases, an egg should be
beaten up and the youngsters fed with it. The best
way to do this is to use a medicine-dropper, or a tube
with which you fill your fountain-pen. Draw a small
quantity of the egg up into the glass tube, then open
the squab’s mouth, insert the point of the tube, and
gently squeeze the bulb. Only a few drops should be
given at a time, because a young squab does not want
its stomach overloaded the first two or three days of
its existence in this world. ‘‘ Little and often ’”’ is the
golden rule in such cases. It is advisable, when ad-
ministering soft food in this manner, to have an as-
sistant, as it is rather difficult to hold the squab, and
at the same time effectively handle the glass tube.
If the assistant holds the squab in his hands, it leaves
the operator with both hands free, so that with the
left hand the beak of the youngster may be easily
opened, and its head held so as to prevent its bobbing
and nodding about, whilst the right hand manipulates
the glass tube containing the beaten egg. Ai little
assistance like this, the first two days of a squab’s
life, often preserves its existence, and enables it to
continue in this world of trouble and care.

60 Pigeons AND ALL ABoutT THEM.

HOW TO HAND FEED.

Hand-feeding has also to be resorted to when the
old birds feed one squab better than the other. Some-
times one of a pair of syuabs is much more vigorous
than the other, and it obtains all, or nearly all, the
sustenance which the old birds have to give in the

way of Pigeon milk. At other times the parents
seem not to care for one of their babies as they do
the other, and systematically neglect it. There are

occasions when the old birds have not the power of
secretion sufficiently developed, and they fail to pro-
vide enough food for two healthy, vigorous squabs.
When such is the case, sometimes one squab suffers,
sometimes both. If both are equally strong, or
equally weak, they both suffer together, but if one is
stronger than the other—well, the weaker one goes
to the wall, unless the owner steps in and gives as-
sistance in the way of hand-feeding.

In any of such circumstances, the owner must
supplement what the parents are doing, and the best
way so to do is to moisten a small quantity of Spratt’s
Pigeon Food with boiling milk; mix it to the con-
sistency of thick cream, then take a small glass
syringe, plunge it into the mixture, pull out the
plunger until the glass tube is full about one-third of
the way up. Then take the squab, insert the muzzle
of the syringe inside its beak, and slowly work the
plunger down so that the creamy mass is ejected down
the squab’s throat. Should the syringe work at all
stiffly, empty it, cleanse it with warm water, and re-
charge. Let every movement be one of gentleness.
Do nothing harshly or roughly, or vou may injure the
beak or throat of a probable winner. A big, strong,
healthy, growing squab that is neglected by its
parents will take a great deal of feeding in this man-
ner, and its crop will not be filled all at once, neither
should you try so to do. The creamy mixture of
Spratt’s Pigeon Food and milk quickly thickens in
the tube, therefore after each portion of food has been
ejected from it the syringe should be cleansed. This
is eastly done by the aid of a basin of warm w ater,
which should be at hand at such a time. As the Gabe

Mr, J. E. Watmough,

Founder and formerly Editor of ‘‘ Pigeons and Pigeon World,”
“Fur and Feathe and other new pers. Founder and
Managing Director of the Fanciers’ | paper and General
Printing and Publishing Co., Ltd. life-long hb

exhibitor of Horses, Dogs, Pigeons, Rabbits, etc.

BREEDING. 63

is relieved of food it should be charged with warm
water, cleaned out, and then recharged with
the creamy mixture.

TROUBLESOME BUT USEFUL.

All this may seem very bothersome, and the tak-
ing of a deal of trouble, but I can assure you that it
does not take long; in fact, the cleansing of the tube
really expedites matters, as you can re-charge and
empty the tube much more quickly and more easily
when you cleanse it each time. Further, if it is not
cleansed in this manner it is apt to clog, and should
it clog there is nothing more natural than for the
operator to exert a little extra force on the plunger ;
he does so, it slips, with the result that the squab’s
beak is broken, its neck punctured, or its crop burst.
Should it happen that either of these accidents occur
it is wise to at once kill the injured youngster. It is
useless persevering with it after such an accident.
Still, if ordimary care and gentleness are used such
a contretemps will not happen.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER.

The chief thing to remember in all these opera-
tions is that a young squab is a very delicate little
creature, and that the spark of hfe is very quickly
extinguished if there is any rough usage. On the
other hand, life is very tenacious, and Nature does
not give way until great exhaustion takes place. It
is really wonderful how some squabs hang on when
they are neglected and only half fed by their parents.

When there are young birds about the owner
should carefully examine every nest bowl first thing
in the morning, at mid-day if possible, also at the
time of the evening feed, and most certainly the last
thing at night. If the daily vocation of a fancier is
such that he cannot give this personal attention to
his birds during the day, he should if at all possible
depute the task to someone else, but taking care to
make the first visit in the morning, and the last thing
at night himself.

64 PIGEONS AND Arty Axsout THEM.

A COMMON ACCIDENT.

It sometimes happens that a young squab gets
thrown out, or pulled out of the nest on to the floor
of the loft itself. If the latter, there will be little
chance of the owner doing anything for it, because
it is a thousand to one against its being alive when
found. It as very strange, but nevertheless perfectly
true, that such quiet peaceful living animals as Pigeons
are generally, and such good parents too, are at times
most cruel. The sight of a poor helpless squab on
the floor of the loft arouses in them some latent
feeling of cannibalism, and they at once set to work
and commit cold blooded murder. The manner in
which they do so is awfully cruel, as they simply peck
and peck at the poor little squab until it is dead.

Such a catastrophe will seldom happen if there
is a good deep ledge of four or five inches in front of
each nest box. In such cases, although a youngster
may fall out, or be pulled out of the nest pan hy
becoming entangled in its parent’s plumage, it will
get no further than the floor of the nest box. When
found by the owner it may be to all appearance dead.
There is an old proverb which says: ‘‘ Things are
not always what they seem,’’ and over and over again
have I proved its truth in Pigeon culture. When a
youngster is thus found on the floor of the nest box,
even though to all outward appearance dead, stiff and
cold, it should be taken into the house, and standing
as near to the fire as possible, the owner should hold
it in his hands, standing away from the fire every few
minutes to breathe upon the bird whilst holding it
closely between the palms of his two hands. ‘That
is, with both hands close together, and breathing
heavily upon the squab from the small aperture be-
tween the two thumbs. In holding the bird near the
fire care must be taken not to let the head be exposed
to the fierce glare of the heat; let the bird lie in the
hand upon tts back. Persevere in this manner for
some considerable time. I have known half an hour
to elapse before any signs of life were observed.

o>
Or

BREEDING.

TROUBLE WELL REPAID.

As soon as signs of life are seen the joy is great,
and you say, ‘‘ Well, it’s worth all the trouble; I
have saved a life.’ Should it so happen that you
have mot time to stay long with the bird in your
efforts towards resuscitation it is a good plan to roll it
in a piece of old flannel and place it in an old hat in
the front of the fire, or if it is a closed stove, on the
top of the stove; many a young Pigeon have I resur-
rected in this manner. ‘he trouble often is great,
but then great is the reward if you are successful.
Even if you fail, you have the joy and satisfaction
of knowing you did your best, but the odds against
you were too great for your powers. It is far better
to have striven to do something, and to have failed
in the attempt, than not to have tried at all. In the
one case there is always the comforting reflection,
“Well, I failed, but I did my best’’; whilst in the
other there is only the remorseful feeling, ‘‘I wish
I had tried; I might have succeeded.”’

EGG BINDING.

I mentioned earlier in this chapter that though
the long-standing of a hen in the nest pan is one of
the signs of egg-binding, it does not mecessarily follow
that a hen so standing is egg-bound. When that
standing is noticed in conjunction with other symp-
toms then egg-binding doubtless is present.

Egg-binding usually occurs with the first nests,
and young hens are more prone to it than old ones;
further, it generally occurs when the weather is ex-
tremely cold, and especially during the prevalence
of East winds. This being so, those who have birds
paired up must look carefully after them, as in such
weather hens ‘are apt to lose the use of their limbs,
or become egg-bound. When shutting up birds at
night, when letting them out in the morning, and
when feeding, a careful searching glance should pass
over the whole stock. If a hen is found which has
lost the use of her limbs, take her away from the
aviary into the house, and place her in a basket .some-
where near the kitchen fire, not too close, but just

D

66 Pickons and ALL Axpour THEM.

close enough for her to feel the gentle warmth of the

fire. Give a couple of Dixons Revivers, and
the chances are that in a few hours she will be all
right. She should not, however, be returned to

the breeding pen at once; let her rest for a few days
amongst the spare hens; it will give her system time
to recover itself.

SHUTTING Ul THE NEST BOX.

When the hen is taken away, you must, of
course, shut up the nest box, and put the cock bird
either among your spare cocks or else in a small
pen by himself. If you leave him in the loft without
a mate he will very soon discover that of the other
cocks he will be able to say, ‘‘ They all have a mate
but me,’’ and as a result he will determine to destroy
the peace and happiness reigning in other families,
by making love more or less to the mates of other
cocks. This leads to fighting, to the breaking of
eggs, the scalping of youngsters, the neglect of
youngsters, and other evils equally undesirable and to
be avoided if possible.

In the case of egg-binding the remedial measures
must be prompt to be effective, hence the need for a
watchful eye when in the loft alt this season of the
year, especially amongst the young hens. As pre-
vention is so much better than cure, strive to prevent
cases of egg-binding by having your birds as fit as
fiddles before pairing them.

This perfection of condition can be obtained by
letting them have plenty of exercise, an abundance
of fresh air, fresh, clean drinking water every day,
the best of food, and casy access to grit. This latter
is more important than many people think. The lime,
salts, and iron in the best grits are most essential to
the welfare of Pigeons, and are quite as essential as
good food.

SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT.

How is the young enthusiast to tell a case of
egg-binding from mere loss of limbs through cramp?
An egg-bound hen is a sorry-looking creature, and
immediately a hen is found standing in the nest-box

ed

BREEDING. 67

or pan, with her feathers wrong way up, her tail
drooping, her eyes dim and dull, and her head hang-
ing as though the muscles of her neck were broken,
egg-binding should be suspected. ‘The hen must be
caught and carefully examined. If you are satisfied
it is a case of egg-binding—and this you can easily
tell by the inflamed appearance of the vent, and by
feeling the egg near to the opening—-you should at
once set about relieving her. The first step in the
process is to dip a large feather, or a fine camel-hair
brush in sweet oil and insert it into the egg passage.
Then hold the hen over a basin of boiling water, first
stretching a piece of muslin over the top to prevent
the hen’s body coming in contact with the water and
also to catch the egg should it be voided, as it some-
times may, whilst the steaming is being performed.
Steam the hen for about a quarter of an hour or
twenty minutes, and if the egg is not passed during
this time, give her a couple of linseed oil capsules
(those sent out by Mr. Richard Woods I can strongly
recommend, because of the highly refined oil used
in their manufacture), and place her in a basket near
the fire. Don’t use an ordinary show basket, but a
good-sized square marketing basket, or a round
basket, such as is used for Fantatls and Bantams.
Such a basket allows the hen to move about, and
stretch her body and limbs, and thus in most cases
assist in bringing the egg away. If the egg has not
been passed in a couple of hours repeat the steaming.
A word of caution is necessary as to this operation.
Don’t hold the hen too close to the top of the basin
if your water is boiling, or you will scald her by the
great heat of the steam.

PROMPTITUDE NEEDED.

In cases of egg-binding, relief must be afforded
promptly as soon as ever the discovery is made that
the hen is holding her egg. Delay may mean the loss
of the hen’s life. The exhaustion in egg-binding is
great, and hens quickly become prostrate. It must
ever be remembered that as warmth is a great factor
in effecting a cure, the hen must be kept near the fire

68 Pickons anp At ABout THEM.

until she has quite recovered. If after the treatment
before given, the egg does not come away, then hot
fomentations must be tried. The ordinary decoction
of chamomile flowers is one of the best for the pur-
pose—a handful of the flowers to a pint of boiling
water. After each fomentation dry the feathers care-
fully, and make the little patient as comfortable as
possible ere returning her to the basket. The bottom
of the basket should be covered with some very soft,
well rubbed hay or a piece of old flannel. In very
stubborn cases, and as a last resort, ergot is a remedy
which may be tried. Give it in three drop doses three
times a day, till 'the poor little sufferer is relieved.

TREATMENT IN EXTREME CASES.

Prolonged cases of egg-binding usually result in
the setting up of inflammation of the egg passage. It
is, therefore, wise in such cases to give one or two
drops of laudanum in five drops of sweet or linseed
oil every three hours. This will ease the pain and
give temporary relief. It sometimes happens that the
egg becomes broken. If this does come about, then
great care must be used in getting away the whole of
the shell, or bad inflammation will be set up. Should
this happen, the ergot treatment should be resorted
to, as this will have caused the egg passage to dilate
and allow of the introduction of a small pair of
tweezers, with which to bring the shell away. Ere
using ‘the tweezers they should be sterilised by dip-
ping in boiling water, wiped dry with a piece of
medicated lint or wool, and then dipped in carbolised
oil. Some may think this unnecessary. It may be,
but remember the whole of the organs are in a highly-
inflamed state, and 'the neglect to take ordinary anti-
septic precautions may result in the loss of a valuable
hen.

WEARISOME AND IRRITATING.

Bad cases of egg-binding are most wearisome and
irritating, but one must not get anxious or excited.
It is, I know, very easy to preach, but much harder
to practise, and when one sees the best bird in the

BREEDING. 69

stud gasping for breath, and looking as though every
moment will be her last, it is not easy to be calm,
cool, and collected; and yet one must be. I don’t
know if it is animal magnetism or what itt is, but I
do know that if you are treating sick animals, and
they find you steady and cool, they seem to be in-
spired with something of the same feeling, and it
greatly aids their recovery.

A hen which has been egg-bound should not be
returned to the breeding loft for a week or ten days,
and in a severe case a fortnight or even three weeks
is not too long to give her to recuperate; the more
valuable the hen, the longer she should have to re-
cover her strength. If ample time is not given for
recovery, then you may expect another attack, or
your hen may lay shell-less eggs, or worse still, may
become ruptured, and thus useless for either the
breeding or show pen.

DIFFICULTIES GREAT.

I am thinking that some of my readers will be
coming to the conclusion that the difficulties which
beset the path of the young beginner are so numerous
that it is almost an impossibility for them to cope
with such, and are feeling somewhat dismayed. I
hope, however, their numbers are few, because,
although I have mentioned many of the difficulties
which bestrew the path of the young aspirant for
fame, I have also endeavoured to point out in the
fullest manner possible how such difficulties may be
attacked and overcome; and as knowledge is power,
the knowledge that such difficulties have to be met
and overcome is in itself a source of power; whilst
the further knowledge of how to effectively cope wilth
them, how and when they arise, enables the new
beginner to feel (that is, if he is possessed of an
ordinary amount of pluck) that come what may he
has the power to grapple successfully with the dis-
advantages associated with Pigeon culture; and know-
ing he has this power will press forward to dare and
conquer ‘the adverse moods of Mother Nature.

70 PIGEONS AND Atl ABour THEM.

Given ordinary natural ability I maintain that
what one fancier has done, another may do, even if
he does not make advance on what has been done
before. Those young fanciers who read my book
should remember that the novices of thirty years ago
had no such assistance as those of to-day receive.
Elementary, educative articles were seldom seen in
those days, whilst cheap handbooks dealing
with Pigeon life were also unknown. Thirty years
ago fanciers had to grope and grope, dig and delve,
and search and seck in the blindness and blackness
of ignorance; yet they conquered. If they could do
it, surely the novices of to-day ought to prove vic-
torious in tenfold degree, because of all the aids to
success which they have at command. Indomitable
pluck and energy will carry one far, and there is no
height in the Pigeon Fancy which may not be scaled
by the young aspirant to honours if he is only deter-
mined to make full use of the aids to success which
are within his grasp.

PREPARATION FOR THE SECOND NEST.

But to get back to our Pigeons. When the young
birds are from a fortnight to three weeks old their
parents will manifest a desire to go to nest again.
This is often a troubled and anxious time to the new
beginner. He sees the old birds so intent upon
bringing another pair of squabs into the world, and
they neglect those to which they have already given
life. This is a time when the owner can do much.
With some birds little has to be done, because no
matter how anxious they may be to go to nest again
they never ccase to look after the youngsters they
have already brought into the world. The owner
should, however, keep a watchlul eve over any young
squabs which are in the nests at such time. If they
are very choice birds, no harm will be done if each
morning and night he gives one or two of Woods’
Nutrisules, or Tocher’s Invigorators, to the young-
sters, whilst if they are being negleat ed, he will be
doing a great deal of good by possibly saving the
lives of his squabs; in any case, he will, by giving

Mr. Robert E. Pauwels, of Brabant, Belgium,

Breeder and exhibitor of high-cle Barbs and Jacobins in all

colours, but specialises in the former. In addition to having

accounted for thousands of prizes at the best Continental

shows, Mr. Pauwels’ wins in 1913 included—lst Dairy, 1st and

2nd Crystal Palace; 1919, Ist Dairy, two Ists, two 2nds, and 3rd

Manchester. The stud is managed by Mr. R. 8. Powell, well-
known to those who visit our classic shows.

BREEDING. 73

them these capsules, enable them to assimilate more
fully what food the old birds have to give them, and
also enable them to feather quickly.

USEFUL PRECAUTIONS.

When the old birds are going to nest again they
often forget to cover the young squabs at night, and
this is when the harm is done. Young squabs that
are kept warm at night, even though they may not
be over well fed, will thrive and do better than those
which are better fed but having nothing to keep them
warm through the long cold nights of the early part
of the season. When a fancier finds that the old
birds are again driving to nest, he should take careful
notice of his stock as soon as might closes in, and if
those hens intent on preparing for their second family
neglect to cover their early babes, artificial covering
should be provided im the shape of a piece of old
flannel or blanket being thrown over the nest pan each
night.

CARELESS PARENTS.

Should the parents be on further matrimonial
projects so intent that they neglect to feed their first
babes the owner will have to hand-feed them. When
this is needed, a quantity of mixed corn, maple peas,
tares, wheat, dari, and some small Indian corn should
be soaked in water for 24 hours, and given to the
squabs. ‘There are two methods of hand-feeding.
One is by taking a handful of ithe soaked corn and
forcing it into the throats of the squabs by the mani-
pulation of the forefinger and thumb—and some fan-
ciers are very clever in so filling a youngster’s crop.
The other method is to fill the mouth with the soaked
corn. Place the beak of the youngster between the
lips, and by the action of the tongue eject the corn
into the squab’s crop. I have known fanciers who
could thus feed a dozen youngsters as quickly and
effectively as their own parents would feed them.

A NEEDFUL CAUTION.

In connection with this hand-feeding with soaked
corn, I must give a special word of warning. After
the water in which it has peen soaking has been

74 PIGEONS AND ALL AxBour THEM.

strained off the corn, boiling water should be poured
over it, and allowed to stand for a few moments so
as to warm the corn right through. If this is done
the food so given is much more easily digested by
the young squabs. They feel more comfortable than
if a lot of cold water-logged food is rammed into their
crops. Digestion being rendered more easy is also
more thorough. There is not the severe tax on the
digestive organs, the food is more easily assimilated,
its nutriment more quickly and thoroughly extracted,
and there is less possibility of diarrhcea and other
intestinal troubles being set up.

As a tule, the neglect of the youngsters only
lasts for a few days, and then having got over the
fever and excitement of thinking of the second nest,
the old birds take up their parental duties again in
the most exemplary manner; but it is during those
few days that the future of many a would-be cham-
pion is not only marred, but completely spoiled.
Hence the great importance of the birds being well
watched at this time and artificial feeding being re-
sorted to. No breeder of high-class birds should enter
upon the breeding season’s campaign without a supply
of Wood’s Nutrisules or Tocher’s Invigorators.
There are times in the life of a young squab when one
of these assistants to the upbringing of young Pigeons
is worth its weight in gold. To be forewarned is to
be forearmed.

FROM SQUABDOM TO SQUEAKERDOM.

When the hen has laid her second batch of eggs
and gone 'to nest, the cock will do the major portion
of the work entailed in looking after the first family.
He it is who will see that they get their breakfast in
the morning, as the hen will then be on the nest, and
he it is who will give them their supper at night;
and these are the two most important meals in the day
for young growing Pigeons just emerging from squab-
dom to squeakerdom. JI may say there that whi'st
young Pigeons are in the nest-pan and have not much
except down to cover them, they are known as squabs,
but when they are feathered and leave the nest-box

BREEDING. ro)
and begin to take interest in the great world outside,
they are styled squeakers. How the two names
originated I am unable to say, but the latter appella-
tion is indeed a good one, for the young Pigeon from
three to eight or ten weeks is a most effective
sdueaker. He not only squeaks when he wants food,
but he squeaks if he is handled, and he also squeaks
if other Pigeons interfere with him.

EARLY RISING NEEDFUL.

During the breeding season the would-be success-
ful fancier must be up betimes in the morning. Firsts,
specials, and challenge cups are not for the sluggard.
If young Pigeons are to make prize-winners in after
life they must be kept growing, and the best way to
keep them growing is to let them have plenty of good
food, early and late. Pigeons, like all other winged
fowl of the air, are early risers, and they begin to
move about even before the sun is above the horizon ;
and for young Pigeons to have to run about for a
long time in the cold air of the early morning with
nothing in their crops is not conducive to growth of
body, muscle, or feather. As it is most important
that these should be developed in the best manner
possible, it will at once be seen how necessary it is
that the young birds should go to bed with their
crops full, and have them replenished as early as
possible in the morning, because during the long
watches of the night the food given at eventide will
have been digested, and all its warmth-giving and
growth-giving properties assimilated. Warmth is a
great factor in the growth of a young Pigeon’s body,
and also in its feathering.

VALUE OF AN EARLY FEED.

Now we are all of us fully aware that we our-
selves feel the raw, nippy air of the early Spring
mornings far more before breakfast than we do after,
and if we do—how much more must the naked squabs
and half-naked squeakers! With a full stomach they
not only grow and make feather, but their bodies are
strengthened and built up so that they are able to

76 Piczeons anp Arr AsoutT THEM.

withstand the microbes of any disease which may be
stalking about. It must ever be remembered that
birds which are only half-fed, or improperly fed, are
ever more prone to disease than those which, by
reason of good feeding, are strong, lusty, and of full
habit. The ordinary rules of life hold good all
through the animal world, and what is good for man
is also good for beast.

Therefore, I say to all my young friends: Never
neglect to feed your Pigeons early in the morning,
especially during the breeding season. It may not be
over pleasant to turn out on the frosty mornings of
the early part of the season, but it is absolutely need-
ful if the birds are to do well; and further, the benefit
of the early rising will not all be on the side of the
Pigeons, although that should be enough to bring it
about. Early rising brings its own reward in in-
creased health and vigour to those who practise it,

THE WEANING TIME.

By the time the second pair of eggs are due to
hatch the first pair of babes will be able to do for
themselves, and they should be removed from the
house in which they have thus far lived. If it is not
possible to remove them to another house—well, then,
they must perforce remain; but when and wherever
possible young squeakers should be removed from
their parents about two or three days before the next
family is due. The reasons why this should be done
are several. In the first place they will, if left, inter-
fere considerably with the fresh-comers, and with the
comfort of the parents, they will be continually
clamouring to be fed, and thus will get a share of
the food which should go to nourish their younger
brothers and sisters. They will also be climbing
about in the nest-pan, and possibly trample the new
babes to death; or if they don’t do it themselves will
cause the parents to do so. Another point in this
direction is also worthy of consideration. Should it
so happen that the parents are so enamoured of their
new family, they may not make any attempt to feed
those whom they know should now be starting life

7

BREEDING. 17

on their own, and the consequence is that the
squeakers, having been used to receive their meals
from their parents, stand about waiting for the food
which cometh not, and thus their growth and develop-
ment is checked. This does not happen when they
are taken away and placed in another loft. They are
out of sight, and out of mind of their parents, and
self-preservation being the first law of Nature they
soon set about feeding themselves. It sometimes
happens that when babes number two make their
appearance the parents not only refuse to feed babes
number one, but will so resent their presence that
they set about them, pecking them with their beaks
and hitting them with their wings, and in this manner
do them serious injury. From this it will be seen that
for the sake of the parents, for the sake of the early
family, and for the sake of the younger babes, it is
wise and prudent to have a nursery ‘house to which all
young birds may be removed as succeeding nests come
round.
A TIME FOR CARE AND CAUTION.

The weaning time is an important period in the
lives of our young squeakers, and under the very best
of conditions they not only do not make headway for
a few days, but they go backwards, and lose ground
somewhat. This, however, may be minimised to some
considerable extent by their owner constituting him-
self foster parent for a few days if necessary. For a
few days, sometimes, the novelty of their new phase
of life seems to prevent the squeakers from feeding
as they should do. Should this happen, their owner
must resort to hand-feeding in the manner I described
in a previous chapter.

This, too, is the time when those splendid aids to
Pigeon culture, Woods’ Nutrisules, are of the greatest
benefit. At this time more than any other are they
of service to the rearer of high-class squeakers, and
many a life will they save if given two or three times
a day. Many and many a future challenge cup winner
has owed its life to them, and the fact that they are
used by many of our leading fanciers in all varieties

78 PIGEONS AND Ay ApBoutr ‘THEM.

puts the hall-mark upon them. If they are found to
be of service by men who are well versed im the man-
agement of Pigeons, how much more valuable must
they be to the young amateur who is not up to all the
little dodges which experience teaches?

ADVANTAGES OF TO-DAY.

This is one of the things in which the amateur
of to-day has an advantage over fanciers of twenty or
thirty years back. In those days there were none
such. Good food even was difficult to obtain, but
now we have corn-chandlers all over the kingdom
taking far more interest in Pigeon corn than they
used to do, and some even making it a special line
of their business. This being so, Pigeon-keeping is
a much more pleasant and profitable hobby than it
used to be in the days of yore. Happy thev who are
fanciers in the twentieth century.

The treatment which I have described for the
first pair applies with equal force to the second and
third pairs, and beyond this it is not wise to go.
Three pairs of young are quite enough for any pair
of Pigeons to bring up in a season. The reasons why
are various. In the first place late-bred voungsters
never do much good. ‘They are born too late to ever
have any chance in the show pen, and are too voung
to commence breeding with at the beginning of the
following season. It should be an unwritten rule in
the management of every Pigeon aviary never to
hatch out any eggs laid after the end of June; some of
our most successful fanciers are even more stringent
still against late-bred birds, and they never allow their
birds to incubate any eges laid after the first or second
week in June.

LATE BREEDING TO BE AVOIDED.

Late-hatched birds are, of necessity, late in moult-
ing, and late-moulting birds are slow-moulting birds,
which means that they are casting their coats during
the cold, damp davs of November and December, at
which time they need all the sustenance they derive
from their food to keep the cold out, and give support

Mr. R. H, Bellamy.

A successtul breeder and exhibitor of Long-faced Beard
Tumblers, winning challenge bowls, cups, and _ specials,
Crystal Palace, Dairy, Manchester. Bristol, Altrincham, and
all the elub shows. Won Ist Altrincham seven years in
succession. Has produced more winning reds and yellows
during the past fifteen years than any other breeder.

a
i

BREEDING. 81

to their bodies. Thus, if they are moulting at such
time, there is a double strain on their systems, and
the consequence is that neither do their coats grow
properly, nor are their constitutions kept in full force
and vigour. Bad as this is for the young stock, it
is infinitely worse for the old birds. The strain of
rearing four or five nests of youngsters is great, and
when they have done so it stands to reason their
supply of nervous energy and constitutional vigour
has been severely taxed, and must of necessity be at
a low ebb. Thus, when the moult commences, which
it does before they have finished tending their last
nest of babes, they have not the requisite strength to
go through it in a healthy normal manner. As a
consequence they become ready prey, not only to
colds and chills, but to many other ailments to which
Pigeon flesh is heir, and which are generally stalking
about through the loft seeking something to devour.
Many and many a good old hen has been lost owing
to her owner’s greed in seeking to take too many
youngsters from her.

HOW NOT TO DO IT.

As an illustration of the harm that is done by
late breeding, I will give a case which came under
my notice some time since. A fancier known to me
was the possessor of a wonderfully good bird, one of
the best of its variety living. He had never owned
such a good specimen before, and as the breeding
season progressed the owner found that the pride of
his loft was just as good a'stock bird as he was a show
bird. The youngsters he produced were magnificent
specimens of their kind, and well fitted to uphold the
honour of the loft in the show pen. This being so,
my friend bred on and on until he had taken no less
than six nests from his champion. Breeding both
early and late, he burned the candle at both ends, with
the result that the gem of his collection never moulted
properly, was in a sort of half-moulted, ragged state
all through the winter, and thus was never fit to
show. ‘The next year’s breeding season came round,
and the bird was paired up, with the result that the

82 PIGEONS AND ALL AxsovutT THEM.

first nest contained unfertile eggs. My friend is now
as wise as the legendary Raven, and with him it is a
case of ‘‘ Nevermore.’’ My warnings were unheeded.
‘The bird was a big, strong, lusty specimen, and he
would moult all right,’’ was the owner’s answer to
my remonstrances. But he found that the breeding
had taken too much out of his constitution, and he
did not moult ‘all right.” He has learnt wisdom by
experience, and will not again repeat his foolishness
and breed late.

PAIR NO. 1.

1908. Cock. Cup. Palace.

1909. Hen. Ist. Dairy.
[Tas | vouxe. | Rune | Nowomnmo |
re a a

March17 | 2 | x |
_ a ae ims |
a oa ann Gaeneas Aenea)
= jens, ij a - i a a To as)

N.B.- Above hen is liable to be egg-bound.

A useful Reference Card, which may be fastened to
outside of each nest box for daily memoranda,

LOOKING AHEAD.

Fanciers must ever remember that there is the
future to think of as well as the present, and that if
birds are to be fit, strong, lusty, ‘and hearty at the
end of February, when the pairing-up time comes,
they must not be bred with beyond the month of
July. Then young birds which are hatched in August
and September are not sufficiently matured by the
next breeding season to become the parents of strong,
healthy youngsters. They may go to nest, they may

BREEDING. 88

have fertile eggs, and they may rear their young, but
there iis never the virility, vigour, and vivacity about
their stock that there is about the stock of birds which
are not paired up until they are fully matured. If
birds are hatched in July they are only seven months
old when paired up the following February, and this
surely is young enough in all conscience! ‘T'o mate
up birds under this age is to court disaster instead of
success.

To get back, however, to our newly-weaned
babies. They must be carefully watched for some
time, and if they are at all valuable it will not be a
case of love’s labour lost if they are given a couple of
Dixon’s Cod Liver Oil and Quinine Capsules each
night for a month after they are taken away from
their parents.

The staple food for newly-weaned Pigeons should
be the same as that which is given to the breeding
birds, and which should be equal parts of maple peas,
tares, wheat, and dari, with just a sprinkling of small
thaize; whilst each night after they have had their
feed of corn they should be given a dish of Spratt’s
Pigeon Food. This is a most admirable preparation,
being strong in protein and carbo-hydrates. and is of
great assistance in building up strong, robust con-
stitutions in the young stock, assisting them in the
putting on of muscle and the development of feather.

CLEARING OUT THE WASTERS.

When the second nest of youngsters have
reached the weaning stage, they should be treated in
exactly the same way as that recommended for the
first, and by this time, in many varieties the early
youngsters will be sufficiently developed for their
owners to know if they are likely to be of any use
for either show or stock. A large proportion of the
birds bred may be only fit for killing, and the earlier
thev are killed the less will be the corn-bill; and the
better birds, having more room given them, will
develop more freely and become finer and stronger
birds than if herded up and overcrowded with a lot
of second-raters. Further, from six weeks to two

84 PIGEONS AND ALL ABout THEM.

months, young Pigeons make very mice eating—
either roasted and served with bread sauce and
crumbs, after the manner of partridge or pheasant,
or under a nice brown pie-crust. After the age of
two months their flesh becomes hard and stringy,
and is not so succulent or appetising. Therefore,
never hesitate to kill your wasters early.

“But how am I to know which are my wasters?”’
I hear some of my young friends say. Quite true;
you will not know what to kill and what to leave to
grow and mature. Therefore, my advice to you is to
seek out some other fancier in your immediate
neighbourhood who has some experience, and ask
him to go through your stock with you. Under his
guidance and counsel you will soon learn which to
keep and which to reject. If it should happen that
you are so situated that you cannot find anyone to
advise you, well then, you must trust to your own
knowledge and imstinct, or else let all grow up to-
gether, the good and the bad. If, however, you
have any idea at all of the variety you are keeping
you will be able to pick out those that are real
wasters. For instance, in Dragoons, it would be
useless keeping a very down-faced, spindley-beaked
youngster ; in Homers or Tumblers, birds with coarse
light ceres are useless, except for cooking; Jacobins
with split hoods and very thin broken chains; Fan-
tails with wry tails, uneven gappy tails, no action,
and long legs; Magpies and Tumblers badly mis-
marked, or wrong in head structure; Turbits and
Owls with narrow skulls, fine beaks, and pinched
faces are all amongst those that should be killed.
They are only cumberers of the ground, eating good
food which should be consumed by better birds, and
depriving those better birds of the greater amount of
fresh air and exercise-space which they should have.

CHANGING MATES.

By the time the second round is a fortnight old,
the breeder will have seen enough to be able to form
some idea of the results of the different experimental
matings which have been made. In some cases they

BREEDING. 85

will have been all that could be desired; in others,
quite the reverse. In the former, of course, it will
be wise to leave alone, but in the latter something
must be done to see if the ideal which was being
aimed for cannot yet be secured ere the season has
run its course.

As an instance of what I mean I will give a case
in point. A breeder of red and yellow self Tum-
blers, anxious to improve the head properties of his
strain, has introduced a cock from another strain,
quite equal to his own in shape, colour and style, but
decidedly better in head. He has mated this bird
to a most excellent hen, the best in his stud, but the
result has not been what he expected. Certain it is,
head and colour have both been improved by the
cross, but with this improvement has come a failing
hitherto unknown in the stud—white feathers in the
tails of the young. This may have come from the
cock, or from the hen. One cannot be sure which.
It is most probably a throwing back to some remote
ancestor on one side or the other. The white blood
has been there all these years, but it has lain latent.
The infusion of alien blood has awakened it into life,
and it has shown itself in the tails of the young.
These youngsters, of course, are useless as exhibition
birds. No matter how they may develop, they can
only be used as stock birds, and very carefully even
at that. That, however, concerns the future; the
present is what we have to deal with.

HOW TO DO It.

Unless the season is to be wasted, so far as these
two birds are concerned, they must be dismatched,
and fresh mates found for each of them. In doing
this they must, as soon as separated, be kept for about
a week or ten days, not only out of sight and sound
of each other, but also of all other birds, if this is pos-
sible. If it is not, then they must certainly be kept
out of sight and sound of each other, or they will,
although unable to see each other, yet call to one
another, and refuse to be comforted by the advances
of the fresh mate, which will thave to be introduced

86 PiGEoNS and ALL ABoutT THEM.

to them. When a dismatching of this character takes
place, two pairs usually are involved, because of the
necessity of finding fresh mates, unless it be in a large
stud where a number of both cocks and hens are held
in reserve.

Immediately the birds are taken from the breeding
loft their nest-box should be fastened up. This will
prevent other birds from starting on a roving career,
and save a lot of squabbling and fighting when the
birds which have been re-matched are brought back
into the loft. In bringing them back it is most essen-
tial that each cock should be placed in the same nest-
ing box with his new mate as he occupied with his
first love. The reason why, does some young reader
wish to know? Because the cock bird is the one
which selects the home for his bride, and having
inhabited it with his first love will certainly endeavour
to introduce his second love to it, should his owner
be so foolish as to place him elsewhere. Let the cock
have his original home; it will do much to make him
forget his first love, and encourage him to settle down
with the second bride of his master’s choosing.

SIMPLE YET IMPORTANT MATTERS.

I have been progressing somewhat too fast. When
the birds that have not fulfilled expectations are dis-
matched they must, as I have said, have a week or
ten days solitary confinement, or else be placed with
other surplus cocks and hens. If this latter course is
followed it will be beneficial, because the birds will
be getting regular exercise and baths, which they
will not get if the resources of the stud are such that
they have to be penned up. Having been given time
to forget their first loves they will pair up the more
quickly when introduced to their new mates. These
are simple little matters, but upon their neglect or
carrying out great issues may hang, and it is in these
little things that the voung fanciers need advice and
guidance. Wisdom comes with experienec, and the
old hands are apt to smile at times at simple and
elementary teaching. They may smile. They have
learnt wisdom, some of them at great cost; because

Mr. James Staite Murray.

A well-known believer in the potency of the cock; a writer on
the subject of “The Pond of Little Fishes” or the ‘* Atoms
of Life’! A member of the Middlesex Columbarian Society,
the Long-faced Self Club, the London Long-faced Tumbler
Club, the Scottish Long-faced Tumbler Club, and the South
London Columbarian Society. Won the Red Self Bowl in 1917.

BREEDING. 89

in years gone by the young budding aspirant for fame
was not thought about as he is to-day, and not being
thought about was not catered for. Only those whose
position brings them into close touch with the novices
know how very disconcerting and disheartening to
them are the little details of management which need
care and thought, and the questions which are
addressed to myself and others who are looked upon
in some degree as guides in Pigeon lore, are almost
pathetic in their intense eagerness. They often cause
me to think of my salad days, and of the stupid things
I used to do for want of knowing better.

THE RE-INTRODUCTION TO THE LOFT.

When re-matched birds are returned to the loft
they must be carefully watched for a few days, just
to see that they settle down all right. It often happens
that the other birds in the loft want to have a say in
the domestic arrangements of the mnewly-married
couples. Sometimes it arises from curiosity, at others
from downright cussedness, but be the cause what it
may, the interference must be prevented. If there is
any interference it will be wise to shut the newly-
married ones up in their nesting-box for a few days,
say until such time as the hen has laid and commenced
incubation. To carry this out effectually and secure
either the birds or their home from molestation by
interfering or inquisitive neighbours, the newly-
married ones should be let out to feed, and as soon as
they are out their nesting box should be shut up to
keep out intruders. After they have fed and bathed
the box may be opened, and the birds allowed to go
back of their own accord. If it should happen that
they are at all dilatory, then they must be caught and
returned to the box, and the entrance barred to all
who may seek to call upon them. The reason for all
these precautions is that there is no time to lose, and
that if the re-matched birds are interfered with it
may result in clear eggs, soft-shelled eggs, or eggs
being smashed as soon as laid; should such happen
then the re-matching will have been labour in vain.

90 PIGEONS AND Arty ABpout THEM.

Many will say they can understand that eggs
may be broken by the interference of outsiders, but
why should that interference cause shell-less eggs?
The shell-less eggs will be caused by the hens becom-
ing excited and passing their eggs before they have
become properly shelled. Any outside excitement at
such a time is bad for both cocks and hens, and will
generally tend to evil results.

\ TIME OF REST.

Between the end of the breeding season and the
commencement of the moult birds should be given a
time of rest. It is only common humanity and
common sense, too, to allow them time to recuperate
from the effects of the breeding season ere they are
plunged full into the moulting period. Therefore I
advocate an early cessation of breeding. Birds that are
bred heavily are more than likely to have a very bad
time during the moult, owing to their systems having
become exhausted by the work which they have
undergone. Clear out all breeding utensils extra
early, and give the houses a thorough turn-out. Those
who love the whitewash brush can use it now to their
heart’s content without fear of much evil in the way
of colds resulting from the dampness of the boards
and walls, whilst in addition to sweetening the lofts,
the hme on the walls and ceilings will also tend to
keen them cool in the excessively hot weather.

CLEARING THE SYSTEM.

Birds which have been breeding should, on being
separated, have what is known amongst stock breeders
as a ‘‘clearing out.’ This, however, must be done care-
fully and judiciously. An expert in a Faney journal
recommended some voung fancier to give his birds a
solution of Epsom Salts of a strength which, to me,
was appalling. The strength advised was one ounce
of Epsom Salts to eight of water. My experience
teaches me that the effects of Epsom Salts on Pigeons
are very active, and that half an ounce of Epsom
Salts is sufficient to medicate a gallon of water,

BREEDING. 91

It must be remembered that in the course of a
summer’s day Pigeons drink a large quantity of water,
and that if it is made too salty very serious injury is
_ likely to accrue, even if death does not follow. I have
known more than one fancier who has suffered from
giving his birds a solution of Epsom Salts of too con-
centrated a character. If, when the breeding pens
are broken up, the birds are given Epsom Salts each
day for a week, in the proportion of half an ounce of
salts to each gallon of water, it will cleanse their
systems of all morbid humours, and render their blood
clean and cool ready for the moult. I need not say
more here as to the moult and the treatment of birds
therein.

CHAPTER V.
EMBRYOLOGY.

During the breeding season many fanciers are
troubled with bad hatchings, and they are often unable
to account for it. In some cases it may be the result
of breeding with birds which are too old, too young, or,
which owing to some weakness, either of the generative
organs or some other part of the body are not fit and
proper subjects to be engaged in the propagation of
their species.

I heard rather an interesting argument on this point
some time ago at a gathering of fanciers, and various
were the reasons assigned for the state of things pre-
vailing. Each member of the party had some pet
theory of his own to propound as to the why and
wherefore of it, yet none agreed with the other. One
argument adduced was that in these cases of fertile eggs
not hatchine, the hen, and the hen alone, was to blame,
because once a cock had fertilised an egg it was fertil-
ised, and its after development depended entirely upon
the hen. If a hen was strong and healthy the young
Pigeon had nothing to do but mature in the same
manner as a seed grows and develops in the ground.
At the time the argument seemed to me very convinc-
ing, but afterwards came the thought that there was
bad seed and bad ground, and unless a gardener puts
good seed into good ground he cannot produce a prolific
crop.

PERFECT CONDITION NEEDFUL.

Does not the same hold good in embry ology?
Surely when one thinks the matter out carefully it is
absolutely necessary that both parents should be as fit
as fitcan be. An unhealthy or immature cock cannot
fertilise the eggs so effectively as one which is in full
strength and vigour. Poor seed cannot produce a prolific

i)

EMBRYOLOGY. 9:

QO

crop, no matter how good the ground. Again, be the
cock a strong, vigorous bird, in the very zenith of his
power as a reproducer of his kind, how is it possible
for him alone to ensure strong, healthy progeny ?
Careful thought has led me to the conclusion that the
cock must be equally fit with his mate if we are to get
the best results.

Embryology is a science which has occupied the
attention of some of the greatest scientists in the world,
and for ages learned professors and doctors have been
studying it. Yet with all their skill, all their carefully
balanced and delicate instruments, and all their devo-
tion, they tell us that the science is even yet in its
infancy. This is the conclusion of men who have made
it a lifelong study for the sake of benefitting the human
race. If these great and learned authorities are still
so much in the dark, and openly acknowledge their
lack of knowledge, is it to be wondered at that ordinary
fanciers know so little about what to them is one of the
most important subjects with which they have to deal ?

WHY FANCIERS ARE IN THE DARK.

At the first glance it seems ridiculous that so little
is really known by fanciers concerning the mysteries of
embryology, yet second thoughts quickly give us a
reason why ’tisso. As fanciers we are most earnest in
our endeavour to produce, year by year, birds which
shall excel in structural, feather, and colour properties
the birds of the season immediately preceding. On-
ward and upward is the motto of the aspiring fancier,
and his whole thought is concentrated on reaching the
very apex of perfection as shown forth in the standards
governing the variety he is interested in producing in a
state of faultless beauty So enamouredis he of his love
of the beautiful, the ideal which he has set before him,
that he does not stop to consider and think out the
weighty and mighty problems of Nature which assist
him in climbing the heights which lie before him. The
development of the embryo is hidden from his eyes by
the shell in which it is contained, and so valuable are
the contents of that shell, that he dare not, he cannot,
investigate the processes by which Nature assists him in

94 Pickons anp Ary, Asour THEM.

reaching his ideal. Further, did he set himself to study
those hidden workings of Nature, he would have no
time left in which to work and produce those marvelous
specimens of the breeders’ art with which he hopes to
capture first, special and cup at the great event of the
year. Thus it is that the man who produces year by
year the most wonderful and beautiful specimens of the
Columbophile race 1s absolutey in the dark as to the why
and the wherefore of the mysterious methods by which
his results are achieved. Were it possible for a fan-
cier to study, in a careful and painstaking manner, the
science of embryology, side by side with the work of
producing his cup winners, we should know far more
than we do now as to how Nature works from the time
of the ege being impregnated till the squab leaves the
shell.
HOW TO AVOID BAD HATCHING.

One way to avoid the bad hatching of which I spoke
is to breed only from birds which are thorouchly fit in
every particular. It is a very common practice with
fanciers to pair up an old cock with a young hen, and
a young cock with anoldhen. The idea itself is a good
one; the extra vigour of the youthful member of the
pair is intended to counteract and counterbalance the
impaired vitality of the older member. So far so good,
but it should be remembered that a young cock is much
more forward than an old hen, and his very ardour and
vivacity may cause him to so stimulate and excite his
mate that she really comes into a breeding state earlier
than she would have done had she been left to follow
her own inclinations and the dictates of Nature. We
all know we cannot force Nature’s hand without her
getting her own back with interest. She will be com-
pensated for every outrage we perpetrate against her
laws, and compensated in a manner which ofttimes up-
sets and frustrates all the carefully laid plans of a
season’s breeding.

THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED.

What is the great lesson for us here? Why, that
in all our breeding arrangements we should seek to
study Nature’s methods as closely as possible, and not

. Capt. St, John Hornby.

A veteran Pigeon faneier, Sf years old. Commenced keeping
Pigeons 1818; still keeping Pigeons 1920. First President of
the Pigmy Pouter Club.

EMBRYOLOGY. 97
work in antagonism to her teachings more than we can
possibly help. Asan instance, we will take the case of
a fancier with a valuable old hen. A bird of marvel-
lous structural properties, or, maybe, excelling in
colour and feather—a bird which, for some seasons, has
held her position as the acknowledged champion of her
variety; she has bred for several seasons and produced
good stock, but now the parental cares of past vears,
and the effects of spending many days and nights in the
show baskets and pens are telling upon her constitution,
and although still healthy, she has lost the virility and
vivacity of her early days. <A year of two ago she
would be in fit breeding condition early in February
possibly, but with age and the artificial life she has led
it is now absolutely impossible for her body to recuper-
ate itself from the exhaustion and fatigue of the show
season till the end of March, or the beginning of April.
Her heedless, thoughtless owner pairs her up at the end
of January with a very vigorous, full-blooded young
cock. What is the result? This young mate natur-
ally wishes to commence the work of setting up house-
keeping; he gets anxious and worries his lady love be-
cause she will not respond to his advances—she would
if she could. He gets more and more persistent, and
so excites his mate that he stimulates her feelings, and
her powers of reproduction are hastened instead of be-
ing allowed to develop naturally and quietly. | Under
such circumstances can one expect the best results? A
moment’s careful thought must, from the veriest tyro
and most inexperienced of fanciers, give an unequivocal
negative. ;

CONSIDER THE VETERANS.

This being so, is it wise to attempt to rush our
old warriers? They are, indeed, the flowers of our
flock, and should be most carefully tended. A hen
such as I have described, paired at the proper time,
could go on for years delighting the fanciers at shows
by her marvellous beauty, and her owner by her home
bringing of firsts and specials, and the production of
progeny which should even excel their parents in
beauty and value. On the other hand, should she be
paired up too early ere she is ready to respond to the

E

98 PIGEONS AND Ary ABout THEM.

love calls of her mate, what can one expect? — Shell-
less eges, undeveloped young dead in shell, fully
developed babes brought to the hour of birth, yet
lacking the necessary strength to break the shell
enveloping them, and thus gain entrance to life,
squabs which die in the nest, squeakers which, though
reared, shuffle off to the happy hunting grounds im-
mediately the moult commences, because they have not
stamina enough in them to withstand the strain on
the system which the moult entails. Is this any fancy
picture I have drawn? Isit not true to life? Is there
one of us with any lengthened experience of the Fancy
but what has seen many such cases? There can only
be one answer to these searching questions, and that
isa direct and unqualified No. What is needed in the
following out of all general rules in regard to Fancy
matters is more thought as to their applicability to
individual cases. How many an ardent young fan-
cier wrecks his chances of success by generalising too
much, and individualising or specialising too little?
General rules and principles are needed, and are quite
correct and proper in their place, but we must ever
remember that the individual characters, dispositions,
and constitutions of our pets must be studied in con-
nection with those general rules which must ever be
adapted and conformed to local environment. Only
by so doing can we reap pleasure and profit from our
treading out of the maze of the Fancy.

THE QUESTION OF ENVIRONMENT.

Some time since a friend asked : —‘‘ Do you think
the embryo is likely to be harmed by unhealthy sur-
roundings?’? Most certainly Ido. It is well-known

that the shell of an egg is porous, therefore, through
the pores the embryo must, of necessity, inhale any
foulness of atmosphere which may surround the nest
pan. It may be that the air of the loft is generally
vitiated by some cause which is outside, and this, no
doubt, will have its effect upon the voung Pigeon,
which is, or should be, growing to the perfection of
unseen life. In a word, it is, I believe, quite possible
for the embryo to be suffocated by impure gases in-

EMBRYOLOGY. 99

haled through the shell. Another cause is that owing
to the shell of the egg becoming coated with excreta,
or other kind of dirt, the squab is gradually suffocated,
whilst it should be developing.

SLOW POISON, YET POISON.

The more one studies this question of the reason
why youngsters do not chip, the more apparent it be-
comes that unnatural surroundings have something to
do with it. A loft which is kept closely shut up at
night so that all the air becomes exhausted and vitiated
is not likely to produce strong, healthy squabs.
Neither is one in which too many birds are kept, for
the exhalations of the inmates quickly renders the
atmosphere poisonous. Like the old lady’s stewed
tea, it may be slow poison, but it is poison, none the
less. It is many a day now since I went birds’ nesting,
but my memory does not recall many cases of young
birds dead in the shell amongst the nests I stole; as a
matter of fact, I don’t seem able to call to mind one
single case. I used, now and again, to find an addled
egg, or an unfertile one, but never do I remember
one in which the youngster had come to the hour of
birth and then had not strength enough to chip the
shell. We all know that the eggs of our wild birds
are always beautifully clean and bright in the nest, and
as for the atmosphere, where could it possibly be purer ?
This, therefore, draws one to the conclusion that im-
pure air and dirty lofts may have something to do with
our young Pigeons being dead in shell. Another
thought strikes me as I write.

Eggs are sometimes dirty in a loft which cannot
be so styled. When this is so, it will be found that
one of the parents has dirty feet. Now, dirty feet are
an unfailing sign of lack of stamina and _ ill-health.
Adult birds which are in possession of a full flow of
animal spirits, health, and vivacity, never have dirty
feet. Unhealthy birds thus not only are objection-
able, because they cannot be expected to procreate
healthy progeny, but because, by their neglect of the
ordinary rules of health they further handicap their
progeny yet unborn by putting an extra weight upon

100 PIGEONS anp Att Asout THEM.

their developing organism in the form of a shortage
of pure air. If we study wild bird life carefully we
find that there is an abundance of fresh air, sun, and
light vouchsafed to the nests of most birds, and, as a
consequence, none of the drawbacks which affect
Pigeons in a state of domesticity are developed. This
leads me to reiterate advice I have often given before.
If we would be successful we must keep as close to
Nature as we possibly can.

Mr. Harry Ingram,

An enthusiastic breeder of Exhibition Homers, Racing

Homers, Oriental Frills, Jacobins, and J..F. Tumblers.

A member of the E.F. Homer Society and the Ince Fur
and Feather Society.

CHAPTER VI.
CONCERNING PIGEON’S MILK.

About twenty years ago the subject of Pigeon’s milk
caused some little excitement owing to the publication
of an article advancing the theory that the milk secre-
tion did not take place until the birds felt the movement
of the young in the eggs which they had been incubat-
ing, and that such secretion was dependent upon the
movement of the squab in the egg. Personally, judg-
ing from my own observations in a somewhat lengthy
experience of Fantails, Owls, Nuns, Tumblers, Show
and Working Homers, ‘my conclusions are opposed to
this. With Fantails, one gets more clear eggs than
with any other variety, and it is not all unusual in a very
high-class stud for seventy-five per cent., or even more,
to be clear in the first round; and as with birds of such
a highly strung nervous temperament as Fantails, it
would not be wise to destroy the eggs and set the birds
going as soon as it is found they are unfertile, they
are gencrally allowed to sit the whole time, or nearly
the whole time, before being disturbed. My exper-
ience has been when birds have been sitting on clear
eggs that the milk, or soft food, has come just the
same as when the eggs have been fertile, and often have
I handled my birds on the fifteenth, sixteenth, and

seventeenth days to discover if this were so or not.

IN GENERAL AGREEMENT.

It is generally considered that unless birds are
allowed to feed off the soft food that serious conse-
quences are, of necessity, bound to follow. Whilst
agreeing that it is better if the soft food can be fed off
in the manner intended by Nature, I have never worried
myself because my birds were unable to so feed it off.
When I have not had youngsters to put under birds with

104 PIGEONS AND At, Apout THEM.

clear eggs my plan has been to.give two or three doses
of Epsom Salts, and I have never had birds sick. Once,
however, the birds have started to feed it is most essen-
tial for their welfare that they should go on. I am firmly
convinced that the soft food grows very fast once its
manufacturing apparatus, so to speak, is brought into
operation; and it is much more likely for a bird to go
wrong, and very wrong, too, if it has fed for a couple
of days, and then, owing to the death of its progeny,
itis unable to goon. In many such cases the digestive
organs seem to be completely upset, and it is advisable
to take such birds out of the breeding loft, shut up their
boxes and turn them into another house. I do not
believe in putting them into pens, because the exercise
they get is beneficial to them. They should be given
a pinch of Epsom Salts, morning and night, fed very
sparingly, and a little Condy’s Fluid should be put into
their drinking water each day. After four or five
days of such treatment they will, generally speaking, be
quite themselves again. Then for three or four days
they may be given Dixons’ Tonic Pills, and by this
time they can be returned to their breeding quarters.

ANNO DOMINI 1786.

This question of Pigeons’ milk has been an interest-
ing one for many years; in fact, one might say ages, and
some of our greatest scientists have spent much time
and thought in research concernine it. More than
one hundred years ago, in 1786, one, John Hunter,
published a paper on the subject with the title of ‘“‘ On
a Secretion in the Crop of Breeding Pigeons, for the
Nourishment of their Young.’’ In this paper Hunter
demonstrated that a substance in the form of a little
pellet, and resembling in appearance the curd of milk,
is formed in the lateral pouches of the crop of both cock
and hen, for some two days before, and seven to nine
days after the hatching of the eggs, and that the young
squabs are fed exclusively upon this for two or three
days, after which other substances are introduced into
the dietary by the parents. In all his investigations
amongst birds he could not find instances of any birds
except Pigeons, which fed their young in this manner.

CONCERNING PIGEON’S Mink. 105

Jumping fifty years, and coming to the year 1859,
Claude Bernard gives to the world the results attending
his investigations into this most curious problem of
Nature. Bernard found that this substance known as
Pigeons’ milk consists of masses of the cells lining the
crop, but that these cells differ from the normal inas-
much as they are loaded with globules of fat. In
Bernard’s opinion the substance is more analogous to
sebum or the oily substance formed in the bird’s tail-
gland, and with which it preens its feathers, than it is to
the milk of the mammal race of animals. ‘This 1s in
full accordance with the earlier investigations of
Hunter, who agrees entirely with Bernard that the
substance forming the soft food of Pigeons is entirely
free from sugar. :

THE CHANGES IN THE CROP.

The changes occurring in the crop membrane dur-
ing the formation of the soft food, or when, as it was
quaintly put by Hunter, ‘ the Pigeon gets in milk,’’
are as follows : —

“The crop of the non-breeding Pigeon is simply
lined with layers of flat non-fatty cells, the total thick-
ness of the cell-laver being apparently about the two
hundred and fiftieth part of an inch. ‘These non-fatty
cells are placed over small vascular papillee. During
the period of incubation these papillee grow, capillaries
from their vessels penetrate the superposed layers of
cells, which increase most rapidly in number, and
manufacture fat. The thickness of the cell-layers is
now about one-sixteenth of an inch, and the surface
of the crop membrane becomes reticulated and pitted.
From now onward the fatty cell-layer becomes richly
supplied with blood, continues to grow at a great rate,
and as new cells are formed in its deep strata, so whole
masses are cast off at the surface, and this process occur-
ring especially in the pits leads to the formation of the
pellets of the soft food, or milk, found in the crop.

THE STIMULATING AGENT.

“ Asin the mammal, a fcetus in utero is the stim-
ulus to action for the mammary, or milk, gland, so
here the incubation is the stimulating agent, and this

106 PIGEONS AND Att, ABouT THEM.

period of incubation carried out by both parents, 1s the
determining cause of those changes of the crop secre-
tions which lead up to the production of Pigeon’s milk.
Two days before the squabs are due to be hatched, that
is on the sixteenth day of incubation, the crops of the
old birds will always be found to contain soft food, and
immediately the squabs break through the shells and
make their appearance in this world of care and sorrow
the pellet appears. | These are lubricated by mucous
secretion of the glands of the gullet, are raised by an
action similar to that of retching, and immediately in
response to their call transferred to the beaks and crops
of the squabs. The marvellous manner in which a
young Pigeon increases in weight often affords cause
for wonderment, yet it need not when we consider the
great amount of food which its parents pump into its
crop. It seems almost incredible, but it is beyond
dispute, that the average quantity of Pigeon’s milk
pumped into a young squab each time it is fed by its
parents amounts to no less than two-fifths of the body
weight of the young bird. Is it any wonder they
grow? When a Pigeon is deprived of its young it
has to swallow its milk, and this it sometimes can do
without any evil effects; but when, owing to any dis-
turbing cause, it is unable so to do, then crop sick-
ness ensues, but if the birds are treated as I recom-
mend above, the ill effects will be avoided, and the
milk, as it is formed, will enter into the stomach, be
absorbed, and afford nourishment to the body. For
three days when the old birds are in a healthy normal
state the young squabs are fed entirely upon the soft
food secretions of their parents. From the fourth day
onward to the eighth or ninth day, it will be found,
if examined, that the crops of the young birds have
within them a quantity of half digested and broken
erain, in addition to the Pigeon’s milk, but from the
ninth day onward the supply of soft food is withheld,
and the crops are packed with grain entirely.”’

The analysis of Pigeon’s milk made by Mr. F. J.
Hambly, of University College, Dundee, works out
something like the following :—

CONCERNING PIGEON’s MILK. 107

Water : oe oes i vara
Albumen ne Son ee, 14
Fat ae ys ae ies 8
Mineral ay

100

Taking the solids of Pigeons’ milk only, Mr.
Hambly found their constituent parts to work out as
follows : —

Albumen Pee cule ro 58
Fat Ns tel te ae 37
Mineral... ae ame see, 5

100

THE NAME NOT A MISNOMER.

There is much in the character of Pigeons milk
which warrants it being called milk. For instance,
the watery extract of Pigeons milk when treated with
rennet, clots in precisely the same manner as does
ordinary cow's milk when so treated, which indicates
that it contains albuminous matter of the nature of
casein, which chemists class with the family of the
nucleo-albumens, the most nutritive of all the albumens.
From the above, my readers will readily gather that
Pigeon’s milk contains ingredients of a highly nut-
ritive nature—fat and nucleo-albumens.

This splendid nutritive article it is which accounts
for the wonderful growth of the squabs. It is easily
digested and made use of, for the bodies of the milk
cells are digested off by the stomach above the gizzard,
and the free fat globules found in the gut can be easily
traced into the cells of the villi, and even to the
leucocytes of the blood. The digestive ferments are
supplied by the squab itself, and not by the parent
birds, for the milk as it leaves the crops of the parents
contains no digestive ferments.

NATURE'S PROVISION.
As regards the meaning of this particular method

of feeding, which is distinct from any other member
of the feathered tribe, one can only surmise that the

108 PIGEONS AND ALL ApBoutT THEM.

natural forces of a young Pigeon are not so great as
those of other birds. Nature, undoubtedly, work-
ing as she does, in perfect harmony with all her sur-
roundings, has provided this peculiar food for the
young Pigeon because it is obvious that the whole
grain would be absolutely useless in the feeding of
such a weakling as a young squab, from the fact that
its gizzard membrane is so thin and friable that the
microscopist has difficulty in its preparation for the
purposes of research, and it is so frail as most cer-
tainly not to be equal to crushing whole grain.

A young syuab might, it is true, be sustained upon
grain crushed for it by its parents, for the pancreas of
the voung Pigeon is quite equal to the task of digest-
ing starchy matter, as is the case with the young of the
mammal family. Indeed, as I have shown, after the
first two days a few crushed grains are actually sup-
plied by the parent birds with the soft food. | Never-
theless, the fact remains that the bulk of the diet first
supphed to a young Pigeon in the early stages of its
existence 18 composed of fatty and albuminous
matter.

nm

THE GROWTH OF SOQUAB

Those acquainted with the growth of young
Pigeons know that a squab grows faster than almost
anything else one comes in contact with. In fact, it is
not too much to say that the manner in which a young
Pigeon grows is simply astounding. During the first
twelve days of its life its growth is phenomenal in its
rapidity. After that stage the growth is slower.
Seeing that the Pigeons milk almost, if not quite, ceases
about the ninth day, it is only reasonable to suppose
that the marvellous development of a young Pigeon
is, indeed, due entirely to its fatty and albuminous
diet. The highly nutritive character of the milk
diet is such that it lasts for a day or two after the milk
has been stopned, and as soon as the svstem has ex-
hausted the last of the milk feeding, the mushroom
growth, so to speak, is arrested, and the daily growth
of the nestling becomes much slower.

Mr. Jas, F. King, Egrove, nr. Oxford.

A great Oriental Frill breeder, exhibitor and judge. One of
our oldest fanciers of the “‘ Flowers of the Pigeon Fancy.”
Specialises in Black and JDun-laced Blondinettes and
Satinettes. Has won the International T'rophy, Palace;
Fulton Trophy, Dairy; and many other important prizes.

CONCERNING PIGEON’S MILK. 111

; There is a why and a wherefore in all plans of
Nature, and it is wise to stop at times and ponder
thoughtfully over the lessons she would teach us.
Now what are the lessons which this forcing of voune
Pigeons teaches us? That they are forced no one
can deny. But why are they forced? That’s the
question. As J have said before, Nature’s works are
all carried out in manner harmonious, and the reason
why she provides for this forcing of the young squabs
is doubtless because Pigeons being very free brecding
birds it is a matter of necessity that the young families
should be got quickly out of the way before each suc-
ceeding family makes its appcarance. For much of
the information which I have given my readers con-
cerning Pigeons milk I am indebted to a paper read
some years ago before the British Association, by
Professor Waymouth Reid, of Dundee University
College.

WHAT MOORE THOUGHT.

The following extracts concerning Pigeons milk
is from ‘ Moore’s Columbarian,’’ which was published
nearly two hundred vears ago, in 1735, This writer
in language most quaint says :—

The young one’s being usher’d into the World,
naturally leads us to take a View of the Manner in
which it receives its first Sustenance. We have
already mentioned soft Meat, which is nothing clse
but a fine soft liquid Pap prepar’d as it were by
Instinct by the Parents, by a Dissolution of the hard
Crains in their Craw, against the time that the Fectus
is first disclos’d when weak, naked, and helpless; this
soft Meat they throw up out of their Craw, taking the
beak of their young ones in their own, and by this
Means injecting it into theirs; with this Meat they con-
tinue feeding them for six or seven Days, when they
begin to mix some harder Food amongst it, ’till at
Length they feed ’em with gill whole Grain.”’

CHAPTER VII.
THE MOULTING SEASON.

The moulting season is an anxious time with
most fanciers; anxiety is caused during its progress in

many ways. It is during the moult that many a
promising youngster is made or marred. The moult

it is which finds out the weak spots in a bird’s con-
stitution, and the moult it is which causes to develop
faults and failings not seen in the first feather. On
the other hand, it must also be said that many a bird
little thought of before the moult blossoms out into a
winner of firsts, specials, and cups owing to the care
bestowed upon it, and by the manner in which it
comes through the moult. ;

The moulting, or the changing of plumage in
birds, is like unto the shedding of their foliage by the
trees. The process is somewhat similar, and vet it is
altogether different. Similar in so far as shedding
of the plumage is concerned, but totally different inas-
much as a bird, in addition to shedding its old coat,
has to grow a new one at the same time, a process
which the tree delays till the sprinetime. The leaves
on a tree grow and grow till such a time as their veins
are filled with the matter from which they obtain life.
There is then a suspension of the growing process, and
the leaves hold on for a time; but owing to the fact
that in leaves, as in other things, there can be no life
without circulation, so after a time the leaves begin
to wither and then drop off. In somewhat the same
manner does a feather grow, then gradually loses its
strength, and drops away.

THE COMPOSITION OF A FEATHER.

To thoroughly understand the moulting of a
Pigeon, one needs to have some knowledge of the struc-
ture of feathers. If we take a feather and carefully
examine it, we find that it is, roughly speaking, com-

THE MOovLTING SEASON. 113

posed of three parts—the quill, the shaft, and the vein.
By the former is the feather held to the skin of the
Pigeon, the shaft grows out of the quill, running up the
centre of the feather, and to the shaft is the vein
attached. The feather grows and is nourished
directly from the blood through a small opening at
the bottom through which the sustenance for the
feather is drawn during the whole time it is growing.

This, like the veins of the leaves of a tree, in time
becomes choked ky the accumulation of the secretions
of chemical matter, and the feather, like the leaf, falls
away from its support, because it 1s no longer nourished
and strengthened.

The moulting’ process is marvellous when one
comes to think of it. At this time the Pigeon, in
common with other birds, from the elements contained
in its own body, produces the forces which cause its
old coat to be cast off and a new one to grow in all its
living, glowing pristine beauty. We are so used to
this wonderful process that we never stay to think of
its miraculousness. Did we first see a bird moult
without knowing anything about it we should be awe-
struck by the wonderfulness of the mystery; but be-
cause we grow up with it, and our eye is trained to
it, we fail to stop and think of all that the process is
and means.

LIFE PRODUCES LIFE.

In the moulting of a Pigeon the old is replaced by
the new, asin many other things. Life produces life,

and from the decay of life fresh life springs. The
moult commences with the desiccation of the old
feathers. The quills become dry and sapless, all

the sap is dried out of them, they lose their strength
and firmness, the web loses its lustre and depth of
colour, the quills shrink within their sockets, the sur-
rounding skin becomes shrivelled, and like the leaves
on the trees they drop off.

Immediately the old feather has dropped out the
new begins to fill its place, even if it, like the second
tooth of a child, has not already had something to do
with the ousting of its forerunner. It is obvious to
all, even the merest tyro in natural history, or orni-

114 Picgkons anp ALL ABouT THEM.

thology, that the time of the moult must of necessity
be a time of severe strain to the birds. Not only
have they to keep up the natural forces of their body,
but they have also to supply from the source of these
forces the material or food, to grow another crop of
feathers. This must naturally have a most exhaust-
ing and enervating effect upon the internal economy
of birds undergoing the process. This being so, it
becomes our duty to see what we can do to assist our
pets to go through the moult with the least amount
of discomfort possible.

WARMTH A_ FACTOR.

First and foremost we know that warmth is a most
desirable and necessary factor in the accomplishment
of a quick, healthy, and successful moult. A quick
moult is usually a healthy moult, and a healthy moult
is, generally speaking, a successful one. Nature her-
self has chosen the most fittiny time—the end of
Summer, when the earth is full of heat from the rays
of the sun which have been pouring down upon it for
some weeks, and which keeps the nights almost as warm
as the days; as at night, when the sun is not shining,
the earth gives off its stored heat, thus equalising the
temperature of day and night. To secure the full
benefit of this provision of Nature we want to see to
it that the moult in our stock is not delayed. An
early moult is a quick one. A late moult is a slow
one, caused by the fact that the atmospherical sur-
roundings are not so favourable, and that as a con-
sequence the moult is retarded, and very often un-
foreseen and undesirable complications ensue.

With the end of June fanciers should begin to
think of putting away all the appurtenances of the
breeding season. ‘The sooner breeding is finished the
sooner will the old birds drop into moult—that is, the
body moult; the big quill feathers are already on the
move. In this connection it should be noted that the
older a Pigeon becomes the longer it takes to moult.
Thus very old and choice favourites of the loft should
not have more than two nests of youngsters taken from
them, so as to ensure their getting well through the

Red Lace Fantail, ‘‘ Autumn Leaf.”
Winner of the Lace Cup in 115.

Bred and Exhibited by Mr. R. Charles Hall,

THE MovLtriInc SEASON. 117

moult. Some time since a young fancier, a first season
Man, caine to me in great distress. He had four pairs
of birds up, and he had not bred a youngster. ‘* What
shall I do to get my hens to lay? They go to nest,
and sit! sit! ! sit!!! But they will not lay.’ I dis-
covered in the course of conversation that his stock
was pretty old ere it came into his hands, and that
the hens were bred with late the previous summer.
Their previous owner did badly, and bred late on in
the season in his endeavour to repay himself for the
early misfortunes. Asa consequence, the hens were
so pumped out that they had not laid an egg—not one
of the four! Their present owner wanted to know
what he could do with them. My advice was, ‘‘ Stop
breeding at once, get them moulted through early,
give them plenty of flving room, and then next season
you might be able to get something from them.”’

CHILLS TO BE AVOIDED.

Warmth being an essential factor in a successful
moult, fanciers should see to it that their birds are
enabled to get the full benefit of all the warmth which
the sun gives, and that they are protected from
draughts, and also from damp. Draughts and damp
are fatal to Pigeons under any circumstances, more
especially during the moulting season. So serious are
the effects of a chill caught by exposure to draught
or damp during the moult, that they often check the
moult altogether, causing the birds unnecessary pain,
consequent illness, and sometimes death, and even if
death does not supervene the birds are reduced to a
poor state of health, and never recover sufficiently from
the effects of the bad moult to be ready to take their
places in the breeding pens later on. During the
moult birds are more or less without their full com-
plement of clothes, and thus are very liable to attacks
of cold or chill. Therefore, it is the more necessary at
this time to exercise the greater care in their manage-
ment.

A LIBERAL DIETARY NEEDED.

During the moult the feeding should be of a liberal

and generous character. The corn given should be

118 PIGEONS AND ALL ABouT THEM.

of the very best, and may contain a fair quantity of
wheat and maize—that is, compared to what is given
at other times of the vear. The wheat is somewhat
laxative in its nature, thus keeps the bowels working
freely, whilst the maize is stimulating and fattening,
and thus does good service at this time in that it keeps
flesh on the bodies of birds that might be apt to get low
in condition. ‘‘ Poor doers,’’ as such birds are called,
are much helped by a little maize during the time they
are in the moult. If the dietary consists of equal
parts maple peas, tares, wheat, and maize for the
stronger varieties, good feeding will be provided,
whilst for the smaller, and more delicate, not necessar-
ily more delicate in constitution, but in appearance,
in feather, and general character, using the word more
in the sense in which it is connected with things beau-
tiful, the maize should be omitted. Another most
valuable adjunct of the dietary table of all Pigeons
during the moult is Spratt’s Pigeon Food. Being a
cooked food, it is so much more quickly and easily
digested than raw grain. Thus, it provides the birds’
systems with nourishment without half the expendi-
ture of nerve force that grain needs to digest it.

USEFUL STIMULANTS,

For birds which are hanging in the moult and cast-
ing their feathers very slowly new wheat is a grand
food; it is most stimulative and sets the feathers falling
quickly. For slow and late moulters it is invaluable.

Many fanciers give their birds pick-me-ups, and
conditioners, such as hemp seed, linseed, canary seed,
ete., during the moult, and all with the desire to stimu-
late and nourish the body. I am not a great advocate
of hemp—a little of it goes a long way. In large
quantities it has a prejudicial effect upon the liver,
and is also apt to render the feather soft and coarse.
I mean, of course, when given excessively. A little
hemp is all very well. Then as regards the linseed;
few Pigeons will eat it readily. The valuable proper-
ties of linseed are known to all who have any practical
experience of getting animal life into good bloom and
condition, but whilst breeders of horses, cattle, and

THE MovurtTING SEASON. 119

other animals have little trouble to induce their stock
to eat it, Pigeon fanciers have great difficulty. The
great value that linseed is to the stock breeder is be-
cause of the valuable effects of its oil upon the coat.
Owing to modern enterprise and skill Pigeon men are
now able to administer to their birds the active principle
of linseed in the shape of linseed oil capsules, and that
their value is known and proved is shown by the big
demand there has been for them since their introduction
by Mr. R. Woods. Of canary seed, and its value as a
conditioner, I have often written. Pigeons are madly
fond of it. Its great value comes towards the end of
the moult when the birds need tightening and harden-
ing up in plumage.

THE VALUE OF 'TONICS.

A most excellent tonic and stimulant during the
moult is iron, but to secure the best results from iron it
needs to be mixed with other substances. The best
form in which it can be given to birds is that known
as saccharated carbonate of iron; the iron being chem1-
cally treated in some manner with sugar becomes much
more nutritive and effective. Iron in any form is
useful during the moult, but this particular form is
the best. I have reason to believe that several of the
tonics in pill and capsule form which are on the market
contain carbonate of iron in some form or other, and
these pills and capsules are much to be preferred to
any home-made mixture. A most excellent capsule is
that which contains Extract of Malt, Cod Liver Oil,
and Parrish’s Food. Long feathered birds such as
Fantails, Jacobins, Trumpeters, ete., can be greatly
assisted if given Woods’ Compound Sulphur Pills.
which are compiled from a formula of my own, and
successfully used amongst my Fantails for many years.
The ingredients in those pills are all conducive to quick
and strong feather growth, and as they are the result
of many vears’ experience in my own loft, I know
their value.

CHAPTER VIII.
SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITING.

“In wonderful fettle,’’ ‘‘ Beaten in feather,”
“ Not in such good form,’’ ‘‘ Won by condition.”
How well known are such phrases as these, not only to
the frequenters of shows, but also to readers of the
reports which appear in the weekty paper, ‘‘ Pigeons.’
Few, very few, are the points given for condition in
any standard, yet how great a part it plays in the
decisions of our judges. Some may argue, too great
apart. Ithink not. It matters not how good a bird
may be in structural proportions, beauty of plumage,
or excellency of marking, it cannot show these points
to perfection unless it is in good condition. ‘There-
fore, our judges cannot insist too much on exhibits
being in good condition, neither can they appraise too
highly the efforts of those fanciers who put their birds
down as fit as the proverbial fiddle. | Condition is to
the exhibitor what possession is to the litigant—nine
points of the law.

CLEANLINESS A VIRTUE.

No matter how excellent an exhibit may be as
regards its standard properties, it cannot show off its
beauty unless it is shown spotlessly clean, and with its
feathers tight and smart. We all know the difference
in the appearance of a bird that is fit and one that is not,
and we all appreciate that difference. It is this appre-
ciation of condition which has made the Barb and
Carrier men protest somewhat of late against the giving
of prizes to birds which, although marvels in regard
to structural properties, have yet in the pens looked
of all birds most miserable. Under some of our judges,
if a bird had a big head, a stout beak, and plenty of
cere, he would get well up, no matter if half its feathers
were glued together with dirt, and the top and bottom

1914 Blue English Owl Cock, ‘Lord Kitchener.”

One of the best Owls of his day, and winner of many
prizes, including 1st and spl. best adult English Owl
Dairy, Ist and spl. Keighley, Ist and Cup best Pigeon

Ilkley, Ist Otley, Ist Paisley (twice), Ist Glasgow, etc.

Bred and Exhibited by Mr. Prince Smith, Junr.

SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITING. 123

portions of its ceres held close by an admixture of dirt
and mucous discharge from the eyes. Beauty we all
admire, but there is no beauty about a Pigeon dead
out of form; and such a bird ought not to be recov-
nised by our judges. Some will have condition;
others are not so particular.

WHY BIRDS FAIL TO WIN.
Many birds which should and could win are left

cardless because they are in the moult. There are
some who never think a bird is out of condition unless
it is ragged in feather from the moult. Then they

can see it, and will say, ‘‘ Look at its condition!
What could you expect?’ I think little of the
absence of feathers during the progress of the moult.
The bird at that time is going through one of the
natural processes of its existence. It must moult to
live, and it is quite possible for a bird to be deep in
the moult and yet in splendid condition. Its feathers
may be clean, its eye bright and clear, its flesh hard
and firm, its carriage and action smart and lively. No!
the mere fact that a bird is moulting does not imply
lack of condition. It certainly does mean that it is
not in full beauty of plumage, and it should not mean
more in a bird that is well looked after. I grant that
it is more difficult to keep a bird in condition during
the moult than at anv other time, but this is kecause
in addition to supplying its body with its necessary
sustenance it has also to grow a new coat.

SUMMER SHOWING.

Year by year are our Summer shows growing in
number and importance. Some few years since such
shows were almost all held in the North, but now South
country fanciers have many a little flutter in the
Summertime, and the tendency is towards more and
more of these Summer outings. As these fixtures in-
crease in number and volume year by year, it is incum-
bent upon those fanciers who would move with the
times that they should have a few birds in good form
for Summer shows. Some there are who keep a few
birds on purpose for them. They, of course are, in

124 PIGEONS AND ALL Apour THEM.

the early Mid-Summer months in good form, because
being free from parental cares they are sleek and tight
in plumage, and their eye full of fire and vigour. It
is only those fanciers who have plenty of accommo-
dation and a fairly large stud who can afford to run a
few birds over for the Summer shows. ‘Those who are
able to do so reap a rich reward, as many a good first
and special may be picked up at these shows by birds
which, in the Winter season, would play second fiddle
to the first violins.

The birds that have been held over and freed from
the cares of a family usually moult early, and thus are
often ‘‘ as ragged as coots ’’ during August when, both
in the North and the South, there is most to be won at
these Summer shows. Therefore, something else has
to be found. It cannot be the birds which commenced
to breed early, because they, if anything, will pos-
sibly, and most certainly should, be more forward in
the moult than those which have been held over.
Therefore, the birds which should be in the best form
for the August shows are those which are not paired
up early in the vear. This is a point which is not
given the attention it should be by fanciers. — Birds
which are paired early invariably moult early, and
those that are paired late do not cast their feathers
either so early or so swiftly as those which go to nest
early in the season.

WINNING AT HOME.

There are many fanciers who never dream of
sending away to a Summer show yet who like to sup-
port any local fixture that may be held within reason-
able distance of home; and there are many reasons
why they like to support ‘‘ home industries.’’ -A
man is not without honour save within his own little
circle of acquaintances. He may send away to the
Dairy Show, Crystal Palace, Manchester, Barnstaple,
and other big events, but what are they compared to
the little flutter in connection with the flower show
at Slocum-on-the-Mud ? Nothing—a veritable no-
thing! The local folk hear these events talked about,
and are told that their friend and neighbour wins at

SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITING. 125

them. He must win at Slocum-on-the-Mud, then they
will believe he has some good Pigeons. With them,
seeing is believing, otherwise they are doubting
Thomases one and all. Then, although one may be
able to win at the big classical events, there is a desire
to do well at home at the little insignificant, unim-
portant fixture, which if it were fifty or a hundred miles
away one would not give a second thought to. It is
the desire to win local approbation, to stand well in the
eyes of our every-day friends and companions, which
causes us to wish to win at the local event—and how
much some of us have sacrificed to win this local esteem
for our birds! How often has a winner of a first and
cup at the Palace, or some other big fixture, been
trotted out for the little home event, and had to bow
its proud head to some bird not worth as many shillings
as our champion was worth pounds; but that, bitter
though it has been, was nothing to be compared to
the gall and wormwood of being beaten on our own
ground, and before the eyes of our bosom pals, who
have not forgotten afterwards to rub it in.

GETTING CONDITION.

Now, as condition, or the lack of it, has much.to
do with the awards at Summer shows, I wish to
lead some of my young friends into the desired way of
obtaining it. When birds which have been attend-
ing to the requirements of the later nests of young
birds are relieved of their parental responsibilities they
should be allowed plenty of flight room, fed rather
sparingly, and upon as non-heatine a diet as possible.
For the first few days after leaving the young they
should be given a pinch of Epsom Salts morning and
night. This will cool their blood, cleanse their
systems, and assist in. keeping their jackets intact.
They should be given a bath every other day to cleanse
and brighten their plumage. Birds of the wattled
varieties will need a more searchin preparation than
those belonging to the non-wattled breeds. During
the breeding season the birds with heavy wattles and
ceres become very much messed un about the head,
and unless this is put right the chances of such are
seriously jeopardised.

126 Pickons anpb ALL, AzBout THEM.

Some exhibitors presume on the fact that judges
do not like to pass the champion birds, and thus will
not take the trouble to put them down spic and span.
I hardly know who to blame most—the judges who
allow such presumption to grow up in exhibitors’
minds, or the exhibitors who presume. Most of our
schedules say ‘‘ the prizes shall be awarded for beauty
of plumage, high quality, and condition,’”’ etc. Now,
how can there be beauty of plumage and high condi-
tion in a bird which is smothered in dirt?

TONING UP.

Before a bird is sent to a show it should be given
a few of Dixon’s Revivers to tone it up a bit and
two days before the show—that is, the day before be-
ing sent off, the wattles—if it is a wattled variety—
ceres, legs, and feet should be well washed. The
sponge, soap, and water will do all that is required
about the legs, feet, and ceres, but around the mouth,
nostrils, and wattles, the tooth-brush will come in
useful. The wattle in wattled birds, should be
opened in all its crevices, and the brush well soaped,
carefully inserted, then the sponge should remove
the dirt by the aid of water. Not only will this cleanse
the wattle, but it will make it soft and pliable for
a time, and by a little manipulation its appearance
may be greatly improved. After the sponging has
been well done, the ceres, wattles, face, etc., should
be carefully dried with a soft towel, and a little violet
powder, or Pear’s Prepared Fullers Earth dusted into
the crevices of the wattles. Not only will this clean-
sing add considerably to the appearance of the bird
so treated, but it will also greatly increase its comfort.

CATCHING THE EYE OF THE JUDGE.

A bird so cleansed will catch the eye of the careful
judge much before one that is dirty and greasy. When
a bird is put down clean and smart it looks as though
the owner takes a pride in the appearance of his stock,
and it is only fitting that his labours should be re-
warded. ‘There is one fancier whom I know who is
most assiduous in the care and attention which he

Pure Smerle Hen.
The ‘“ Twice Marennes”’ Hen.

Won all races up to and including Marennes (375 miles).

Bred and Trained by Capt. St, John Hornby, R.N,

SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITING. 129

bestows upon his birds, and the result is to be seen in
the innumerable firsts and specials which he captures.
Yet more than once have I heard fanciers envious of
his success depreciate his birds and his labours by
saying, ‘“‘ He’s no fancier; he’s only a showman.”’
In a way their depreciation adds to the honour gained
by the man they belittle, for if he works, as he does
work to secure his reward, that reward must be sweet
to him, and well deserved. A good bird deserves to
be well shown, and a moderate bird even is much im-
proved by being well shown. Condition should be a
far greater factor in the awards of our judges than it
is. A man who is careless of the condition in which
his birds are shown is not, and cannot be, a true
fancier, because he does not consider the health and
comfort of his birds. A bird in good condition is
a bird in good health, and a bird in good health is
happy and contented, and enjoys life as well as his
master, who should, in return for the labour which he
bestows on his pets, receive all the encouragement
that can possibly be given him by our judges.

The spoils are to the victors on the battlefields
of the Fancy, even as they are on fields of a more
martial character. Victory usually rests with the
leader, who comes into the fray with his guns all
trained, his powder dry, and his men fresh, fearless,
and confident of victory attending their prowess. In
a word, the man who never shows his birds unless they
are fit, and only under men who have the knowledge
and experience necessary to appreciate their merits,
is the man who attains success.

EVILS OF OVERSHOWING.

I wish to sound a warning note against the over-
showing of birds, and of birds that are not fit. A
glance through the reports which appear week by week
in the columns of ‘‘ Pigeons,’’ will show that some
birds do three shows a week. This is little short of
cruelty. If the shows are one-day fixtures within
easy distance of home, and the birds are taken to and
from shows by their owners, there is nothing wrong
in three shows a week, because the birds can perch

tT

130 PIGEONS aND ALL ABour THEM.

in their own loft each night, and get a drink and feed
at home, both before and after the show. In such
circumstances little harm can come to them. But
when the shows are some distance away from home,
and they have to travel by themselves—in some cases
going from one show to another—hovw is it possible for
them to keep up in condition? Seldom getting a good
feed, having to drink polluted water day after day (a
glance at the drinking tins at our shows speaks for
itself) having to sleep in a show pen or a basket five
nights out of seven, and only ably to get a good wash
once a week—how can they keep in condition ?

It is really amazing the amount of thoughtlessness
shown by some exhibitors. To endure what they
are asked to endure, their Pigeons would need to be
as strong as a horse. In the midst of so many hand-
books on Pigeons, and such a number of practical
articles as appear almost every week in ‘‘ Pigeons,”’
it does seem strange that men are still to be found
who have vet to learn that the first state of an exhibi-
tion Pigeon is that known as being “ fit.’’

OVERSHOWING KILLS MANY GOOD BIRDS.

When this takes place their owners have much to
say to their friends about the bad luck they have met
with in the death of such grand birds—such noted win-
ners! Yet they themselves will have been responsible.
If fanciers will not study the care and comfort of their
birds, and treat them in a natural and humane manner,
they certainly cannot hope for success in the show pen.
Good birds need to be well shown to reach the top of
the tree.

When birds have to be sent away from home to
shows without anyone in attendance, one show a week
is quite sufficient. In fact, that is really too much
if it is kept up regularly without a break for anv
length of time. Some of our best fanciers never show
their choice birds more than three or four times in a
season. They know that if they do over-show them
they will not be able to procreate their kind in the
Spring, when the breeding season is upon them.

SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITING. 131

REGULAR ATTENTION NEEDED.

It is impossible to keep a bird or animal right up
to concert pitch for a longer period than forty-eight
hours. This being so, it will be seen how necessary
it is for birds to be given regular attention unless
great inroads are to be made upon their constitutions.
I urge this not altogether to assist my readers to win
prizes, but because I have an intense love for the dumb
creation, and it pains me to see Pigeons tortured by the
thoughtlessness of their owners. I like to see a
Pigeon with its eye bright and clear, its head held
firmly, its tail expanded as it bows and sweeps round
the pen with a merry joyous coo. In such a state a
bird appeals to my sense of the beautiful, and also to
my critical faculty as a judge. But when the eye is
closed, the head held listlessly, the wings drooping,
and the tail resting on the floor of the pen, my feelings
are outraged.

Condition is nine points of the law in showing,
viewed only from a selfish standpoint—the desire of
victory. But above and beyond this it is every man’s
duty to keep his pets in a fit and healthy state, so that
they may enjoy life even as does their master.

CHAPTER IX.
THE WASHING OF PIGEONS.

Those whom duty or pleasure has taken to any
considerable number of exhibitions will have noticed
that where one Pigeon shows signs of being well
washed there are many that look as if their introduction
to the bath had resulted in their last state being worse
than the first.

Many there are who are so nervous, and so afraid
of injuring the subject of the bath, that they dare not
make the attempt. Now it is absolutely needful for
the town dweller, if he keeps any of the lighter
plumaged varieties, to know how to wash. Birds
cannot be kept absolutely spotless in plumage in a
district where smuts and smoke abound. To such an
one the knowledge of how to wash makes all the dif-
ference between success and failure in the show pen.
The man whose aviaries are situated away in some
delightful country dell, on an open hillside, or near the
boundless ocean, has no need to worry about washing.
So clear and bright is the atmosphere in which he and
his pets live that lack of condition through atmos-
pherical surroundings is unknown to him.

DO IT WELL OR NOT AT ALL.

It is not at all an easy task to wash a Pigeon unless
you are an adept at the practice, and few, very few,
are the fanciers who can truthfully sav that they are
experts in the art of washing. One thing must ever
be remembered, that if a bird is badly washed it looks
worse than it would have done had the attempt not
been made at all. The washing should ,be done
thoroughly and smartly, or else left altogether alone.

At the outset I would say: Never wash a Pigeon
unless obliged to do so. A newly washed bird looks
very handsome and smart, and an oceasional tubbing

Tue WASHING OF PIGEONS. 133

is, I think, conducive to health, but the evil of it is
that once.one has started to wash a_ Pigeon for,
exhibition, the practice has to be kept up, and every
twice or thrice that the bird leaves home for a show
necessitates the process being gone through. Now
constant washing, I feel sure, cannot be to the
advantage of the bird’s constitution, and it certainly
does not improve its plumage. After a bird has been
washed two or three times, the feather loses its soft,
silky nature, and becomes harsh, hard, and dry look-
ing, having a sort of cottony appearance, instead of
a silky look, whilst it must ever be remembered that
once the washing has commenced it must be con-
tinued, because a bird once washed very quickly soils. -
Still, after all these drawbacks have been considered,
the question left facing us is that unless town-kept
birds are washed they cannot win; and, therefore,
washed they must be if success is to be achieved.

SUCCESS NOT EASILY OBTAINABLE.

Success in washing is not attained all at once.
In a laundry the girl who gets up all the fine laces
and collars is not a new hand; she has had to serve
an apprenticeship by doing some of the coarser work,
and thus get both her hand and eye in. It 1s the same
with washing Pigeons. The novice cannot hope to
turn out a bird in the same style as one who has
washed season after season. Practice makes perfect.
In the commencement it is wise for the novice at
washing to try his ’prentice hand on some of the
wasters in his flock. It not infrequently happens
that at first disasters occur, and if they do occur, it
is far better for a bird of no value to be sacrificed
than for one that is likely to score well in the show
pen.

In washing Pigeons, as in all things, there is a
right way and a wrong, and if success is to come it
must be through the adoption of proper methods. It
is no use attempting to wash Pigeons unless you set
about it in a proper manner. The safest and most
convenient time is the evening. In the first place,
the house is quiet, and one is not so likely to have

154 Pickons anp At Apsovur THEM.

the operation interfered with by members of the
household, and the operation is not so likely to cause
annoyance to those upon whose shoulders falls the
work of the house. Further, the evening is the best
time for the birds. A bird should be washed after it
has had its evening meal—though not immediately
after—so that the food in its crop may digest and
nourish it during the hours intervening between the
washing and the next morning. If birds are washed
upon an empty crop they are more apt to be upset
than when they have some food inside them; they
also are not so likely to recover from the exhaustion
so quickly.
THE KNACK OF HANDLING.

There is much in the knack of handling Pigeons
in the washing process, and this takes some _ little
time to acquire. It is not at all an unusual thing for
a novice at washing to pull out a few flight .or tail
feathers, even if he does nothing worse; but practice
makes perfect, and in a very short time the average
individual will have secured the necessary confidence
and knack of handling the birds, and he will think
no more of putting a team of birds through the order
of the bath than he will of taking his own matutinal
dip. Confidence in one’s own powers is the great
essential; that secured, all else becomes easy.

The first washing is approached with much fear
and trepidation, and although a fancier may have
been told how, also have read very carefully this
chapter on washing, he will be one by himself if he
can commence on his first bird without any qualms
of fear as to the result. It 1s all very well to read,
or be told, how it is done; it is another thing alto-

gether to do it. Reading and hearing about such
things are good so far as they go, but seeing is 1,000
per cent. beyond them. More, far more, can be

learnt by seeing another fancier put a bird through
the bath than can be gathered from being told a
dozen times. This being so, if there is any possible
chance of seeing some skilful operator perform, that
chance should be accepted. If the novice has the
acquaintance of some fancier who is an experienced

Mr. G. A. Pelling (Stud Manager)

Handling the sensational Yellow Chequer Cock owned by
Mr. W. A. Murray, and for which three ditterent offers of
£100 have been refused.

THE WASHING OF PIGEONS. 137

exhibitor, he should politely, yet boldly, ask to be
allowed the privilege of seeing his friend put a bird
through the process. Not only will an ocular
demonstration show him clearly how to proceed him-
self, but it will also remove all or much of his fear
as to the successful issue of his first attempt.

VALUE OF A GOOD START.

In the washing of Pigeons, as in many other
things, a good beginning goes a long way towards a
good ending, and if one is to feel that all’s well that
ends well one must start right. In the washing of
Pigeons one must keep on the track the whole time,
as the operation is a continuous one, and any slight
deviation from the right road may spoil the whole of
one’s work.

To start with, a good steady fire is needed, and
the best way to secure this is to commence by well
stirring the fire, getting all the dust out of it, also
pieces of slate and other objectionable matter. Then
proceed to build it up so as to get the full value of
its combustion. This can best be done by using equal
quantities of coal and coke. Nice knobby pieces of
about the size of a cricket ball, not larger, because
if larger they will require smashing on the fire, and
thus spoil the gradual combustion which is required,
and also waste a quantity of heat. Dusty coal must
not be used, because the gas in it is quickly liberated,
gives out great heat for a short time, and then your
fire becomes a dead mass. A fire made up of small,
even pieces of coal and coke burns steadily, and
throws out a nice steady heat, and this is just what
is required to dry the birds properly. Further, a
fire so made produces less smoke and less ash, two
very important considerations, especially if one is
washing a large team of from twenty to thirty birds,
as | have done before now.

GETTING READY.
During the time the fire is burning up, the articles
necessary to a_ successful wash may be _ collected
together. These are three good-sized bowls—bed-

138 PIGEONS AND ALL ABout THEM.

room wWash-basins are as good as any, and about
the right size. One is required for the washing, one
for the first rinsing, and one for the final rinse. A
small honeycomb sponge, a nail brush, a tablet of
soap, three or four nice soft towels (old discarded
Turkish bath towels answer the purpose best), a big
jug of cold water, a jug for the hot water, a bottle
of glycerine, and the household blue bag.

The soap plays an important part in the proceed-
ings, especially if birds of a delicate colour are to
be operated upon, because coarse common soap con-
tains a lot of free alkaline matter, and this acts pre-
judically upon the colour. High-class soap is more
carefully made, its ingredients are purer, and it does
not injure either the plumage or its colour. Most
fanciers have some particular kind of soap which they
consider best for the purpose. Thus, whilst one
swears by the old-fashioned Brown Windsor Toilet
Soap, another will only use Glycerine Soap, another
is wedded to Castile, whilst all the talk in the world
would not convince some that White Curd can be im-
proved upon. The truth of the matter is that all
these are good, as is any carefully prepared _ toilet
soap. My opinion as to the best soap for the pur-
pose is that Spratt’s Poultry and Pigeon Soap is the
best. Not only is it as carefully prepared as the best
toilet soaps from the purest ingredients, but in its
manufacture thought is given to the special purpose
for which it is to be used, and in addition to the
cleansing ingredients in its composition there are also
others whose special work is to destroy any insect
life which may be concealed about the plumage.

HOW TO DRY THE BIRDS.

In addition to the washing utensils, something: is
also needed in which to dry the birds. Some fanciers

use a drying box. That is, a lone box about three
feet long, eighteen or twenty inches deep from back
to front, and about the same in height. This has

wooden top, bottom, ends, and back. The front is of
open wire work—often the fronts of a couple of
Pigeon or Bantam pens; some use a Poultry pen.

THE WASHING OF PIGEONS. 139

My own choice is a large round Poultry hamper.
This I have covered with sacking three-parts of the
way round, leaving the rest open, so that the warmth
of the fire may the more readily and easily reach the
ee and allow me to see how the drying is progres-
sing.- The bottom of the basket I cover ‘with cut hay
or ee, oat or wheat husks. This prevents the
plumage from becoming soiled by the excreta which
the birds may void whilst in the basket. A very im-
portant consideration is this, because if a Pigeon’s
feathers become stained with anything whilst they
are wet, or partially dry, it is a most difficult matter
to restore them to their pristine beauty.

The cloths which are used for drving the birds
should be thrown over the front of the basket or
cage in which the birds are dried. This will not only
warm and dry them whilst the operation is being con-
ducted, but will also be useful in preventing the fire
from scorching the birds should it be a bit too fierce,
and will also prevent any draught from getting at the
birds whilst they are drying.

ALL READY.

Everything being in readiness, some cold water
should be placed in each of the three basins, and
slightly tinged with a little extract from the blue-bag.
Then add sufficient hot water to the first basin, so
that you can comfortably bear your hand in it. If the
water is at all hard, a small piece of washing soda or
borax may be added to the water in all three basins,
but if you are living in a district served by either of
the big northern manufacturing districts this is not
needed, neither is it required if some nice clean rain
water is being used. But in the South, where the
water contains thirty degrees or more of hardness
than it does in the North, some artificial means of
softening must be used. If you ‘> not like to use
soda or borax, use glvcerine. I, myself, prefer the
elvcerine; it comes more expensive than soda or
borax, but that is nothing when one has to consider
the importance of turning the birds out well. Soda
and borax are all right for white plumaged birds. but
they are apt to make the colour run in such delicate

140 PIGEONS AND ALL ABour THEM.

plumaged birds as yellows, creams, silvers, duns,
mealies, and blues. Further, whilst most excellent
as softeners of hard water, they lack the power of
making the plumage glossy, which 1s possessed by the
elycerine.

The process of washing withdraws from the
plumage much of its natural oil, and it is a day or
two before this gets restored, and if no glycerine is
used the plumage dries harsh, hard, and lifeless look-
ing. Some fanciers only use the glycerine in_ the
rinsing waters. I used to do so myself, but experi-
ence teaches, and now whenever I wash any birds I
use glycerine in all three waters. The quantity
of glycerine should be a_ good _ teaspoonful
to each quart of water. The water in the second
and third basins should be each slightly cooler than
the other. That is, the first rinsing water must not
be so hot as the water in which the washing is per-
formed, whilst the second rinsing water should be
cooler still; in fact, only just about lukewarm, or,
as they say in the North, ‘‘ nicely aired.”

AN IMPORTANT FACTOR.

One most important factor in the successful
washing of Pigeons, or, for the matter of that, any
other bird, is not to allow the plumage to come. into
direct contact with the soap if it can possibly be
avoided. Therefore, before taking the first bird out
of the basket in which it has been brought in from
the loft, make a good lather of suds in the first bowl,
using the nail brush and soap for this purpose.

The suds having been prepared, you will now be
ready to commence the operation proper. Take the
bird from the basket and hold it in your left hand,
with its head towards you. Immerse it bodily in the
suds, leaving only its head exposed. Hold it thus for
« moment or two to let the water thoroughly saturate
and soften the plumage. Then take the bird’s left
wing in your right hand, and work it to and fro in
the suds, so as to loosen the dirt by the action of
the water; transfer the bird to your right hand, and
work the other wing about with vour left hand. A

THE WASHING OF PIGEONS. 141

good Pigeon washer needs to be ambi-dextrous.
Next hold the bird firmly across the shoulders and
work the tail to and fro in the same manner as you
have previously worked the wings about. By this
time the suds will have thoroughly impregnated the
whole of the plumage and you may commence to use
the sponge The feather having become thorougaly
saturated and softened by the water, there is little
likelihood of its being broken by the rubbing. Rub
backwards and forwards, upwards and downwards,
in fact, in any and every way you like, but don’t rub
too hard, and not with a dry sponge; let the sponge
be full of suds the whole time. It is not the hardness
or vigorousness of the rubbing which gets the dirt
out so much as it is getting the suds well into every
fibre of the feather, so as to thoroughly loosen the
dirt. The dirt, it must be remembered, is, after all,
on the top of the feather, not inside it.

Commence by spreading the right wing over the
fingers of your left hand, whilst still grasping the bird
with the thumb and the palm of the hand. It may be
a bit awkward to do this at first, but persevere, and
you will succeed; the knack of doing it will come.
Give the wings each a good sponging, then turn the
bird over on its back and well sponge the under
parts of its body, the wings, and the tail. Return-
ing the bird once more to the normal manner of grasp-
ing it, you should work the sponge well down its
back, cushion, and tail.

DO HEAD AND NECK NEXT.

Next turn your attention to the head and neck.
These should always be left till the last, so as to avoid
putting the bird to unnecessary discomfort and in-
convenience. The good fancier is merciful to his
beast, and mindful of his own. Great care will be
needed in washing the head and neck. The dirt seems
to adhere more firmly to the head feathers than it
does to any other part of the bird. This, to some
extent, is due to the fact that there is always a cer-
tain amount of mucus being exuded from the mouth
and nostrils, and this mixing with any floating dust

142 PIGEONS AND ALL Agpour THEM.

and dirt which may be about, and with particles of
food, forms a thin coating almost like glue round
about the face and head.

In washing the head care is needed to keep the
soup out of the eyes. The eyes of some Pigeons are
very sensitive. I have known a bird to lose its sight
for several days, and for its eyes to be very highly
inflamed, owing to particles of soap getting into them
during the wash. A little of the suds getting into the
eyes will not hurt, and beyond a temporary smarting
the bird will not suffer, but the soap should be used
sparingly about the eyes, as should too much be used
very serious harm may result. An easy method of
loosening the dirt round the face is to rub the feather
well with the forefinger instead of the sponge, as by
so doing the suds and sponge are kept away from the
eyes of the bird. If the wings and tail are very dirty
they should be spread on the table and well rubbed
with the sponge.

CLEARING OUT THE SOAP.

This about completes the lathering process, and
the next thought is how to get the soapy suds out of
the feathers again. To do his, hold the bird firmly
between both hands and move it swiftly to and fro in
the water in the first basin, so as to clear the wings
and tail, then with a clean piece of sponge go well
over the body, sousing it completely with the clean
water; repeat the process in the third basin, and not
much soap will have been left behind. Don't be
afraid to use plenty of water. Give the bird a
thorough good sousing, for unless you get every
particle of soap out of the web of the feather all your
labour will have been in vain, and the last state of
your bird will be worse than the first. Should any
soap be left in the feathers the bird will present a
very rough appearance when dry, as the soap will
prevent the feathers from webbing, and they will look
harsh and cottony in appearance.

The rinsing having been finished, draw the wing
and tail smartly through the hands—this will extract
much of the water from the feathers. Then well mop
the body with a dry sponge. Next take one of the

Adult Yellow Dragoon Cock.

Winner of very many prizes at the leading shows.

Bred and Exhibited by Mr, W. Bastard.

THE WASHING OF PIGEONS. 145

warm dry cloths from off the front of the drying
basket, roll the bird in it, and wipe your hands in one
of the others. Having done this, throw one end of
the cloth over your left hand, place the bird in it,
with your fingers and thumb underneath the wings,
take the other end of the cloth in the right hand and
proceed to carefully and softly dry up what water is
left in the feathers of the back, wings, and tail. At
the same time you should so manipulate the left hand
that all the water in the under portion of the body is
extracted. Then straighten the feathers of the wings
and tail by drawing them separately through the
fingers of the right hand.

Hold the bird carefully and very firmly by the
thighs, letting the legs fall between the first and
second fingers of the right hand. This will cause the
bird to flutter its wings about, which will assist in
the webbing process. The tail may also be aided in
this direction by holding the bird firmly in both hands
and waving it to and fro for a moment or two. It
must be remembered that the whole of the washing
process must be conducted as closely to the fire as
possible, so as to avoid any risk of chill or cold being
contracted. To allow a bird to get cold when its
plumage is wet, and after it has recently been in warm
water, and all the pores of its skin opened, would be
courting disaster swift and sure.

HOW BIRDS STAND THE BATH.

Naturally, some birds stand the process of wash-
ing better than others, owing to being possessed of
either a stronger and more muscular body, or else a
less highly sensitive nervous organisation. With
some there is little, if any, enervating result, but on
some of the weaker ones it has a somewhat exhaust-
ing effect. I have before now seen some extra
nervous birds absolutely prostrate after the operation,
but only once have I known one to die; that was
when some patent special Pigeon wash was_ being
tried, and the bird died not from exhaustion induced
by the washing, but by suffocation from the fumes
arising from the potent, as well as patent, Pigeon
wash.

146 PIGEONS AND Arty AxsoutT THEM.

Fatal results are indeed few and far between so
far as washing is concerned. <A bird should come
out of the wash looking none the worse for the
experience, and be able to walk round the drying
basket and commence shaking and preening itself
directly. Should it happen that a bird does come out
of the wash looking rather weak, helpless, and pros-
trate, don’t be alarmed. I have seen some of the
nervous ones look as though they were approaching
their end when they have first been put in the drying
basket, but after they have lain helpless for a few
moments they have pulled themselves together and got
on their legs.

FATALITIES SELDOM OCCUR.

As I have said, fatal results seldom occur, and
when they do it is not because of the washing, but
generally because the bird has been held too tightly
in the hand and has not been able to breathe properly.
There is a wonderful difference in birds. Some will
struggle tremendously the whole time, not only whilst
in. the water, but even whilst being dried in the
towels; others are very passive, and give little trouble.
Should, however, a bird struggle and you feel it is
going to elude vour grasp, let it do so. Don’t on any
account attempt to tighten vour hold on it, because
if you do you may possibly nip it too tight and stop
the circulation of its heart, or you may only half
grasp it and pull a lot of feathers out. Therefore, if
it plunges and struggles, let it go; you can verv
easily pick it up again.

If the bird is held firmly in the manner I have
previously described, it will not be able to struggle
much. The first and greatest consideration in the
washing of Pigeons is plenty of self-confidence on the
part of the operator, and when such is wanting the
Pigeons seem, by some intuitive instinct, to recognise
the fact, and, like wilful children with a weak parent,
they act accordingly. A strong, firm, yet tender
grasp is what is required, and when this is present
the birds, as a rule, are as quiet and docile as lambs.
There is a great art in handling birds properly, and
an experienced and skilful washerman feels quite as

THe WASHING OF PIGEONS. 147

much at home in putting his little pets through the
suds as he does in taking his own early morning
sponge. The birds know and appreciate the differ-
ence between the two forms of handling.

The birds must not be allowed to get too dry in
the drying cage, and after being close to the fire for
some time, say twenty minutes or half-an-hour, they
should be moved a little further back. In about one
hour from the time when they were put into the drying
cage, or basket, they may be taken out and placed in
some clean pens, which have been fixed up previously,
either on the kitchen table or dresser. It takes from
eight to twelve minutes to wash a Pigeon, sponge
and wipe it, and place it in the drying cage, and it
takes fiftv or sixty for it to dry thoroughly.

During the time the birds are in the basket they
should be taken out occasionally, grasped firmly by
the thighs, and allowed to flap their wings about a
bit. This loosens the body feather, and helps forward
the drying process by letting the air get into the
feather. It also assists in the webbing up again of
the flights and tail.

Once a bird has been washed it must be remem-
bered that it quickly soils. Therefore, all pens into
which newly washed birds are put should be scrupu-
lously clean, or the washing will have been of little
effect; in facet, will have been in vain. Birds with
soiled plumage are severely handicapped in the race
for supremacy, so keen is the competition nowadays,
and it takes very little to turn the scale one way or
the other.

THE VALUE OF SPRAYING.

When the birds are nearly feathered up, say two
hours after the wash, or perhaps three, it will be
beneficial to spray them lightly with a little water and
glycerine, the two being mixed in proportion of a
teaspoonful of glycerine to a pint of water. This
spraying assists in the tightening up of the feather,
and also in the putting on of a soft glossv
appearance.

It is generally thought that white birds are the
only ones improved by a wash, but this is a very mis-

148 PiGEoNsS anpd ALL AsoutT THEM.

taken idea. Whites, it is true, are considerably
improved in appearance by being washed, and so are
most of the coloured varieties if they are kept in a
town. The dirt is not so easily seen on a coloured
Pigeon as on a white one, but it is there all the same,
and when it is removed there is a corresponding im-
provement. In washing delicate colours like silvers,
yellows, creams, and reds, great care is needed; the
soapy water must not be allowed to hang about the
plumage longer than is absolutely necessary, or it
may make the colour run. I have myself washed birds
of all colours. It is a great thing to be an expert
laundryman, as a good tubbing will improve a second-
rater very considerably, whilst on the other hand, a
bad wash will destroy all chance of winning possessed
by the greatest champion ever bred.

Another point to be considered is the difference
in the quality of feather in birds, and whilst washing
improves some feathers it will ruin others. Some
birds it would never do to wash, but a rub with a dry
sik handkerchief will work wonders upon them. In
this connection I am, of course, referring entirely to
self coloured birds, such as blacks, reds, duns,
silvers, and yellows. Others, again, are considerably
beautified by being rubbed over with a sponge which
has been dipped in spirits of wine, the sponging being
followed by the silk handkerchief. I cannot convey
to mv readers how to discriminate between the
feathering of birds which should be washed and those
which should not. No man on earth could do it. The
power can only be obtained bv practical experience
and observation. One thing I can, and do, say, speak-
ing in a general way, the bird which best repays the
washerman for his trouble is a rich, lustrous coloured
black.

CHAPTER X.
THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS.

In previous chapters I have dealt with housing,
breeding, feeding, moulting, and other details of
general management; in a word, what has gone
before may be termed the practical portion of my
work. These latter chapters may be styled the
descriptive, as in them I purpose giving a_ brief
description, not of all breeds of Pigeons, as my space
will not allow of that, but of those varieties which are
most highly esteemed, and most generally kept by
fanciers of the twentieth century. This being so, I
naturally commence with the King of Pigeons.

THE CARRIER.

This handsome bird has for long enjoyed pride of
place in the Columbophile Kingdom, and although
to-day it has not so great a popularity as in days of
yore, yet none would be so bold as to dispute its
position as the King of Pigeons. A well-grown,
properly developed Carrier is, indeed, a most hand-
some Pigeon. Towards the end of the nineteenth
century a great craze set in for extreme and inordi-
nately sized wattles, and in the rush for this property,
shape and carriage (two most essential properties),
were somewhat neglected. The Carrier is a large,
upstanding bird, of most majestic appearance, and
size is an important feature. A weak, puny, under-
sized bird, however good in head properties, will
never go ag on the show bench. Size and length are
of great value. Length of face, length of neck,
length of body, length of feather, and length of leg
are properties keenly sought for, and highly appre-
ciated when seen. From “the tip of the beak to the
end of its tail a representative male member of the
family should measure at least 18in. Hens, naturally,

150 PiGEons anp Ary Asout THEM.

will be somewhat shorter, even as they are also
lighter in build than the cocks. Important as they
are, size of wattle and substance of beak are not
everything in a Carrier. Shape and carriage are
equally valuable, and without them a bird is not a
true Carrier, for style and that indefinable something
known as quality give an air of distinction to a bird
which nothing else confers.

The beak should be long, stout, straight, and
very close fitting from tip to base. Length of face
is a great feature, and this is measured from the tip
of the beak to the centre of the eye, and should be
from 2in. to 24in. The colour of the beak should be
white, or light, very light, brown colour. A beak
which curves or bends downward is a grave fault.

The beak wattle is a source of much concern to
breeders, as so much depends upon it. As it is a
property which is years in arriving at maturity, it
affords endless scope for the exercise of that great
virtue, patience, and also of continual care and atten-
tion. A fully developed wattle, as seen on a Pigeon
of two to three years of age, should present a close,
even appearance. It should not be.rough in texture
nor lop-sided, but should, when viewed from the front,
appear even and regular, not only in formation, but
also in balance. That is, it should present an appear-
ance something similar to the shell of a walnut, both
in shape and surface. A ‘‘ walnut wattle *’ is much
esteemed. The greater portion of the wattle is on the
upper mandible; that on the lower is known as the
jewing or jew wattle.

The eye wattle, or ceres, should be large, round
in shape, fine in texture, fit close to the skull, and be
formed in proportion to the size and length of the
skull. A good cere must not be hard, neither must
it be soft and flabby. It must be affixed to the face,
and not grow over the skull, neither must it grow too
much forward so as to crowd the face, and give the
bird the appearance of being short in face. Tt should
be perfectly round, and about tin. in diameter. The
favourite term for a perfect eve wattle is ‘ rose-
eyed.’ The skull itself should be long, fine, narrow

(From a Drawing by Miss D. J. Williams.

Our Newest Breed.
“Martian,” a typical Yellow Martham hen, winner of
Ist Manchester, ete.
Bred and Exhibited by Messrs, Bracey and Cooke,

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 1538

and flat. The eye should be large, full, and pro-
minent, and possess a staring appearance.

The neck should be long, thin, and tapering, and
set on a stout, broad-set pair of shoulders. The butts
of the wings should project beyond the chest, and
the back should be flat; a rounded back is a great
fault. The wings and tail should be well braced, and
show no clumsiness or slovenliness. The legs should
be stout, long, and set well apart, so as to give the
bird a commanding and alert appearance.

The chief colours are black, dun, and white, fol-
lowed by blue, silver, red, and pied.

THE BARB.

To the Barb belongs the distinction of being the
only Pigeon mentioned by the great dramatist,
Shakespeare. It is everywhere regarded as a Pigeon
with very ancient lineage, and is much esteemed by
breeders on the Continent and in America, although
it has, to a great extent, lost its hold on the affections
of English breeders.

Most of the show properties of the Barb are
centred in its skull. The beak should be short, thick
and massive, and slightly curved, and in colour
should be white, although many good birds have dark
or ‘‘ stained ’’ beaks. The beak wattle should be
fine, close, and even in texture, divided in the centre,
and have the appearance of two beans, one on either
side of the division. The eye should be pearl or white,
but it is seldom found without a tinge of yellow; but
‘a white eye, in addition to being the correct thing,
has the advantage of setting off the glories of the eye
wattle, which is one of the chief, if not absolutely
the chief, characteristic of the Barb. A faulty cere,
either in formation or colour, is a big defect. In
colour it should be a rich, bright, fresh-looking red,
and in formation it should be circular and as large as
possible. It must be firm, yet not hard, soft, yet not
flabby; it must stand well away from skull, and be
of considerable thickness. The skull itself should be
broad, somewhat flat on top, but with a good full
frontal, and a gradual rounding away into the neck at

154 PicGEoNs anp ALL Aspour THEM.

the base. Viewed from the front, the head of a high-
class Barb should present the appearance somewhat
of a cotton reel.

The neck should be fine and short, a long reachy
neck being a great fault. It must be nicely modelled
and show no gullet. The chest should be broad and
full, the body rather long in proportion to the neck;
the wings should follow the body in length and be
neatly carried. The legs, like the neck, should be
short, of just sufficient length to carry the body
gracefully without making the bird look squatty or
gawky.

The colours are black, red, yellow, dun, and
white, running in this order of popularity. This is
due in great measure to the faet that the blacks and
reds excel in head points, although of late some
extremely stout skulled vellows have been bred.

In the breeding of Barbs, as in Carriers, there is
considerable mixing of the colours, blacks being
paired to almost all the other colours, and, as a con-
sequence, many grand birds are bred which are of
indifferent colour. Whilst the breed is in few hands,
and head properties are esteemed before anything
else, this I suppose will continue, but did some enter-
prisine fancier strike out on his own, determined to
improve the colour of his Barbs, whilst not losing
head points, he would soon reap a rich reward.

THE DRAGOON.

Of all wattled Pigeons, the Dragoon is the most:
popular and most largely kept. The reason for this
popularity doubtless is because it is a bird in which
there are many points of importance, and undue value
is not placed upon any. Thus, although a wattled
Pigeon, and a Pigeon in which the wattle is of con-
siderable importance, yet the wattle is not every-
thing, and is not allowed to over-balance the other
properties of beak, eve, cere, skull, bodv, feather,
colour, and carriage, all of which carry weight in the
make-up of the twentieth century Dragoon. The
Dragoon holds somewhat the same position in the

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 155

Pigeon Itancy to that of the game cock in the poultry
Ww Grid. or the fox terrier in dogdom.

Dealing with the Dragoon in the same manner
as I have the Carrier and Barb, I commence with the
beak. This should be stout, of moderate length,
straight, with the mandibles fitting closely and evenly
without any openness. Blues, chequers, and grizzles
should have dark beaks; silvers, dark horn colour;
reds, vellows and whites, flesh colour. The beak
wattle should be shaped something like a peg-top
split in halves, hence the term ‘‘ peg-shaped wattle ’’;
that is, broader and higher at the back than the
front. It should be evenly distributed, without lumps
or corruscations, and be fine in texture. The skull,
like the wattle, should be wedge-shaped, wider behind
than in front, and slightly oval on top, viewed either
from behind or in front, a flat or shallow skulled bird
being of little worth.

The eye should be a rich, ruby red in all colours
except whites, full and bold, and present an alert,
watchful appearance. Blues, chequers, and grizzles
are the best in eye colour at the present time, the
silvers, vellows, and reds not coming up to the ideal,
being mostly red or gravel-eyed. Whites should
have a ‘‘ bull,’ or dark hazel eye. The eye cere
should be fine in texture, thin in substance, nearly
circular in shape, and somewhat pinched at the back
edging. Blues, chequers, grizzles and silvers should
have a dark, or damson coloured cere, with a nice
powdery bloom like unto that of the Hamburgh grape.
In reds, vellows, and whites, the ceres are flesh
coloured, and should possess the same bloom.

The neck should be short and thick, the breast
broad and prominent, the back flat, shoulders broad
and well defined, the wings strong, stout quilled,
closely braced and carried well above the tail; the
tail should, like the flights, be short, compactly
made, and well carried; a long feathered Dragoon
lacks that grace which is so much desired. The legs
should be short, set well apart, with stout, muscular
thighs. The shape generally should be cobby and
compact, and the carriage alert, smart, commanding
and graceful.

156 PiGkons anp ALL ABout THEM.

Dragoons are a large and varied family, embrac-
ing in colour—blues, blue chequers, red chequers,
silvers, silver chequers, grizzles, reds, vellows, whites,
and mealies. In breeding blues must be matched to
blues, chequers to chequers, silvers to silvers or
blues, grizzles to blues, reds to reds or yellows, vel-
lows to yellows or reds.

THE ANTWERP.

This variety, at one time very largely bred in the
West Riding of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the
Birmingham district, has of late fallen somewhat from
its former high estate, and although there is a club
devoted to its interests, the breed does not possess the
vim and go which its qualities demand and deserve.
There is nothing showy or flashy about the Antwerp,
no meretricious charms belong to it, but rather is it
the embodiment of all that denotes strength, tenacity,
and pugnacity; it is, indeed, the bulldog of the
Pigeon Fancy. Its properties are chiefly those of the
head, very little attention being paid to colour, etce.,
and in its skull are to be seen some of the most won-
dertul developments of the breeder’s art; develop-
ments which have concentrated themselves to such
an extent that, unlike other breeds which are sub-
divided by colour, the Antwerp is sub-divided into
short-faced, medium-faced, and long-faced, according
to the length of skull. The length of the face is
measured from the centre of the eye to the end of the
beak, and a short-face should be 12 inches, a medium
about 13 inches, and a long-face anything above 12
inches.

The beak of the Antwerp should be very stout,
especially in the lower mandible; it should also be
proportionately short, varving, of course, in the dif-
ferent lengthed faces. The beak wattle should be
broad and compact, even in texture, and fit closely to
the frontal, not being loose or lop-sided. The eve
wattle should be hard, firm, and circular, without
softness or coarseness. The eve should be full and
bold, and of a gravel or orange shade. The head
should, in all three divisions of the family, be verv
broad and full, well arched and free from bumps or

1919 Black Chequer Antwerp Hen.

Winner of 1st Cliff, 2nd Settle, Ist and spl. Altrincham, and
ist Dairy

Bred and Exhibited by Mr. A. T. Mays,

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 159

angularities. The neck should be short and stout, the
shoulders very broad and massive, with a bold, round
chest. The back, although not flat, should not be
too rounded. The wings should have great strength,
both of quill and web, and should be carried well up.
The legs should be strong and muscular. In size the
Antwerp should be large yet not ungainly or Runtish
in appearance.

The sub-varieties are differentiated as follows :—
The short-faced should be, as its name implies, short
in beak and short in skull, yet it must be very broad
and full in skull, and when viewed in profile the skull
of the shortface should resemble the shape of a penny
piece. Few, indeed, come up to this ideal, the pre-
vailing fault being lack of rotundity; but the short-
faced Antwerp, like the English Owl, wants a round
head, with the eye centrally placed. The beak and
head of the medium-face should be longer than that
of the short-face, but there should be the same full-
ness, width and strength of muzzle, the difference
being that whereas the short-face should be round,
the medium-face is so elongated in face and back
skull as to make the head appear oval in shape. The
long-face presents greater length of face and sweep
of skull than the medium-face, and there is a corres-
ponding increase of stoutness and leneth of beak, and
quantitv of beak wattle.

The shape of body and carriage should be the
same in all three divisions, and it should never be
allowed to become clumsy and slovenly. Breeders
have given so much attention to substance of head and
beak that they have somewhat neglected colour,
shape, and carriage of body, and neatness of feather.
If attention is given to these points, whilst preserving
the massiveness of head and beak, especially of the
under mandible, the Antwerp should again become
much prized and sought after.

The colours mostly seen are silver duns and red
chequers. There are blues and blue chequers, but
they are seldom seen, and when seen are far behind
the other colours in substance of head and beak. When

160 PIGEONS AND ALL AxBour THEM.

all is said and done, the simple fact remains that head
and beak are the great points of the Antwerp.

THE SHOW HOMER.

This is undoubtedly a most popular and largely-
kept variety. North, away in distant Scotland;
South. as far as the Isle of Wight; West, in Cornwall
and Wales; and East, in Lincolnshire and Norfolk.
In fact, the Show Homer is ubiquitous, and the dif-
ficulty would be to say where it is not popular. The
number of its followers is everywhere increasing, and
vear by year more birds change hands at big prices
than in any other variety. So big have been the
prices realised for Show Homers that they have pro-
vided, year after year, the sensation of the season.

In recent years much progress has been made in
the perfecting of the breed, and to-day we can, at any
show of importance, find a large number of birds com-
bining in the highest degree the much-valued proper-
ties of substance and quality. The rage for substance
of head and beak which prevailed so strongly years ago
has worked itself out, and breeders both North and
South have set themselves to produce specimens excel-
ling in all-round properties. Further, there is not
vow the difference existing between the birds of the
North and the South. Breeders of the North have
bred down to.quality, and those of the South have
bred up to substance. To-day the Show Homer is
one cf the most handsome, graceful, and command-
ing birds on the show bench.

‘The beak is an important property in the Show
Homer, because upon its Jength, stoutness, and set-
ting, depend in great measure the perfection of the
profile. The beak should be long, but not unduly
stout; it must not overbalance the rest of the face,
or the bird will appear mean-faced. From the corner
of the eye to the tip of the beak should be from r#in.
to rfin., with proportionate stoutness. The beak
wattle should be very fine and glovelike in texture
and fit, and be V-shaped.

The eye should be bold and prominent, and
pearl or white in colour. A red eve is a bad fault,

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 161

and one not easily bred out of a strain. Purity of
eye is the hail-mark of a high-class Show Homer. The
cere should be very fine and hard in texture, small
and close fitting, and of dark a colour as possible. A
milk-white eye in a rich dark cere gives a bird a
most distinguished and handsome appearance.

The head, when viewed in profile, should show
an unbroken curve from the tip of the beak to the
back of the skull. The face should be well filled in,
without bumps or angles of any kind.

The throat must be clean and neat, without
suspicion of gullet.

The neck should be of such proportionate length
as not to destroy that graceful poise of head which
is such a great feature in the Show Homer. At the
shoulders it shoult be stout, and taper away grace-
fully as it approaches the head.

The body should be short and wedge-shaped, broad
in the chest, and tapering well away at the vent.
The shoulders should be strong and stand out some-
what from the chest. The beak should be broad,
flat and straight.

The flights should be short, stout in web and
quill, close fitting, and carried well over the tail.

The body feather must be short, hard, and close
fitting. Softness or slackness of feather is out of
keeping with the characteristics of the Show Homer.

The tail should be short, compact, and carried
clear of the pen floor.

The legs should be stout and of mediuin length,
with strong, well set thighs, and nicely proportioned
in length from bedy to hock, and thock to feet, which
also should-be strong and cleanly made.

Much has been said and written about the size
of Show Homers. <A big, coarse Runtish body is as
wrong as a small weedy one. The Show Homer is
a bold, commanding bird, and therefore should pos-
sess a medium-sized body. One showing strength
with grace, and no clumsiness. When in show
position the bird should possess an alert yet dignified
appearance, and this it cannot do with an ungainly
sized body.

G

162 Pickons anp ALL Asout THEM.

acl

The principal colours are Black-chequers, Blue-
chequers, Silver-chequers, Reds, Red-chequers,
Blues, Silvers, Mealies, Yellow-chequers, Yellows,
in something like the order given.

Between the Black-chequers and Blue-chequers
there is very little difference, and it is often difficult
to’say if a bird is one or the other. This is due to
the fact that breeders trouble little about the colour
and marking of birds they pair up. Head, eye, and
cere are given all the thought, at the expense of other
valuable properties.

The Silver-chequers are seldom very pure in
their ground colour, and there is room here for the
exercise of the breeder’s energy and ability. The
production of a real silver strain of Silver-chequers,
with all the other properties in perfection, would well
repay any breeder who set himself the task.

THE ENHIBITION FLYING HOMER.

This, one of our modern breeds, is very popular,
and has its devotees in all parts of the country. The
breed has a strong and flourishing specialist club to
look after its interests, and its standard of perfection
has been so drawn as to exclude birds showing Show
Homer tendencies in head, whilst being a_ highly
refined edition of the same in body. High as the
ideal of the standard is, it is astonishing how close
to it breeders have attained in a few years.

There is a tendency at the present moment to
encourage size, which should be checked, because,
if allowed to continue, the breed will lose that smart,
alert, active appearance which is one of its greatest
charms. With this imerease in size of body has
come another failing, or rather objectionable feature,
a curving of the face, which has undoubtedly been
borrowed from the Show Homer. This is altogether
opposed to the standard, which distinctly states
there should be no such sweep of skull, but a nice
straight face, with an imperceptible rise from the
beak to the crown. Judges and breeders both should
see to it that the craze for size and fulness of face is
not allowed to spoil one of the most attractive breeds
Wwe possess.

1919 Strawberry Mealy Show Homer Cock.
A bird of beautiful type and quality.
Bred by Mr. Fred G, Barnard.

whose strain has helped to produce many of England's
classic winners.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 165

Another point to be remembered is that length
of beak is not the same thing as length of face; the
two do in many instances go together, but there are
birds with only ordinary or moderate length of face
and skul, but which possess long spindley beaks.
Some, in their ignorance, speak of these birds as
being long in face. They are not. ‘They simply
possess abnormally long beaks, and such birds do
not show that gentle rise from the beak to the top
of the skull.

A very important: point in the Exhibition Flying
Homer is the eye. I am not referring altogether to
to its colour, but more particularly to its shape and
size. It must be full and bold, very bright and clear,
so as to give the alert appearance needed, and be in
due proportion to the size of the head. Some eyes
are very large, but they are not bold; they are more
or less sunken. Such an eye, no matter how good
in colour, spoils an otherwise good bird. A nicely
shaped, round bold eye of a pearl or white colour,
set in a fine, dark cere, adds immensely to the attrac-
tions of a bird. ,

A tip-top Exhibition Flying Homer should bear
some close resemblance to the following standard,
which has been compiled by the Exhibition Flying
Homer Society :—

BEAK.—Fairly stout and straight set, both
mandibles of nearly equal substance, close fitting, a
hard dark colour preferred. In pieds, a parti-
coloured beak is admissible.

WATTLE.—Small and smooth in texture, free
from coarseness, and V-shaped.

EVE.—To be pearl colour, bold, alert, and full
of intelligence.

CERE.—Small, hard, and finely laced, dark
colour preferred. In pieds, a varti-coloured cere is
admissible.

The HEAD in profile, rising gradually and al-
most imperceptibly from wattle to above the eye,
showing no angularity or flatness, the whole giving
the appearance of a nice straight-faced bird, with

166 PIGEONS aND Att About THEM.

nothing of the character and sweep of nead of the
Show Homer, immediately above the eye being the
highest point, then descending to the neck without
exhibiting a broken outline. The top view should
show fairly broad hetween the eyes, gradually nar-
rowing towards the wattle. The crown should be
convex from eye to eve, and the whole heai and
beak should have a long appearance, with no sus-
picion of weakness.

NECK.—Of medium length and thickness, eu-
tirely free from gullet, and gradually widening from
head to body.

CHEST.—Broad and full.

BACK.—Short, flat, broad across the shoulders
tapering off to the rump and tail.

BODY.—Deep in keel, short and straight in
breastbone, plenty of front, and finisning in a wedge
shape.

WINGS.—To have powerful and prominent
butts, the flights being fairly short, strong, broad,
and closely overlapped.

TAIL.—Close fitting, having the appcarance of
one feather, carried clear off the ground, somewhat
short in proportion to the size of the bird, and e¢x-
tending slightly beyond the flights.

LEGS.—Of medium length, good muscular
thighs, and well set back.

CARRIAGE.—FEreet and bold.

SIZE.—Medium, every point in proportion.

COLOUR.—Sound, bright and hard, in chequers
the chequering to be bold and distinct, not having a
washed-out appearance.

CONDITION.--Clean, hard, muscular, and
plump, but not fat.

GENERAL CONFIGURATION. — Short in
body, broad shoulders, deep keel, presenting a
wedge-shaped appearance, medium in size, and €x-
cessive in no property, hard, and very close feathered,
alert and watchful.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 167

Seale of value of each point, total roo.—Head,
15; beak, 2; wattle, 2; eye Sp Coie, 54 neck, 5;
chest, 54 back, 53 body, 5: wings and flights, 15;
tail, 4; carriage, 5; size, 5; colour, 5; condition, 15;
legs, 2.

The colours most generally shown, are Reds,
Red Chequers, Mealies, Blues, Blue Qhequers, Blacks,
Black Chequers, and Pieds.

THE WORKING OR RACING HOMER.

The sport of Pigeon Flying has made tremen-
dous strides during the last few years, and to-day
there must be at least 34,000 to 40,000 people in-
terested in the sport in the United Kingdom alone.
The National Homing Union has a membership of
more than half that of the figures given, and it is
only fair to assume that where at least there is one
fancier who is a member of that organisation, there
is another who ts not.

The sport of Pigeon racing is most absorbing,
enthralling, and exciting, even whilst it is one of the
most honest and best conducted of sports. In Pigeon
racing, every bird is his own jockey, and thus there
is litthe opportunity for mal-practices. .The amount
of monev which is flown for each year runs into
hundreds of thousands of pounds, and if statistics
could be compiled I have no doubt that we should
find that quite £500,000 is flown for each year in the
United Kingdom. On the continent the total
amount would perhaps not amount to so much in
the aggregate, but the prizes are very valuable, owing
to the system of pooling, which is more advanced
than with us. In the best races in Belgium, it is
not unusual for a bird to win from £500 to £1,000 in
one race. The excitement occasioned by the National
races extends from one end of the country to the
other, and it is not at all unusual for the whole of
a man’s friends to find the money to enter the crack
of his loft in a number of the pools in the big races.

The question as to how birds ‘‘home’’ has never
yet been solved. Some argue that the birds fly by
instinct, others say it is sight; others again persist
that reasoning power is the faculty that brings birds

168 Pickons aND ALL, AsoutT THEM.

home. Certain it is that sight alone cannot be the
dominant faculty, because birds that have only been
trained 200 miles in a given direction have been sent
500 and 600 miles, and ‘‘homed’’ successfully. I
myself, on one occasion, jumped a bird from 200 to
400 miles, and he won a long way in front of the 5or
other birds in the race; and again on one occasion,
in a 600-mile race, one of my birds was jumped from
200 miles to 600, and was 2nd in the race. Sight
alone could not do this. My own opinion is that
the only reasonable and natural explanation of the
homing power is that the training through which the
birds go develops some natural power which is in-
herited, and that the greatest factor of all is reason-
ing power. It must ever be remembered that unless
a bird is trained it has not the power to home, but
is like a rudder-less ship on the open sea—helpless.
In training, the birds are first of all allowed to
view the surrounding country from the top of their
loft, then after a few weeks’ flying round the loft
they are taken about half a mile from home and
“‘tossed’’; the next stage is a mile, then three, then
five, from five to ten, ten to twenty, twenty to thirty-
five or forty, then seventy or seventy-five, the suc-
ceeding stages being 100, 150, 200, 300, 4oo, and
after that any distance up to 600 or 700 miles. Races
of 700 miles and over are not frequent, and are in-
variably productive of great losses. The speed at
which a Homing Pigeon will travel is controlled by
the state of the atmosphere. When it is bright and
clear, with a fair amount of moisture in the air, and
the wind favourable, birds will travel at any speed
from 1,200 yards to a mile per minute; but when it
is hot, with a dry atmosphere and not much wind,
1,000 yards per minute is good work; again, when
the weather is stormy, and the wind against them,
anything from 600 to 900 vards per minute is good
work. Birds which can fly for fourteen or sixteen
hours and do 700 or 800 yards per vards per minute
on a bad day. are the most highly esteemed, because
on such a day is brought out not only the bird’s
reasoning powers, but also its powers of endurance.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 169

In the selection of stock for breeding, good looks
and such points as colour and marking have no place
in the thoughts of a Working Homer fancier. Pedi-
gree is the great thing which is studied, and as much
as #50 has been paid for birds from a good strain,
and which have proved themselves also to be good
fliers. Stock birds bred from noted birds have often
been sold at £5 to £10 each. Apart from pedigree,
the points valued, are boldness of eve, width of skull,
with prominent frontal indicating brain power,
strong muscular shoulders, stoutness of quill, width
and strength of the web of the flights, so that the
flights overlapping or covering each other well, the
birds are able to offer resistance to the air in the
same manner that the blade of an oar offers resistance
to the water. The chest should be deep, so as to
afford plenty of room for the lungs to play. Width
of chest is not greatly to be desired, that is, abnor-
mal width, because a wide chested bird offers more
resistance to the wind; a Racing Homer needs a
chest deep like unto that of the greyhound. The tail
should be of moderate length, strong and closely
packed; a loose, slack tail is a hindrance to a bird
when flying, and one that is too short does not give
the bird that power to rest in the air which a well
proportioned and stoutly made tail gives. Further,
the tail acts as a rudder to the bird during flight, and
thus will be seen at once the necessity for its being
well and proportionately built.

THE SCANDAROON,

The Scandaroon is not very largely bred in this
country. In Germany it has a host of admirers. It
is the only one of the long-faced wattled Pigeons
bred in England which has not a straight face. Its
long arched beak and face, which is one of its
strongest points, is looked upon by many as being
a malformation, and one has to be educated up to a
certain stande-d ere it is possible to appreciate the
points which go to make up a good exhibition speci-
men of the variety. One great charm the Scandaroon
possesses, and that is its marvellous depth, richness,

170 Pickons and ALL AsBout THEM.

and purity of colour. Red, Black, and Yellow Scan-
daroons are what their name implies, and could the
same beautiful colouring be infused into many of the
other breeds known to the English Fancy, their
value and beauty would be considerably enhanced.

Seandaroons are rather quarrelsome and pug-
nacious, and he who would keep them must give
them plenty of perch room. Box perches are the
best for them, as by their use quarrelsome members
of the stud can be kept from doing harm to other
birds unawares. In selecting stock for breeding, the
chief points are iength of face, height and fulness of
arch, and stoutness of beak. Birds with straight
faces, crooked or spindley beaks, and flat faces and
crowns, are of little worth.

The beak, which is so prominent a _ feature,
should be very long, stout, well arched, closely fitt-
ing, blunt at the tip, and white in colour... The beak
wattle should be fine and even in texture, long and.
full, not too flat, yet not rising so as to break the
profile of the face. A coarse. wattle will completely
spoil an otherwise good face.

The skull must be long and narrow, well arched
from the beak to the crown, and free from angles or
lumps. In fact, from tne tip of the beak to the back
of the skull should be an unbroken semi-circular
clongated outline, whilst from side to side the skull
should be round, any tendency to flatness taking
away from the arched appearance.

The eye and eye cere, although not of great im-
portance in themselves, have much to do with the
general finish of the head. In Pieds and Whites the
eye should be ‘‘bull’’ or dark, in Reds and Blues rich
bright red, and a paler red or orange in Yellows.
The ceres should be in proportion to the size of skull
and beak wattle, fit closely to the skull, and be of
rich flesh colour bordering on red.

The neck should be very long, slender, and
swan-like in curve, the chest wide and prominent;
the back should be flat, the wings should be rather
short, yet strong. with the flights well folded, or
packed; the tail, also, should be short.

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“SOLIBIAY MAN S4aMIeA PUB ay4BID “SASSOW—s4az|qUIN, 3192S P2H YAeMaN ay) JO aWOH YL

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 173

The legs should be long, stout, and muscular,
with plenty of thigh, so as to hold the body well up
when the bird is in position, as although a somewhat
large bird, the Scandaroon is not a slovenly one.

The colours mostly seen are Reds, Blacks, Vel-
lows, Whites, and Blues. The markings are similar
to those of the Magpie, except that they run up into
the neck, and that there are two almond-shaped spots
below the eyes extending from the back of the beak
to the ears.

THE RUNT.

The Runt is the largest Pigeon known to the
English Fancy, and it is of the common or Dove-
house type. Its great features are size and length of
feather. It is indeed a huge creature, measuring
from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail some
twenty-one or twenty-two inches, whilst in girth the
body is often fourteen, fifteen, or even sixteen in-
ches, whilst the length of feather is prodigious, the
wings, when outstretched, measuring from a yard to
forty inches. In carriage the Runt should be up-
right, but it has no chance of showing its style in
the ordinary pens provided at English Pigeon shows.
The colours most usually seen in England are Whites,
Blues, and Silvers, but on the Continent I have seen
some very beautiful Reds, and Yellows. ‘Tightness
and hardness of body feather is a valuable property
in the show pen.

By no stretch of the imagination can the Runt
be styled a handsome or attractive Pigeon as a show
bird, neither is it elegant or graceful when on the
wing. Runts have the quality of tameness, how-
ever, and will walk and strut about their home like
unto the ordinary fowl. During the breeding season
Runts must be liberally supplied with shell grit, so
that they may be able to shell their eggs well, as
owing to their enormous size they are apt to smash
their eggs; and for this reason they must also be given
an abundance of material with which to line their
nests. Apart from show purposes, and taking it as a

174 PiGEons AND ALL Apour THEM.

utility bird, the Runt cannot be beaten, and anyone
fond of Pigeon-pie might make Runts pay by breed-
ing only for the table.

THE POUTER.

This Pigeon has been held in high esteem by fan-
ciers in all ages as one of the leading or classic
varicties, and by reason of its grace and gentleness
has been given the style and title—the Queen of
Pigeons. I am not going back to delve from the
chronicles of antiquity the details of its origin; in
this practical age such is not needed. At one time
London was a big centre of Pouter breeding, but for
some years now Scotland has taken the lead, al-
though, strange to say, Iondon and the home coun-
ties are very strong in Pigmy Pouters. Pouters, al-
though large birds, do well in confined or limited
accommodation, provided they are kept scrupulously
clean.

Pouters are very tame and tractable, and take most
readily to the training and petting which is needed
to bring out the points of style and carriage, which
play so great a part in the judges’ decisions. The
first step in training a Pouter is to tame it, get it
accustomed to being in a pen, and, if possible, in a
place where it can often be seen and talked to. Many
fanciers take their Pouters into the house so that
they may become used to people moving about near
them. When the birds are penned they must be
talked to, stroked with the judging-stick, have the
fingers snapped at them, and ‘‘croowed and cooed”’
to. These things will all excite the birds and make
them strut and stalk about their cages in a dainty
yet dignified style, the while blowing out their crops
in the approved manner.

Some birds respond most readily, and these make
the best birds for exhibition. A merry bird pleases
a judge, a sulky one annoys him, and it is waste of
time and money to exhibit birds which are inclined
to sulk, no matter how good they may be structur-
ally.

Tut BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 175

When the birds are placed in the pens they
should be treated to a few dainties such as canary
seed and hemp seed, each time their owner enters the
loft or pen room. ‘This will go a long way to over-
come any shyness or sulkiness which any of them
may possess. Patience and perseverance bring their
own reward so far as the training of Pouters is con-
cerned, but it must ever be remembered that it is
useless to show untrained Pouters.

The outstanding features of a Pouter are size and
shape. Its body must be long and slender, and nar-
row in the waist. Its size is more apparent than
real; that is to say, it 1s not really so big as it looks.
Its spread of tail and blowing of crop make it appear
big. Fineness of body and fineness of limb being
great essentials, the bird cannot be big.

The crop or globe of the Pouter is its chief
characteristic, the one point that distinguishes it from
all other Pigeons. This must, when inflated, be
large, full, and round, well balanced on cither side
of the neck; a crop that is not well balanced is not
symmetrical, and fails in its chief point. When at
rest it must have such power of elasticity to prevent
its being pendulous, a ‘‘slack crop’’ being a bad fault.

The legs should be long, about seven or eight
inches in length, set well back in the body, with a
slight inward slope to the hock, the shank being
straight. They must be close together, so close that
when viewed from the side they appear to touch.
The feet must be well formed and well spread, so as
to support the body well when the bird is showing.
The feet should turn outward. Thus, unlike other
Pigeons, a Pouter is not ‘‘Pigeon-toed.” This
allows for the display of the foot feather. The limbs
must be closely feathered right down to the toes.

Length of body and length of feather are
features of importance. From the tip of its beak to
the end of its tail, a high-class Pouter should
measure about 20 inches. Much of this length is in
the tail. The neck should be long, as upon the
length of the neck depends in great measure the crop
development. The shoulders should be small and

176 PIGEONS and ALL ApBout THEM.

well clipped into the sides of the body; the flights
must be long and wide in web, extending almost to
the end of the tail, and carried just above it.
The tail is long and fine, and carried in a continuous
line from the body, and must not be allowed to drag,
but be carried just off the floor. That Prince of
Pigeon Fanciers, the late ‘‘ Bobbie ’’ Fulton, used to
say, ‘‘A Pouter should not sweep the floor.”

Skull properties are of little account in a Pouter.
The head and beak are dove-shaped, the wattle small
and neat. The beak colour varies according to the
colours. In Blacks and Blues it should be black, in
Reds and Yellows of a horny flesh tint, and in Whites
a light flesh tint.

The eye of the Pouter is small, and carries little
cere. In colour it is dark or ‘“‘bull’ in Whites, and
yellow or orange in the other colours.

Carriage is a great feature in the Pouter, and
when in full show a bird should be almost perpen-
dicular from the eye to the feet. A good bird is
most active in carriage, and thus is scarcely two
seconds in the same position. No pen can describe
the ever-changing attitudes of a free playing Pouter.
Action covers much, and it must be seen to be under-
stood.

The standard colours of the Pouter are Blues,
Blacks, Reds, Yellows, and Whites, whilst such as
Mealies, Chequers, and Strawberries are considered
off-colours. Although one speaks of Pouters as
though they were whole-coloured birds, they are not,
as the under part of the body, sides, legs, back, and
primary flights are all white. In addition to this,
the crescent marking extends from just below the
eves right across the crop, and is, as its name denotes,
a half-moon white marking. Then there is the
shoulder marking, commonly called the rose, which
should be a mottling of the shoulders by about a
dozen white feathers, and, to be perfect, be almost in
the shape of a rose.

Blues are the most popular and most largely bred.
Blacks are very handsome, but the colours which
appeal most to the earnest breeder are Reds and Vel-

ie %
ne
ee

snot

White Pigmy Pouter Hen, ‘‘ Lady Bayardo.”

Winner in 1907 of 1st Liverpool and Ist Folkestone; in 1908 of
Ist and Cup for second best Pigeon in show, Leatherhead; and
in 1909 of 1st and Challenge Cup for best Pigeon in show,
Leatherhead, and ist and White Challenge Cup,
Club Show, Cambridge.

Bred and Exhibited by Captain St. John Hornby,

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 179

lows, which in Pouters, as in many other breeds,
seem all too difficult for the average fancier to breed
up to the standard. The chief failing in Red and
Yellow Pouters is deficiency in tail colouring.

PIGMY POUTERS.

The Pigmy Pouter is one of the breeds which has
made extensive headway during the twentieth cen-
tury, not only in merit, but also in the numbers of
its adherents. It is, in all things except size, the
exact counterpart of the Pouter; there is, however,
this difference, that whereas Pouters, if they possess
slimness and no coarseness, cannot be too big: on the
other hand the Pigmy, whilst possessing the char-
acteristics of the Pouter, cannot be too small. To-
day we have quite a number of Pigmies which are,
indeed, veritable miniature Pouters, and their number
is increasing. In shape, style and limb the Pigmies
have much improved of late, and they are still im-
proving.

The colours are blues, silvers, blacks, reds, yel-
lows, whites, chequers and duns, and judging by the
numbers shown their popularity is in the order in
which I have given them.

THE NORWICH CROPPER.

This is a very old variety which, in these latter
days, has come into favour again. In the days that
are gone they are supposed to have played a big part
in the making of the English Pouter. JI remember,
many years ago, before I had much to do with the
Pigeon Fancy, how I used in my visits to Norwich
to see huge flocks of Croppers about the stable-yards
and farm-yards, in and near the city. In those days
they were kept for their flying properties; and very
attractive indeed are the aerial performances of a
flock of Croppers. ‘To-day the Norwich Cropper is
a highly esteemed member of the show family, and
is to be found scattered throughout the country.

There is a. striking resemblance between the
Pouter and the Norwich Cropper, and yet at the same
time great differences. In the Pouter, length of limb
is the great feature. Not so in the Cropper. The

180 PIGEONS AND ALL Axsourt THEM.

legs of the Cropper should be shorter and straighter
than those of the Pouter. A Cropper must not have
the appearance of being on stilts. Its crop is rather
more globular than that of the Pouter, especially on
the under portion, coming sharper into the body than
does the crop of the Pouter, due, no doubt, in great
measure, to the fact that the Cropper is straighter in
body than the Pouter.

The colours are Blacks, Blues, Reds, Yellows,
Silvers, Duns, Mealies, and Strawberries, with chequers
from the Blacks, Duns, Reds and Silvers.

During the show season Pouters, Pigmies, and
Croppers are usually kept in pens, and not given their
liberty.

FOREIGN CROPPERS.

On the Continent there are a number of Pouters
or Croppers such as the French Pouter, the Austrian
Brunner, the Saxon Cropper, the Pomeranian Crop-
per, the Dutch Cropper, and the Holle Cropper, but
of these the only one that may be said to be known
and kept in this country is the Holle Cropper, de-
scribed by Mr. J. C. Lyell as the Dutch Balloon
Cropper, or ‘‘ Die Hollandische Ballonkropftaube,”’
and from the description given of it in ‘‘ Fancy
Pigeons,’’ I should say that Mr. Lyell not being per-
sonally acquainted with the breed copied the same
from some German work on Pigeons.

The Holle Cropper is a small, round bodied
Pigeon, similar in shape to the Fantail, except in its
caudal appendage, has a certain amount of the
tremulous action of the Fantail, its head is thrown
back in the same manner, and rests lightly in the
middle of its crop. It has short flights and tail, short
legs, and walks in the same graceful yet jaunty
manner as the Fantail. Its chest is round and full,
and the crop instead of protruding from the front of
the bird as in all other Croppers, is held upright
above the shoulders. The crop is in keeping with
the size of the bird, and is round in shape. It is a
grave fault for a bird to be over-cropped, even as it
is for it to be under-cropped. Symmetry and pro-
portion are the great essentials. In Holland it is

[From a Painting by Wippell.
Red Norwich Cropper Hen.

Winner of :—1915, 2nd Dairy (beaten by a cock), 1st Club

Show, 1st and spl Glasgow; 1916, 1st and spl Manchester,

Ist and spl Norwich; Ist and spl Club Show; 1917. 1st and spl
Club Show, Ist and spl Norwich.

Bred and Exhibited by Dr, Wm. Royden, of Fleggburgh.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 183

quite the most popular of all Pigeons, having a very
strong and active specialist club to look after its
interests, and which club holds its annual show at
The Hague. At this show classes are provided for
whites, blues, blacks, reds, yellows, grizzles,
mottles, blue, black, red, and yellow pieds, and
the same colours with white flights. Some years
since the Holle Cropper Club, at its annual meeting
bestowed upon myself a unique distinction by elect-
ing me its ‘‘ Member of Honour,’’ as a mark of its
esteem, and in recognition of my labours and writings
on behalf of the columbarian family. ‘This makes me
the first member of the club, taking precedence even
of the president, thus the honour is, indeed, a great
one,
THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER.

Amongst the Tumbler family are to be found
possibly the oldest of our Fancy Pigeons—the Short-
faced. At one time it was the Pigeon above all
others known to the Fancy, special societies with
regular meeting-nights beine devoted to its culture,
especially in London. ‘That it is essentially a bird
adapted for large towns is not to be denied, because
it does not require a great amount of room. As to
the varieties, these are Almonds, Agates, Kites,
Mottles, Selfs, Baldheads, and Beards, and by general
consent the Almond is voted the king of the family.
The Mottles are, perhaps, the most valued, but they
are in so few hands, and are so seldom seen in any-
thing approaching perfection that the palm must be
given to the Almond.

Before proceeding to describe the colours of the
various tumblers, I will deal with their structural
properties. There is not much doubt that the reason
why Short-faced Tumblers fell from the high esteem
in which they were held was because of certain
revelations some years ago as to the means adopted
by fanciers to produce the peculiar shape of skull.
The effect of those disclosures has passed away, and
now the Short-faced Tumbler is becoming more
popular again.

184. Pickons anp Ary Asout THEM.

The beak of all Short-faced Tamblers should be
short, fine, and straight, like unto the beak of a
Goldfinch, hence the term, ‘‘ Goldfinch beak.’’? ‘The
wattle should be very small, fine, and neat.

The skull, more generally known as ‘‘ the knob,”
is a great feature! It is amongst all breeds of Pigeons
most distinct in character. In no Pigeon of any kind
have we anything approaching the Short-faced Tumb-
ler in its shape of skull, or ‘‘knob.’’ The frontal
should be full and projecting, rising abruptly from
the beak, and being nicely rounded off at the top,
the crown being large and circular. The width and
height must be in due proportion, and whilst a lofty
skull is of great value, that value is heavily discounted
should there not be proportionate width. The
frontal should be so prominent as to bear the appear-
ance of overhanging the beak. The cheeks should
be full and rounded, the feathers between the eye and
the under mandible bulging out towards the eye.

The eye in all colours should be white, pure
milk-white, and surrounded by a very fine cere,
although this being a minor point many otherwise
grand birds fail therein.

In body the Short-faced Tumbler should be small.
The neck should be thin and well arched, showing
off the peculiar skull properties, and also ‘adding to
the beauty of carriage. The chest should be short,
very full, wide and projecting. The back and keel
short. ‘The flights should be carried below the tail,
in the manner known as “ drooping.’

Carriage and shape have much to do with each
other, as unless the body is correctly formed the
carriage cannot be what is required. Thus the short-
ness and compactness of body have much to do with
graceful, alert carriage, which is so great a feature
of the Short-faced Tumbler. The legs and thighs
should be short, the feet small, yet very muscular
and springy, euabling the bird when in full show to
gain a very dainty pose by standing tip-toe. The
flights and tail, although short, are rather long in
proportion to the length of the body, and are not
very compactly carried.

THE BREEDS OF PIG:ONS. 185

THE COLOURS.

ALMONDS.—Why so called has been the subject
of contention time after time, but the generally
accepted idea is wat it is so called from its ground
colour, and which, after all, seems the most natural.

Common sense says the Almond is so-called
because its ground colour should resemble the colour
of the outer shell of the almond nut. This colour
should be rich and clear, as it is the distinctive pro-
perty dividing the Almond from other colours. This
colour begins to deepen and spread from an _ early
age. Few birds are broken in colour until the first
moult has been through, but some even in their nest
body feathers are ticked and spotted with black.
After the first moult these marks continue to increase
and grow larger. After the third, or second adult
moult, the bird is generally at its best, so far as
““spangling’’ or brokenness of colour is concerned.
The tail and flights of a matured specimen should be
of three distinct colours, black, yellow, and white,
the marking being clear and distinct, and not show-
ing any tendency to intermingle. I may say the
Almond hens are never so sharp or clear in spangling
as the cocks.

MorrLes.—These, as I have said, are seldom
seen, but they are indeed most beautiful, and highly
valued when they approach anywhere near the stan-
dard. One advantage the Mottles have over the
Almonds is that their beauty is more lasting. The
glory of the Almond is of a fleeting character, and no
sooner attains its summit than it begins to change
and go back, the bird getting too dark. Not so the
Mottle; its beauty lasts until death. ‘Fhe deep, rich
ground colour of a good black Mottle, relieved with
evenly formed rose markings on shoulders, and a good
clear V on the back, is of the most fascinating and
enchanting character.

AGATES.—These are generally Reds and Yellows,
heavily splashed with white. They are inter-bred
with the Almonds, and are chiefly remarkable for the
fact that they excel the more highly valued Almond

186 PIGEONS and ALL ABoutr THEM.

in ‘‘knob.’’ Splashes are Agates with black splashes
about them, generally in the flights and tail.

SELFS.—These, as their names denote, are whole,
or self-coloured birds.

Kires.—Are really Blacks, with a bronzy or
reddish tint running through the feather; the black
should be a rich, deep black, not a dull, slaty colour.

THE BREEDING OF ALMONDS.

How the Almond originated is somewhat of a
mystery, even as its breeding is a matter of great in-
tricacy. I have not the space to enter into the matter,
and can only direct the young aspirant into roads
which will give scope for his own ingenuity and fer-
ijlity of resource. A show Almond, that is a bird
approaching perfection, should be mated to an Agate
which is whole-feathered, that is one in which the
white marking is only to be found in the flights and
tail. Almond cocks that fail in ground colour, but
are well spangled, should be mated to a good, bright
coloured red hen, or a rich lustrous Kite. Kite and
Agate cocks should have Almond hens as mates.
Agates and Kites when paired will also produce
Almonds. Splashes when paired to whole or self-
coloured reds and yellows will nearly always show
a good proportion of Almond progeny. The matings
depend to a very great extent upon the family history
of each Pigeon, and it is most essential to success in
Short-faced breeding that the fancier keep a most
careful record of his matings and their produce.

BALDHEADS AND BEAaRDS.—These have all the
characteristics of the family, with the markings which
give them their distinctive names. Although not so
numerous as they used to be, there is still a goodly
number of Baldheads and Beards bred, and an effort
is being made by a few enthusiasts to raise them to
their former high estate. The colours are black, blue,
red, vellow, and silver, the two former predom-
inating.

* Pigeons Photo.J
Blue L.F. Saddle Bald Tumbler, ‘ Billy.”

Winner of 1st and A.O.V. Ch. Cup, gold centre medal, ‘ Tom
McGregor’ sp, and reserve for medal best Tumbler Bath
L.F. Tumbler Club Show; 1st Midsomer Norton, 3rd
Edinburgh, 3rd Oakham, reserve Bristol, only times shown.

Bred and exhibited by Mr, W. L. Langley, the originator
of the Variety.

THE BReEDS OF PIGEONS. 189

THE LONG-FACED TUMBLER.

The Long-faced Tumbler, in one or other of its
many sub-varieties, is generally recommended to the
novice when he asks what variety is easy to breed.
This is somewhat resented by enthusiastic followers
of the Long-faced, who say, ‘‘ Let those who think
Long-faces easy to breed have a go at them.’’ Whilst
not wishing to unduly ruffle the plumes of Long-
faced breeders, I must say the advice so given is
sound, because Long-faced Tumblers are fairly
reastnable in price, they do not require extensive
ace-mmodation, and being most excellent parents
they rear their young without much assistance from
ther owner. Further, they are hardy and prolific,
and so far as the Selfs are concerned fairly easy to
exhibit, little being required in the way of prepara-
tion Therefore, what breed could be better adapted
to tre needs of a novice? ‘Tumblers are charming
little birds, and they will keep his affections until he
has learnt something of the art of keeping and breed-
ing Pigeons, and then, if so inclined, he may try his
luck with some of the breeds which are not so cheap,
not so hardy, not so prolific, and not such good
parents.

In the same manner as I dealt with the general
characteristics of the Short-faces, so will I deal with
the Long-faces, and then proceed to speak of the dis-
tinguishing features of the different sub-varieties.

Beak.—Close fitting, straight set, and fairly
stout; a fine spindley beak is a great fault.

Wattle.—Very neat, evenly placed, and fine in
texture.

Skull.—Rather more oval ‘than round, with plenty
of width in front, and without flatness of crown, or
angularities of any kind.

Eye.—In colour the eye should be pearl or white,
a milk-white being the acme of perfection. The eye
should be centrally placed so as to preserve the bal-
ance of face and back skull, and also top.

Ceres.—Very fine in texture, small and close
fitting.

190 PiGkoxs and Arty Asovut THEM.

Neck.—Medium length, slightly arched, and
widening gradually from the head to the shoulders.

Body.—Short and compact, wedge-shaped, chest
very full and prominent, with plenty of width.
Narrowness is a great fault.

Flights and Tail.—The flights should be short,
closely set, possess nice strength of feather, and be
carried over the tail. The tail should be fine, neat,
and closely folded. Slovenly carriage of flights and
spreading of tail are faults of some magnitude.

Legs.—These should be stout and well set, and
of medium length, the feet being clean and neat.

Plumage.—The feathering throughout should be
clean, short, and tight fitting, except, of course, in
muffed varieties, where greater length of feather is
found.

MorrLes AND RosEWINGS.—In dealing with the
sub-varieties, I take the Motthes and Rosewings first,
because to me they are the highest form in which
the Long-faced Tumbler is bred. There is no Pigeon
on the bench more beautiful than a highly finished,
rich coloured, stylish, well marked Black Mottle
Long-faced ‘Tumbler.

The difficulties to be met with in breeding Motiles
and Rosewings are many and great, and they cannot
be surmounted unless the breeder has the most in-
timate knowledge of the stud of birds with which he
is operating, and that knowledge can only be acquired
and kept by a careful and systematic use of a stud
register. The great failing which Mottle breeders
have to fight against is the tendency which birds have
to come too gay or light in marking.

To go thoroughly into the mysteries of Mottle
and Rosewing breeding would require a special
treatise. I can do no more than direct the breeder’s
attention to the fact that two gaily marked birds
must not on any account be paired together; under
marked birds must be bred to those that are well
marked, and gay ones to Mottle-bred Selfs, and so
on. ‘These are only general rules. Each individual
stud possesses characteristics of its own, and these
must be mastered ere success can be achieved.

Long-faced Black Self Tumbler Hen, ‘‘ Carrol Gem.”

A well-known winner, and described by her owner as the best
he ever bred.

Bred and Exhibited by Mr. C, P. Hammond,

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 1938

For the benefit of the new hand, I may say that
the best red and yellow Mottles are, generally speak-
ing, Selfs, or almost Selfs, in their first feather,
whilst on the other hand, the Blacks carry more
white than they do after the first moult.

Reds, Yellows, Blacks, and Whites are the col-
ours in Mottles and Rosewings, the Whites being
very few and uncommon. In the three former the
marking on the shoulders should occupy a space about
the size of a five-shilling piece, and be composed of
white feathers, so arranged as to form a nice rose
marking. ‘The back marking should take the form
of a V, extending from the nape of the neck to half
way down the back. This marking is sometimes
spoken of as the V, at others as the ‘‘ handkerchief.”’
The Mottle and the Rosewing differ only in that the
last-named has no back marking. In Blacks, Reds,
and Yellows the marking is white upon the dark, or
ground colour, and in the Whites the marking is
black.

BALDHEADS AND BEARDS.—These are found in
the following colours: Black, Blue, Silver, Red,
Yellow, and Blue Chequer. In head properties the
Balds are generally better than the Beards, the latter
not showing such width of skull, or so much fullness
of frontal, as the Balds, Blacks, Blues, and Balds.
Each should have sharp, clearly defined black wing
bars. ‘The Reds and Yellows must be as sound and
even as possible in their ground colour. The flight or
wing marking in each is the same, the standard per-
fection of value being 10 x 10. That is, the ten outer
flights on each wing are white, the remainder being
of the body colour of the bird.

The Baldhead’s distinguishing marking is, of
course, the head, which should be white, cut away
from the body by a sharp line very slightly below
the eye. If the line goes below this the bird is termed
“low cut,’’? as opposed to ‘“‘high cut.” A high cut
bird is the most valuable owing to the difficulty in
keeping dark feathers off the skull in high cut birds.
The back, rump, tail, and underpart of the body are

H

194 PIGEONS AND ALL AsBouT THEM.

white. The beak is white or flesh-coloured. The cere
in the reds and yellows is light, but in the other
colours should be dark.

Since the second edition of ‘‘ Pigeons and All
About Them’’ was published, that good fancier, Mr.
W. L. Langley, of Bath, has introduced and _per-
fected a very handsome Baldhead Tumbler wiih
Saddle markings. This is known as the Saddle-
marked Baldhead, and is a very pleasing addition to
our varietics of Pigeons. The variety is not yet
adimitted to the standard of the Bald and Beard Club,
but that is only a question of time.

The Beard receives its name from its white
marking immediately below the under mandible. This
beard, or ‘‘ chuck,’’ as it is more commonly called,
should be small, not extending beyond the centre of
the eye on either side, and of a semi-circular shape,
and going from half an inch to two-thirds down the
throat. The thighs are often white and are so passed,
but if the colouring can be carried down to the vent
the bird is improved, and this colouring the standard
asks for, but mauy otherwise good birds fail in this
property. The tail and stockings (that is the leg
feathering) should be white. In Blacks, Blues, and
Chequers the upper mandible should be dark or
black, and the under one white or flesh colour; in
the other colours both mandibles should be light. The
eye cere in all colours should be as dark as possible.

WHITESIDES.—The name indicates what these
birds should be. Reds, Yellows, and Blacks are the
colours, the two former being the most common; in
fact, very few of the latter have been seen in the show
pen. Whitesides should have the whole of the body
and the ten outer flights of each wing solid in colour,
the rest being white. The Whitesides have been bred
down from light or gay coloured Mottles, and have
had their markings fixed by careful selection. In
their nestling feathers Whitesides are almost if not
quite Selfs, therefore anyone taking them up must
not expect to see the beauty of their marking until
after the moult. The beak in Reds and Vellows
should be flesh-coloured, and in Blacks follow the

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 195

body colour. ‘The cere in all is flesh-coloured, but
black or dark ceres would greatly improve the appear-
ance of the Blacks.

_ SELFS.—These are the popular and most exten-
sively bred of any of the Tumbler family, and this
is no doubt due to the fact that the breeder is not
troubled or worried with markings. He has only to
get his colour and structure right. It must, however,
be remembered that if Selfs are easier to breed than
the marked varieties, that they have to be bred to a
higher standard of excellence owing to the keenness
of the competition, and that it is almost as difficult,
if not more so, to become a leading light in the ranks
of Self breeders as it is amongst breeders of Mottles
or Balds and Beards.

After the structural properties colour is the Alpha
and Omega of the Self Tumbler; and if one would
excel in Selfs it is above all thipgs necessary that
great attention be paid to the breeding of birds with
rich, sound, even colour. Blacks, Reds, Yellows, and
Whites are the prevailing colours, the Blacks being
the most numerous and the Whites the least. Blues
and Silvers are also bred, but as they are barred it
is a moot point if they can be admitted as Selfs. Some
contend that they are, others say no.

Bracks should be a rich, deep, solid glossy black,
covered with a bright beetle-green sheen. The ceres
should be dark, also the beak.

Reps should be a bright, deep chestnut red
throughout, showing no pluminess, sootiness, or
mealiness of colour.

YELLOWS, like Reds, must be of one even shade
of colour throughout, not a cold, hard looking colour,
but a warm, rich shade. Common faults are meali-
ness of body colour, and greyness or ashiness of flights
and tail.

Vellows and Reds are greatly affected by the sun,
and provision must be made for shielding them from
its direct ravs. If the sun and rain are allowed to
reach them it is impossible to maintain the beauty and
colour of their plumage.

196 PIGEONS AND ALL Axsoutr THEM.

WHITES must be a pure dead white, and not show

traces of greyness or splashes in plumage. Reds,
Yellows, and Whites should have light beaks and
ceres. Stained beaks are a common failing.

THe BARRED VARIETIES.—Few of the clean-
legged ‘Tumblers are barred, yet there are a few Blues,
Silvers, Mealies, and Chequers to be found amongst
them. In the muffed-legged varieties they are fairly
common,

BiveEs should be a nice even medium shade of
blue, not so soft and lavender-like as the blue of the
Owl, and not so dark and hard as the Dragoon colour,
but nearer to the latter than the former. General
failings are a tendency to lightness on rump, vent, and
thighs.

SILVERS should be a soft, silvery colour, not
creamy, but approaching the hue of a newly-minted
shilling. They generally fail in purity of colour,
some being of a creamy tint, others showing a washi-
ness or lightness of vent, rump, and thighs.

CHEQUERS should have the ground colour of
whatever hue they may be clear and sound, and be
closely and evenly chequered all over excepting the
neck. Blues and Chequers should have dark beaks
and ceres. The Silvers are generally lighter in cere
and beak, but the fancier who can establish a strain
with dark ceres and beaks will make for himself a
great name.

The bars in all colours should be a dense bright
black, and sharply and distinctly defined.

ALMONDS are only few in number and fewer still
reach a high standard of merit. The colouring is
the same as in the S.F. Almonds.

Those who wish to know more about the Long-
faced Tumblers should consult my book, ‘‘ Long-
faced Tumblers, and All About Them,’’ which is also
published by ‘‘ Pigeons.”

THE MUFFS.

The Muff-legged varieties, which are to be found
in all colours, should have a profusion of feathers
from the hocks downward, the longer the better, and
it should extend to the toes.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 197

These are great favourites in and around Birming-
ham, in fact, in the great Midland city there are more
breeders of these handsome birds than in all the rest
of the kingdom besides, and they yearly make a good
display at the Bingley Hall Show in their own city, but
beyond that very few are seen,

SADDLES are marked on the body in a manner
similar to Magpies, with the addition of the beard and
whiskers. The beard is a white marking which
should extend from the eve to the beak on each side,
and a short way down the throat. A string of white
also runs from the throat marking, commencing at the
back of the eye and running up the neck to the back of
the head. ‘here is also a white spot just above each
eye, and a blaze mark on the forehead. ‘The whiskers
are a patch of colour on each side of the mouth, between
the forehead spot and the throat or beard marking.
Such marking, I need hardly say, is seldom seen ap-
proaching perfection.

BaDGEs are practically whole-coloured birds, ex-
cept that they have white outer flights, and face
markings similar to the Saddles.

Saddles and Badges are found in great variety of
colouring, blues being the most common, followed by
blacks, reds, vellows, silvers, and chequers. They
are, of course, heavily muffed.

THE TIPPLER.

The Tippler belongs to the Tumbler family, and
has of recent years been brought to a high state of
perfection as a show bird. Show specimens being far
removed in shape, colour, and marking from the old-
fashioned flying or Macclesfield Tippler, from which
it sprung. They are divided into Dark Mottles, Light
Mottles, Chucks, Browns, and Bronzes. The two
latter are self-coloured birds, as their names denote.
The Chuck has a coloured chuck, and the primary
flights are also coloured. Dark Mottles should be of
a rich bronze ground colour throughout, with mark-
ings on the back and shoulders. The Light Mottles
have a light ground colour, and should be evenly
marked or mottled all over with rich brown marking

198 PIGEONS AND Att Apour THEM.

or mottling. In both Dark and Light Mottles the
flights and tail must be sound in colour.

Shape and carriage should be similar to that of
the Clean-legged Long-faced Tumblers.

THE CUMULET.

Of ancient: lineage and great popularity the
Cumulet was introduced into England from Belgium
where it had long been known as one, of the high-fly-
ing breeds, and much used by Belgian fanciers in the
evolution of ‘‘the Pigeon Voyageur ’’ or Racing
Homer, its great value in this direction being its
high flying propensity. English Cumulets are white,
or white with slight red marking about the throat,
known as the ‘‘ chuck,’’ but on the Continent
coloured birds are also known, such as blacks and
reds, with white flights and tails. When first intro-
duced to English fanciers it was as a flying bird, but
it was not long after its advent into this country that
it was introduced to the show pen. As an English
show Pigeon it has increased in size and in style, but
at the expense of its flying properties. Tio remedy
this the Cumulet Club some time since organised a
flying section with competitions for the longest flying.
Cumulets when on the wing reach such heights that
it is impossible for the eve of their owner to follow
them, and they will sometimes remain out of sight
for eight or nine hours, when ‘ the kit ’’ will sud-
denly drop and enter the loft as lively and as merry
as though it had only been on the wing for minutes
instead of hours. When liberated from the loft
‘the kit” flies round and round in circles, gradually
mounting higher and higher, and in dropping to the
loft at the end of the flight the birds approach their
loft in the same manner. '

As a fancy or exhibition Pigeon, the Cumulet is
most attractive and quite unlike any other bird known
to English fanciers. Its clear white eye, and white
cere, combined with its snowy plumage marking it
out for a distinctiveness entirely its own. It isa bold
active looking bird, very smart and compact in plum-
age, and attracts attention by its alert and fearless

{[Sketched from life by Miss Fowler,

A Famous Long-faced Black Beard Tumbler,

Bred and Exhibited by Mr. W. H, Fowler.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 201

Carriage. Its beak which is flesh-coloured should
be straightly set on and of medium substance. ‘The
wattles should be small, fine, glovelike in texture, and
white in colour. ‘I'he face should be long, well drawn
out, and nicely filled so that it presents a long even
sweep, rising gradually from the wattles to the top
of the skull, which should be nicely rounded at the
back, falling into the neck without any break or
angularity. The eye, the most distinguishing
characteristic of the Cumulet should be clear white in
the iris which is large in proportion to the size of the
eye, the pupil being correspondingly smaller, the
cere should be very fine and white in colour. The
body is like unto that of the old-fashioned Flying
Tumbler in shape, but is larger in size, the keel being
of medium depth, with a bold chest, strong powerful
looking wing butts, carrying strong broad flights of
good length, well above the tail, which should be
horizontal and off the ground. The legs should be
clean, free of feathers below the hock, and of a length
proportionate with the body so as to give the bold alert
carriage which is so strong a feature of the breed.
Condition is an important factor in the show pen, and
thus, unless a Cumulet is ‘‘ in the pink ’”’ it possesses
little chance of success. Lancashire and Cheshire
are the strongholds of the Cumulet Fancy, the breed
having few followers outside these counties. Why
it is difficult to say.

THE ENGLISH OWL.

The English Owl is a very widely bred and highly
popular member of the Columbarian family. Further,
it is bred and kept by fanciers of high position in the
Fancy, it being one of the most valuable of our Fancy

Pigeons. In fact, to the Owl belongs the credit of
having fetched the highest price in the records of the
Fancy. An English Owl, which was bred by that

most estimable fancier, Mr. Stephen Salter, of Ryde,
having been sold for £200.

The English Owl of the present time is a vastly
different Pigeon to its ancestor of thirty or forty vears
ago. In those days it was smaller in both head and

202 PIGEONS AND ALL ABoutT THEM.

body, the increased size and substance having been
obtained by the introduction of the Barb and Short-
faced Antwerp.

Some say it is not so, others of the progressive
family sav they have done it. One thing is certain,
and that is that in the Antwerp breeding district of
Yorkshire many frill-less Owls have been produced.
As a policeman would say if it 1s not proven, there
is ground for great suspicion.

As it is now bred, the English Owl is a bird of
noble and commanding presence, and gives one the
idea of strength without clumsiness. It is a hardy
bird, and it is not at all unusual for a good show
specimen to stand the wear and tear of exhibition life
for seven or eight vears, and some have stood it even
for ten or eleven years. The English Owl should be
a fairly large bird, vet not an awkward one. It should
have a stout, plump, vet fairly short body, with great
width and fulness of chest; the wings should be strong
and muscular, and carried above the tail; the carriage
bold, active, and jaunty, the head being held well up
in a smart, alert manner.

In the head of the Owl les almost three-fourths
of its properties. Let standards say what they will,
head and head alone dominates the Owl. Included
in head is the beak; this latter property should be stout
and short, and of parrot-like shape, not too pronounced
in its hook, but if it errs at all it should be in this
direction rather than in the opposite of straightness.
A straight beaked Owl is an abomination. The curve
in the beak should be just sufficient to keep the outline
of rotundity from tip of the beak over the skull; with
a straight beak the beautiful and much-desired round-
ness of profile is broken. The beak wattle should
be small, neat, and of fine texture. In Blues,
Powdered Blues, Blue-chequers, and Blacks, the beak
shovld be dark: in Silvers, Silver-chequers, Powdered
Silvers, Duns, Reds, and Yellows, it should be of a
light horn or flesh colour.

The head should ke very round, full, and massive.
Viewed from the front, back, or in profile, the idea
conveyed to the observer should be of roundness in

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 203

front, roundness behind, and roundness everywhere.
This rotundity of skull is the greatest and first pro-
perty in the Owl.

The eye should be large, bold, and prominent, and
centrally placed. This latter point is of great im-
portance; the eye cere should be fine and close fitting
and of a flesh colour. :

The gullet should be large and full; in a word,
well developed, and run from the beak down to the
frill or rosette which adorns the breast. The neck
should be short and thick. ‘‘ Bull-necked ”’ describes
it.

THE AFRICAN OWL,

This charming little bird has many most devoted
adherents, and is held in high repute by those who
appreciate delicacy and refinement. It should be in
all its properties a miniature of the English Owl.
Imported birds are somewhat delicate in constitution,
but as we have in the United Kingdom many strains
of home-bred birds which have long ago outgrown
their original delicacy no one need be deterred from
taking up African Owls for fear of sickness and heavy
mortality.

The colours most generally seen are Whites and
Blacks, and they are the most perfect in points. Other
colours are Duns, Reds, Yellows, Blues, Silvers,
Lavenders.

THE WHISKERED OWL.

The Whiskered Owl is rather larger than the
African Owl, and yet not so large as the English. In
shape and style it resembles these, and its feathering
is the same with the exception of the whiskers, which
are an extension of the frill running up each side of
the face or cheeks.

THE ORIENTAL FRILLS.

These are a large and extensive family, and are
yearly becoming more extensive. They are of all
birds known to the English Pigeon Fancy the most
varied and delicate in plumage and markings. In
a work of the size of this it is impossible to go fully

204 PIGEONS AND ALL ABpott THEM.

into all the points and properties of these exceedingly
handsome birds. Therefore, I should content my-
self by giving the properties common te all, and give
a short description of the most popular and common
of the varieties.

In size, shape, and carriage they are similar to the
English Turbit. The beak should be short, thick,
and slightly curved. The beak wattle very small and
fine in texture. The head round, with an unbroken
outline from the beak to the back of the skull. The
gullet should be full and long. The frill long and
abundant in feather, and opening well out. The peak
fine, and carried well up to a needle point.

THE SatinerrE.—The blue-laced Satinette was
the first of the Orientals to command attention from
English fanciers, and is to-day the most largely bred.
Its body colour should be white, with tri-coloured
shoulders, the ground colour of which should be white
with clear, sharp lacing of a purplish or reddish brown,
but very few are pure in ground colour, the majority
show a pinky shade. Some birds are chequered at
the extremity of cach of the shoulder feathers with
a triangular mark. This is called arrow-pointed, and
such birds are more highly esteemed than those that
are just plainly laced. Coarse or blotchy lacing is a
great fault. The tail should be dark in colour, with
a cleanly cut white spot on each feather close to the
end. A well-marked tail is a great feature of the
blue-laced variety, but the black-laced and dun-laced
have plain tails, except that the shaft of the feathers
is dark, and the tail coverts are laced. Satinettes
are both plain-headed and peaked.

BRUNETTES, BLUETTES, AND SILVERETTES are sub-
varieties of the Satinette, differing only in colour and
marking. The Brunette should have a silver tail,
and the ground colour of the shoulders should be of a
silvery dun tint. The Bluette should be of an even
blue colour on the shoulders, with white wing bars,
laced with black, and an inner lacing of a darker flesh
or red tint. The tail should be as in the Satinette.
The Silverette should be of a silvery ground colour
on the shoulders, with white wing bars, laced with

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 205

a dark dun, with an inner lacing of buff or yellow.
The tail being of the same shade as in the Satinette,
or a trifle lighter. —_ Satinettes, Brunettes, Bluettes,
and Silverettes are inter-bred considerably.

THE. BLONDINNITE —Tite Blondinette 46 auariced
and laced in the same manner as the Satinette, but the
body colour differs, inasmuch as where the Satinette is
white the Blondinette is blue. There are blue-laced,
sulphur-laced, red-laced, and black-laced, also blue
and silver-barred, that is whole-coloured birds with
tricoloured wing bars, and spot marked tails. The
Blondinettes, like the Satinettes, are grouse-feathered.
That is, feathered on the legs.

THE Domino.—This bird is peaked, clean-legged,
whole-coloured on the shoulders and tails, and marked
on the head like a Nun. Dominoes are seldom seen.
The colours are blacks, blues, and silvers.

THE Vizor.—This breed is said to have been
produced by crossing the Domino with the Satinette,
and is a bird of great rarity. The head and shoulders
are coloured. It is grouse-legged, and may be
peaked or plain-headed like the Satinette. The most
common colours are blue and silver.

THE TURBITEEN is a very charming example of
the Oriental family. It is a white-bodied Pigeon with
shoulder markings like the English Turbit, with a
frontal spot and cheek markings, each clear and dis-
tinct, and the cheek markings about half-an-inch in
diameter. Most Turbiteens are plain-headed, but
peaked birds are to be seen. They are grouse-legged.
The upper mandible of the beak should be dark, and
the lower flight flesh colour or white. Blacks and
Blues are the most common colours, followed by Reds,
Yellows, Silvers, and Chequers. In all the colours are
generally very bright, rich and clear. They are a
quaint and most attractive variety, but unfortunately
are in very few hands.

Toe Orrentar Turpit.—This is coloured on
the shoulders like the English Turbit, with the addition
of a coloured tail, and is plain-headed. It excels in
head and beak properties, and has been used by Eng-

206 PIGEONS AND ALL AxBour THEM.

lish Turbit breeders to improve these properties, es-
pecially since English Turbit breeders began to place
a high value on frontal or bulge.

THE ENGLISH TURBIT,

This is one of the smartest and prettiest little birds
we have, and it is one which has a large and increasing
band of devotees. ‘Turbit breeders are as a whole a
most enthusiastic and zealous lot of fanciers, and the
manner in which during the past two decades they
have improved the breed is deserving of the highest
praise. The Turbit, like the Owl, is judged princip-
ally and primarily for’ its head properties, the body
being little thought of. Some may say this is rank
heresy. Let them think so. I know it for the truth.
The Turbit certainly has body properties, but who
ever hears a company of Turbit men discussing colour,
shape, or feather? It is head and beak always, and
whilst skull properties dominate it must be so. Yet
I would remind my readers that away from the head
lie some of the most charming properties of the Turbit.

Running through the points of birds, the beak
attracts attention first, because unless it is of the
proper ‘‘ Bullfinch ”’ shape, stout, short, well set, the
beautiful outline of the skull is lost. The beak w ‘attle
should be wide and heart-shaped, yet fine in substance,
and close fitting.

The head should be large, yet not coarse. Its
frontal should be very wide and full, and rise in un-
broken line from the beak, with the feathers growing,
as it were, out of the wattle. The top of the skull
is not round like that of the Owl, but it somewhat flat
after the rise of the frontal is left at the eye. By
this I mean the back portion of the skull, and it is this
which gives the peculiar bolting appearance to the
eves, the ceres of which should be fine and close
fitting. The cheeks should be full and chubby. With
fulness of cheeks goes another valuable property,
width of gape; a flat-cheeked Turbit is usually narrow

im gape.

Red Self L.F, Tumbler Hen, “Idle Jean.”

at the Long-faced Self Tumbler
Club Shows. Awarded special for hest adult red Self, Club
Show, 1917. Winner of a score ists at other hig Tumbler
shows. Dam of the noted 1916 cock, twice Ists and special
Club Show, etc., and grand-dam of several winners.

Winner of three ists and sps

Bred and exhibited by Mr. Geo. Lappin, 59, Albert Avenue,
Idle, Bradford, Yorks.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 209

_, The neck should be short and thick, with the peak
rising up clean and compact to a sharp needle point.
The gullet should be full and prominent, and extend
from the under mandible to the frill, which should be
well feathered and partake of the formation of a rose.

Tite body should not be large, yet not so small
as to impair the constitution. In shape it should be
cobby, round, and plump, the chest broad and full,
with close-fitting shoulders, short, well carried flights
and short tail. The legs must also be short yct carry
the body in a bold, upright jaunty manner, ‘the head
being well poised.

The body colour of the Turbit is white, with
coloured shoulder markings, and according to the
colour of the shoulders do we get the style or name of
the Turbit—Black, Blue, Red, Yellow, Silver, Dun,
Strawberry, Mealy, with their corresponding chequers.
Blacks are the most numerous, and, speaking gener-
ally, are the best developed in head points, although
during the last few years some wonderful skulled Blues
have appeared. Reds and Yellows are far behind in
skull and beak, which is strange considering how
beautiful they are in other respects.

The faults which Turbit breeders have to contend
with most strenuously are thinness and straightness
of beak, narrowness and flatness of frontal, shelly
peak, lack of gullet and frill, foul thighs, and
‘“ bishoped,’’ or undermarked shoulders.

THE MAGPIE.

This is one of the varieties which, during the
twentieth century, has come with a rush. It is a
Pigeon of many charms, attracting by its beautiful
marking, its richness of colour, and its graceful shape
and carriage. That its beauties are highly appreciated
is shown by its wide distribution, the large number
of classes given to it, and the splendid average of
entries which fill them in all parts of the country.
Years ago the stronghold of the variety used to be in
the West, but of recent years that supremacy has
been undermined and captured by the East and North.
Still the West is not by anv means a played out force.

210 PIGEONS AND ALL AxBcut THEM.

The beak should be long and fine, of a rich flesh
colour, and free from stains or marks; although very
few blacks are so found, most of them having a dark
mark on the upper mandible. At one time this was
considered a great fault, but nowadays it is little
thought about owing to the extreme importance
attached to head and neck. The beak wattle should
be very small, and of fine texture. The eye should
be milk or silvery white in colour, very prominent and
nervous in expression, and be surrounded by a small,
very close-fitting cere, of a beautiful, rich, red coral
tint, the deeper and brighter the better.

The head should be very long and fine, straight
in tace, rising gradually and imperceptibly from the
wattle to the top of the skull without stop or decided
curve: the top must not be flat, but show just sufh-
cient imperceptible rise without curve to enable the
back skull to fall gracefully away into the neck with-
out any bumpiness or angularity.

The neck, which in recent days has been elevated
into a point of considerable importance, must be very
long, slender, and tapering, very finely feathered, and
gradually merging into the shoulders. Snakiness is
a term often applied to the head and neck of a Mag-
pie, and it well defines what is required. Without
this fineness and slenderness of neck all the other
structural properties of the Magpie are of little value,
because they require such a neck to show them off
effectively.

The chest should be narrow, but full, the
shoulders prominent, yet not heavy, the flights nar-
row and fine, tightly braced, and well carried. The
legs long and slender, with well-set thighs, so as to
give the bird an erect and stylish appearance. The
feet small and well spread.

The markings, which used to carry great weight,
have fallen into very secondary value; _ still, they
have to be considered, and must be very sharp and
clearly cut. The body, shoulder coverts, and flights
should be white, the head, neck, front of the chest,
the back, rump and tail being coloured. The name
Magpie is derived from the wild Magpie, owing to
the markings.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 211

The colours are black, yellow, red, blue, silver,
cream, and dun, and in importance follow, in great
measure, the order in which I have given them. The
blacks are far in front of the other colours.

Reds and yellows are much on a level, as are the
silvers and blues. Duns are not so popular as they
used to be, neither are they so perfect in points as
they one time were. A decided effort is now being
made by several prominent breeders to bring them
to the front again, and in a short time there will
doubtless be great improvement in their head proper-
ties. Blacks, reds, yellows, and blues are generally
good in colour; the silvers fail mostly in colour of
hackle. Creams are very uneven, some looking like
bad washy yellows, and others showing a mealiness
which is not at all desirable or attractive. Duns also
are very varied in shade, some being a hard dark
colour, and others a dirty drab; and some are
chequery, a great fault indeed. Richness, clearness,
brightness, and evenness of colour in all varieties is
much to be desired, and when this is obtained with a
brilliant iridescent sheen the effect is most striking,
the white body setting off the coloured markings in a
most effective manner.

THE NUN.

This is another Pigeon which derives its name
from its markings, the Nun’s hood or veil which
graces its head and throat. This is one of the breeds
which seems to have lost some of its former popu-
larity, possibly due in some measure to the great
difficulty of producing high-class specimens. It is
rather peculiar, but lovers of the Nun are most stead-
fast in their loyalty, and there are to-day a number
of breeders who have been steadfast in their adherence
to it for many, many years, notwithstanding its
decline in popular favour. The reason it has not
advanced is because it has not drawn unto itself fresh
followers in sufficient numbers to make up the natural
leakage which takes place in all varieties. This,
however, is now being remedied, the club devoted to
this variety having created many new fanciers.

212 PIGEONS AND ALL AsBour THEM.

Colour and markings are the chief attractions of
the Nun, although some say its leading characteris-
tic and property is the crest. Close observation for
many years convinces me that markings invariably
dominate all other properties; the shell or crest cer-
tainly is important, but it is not the first property.

In size and shape the Nun resembles the ordinary
Long-faced Tumbler, and should be a compact, cobby
bird, of alert, graceful carriage. The head, generally
called the cap, and bib should be coloured, the latter
extending with a nice clean sweep well down the
neck towards the breast; the wider and deeper the
bib, the more valuable the bird possessing it.

The shell or crest, which in my opinion is the
second point, should rise perpendicularly at its junc-
ture with the base of the head, and be carried very
erect, although slightly curving inwards as it rises
from the ears, that is the bend, although very slight
and at the tips of the feathers, should be towards
the front, twisted or turned feathers spoiling the
beauty of the shell completely.

The flights should be short, and in colour should
follow that of the bird, black, dun, blue, red or yellow;
to by to is the standard of excellence, but few attain
it; still there are many 9 by 9, and this is considered
good. The tail should be short and coloured, like
the head and bib, and the colour should be solid and
bright. The rest of the body, including the shell, is
white.

The eve and cere are points which should receive
more attention than they do.’ I much dislike a fiery
eve and a coarse cere; thev both detract largelv from
the other properties. The eye should be milk or
silverv white, and the cere very fine, dark in colour,
and close fitting. :

The colours are blacks, duns, reds, and vellows,
but blacks are the most numerous, even as thev are
the most perfect, the other colours all failing con-
siderably in shell.

THE ARCHANGEL.

This is essentially a bird of colour and lustre,

and it is totally different from any other variety known

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 2138

to the English Fancy. From whence the name was
derived there is considerable difference of opinion, but
most probably it arose from the richness and_ bril-
liancy of its plumage, as there is no reason at all for
connecting the bird with the country known by the
same name. ; :

In shape and size the Archangel resembles the
ordinary common Tumbler. The head should be
rather long, free from stoppiness or angles, and from
its base should rise a full, strong, yet maneless, high,

needle-pointed peak. Many grand coloured birds,
however, come shell-crested, but not so frequently
as they used to do. The beak should be long,
slender, and straight, and of a horny colour. The
beak wattle very fine and close fitting. The eye,

bright rich orange in colour, should be surrounded by
a fine, small, “close- fitting cere, which if rich in
colour enhances the other properties.

Colour is the great consideration; in fact, it
might be said to be the Alpha and the Omega of the
Archangel. The head, neck, chest, belly, and thighs

should be a rich deep bronze; smokines Ss or mealiness
are great faults, solidity and brightness being all-
essential. The shoulders, back, and rump should be
rich ebony black. The tail also should be black,
although few birds to-day are black in tail, most of
them showing a bluish or slaty tinge, even the best
showing a bar if nothing else. The flights when
closed appear black, but when opened the webbing
should show a decided bronze tinge running through-
out. We have here two decided ground colours;
strange to say, each has its own peculiar lustre. The
lustre which should adorn and cover the bronze por-
tions of the body should be of a red or pinkish hue,
clear, bright, and scintillating. The shoulders, back,
rump, and the tail too, if possible, should show a
rich green metallic lustre; the back and rump of a
good “Archangel possess a wonderful display of sheen.
Common faults are a darkness of head, pale colour-
less ceres, smokiness of thighs, paleness of rump,
bluishness of tail, and an Scene of the pink
lustre on to the shoulders.

214 PIGEONS AND ALL AsoutT THEM.

THE JACOBIN.

This breed was at one time included amongst the
German Toys, but to such a high pitch of excellence
has it been bred by its many and devoted admirers
that it has for a long time now been considered one
of our high-class Pigeons.

The Jacobin is a medium-sized Pigeon, looking
larger than it really is by reason of its peculiar hood
and chain feathering, and its length of flights and
tail. The neck is long and well arched, the chest full
and prominent, the shoulders wide, the body rather
elongated, the legs short. It is difficult to obtain a
great length of feather on a small bird, therefore,
when a small bird is profusely feathered it is most
highly valued. Carriage, in these latter days, has
come to be considered a property of value, and the
old-style short, squattvy Jacobins are completely out
of date and out of favour. An erect bearing of the
head and neck is essential if the feather beauties of
the bird are to be seen to the best advantage.

The head should be round, broad, and rise some-
what abruptly, vet display no stoppiness. The beak
short, moderately thick, and of a downward tendency.
The beak wattle should be small and fine. The eve
white or pearl; a gravel or red eve is a bad blemish.
The eve wattle is small and circular, vet somewhat
prominent, due to the fact that it does not get the
hardening influence of the atmosphere upon it.

The Jacobin is essentially a bird of feather, and
for this reason is it that in certain parts of the king-
dom, where the atmosphere is mild and humid, do we
find a pre-eminence of breeders of the Jacobin. Tak-
ing the hood first, which, as its name indicates, is
the covering of the head, it should rise from the back
of the skull in reverse order, and cover the head as
far as possible in a regular and unbroken outline.
The hood must not be erect. or stiff, but fall grace-
fully over the skull. The chain should form an un-
broken continuation of the reversed feathers in regu-
lar sequence on cach side of the neck. from the hood
to the rose, extending as far as possible and meeting
in the front.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 215

The rose is a round spot just above the shoulders,
from which radiate the hood, chain, and mane; the
latter property consists of long, strong feathers,
which support the hood; the mane should grow well
out from the juncture of the neck and the shoulders,
and proceed upwards regularly and evenly till it meets
the hood. A strong, firm, well-flled mane adds
greatly to the finished appearance of a good Jacobin ;
in fact, without a strong mane it is impossible to have
that squareness at the base of the hood which is so
much desired.

The markings of the Jacokin are as follows: The
skull should be white, from the beak to the base of
the hood; the rump, tail, and tail coverts should be
white, also the ten outer flights; the rest of the bird
should be dark, that is in the coloured varieties, the
one exception being the white, which, of course, is
white all over.

The colours are blacks, reds, yellows, whites,
kites, strawberries, duns, mealies, silvers, blues, and
chequers. The blacks, reds, yellows, and whites are
styled standard colours and the others off-colours, as
they are more or less offshoots.

The faults most usually found are slackness and
shortness of feather, foulness of face, odd and short
flights, long heads, odd and wrong coloured eyes.

THE FANTAIL.

This is one of our most charming of Pigeons,
and those who want to know more about it than can
be crowded into a general manual like this must turn
to my monograph, ‘‘ The Fantail Pigeon.’’ Outside
of the Fancy proper no Pigeon is more popular than
the Fantail, whilst its popularity as an exhibition
bird is shown by the fact that year after year all over
the country classes for Fantails are increasing in
number, and meeting with good support. My friend.
Mr. Richard Woods, although essentially a hard
feathered devotee, is so fond of the Fantail that he
has described it as ‘‘ the ladies’ bird.’”’ =What
higher testimony to its grace and charm could be
rendered? The chief charm of the Fantail is that it

216 PIGEONS AND ALL ABoutT THEM.

is dainty in every way—dainty in size, dainty in shape,
and dainty in style. There is nothing coarse or com-
monplace about the Fantail, and this it is, no doubt,
which accounts for its great and increasing popularity.

The chief points of the white Fantail are :—

The head should be small, fine and snaky, free
from peak or shell. The beak should be thin, flesh
colour, and of medium length, the upper mandible
slightly curved at the tip. The beak wattle small, and
fine in texture. The eve dark hazel or bull, with very
fine flesh coloured cere.

The neck should be thin, nicely curved and taper-
ing well off as it approaches the head, in length cor-
responding with length of back, so as to enable the
head to rest closely at the base of the cushion.

The body points are shape: Small and round.
Back: Slightly hollowed in centre. Length of back:
In proportion to length of neck, enabling the head
to rest on the cushion with ease. Rump: Of sufficient
size and strength to balance the tail evenly. Chest:
Round, like a ball.

The cushion must be full and massive, the
feathers at the front and back overlapping each other,
and extending well up the tail feathers.

Phe tail slightly concave, and circular, closely
filled with long, broad, evenly set feathers, well over-
lapping each other.

The legs must be moderately short, not stilty,
and free from feathers below the hocks. The feet
small, fine, and neat. The colour of legs and feet
bright red.

The carriage is most important. The bird should
stand on tip-toes, and walk in a jaunty manner, with
its head thrown back in a graceful manner, resting
closely on the cushion; the chest upright, in a straight
line with the legs; the wings being set on fairly low
and closely braced, with the flights just clearing the
lowest tail feathers and almost meeting at the tips.
The tail must be carried well up, not being allowed to
drop or incline forward, and the legs well apart, the
hocks being forced forward by the action of the body.

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THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 219

; Motion.—This is a convulsive jerking or twitch-
ing of the neck, and apparent upheaving of the chest,
the head seeming to bounce gently up and down on
the cushion, with constant tremulous quivering of
the body.

The plumage must be pure white, hard, and tight
fitting. -

Other colours are blues, blacks, reds, yellows,
silvers, duns, chequers, and the fascinating Saddles,
which are seen in all the above colours. In blues,
blacks, silvers, duns, and chequers, the beaks and
eye ceres should be dark, and the eyes white or pearl.
In reds and yellows the eve is orange; the beak horn
or flesh colour. The Saddles follow the whites in
eve, cere, and beak. Whites are the most extensively
kept, the blacks and blues coming next. Saddles are
pretty widely distributed, but good ones emanate from
few studs only. Reds, yellows, silvers, duns, and
chequers are not numerous, and only a few excel in
all-round Fantail properties. The peculiar laced
Fantails had a few vears ago almost died out, but
now they show signs of coming again.

A word of warning to those who propose to keep
Fantails. Roomy lofts are required, and covered
flights, as the birds are soon ruined if the weather gets
at their plumage. Further, during the show season
no perches should be allowed in the house.

THE TRUMPETER.

The Trumpeter derives its name from. the
peculiar trumpeting character of its voice. It is a
native of Central Asia, and, I regret to say, is not
very extensively bred by English fanciers; in fact, it
is not so popular as it used to be. The Trumpeter
is a large bird and hardy. It is a difficult bird to keep
in good show condition, and this probably accounts
for its failure to make headway with English exhibi-
tors. It is most exasperating to send a bird away ‘to
a show in good form, and to have it returned with
much of its foot feather broken, and what is not
broken so messed and be-draggled that the bird can-
not be shown again for some time.

220 PIGEONS AND ALL ABourt THEM.

The feather properties of the Trumpeter are its
chief points, and these are of a varied character.
First comes the rose, which must be very close and
compactly feathered, and should radiate from the
centre of the skull, falling away gracefully over the
beak and sides of the head; the more circular and
compact, the more valuable the rose. The crest, or
shell, should be very large, extending from eye to
eye, round the back of the head, from which it should
rise and incline slightly towards the front. It must
be fine, compact, unbroken, and erect; the feathers
must not be turned or twisted, and there must be no
gaps. The leg and foot feathering should be as pro-
fuse as possible from the hock downwards to the
extreme point of the toes, and be evenly arranged.

The body should be large, the neck short and
thick, the chest bold, broad and prominent, the
shoulders well developed, the flights long, and broad
in web. The legs of medium length; the carriage of
the body should be crouching or squatty, and_ the
head carried low, so as to show the rose and shell.
The tail is long, as is the body feather; in fact, the
main characteristic of the Trumpeter is its great
length of feather, thus there is nothing neat or smart
about it.

Blacks, mottles, whites and splashes are the
colours most commonly seen. There are also some
remarkably fine reds and vellows. As yet, they are
in few hands, but when better known should become
exceedingly popular.

During the breedine season the rose, the foot
feather, and the long feathers round the vent should
be clipped. If this is not done the eges will be
broken, and few of them will be fertile.

THE SWALLOW.

This is one of the most largely kept German Toys
in England, and it is also one of the most beautiful
and pleasing. It is very handsome, and when in good
feather presents a very picturesque appearance. The
colours are blacks, blues (both barred and_ barless),
silvers (also barred and barless), reds, vellows, and
chequers.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 221

; In size the Swallow is medium; in shape the head
is somewhat flat and rises abruptly from the beak;
the body is round and plump, with a short slender
neck; the neck and back are broad, with prominent
shoulders, the legs somewhat short, giving the bird
a squatty appearance. It is shell crested, and heavily
feathered on the legs. :

The markings are a dark cap, which should run
horizontally in a line with the centre of the eve, and
extend from the beak back to the shell; the upper
mandible is also dark; the whole of the wings and
shoulders should be coloured, also the hocks and foot
feathering; the rest of the bird should be white. The
foot feathering is not very long, but the longer and
more perfect it is, the more valuable is the bird from
an exhibition standpoint.

THE FAIRY SWALLOW.

These are generally styled by English fanciers
Spot Fairies, and it is a much controverted point as
to whether they are Swallows or not. Some writers
class them as such, whilst others object to such
classification.

In shape, carriage, and feather they resemble the
Swallows; they are, however, more profusely
feathered, and the markings are different. Instead
of the dark cap of the Swallow the Fairy has only an
oval spot on the forehead. The shoulders and wings
should be dark, and the whole of the long foot
feathering. The wing bars and all the rest of the
plumage is white. The most common colours are
blacks and blues, although reds, yellows, and
chequers are sometimes seen. Some are laced upon
the shoulders, and the flights tipped with an oval
white spot. The eyes are dark, as is the upper
mandible in blacks; in the other colours it is of a light
horny tint.

The chief points are richness of colour, clearness
of marking, shape and carriage of shell, and length
of foot feathering.

222 PiGEons anp ALL Axsout THEM.

THE FRILLBACK.

This bird is of the common dovehouse Pigeon
shape and size, rather short on the legs, and long in
flights. It is grouse-legged. The eves are red. The
peculiarity of the breed is that the feathers of the
wing covering and back are frilled, and grow in
reverse fashion to those of other breeds. Frillbacks
may be found in all colours, but those most frequently
seen are whites, grizzles, and mealies.

THE SPOT.

This is a white Pigeon of the common type, with
a dark tail, and a spot of the same colour. The eyes
are “‘ bull’? or dark coloured. The face marking or
ae is about the size of a good large pea. They are
ean-legged and grouse-legged. The beak is bi-
a a the upper mandible being dark, and the

lower white.

THE BLAZEFACE.

The Blazeface is found in a variety of colours, and
is mostly valued for its richness, depth, and clearness
of colouring. The blaze mark from which the name
is derived is a white, clearly-defined oblong streak of
white just over the wattle, in the centre of the fore-
head. This mark must not be large, or the bird loses
in value; it should not exceed an eighth of an inch
in width, and about a quarter of an inch in length;
the whole of the body is coloured, but the tail and
its coverts are white. The bronze-winged variety
is known in England as the Fire Pigeon.

THE STARLING.

This is a black Pigeon, with a well-defined
crescent-shaped marking on its chest of a greyish
colour, ticked or flaked with reddish black streaks.
It has also white wing bars. The plumage should be
tight and saat! and the colour rich and showing
plenty of sheen. The eyes are red. In shape it is of
the common Dovechouse style, and of small size.

Lille Cropper Cock,

Winner of 1st and sp Ghent and Antwerp in 1913, and ist
and sp Liege, Brussels, and Lille in 1914.

The Lille is an old variety of French Cropper. It is now

almost extinct, and is known to but few British fanciers.

Bred and Exhibited by M, Ernest de Keyser.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 225

THE SWIFT.

, This is of eastern origin, and doubtless derives
its name from its resemblance to the Martins and
Swallows in its great length of flights and tail, its
shortness of legs and claws, and its carriage. The
Swift is not by any means a large bodied bird, but its
length of feather is extraordinary and unique, being
altogether out of proportion to its body, and much
longer than that of many much larger Pigeons. The
wings, when out-stretched, will in a good specimen
measure as much as a yard from tip to tip. It natur-
ally follows that such extreme length of feather can-
not be gracefully carried, therefore in the show pen
the Swift is not by any means an attractive Pigeon;
and it is not much better when on the wing, being
a slow and somewhat ungainly flier. The head is
round and full, but not large; the eye is red, the beak
short and stout, the neck short and _ thick, the
shoulders broad and prominent. It possesses great
depth of keel, with a long, straight breast-bone.

The colour is a peculiar ashy, silvery dun shade,
with a powdered appearance about the neck.

THE DEWLAP.

This bird is usually represented at our large
shows, but it is not a handsome Pigeon by any means.
Its dewlap or gullet is enormous. It is a big Pigeon,
with a large white spot on the forehead, a white spot
on each side of the neck, and white outer flights, and
barred on wings and tail. In shape it is large, stout,
and cobby, something like the English Owl, but
larger. It has gravel eyes; its beak, which is short
and thick, has a white upper mandible and a_ dark
lower one. The colours are blues and silvers.

THE ANCIENT.

This German bird is seldom seen at our English
shows; in fact, speaking generally, the German Toys
are not seen so often as they used to be. The Ancient
is a smart little Pigeon, being midway between the
African Owl and the English Turbit. It is a plump,
cobbv bird, with erect carriage, and the motion of the

I

226 PiGEoNs and ALL Apour THEM.

Fantail. Its head is round, the beak short and thick,
and nicely curved at the tip. The eve is white, the
cere red, and it is grouse-legged, the body feathering
being hard and tight, with close carriage of wings.
Its markings resemble those of the Magpie, with the
addition of an oval-shaped bib or belt of white,
called the crescent, but which is not crescent shaped,
although it runs aeross the chest like unto the cres-
cent of the Starling and the Pouter. In clearness and
brightness of colour, and richness of lustre, it is most
charming. In a word, it is one of the most beauti-
ful Pigeons known.

THE SUABIAN.

This bird is a German, from Suabia, hence its
name. It is one of the most beautilul of Pigeons, its
feathering showing the most charming lacing and
chequering. The ground colour is of a dark slate,
almost black hue; each of the feathers on the head
and neck should be tipped with a creamy, © silvery
white, whieh, with the ordinary green and purple
lustre of the neck, makes one of the prettiest com-
binattons one could wish to see. The back and seapu-
lar feathers, and wing coverts, should be spangled
with black on their creamy extremities. © Sometimes
this spangling is triangular, at others it takes the
form of even lacing. The outer flights should be
black, with creamy white spots near the ends. The
tail is sometimes barred, but the perfection of mark-
ing is the spot on each feather like unto the outer
flights. In shape and sive the Suabian is like unto the
Starling, whom it much resembles, and from whence
some authorities claim it has been bred.

THE HVACINTIL.

Is said to be of French origin, and is very similar
to the Suabian in colour and shape, although some-
what larger. It differs, however, from the Suabian in
its markings. The shoulders are marked or chequered
with white and blue. The Porcelain) very closely
resembles the Hyacinth, and has doubtless come from
the same original stock,

‘Cambridge Yellow Queen.”

An unbeaten Yellow Magpie Hen.

Bred by Messrs, Heaton and Driver, of Cambridge.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 229
THE ICE.

Vhis is a bird of which I am very fond, and have
often wondered why more of our English fanciers
have not taken it up in earnest. It is a small Pigeon,
about the size of a Tumbler, is of beautiful, delicate

lavender blue ground colour. Some are whole-
coloured, excepting the bars; others are laced, others
chequered. The wings are darker in colour, and

have most lovely bars of a snow-white colour, neatly
edged with black or dark blue. The eyes are a rich,
fiery red, with most beautifully fine ceres; the beak
is fine and dark in colour. Most of the birds seen in
England are grouse-legged. Its peculiar name comes
from the wonderful and unique frostlike bloom which
pervades its plumage, particularly on the neck and
shoulders. In my visits to Continental shows I have
often seen very pale silver Ices, self coloured except
that they have a very fine, narrow, dark coloured bar.
They are a very beautiful variety.

THE SHIELD.

The Shield is a Pigeon marked on the shoulders
like the Turbit, but with white bars, the rest of the
bodv being white. It is met with in a variety of
colours, all of which are very rich and clear. The
Shield is plain-headed and shell-crested, and grouse-
legged, the foot feathering being a great feature; the
longer it is the more valuable the bird. Blacks and
reds are the most common.

THE PRIEST.

This is one of those peculiar instances of nomen-
clature which it seems impossible to fathom, the hood
or cowl, which may be likened unto the Shell-crest,
being the only point that could possibly lead one to
see any connection between the Priest and its human
namesake. In colour it is whole or self, with the
exception of the head, which is white, and the wing
bars, which are also white. The forehead is orna-
mental, with a tuft of feathers growing the reverse
way. The legs are grouse-feathered. The upper

230 PIGEONS AND ALL ABout THEM.

mandible of the beak is white, the lower one being
dark. he colours are reds, blacks, yellows, silvers,
and chequers.

THE MODENA.

This, one of the most charming and beautiful
breeds ever introduced to England has made rapid
strides in popularity during the twentieth century.
Many years ago it secured a number of adherents, and
classes were provided for it, but its popularity waned
until about the year 1910 when a decided impetus was
given to it by the advent at the Crystal Palace Show
of a number of birds from Belgium. Since then the
Modena has made one huge triumphant progress, and
before its charms have fallen men who have been life-
long adherents of such diverse breeds as Carriers,
Dragoons, Owls, Magpies, and Orientals. To-day
there are few shows without classes for the Modena,
and at our large shows they secure a very extended
classification. It 1s a smart neat bodied Pigeon,
something lke the Leghorn Runt in shape and car-
riage, but is not so large or stout in body neither
does it possess the tremulous action of the Leghorn
Runt nor its extremely high cocked tail. To attempt
to speak of the colours of the Modena in a small hand-
book of this character would be to attempt the im-
possible, so great is the diversity and multiplicity of
its colouring and marking, the ground colours which
are many being laced, chequered, and variegated in
the most wonderful manner.

It has been said that there are over one hundred
and fifty divisions of colour, evenly divided between
the Selfs—Schietti—and the pieds—Gazzi or Magpies.
In addition to the Schietti and Gazzi there is the
Magnani, which is a mixture of colours somewhat
like a Roman pavement, or a patchwork quilt, or which
may be described as marbled. Wonderfully weird
and fascinating are the endless markings and colour-
ings of the Modena. On the Continent the birds are
invariably classed in the Hen Pigeon Section with
the Maltese, Leghorn Runts, Florentines, etc.,
and there much is made of the peculiar carriage

Mr. Leonard Gorman,

Breeder and exhibitor of Long and Short-faced Tumblers.
Winner at all our leading shows.

THE BREEDS OF PIGEONS. 233

of tail which distinguishes the Hen Pigeons. Mr.
J. C. Lyell in “Fancy Pigeons,’ and the late Rev.
W. F. Lumley in ‘‘Fulton’s Book of Pigeons’’ speak of
the tails as being carried horizontally, and the illus-
trations in both works so portray them. This is al-
together misleading, and is not in accordance with
Continental or English ideas, and why two leading
Hnglish writers on Pigeons should so erroneously
describe what is one of the outstanding features of the
breed I cannot understand.

The Modena is a bird of curves. Curved and full
is its head, curved its neck, curved and full its chest,
curved its back and vent. How can such a structure
carry a straight tail? The body from behind the legs
takes an upward curve, and as the tail grows out from
the rump which is upward curved how can it possibly
be horizontal? The flights in .a first-class specimen
rest lightly on the cushion and tail, and the carriage
of the bird is something like that of a good Fantail,
the bird seeming to tread on its toes. Great and
many are the fascinations of the Modena.

THE LEGHORN RUNT.

This Pigeon is also Known as the Florentine. It
is a smart, stylish Pigeon, not at all ungainly, like the
common Runt. It has great length of neck and leg,
the neck being carried swan-like, and showing much
tremulous motion at times; the tail is carried very high,
whilst the body is short, as are the flights and tail.
The body feather is hard and tight. It is found in all
colours, the barred varieties being the most common.
With its long, clean legs, long neck, and short, cocked
tail it presents a most comical appearance, and it is
strange that its very oddity has not made it popular,
because it is very hardy and active.

THE CAPUCHIN.

The Capuchin is seldom seen in England. It isa
charming little Pigeon, whole-coloured excepting the
tail, which is white, Blacks being the most common.
It is small in body, very erect in carriage, and is shell

24 PIGEONS anp ALL Apour THEM.

erested. The wattle, like the tail, is very white, as is
the eve, which has a fine dark cére. In addition to
the whole-coloured birds, Barred ilues and Silvers are
also seen. The lovely dark eccre now seen in Black
self Tumblers was introduced by crossing with the
Capuchin.

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"SHIUUIM 4dINOd AWSIg Pald-MOjjaA OME

CHAPTER XI.
DISEASES.

Pigeons are very healthy birds, and if kept under
sanitary and natural conditions give their owners little
trouble in the way of doctoring. In a work of this
kind there is not room for a long dissertation on the
diseases to which Pigeon flesh is heir, apart from the
fact that there exists a very complete treatise dealing
with such. I shall, therefore, only touch upon a few
minor or common ailments in this chapter, and refer
my readers to that admirable work by Mr. Richard
Woods, ‘‘ Diseases of Pigeons and their Treatment,’’
which is the standard and most reliable book on the
subject.

In connection with disease, as with many other
things, ‘‘ prevention is better than cure,’’ and if fan-
ciers would only attend to the small details of ordinary
management, especially the items of grit, water, fresh
air, and cleanliness, there would arise little occasion
for the medicine chest to be resorted to. Still, how-
ever careful one may be in their management, there
are times when disease makes its appearance from
causes quite beyond the control of the owner.

For instance, a bird which has been to a show may
come in contact with a diseased bird, be placed in a
pen in which such a bird has been, or have to drink out
of a tin which has been used by such a bird. Again
hereditary taint may cause disease to show itself;
particularly is this so in regard to scrofulous diseases,
to which, unfortunately, many strains of high-class
Pigeons seem pre-disposed,

In dealing with diseases in any form one needs to
act promptly, and with decision. ‘‘ A stitch in time
saves nine,’’ therefore I would urge upon every fan-
cier the supreme importance of becoming thoroughly
familiarised with every bird in his stock.

238 PIGEONS AND ALL Axpout THEM.

A good fancier, that is, one who takes an intelli-
gent interest 1n the welfare of his stock, can tell at a
glance if a bird is well or ill. Such a fancier notices
at once any disinclination to feed, or any refusal to
bathe—the two surest indications of something being
wrong. Then the character of the excreta affords a
most reliable tell-tale as to the state of a Pigeon’s
health. Therefore the young fancier who notices any
listlessness, any drowiness, any humping or puffing
up of the plumage, any refusal of, or inordinate greed
for, food, should look around him for the cause, and
not stop till he finds it. He should also at once
administer some mild remedy, and here let me remark
that it is far better for the inexperienced fancier to
make use of the remedies which are advertised in
‘* Pigeons ’’ week by week, by such specialists as,
Dixons, Woods, and others. ‘Therefore, I say that
the remedies put up by such authorities must, of neces-
sitv, be safer and more reliable for the young fancier
than any attempts he may make at home doctoring.

COLD.

This is the most common complaint and may be
caused by a bird having been exposed to extremes of
temperature at a show, by the show basket getting wet,
or being exposed to draughts or damp, either at home
or abroad. The symptoms of ordinary cold are a
humped-up appearance of the feathers, a dull look
about the eye, with a thin, watery discharge from the
eves or nostrils, sometimes one or the other, sometimes
both. If any of these symptoms are noticed in a bird
he should be taken in hand at once, removed to a warm
corner of the pen-room, given a pinch of Epsom Salts,
morning and night, about as much as will le on a
sixpenny bit, and a change of diet, and in a few days
all traces of the ailment will have passed.

ROUP.
This most dreaded disease is the result of a cold
which has not been attended to in the incipient stages.
A bird suffering from roup should be isolated at once
for its own welfare, as well as that of its fellows, as

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DISEASES. 241

Troup 1s a most contagious disease. ‘The room should
be kept at an equable temperature, the bird’s eyes
and nose well bathed three or four times a day with
hot _water, to which has been added a few drops otf
Sanitas, or Jeyes’ Fluid. Care must be taken to
thoroughly dry with a cloth the feathers which become
wet during these bathings. The bird should be given
some good Roup pill or powder; all water given it
should be warm, and should be given in an earthen-
ware glass or china vessel.

ONE-EYED COLD.

This is a form of cold which, whilst leaving the
respiratory organs free, settles in one of the eyes, and
often proves extremely difficult to cure. As soon as a
bird is noticed with an inflamed and swollen eye, the
owner may conclude nine times out of ten that it is
suffering from one-eyed cold, especially if there is a
watery discharge. In the advanced state this dis-
charge becomes yellow in colour, and loses its watery
character. The bird should be isolated, given a pinch
of Epsom Salts morning and night; the eye should be
bathed three or four times a day with hot water, for
five or ten minutes, dried carefully, and then have
two or three drops of the following lotion dropped into
the eye from the point of a camel-hair brush. Six
grains of sulphate of copper, one drachm of glycerine,
four ounces of rosewater. If taken in hand at an early
stage a cure may be effected.in a few days, but when
it is established recovery is prolonged and tedious.

CANKER.

Canker is a form of scrofula, and like all scrofulous
diseases is very difficult to overcome once firmly
established. It arises in many cases from an over-
heated state of the blood; in some it is hereditary. A
blow or wound is often the cause, and a good round
up between a couple of birds is frequently followed
by canker of the eye, ear, or beak. Therefore, when-
ever birds have been fighting, their wounds should be
carefully washed twice a day for a few days with sponge
and warm water, a few drops of Sanitas or Jeyes’ Fluid

249 PIGEONS AND ALL Apour THEN.

having previously been sprinkled in the water. Dur-
ing the breeding scason canker often makes its appear-
ance in the throats of young birds, and in inexperienced
hands such birds pine and die, because the canker
quickly grows, blocks the throat, and the birds are
hterally starved to death.

The first treatment of canker should be internal;
the bowels should be cleansed and through them the
Dlood cooled and purified. The following mixture
will be found most efficacious: One ounce sulphate
of magnesia, one ounce sulphate of soda, one ounce
common table salt. Dissolve in a pint of warm water,
bottle, and keep corked. Use in the proportion of
one teaspoonful to a wineglassful of water, or if it is
preferred to give it dry, then take as much as will lie
on asixpence, and give to the bird morning and night.

For canker of the eve, ear, or beak, the above treat-
ment should be followed for a couple or three days be-
fore any attempt is made to remove the canker. In
removing the canker a blunt instrument should be
used, such as the thick end of a toothpick, or the
end of a large match. When the deposit has been
removed, the wound should be carefully sponged with
warm water and some Canker Lotion applied. There
are several good ones advertised in ‘‘ Pigeons ’’ each
week.

Canker in the throat should be removed
immediately it is discovered; there is no time to lose
in such a case, and no time to allow of the blood be-
ing got in order. Operate at once, and give the
same treatment for a few days as recommended above.

Canker sometimes forms just about the vent of
birds attaching itself to the lower part of the intes-
tines. The formation grows and grows, the bird
becomes thin, diarrhcca sets in, caused by the irri-
tation produced on the bowels, and the bird dies
without the owner ever knowing the why and the
wherefore of its ailing.

In a case of this description only a practised hand
could hope to operate with success, owing to the risk
of complications arising. If it is impossible to obtain

1908 Black Turbit Hen.

Winner of Ist and three spls., including spl. for best young
Turbit, Altrincham; Ist and Cup Liverpool, and 2nd Dairy—
only times shown.

Bred and Exhibited by Mr. Guy Bradly,

DISEASES. 245

the advice and assistance of an expert the owner must
himself make an attempt. If he fails, the bird can
only die, and if he succeeds, his reward will be great.
One thing is certain, unless a bird so afflicted is
operated upon death will quickly ensue, and it will not
be a painless death. Therefore, in operating, the
owner has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The cancerous mass should be carefully located,
and watched for a day or two before the operation
takes place. The bird in the meantime should be
placed in a pen by itself, fed on wheat and canary seed,
and its drinking water medicated as: previously des-
cribed, or else the salts given dry morning and night.
In a couple or three days at the most the operation
should take place. The cancerous mass should be
carefully worked up as close to the outer skin as
possible, then a sharp clean cut should be made down
through the skin, and the cheesy matter removed with
some blunt instrument.

When it has all been removed wash the wound
with warm water containing a few drops of Sanitas or
Jeves’ Fluid, dry carefully, and anoint with Zine Oint-
ment. Leave the wound open, on no account close it;
if you close it another deposit will quickly form, and
the last stage will be worse than the first. Leave it
open and wash it twice a day with warm water and
Sanitas or Jeyes’ Fluid; dry, and anoint with the Zinc
Ointment. Should any fresh cheesy matter make
its appearance remove it and continue the treatment
advised both internal and external. In nine cases
out of ten the wound will heal up, and the bird recover.

GOING LIGHT.

This is the fanciers’ term for what is really atrophy,
or wasting away. Birds afflicted eat most ravenously,
yet get thinner and thinner; diarrhcea usually super-
venes, and carries them off. Many cases start with
simple derangement of the digestive organs, and if
attended to in time fatal results seldom accrue. A
dose or two of salts, followed by a course of good
Tonic Pills, will soon yield good results. In advanced

246 PIGEONS and Arty Apour THEM.

cases commence with a dose of salts morning and
night for the first day, then give three drops of
laudanum in fifteen drops of sweet oil, or five drops
of chlorodyne in the same quantity of oil twice a day.
I have also found good results from the use of Com-
pound Syrup of the Hypophosphites in the proportion
of thirty drops to an ounce of water.

FOUL CROP.

This is caused by the retention of food in the crop.
If birds are left a long time without food they gorge
themselves, then drink water, with the result that
they are unable to digest the food, it swelling too much
to allow of its passing from the crop to the stomach.
The crop becomes hard and distended, the bird is un-
able to feed, and in a day or two is dead unless prompt
and effectual measures are taken.

The bird should be caught, then held firmly by
an assistant whilst the owner pours a little warm
water down its throat; then the crop should be gently
kneaded with the fingers, more water poured down,
more kneading, and then when the mass is somewhat
loosened the bird should be held head downwards,
and the contents of the crop gently forced down the
throat into the mouth. It is a slow and tedious matter,
and all the operations described will have to be per-
formed several times ere the crop is quite empty.
When it is empty the bird should be placed in a pen,
given some clean water to which a pinch of Epsom
Salts has been added, and for food a little wheat and
canary seed. This should be continued for two or
three days, at the end of which time the bird may ke
returned to the loft.

A FINAL WORD.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Therefore,
I advise all breeders of Pigeons to keep a medicine
chest. This chest should contain an assortment of
the remedies suitable for dealing with all the
common ailments to which Pigeons are liable.

DISEASES. 247

Messrs. Woods and Dixons each supply medicine
chests fitted with the remedies for these common ail-
ments, and many a good bird’s life may be’ saved if
its owner has a well-stocked medicine chest at hand.

Remember at all times that prevention is better
than cure, and that simple ailments treated immed-
iately they make their appearance will save your pets
loss.

Long-Faced ‘Tumblers

E. O. JEFFRIES has been breeding
Long-Faced Tumblers since 1896
and during that time has won

NUMEROUS CUPS,

CHALLENGE TROPHIES,

BOWLS, AND OTHER
PRIZES

WITH HOME-BRED STOCK AT THE
CLASSIC SHOWS.

A few well-bred birds in RED AND YELLOW
SELFS, MOTTLES AND WHITESIDES usually

for Sale at prices consistent with quality.

Correspondence and advice to NOVICES a pleasure.

SZ
DW

BE, ©) JE PERIES,

* ELLERSLIE,” NORMAN ROAD,
CHEAM, SURREY.

N/

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