PIGEONS AXD ALL ABOUT THEM. 139 



a slender bird, and broad square shoulders broad breast and 

 back, and a shortness of leg, that would give it the least bit 

 of a stunted appearance are inexcusable. 



The color line on the breast must be sharp and decided, 

 with no irregularities. 



It must appear as if a painter with a perfect eye, had gone 

 just so far, and no further. Its color, whatever it be, must 

 be clear and rich, and the nearer its carriage can be to that 

 of a fine English Carrier, the better. Perhaps the word 

 "a T ert" will indicate the "style of the proper Magpie. 



This slenderness must extend even to the tail, for it should 

 be narrow, should have few feathers, and they should lie 

 closely one 011 the other. 



It is hard i'<>r me to describe the breast line, but it is ovai, 

 and conforms to the shape of the body, while at the wings, 

 it would seem, (looking at the bird from the side) as if a Hue 

 had been drawn with a compass,, and had cut off the entire 

 top of the wing. The sam:> color begins again at the rump 

 back of the legs, and must be "sound.'' 



The very fact that good breeder:; feed very lightly before 

 a show, shows that they are striving for a "lean" bird, with- 

 out an ounce of surplus rlesh on it. 



One reason that the black is such a favorite, is that K 

 acquires a beetle green sheen, a lustre, that k> all its own, 

 It is a shade that once seen, is never forgotten. 



The reds must be a blood-red, rich and striking, aud the 

 yellows must not be pale, washed-out looking specimens. 



It is said by experts that too deep a yellow, generally h.u; 

 with it a coarseness of feather. 



The Magpie is a bird that shows up well at first glance, but 

 put it in the pen, and begin to go over it carefully, and in 

 will be found that really first class specimens do not grow on 



