1'IGEOXS AXD ALL ABOUT THEM. 47 



JOHN SMITH Esq. 



Dear Sir; 



I want a red Jacobin cock, and two blue Jac- 

 obin liens. I want the cock to show, and breed also ; but 

 want the hens simply for breeding, and therefore care more 

 for blood than show points. If you can supply these birds 

 please send price, and description of the cock. 



Yours truly, 



WM. SMITH. 



Such a letter as. the above, to an honest fancier, will bring 

 what one wants. 



Don't ever write for a bird that will be " sure to win " at 

 any show. Xo fancier can fill such an order, for his ideas 

 and those of the judge of the show may be widely at vari- 

 ance. 



What I have tried to show in the above is this. If you 

 trust to the honor or integrity of a reputable fancier, you 

 will lose nothing by it. Remember I use the word ; ' fancier 1 ' 

 not " dealer. ' A fancier is a man who breeds his own birds, 

 and who sells whatever surplus he may have. He knows 

 the breeding of every bird he sends out. 



A dealer is one who buys any and all kinds of birds, just so 

 they are cheap enough. As to their breeding he knows ab- 

 solutely nothing. In behalf of the dealers many of whom 

 are honorable men, I want to say that they do not fly under 

 false colors. They do not assume to know anything about 

 what they sell. Their motto is, "there are the birds; if the 

 price suits you, take them." There is always a demand for 

 birds of the class they handle, and they are therefore a busi- 

 ness necessity ; but I close this part as I began by suggesting 

 that if you want birds to breed for your own pleasure, and 

 with the hope of producing something which will be a credit 

 to you, don't go to a dealer. 



