114 PIGEONS AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



The neck must be thin and of a graceful taper from the 

 head to chest, and must not be too short in proportion to the 

 body, nor too long, for one is as bad as the other. If it is too 

 long there is a tendency to drop the head over one side of the 

 cushion, and if too short it will not reach to the spot just in 

 the centre of the cushion where it should always rest when 

 the bird is on "parade.'' 



The general idea is to get the bird as small as possible, yet 

 as nearly round as can be. The breast should look like a 

 ball, and yet, when you view it from either side or from front 

 or rear, it should be all graceful curves. Back slightly hol- 

 low, so that the head can rest nicely on the cushion. 



The wings should be well set on and should look like a part 

 of the body, and not stand out. In looking at the bird from 

 the front, the wing butts should barely show where they are 

 and that is all. A narrow bird will not only show bold and 

 outstanding wing butts, but it is generally wedge-shaped at 

 the cushion, and such a cushion cannot carry a good broad 

 tail. A weak rump will not hold a tail in good position. In 

 other words, the bird will not " balance " well and this all 

 tends to show how very necessary the ball shape is. 



I cannot lay down any rules as to length of flights, but a 

 bird with very long flights carried out behind it, lacks har- 

 mony of shape. The same rule applies to the legs. How of- 

 ten do we see a grand little bird with legs so stilty as to spoil 

 its general contour. We see them perfect in all else, but 

 with legs so short that they look " stunted. ' 



The tail must be regular and even, and the feathers as 

 broad and stiff as possible. Each feather must be in place 

 in its regular row in the rnmp, and there must be no open 

 place, or "split" in the centre, nor "bunches' down on the 

 side. In cases of bunches it will usually be found that the 

 feathers grow so closely in the rump, that there is no room 



