March 28, 1872. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



283 



in the front ranks at the late Birmingham Show. Some verj' 

 true specimens of the kind are in the possession of J. S. Adcock, 

 Esq., of Bradford. 



We are told that in their native country these Pigeons 

 are bi-ed indiscriminately, and mated-up and imported into 

 England in pairs. A iiight of the Ural Ice Pigeons on a bright 

 summer's day has a novel appearance when the rays of the sun 

 shine on their delicate plumage, showing the pale silvery hues, 

 which could not fail to jjlease the eye of the most fastidious 

 fancier. This Ural Ice variety of Pigeon has figured most pro- 

 minently at many of the leading shows, being less common and 

 more gracefiil than the i>laiu, long-muffed variety. 



The Siberian or Russian Ice Pigeons are similar to the Ural 

 Ice, but more delicate in their markings. They received their 

 appellation from a well-known retired German fancier and 

 keeper of these varieties. 



Many good specimens of Ice Pigeons are to be found with 

 orange and gravel eyes, which are equally admissible with 

 the hazel eye, yet this colom- is more frequent. Some have 

 been seen with pearl eyes, though rarely ; the latter would, we 

 think, much enhance theii' value, from the fact that such would 

 be more in keeping ■n'ith these delicately-coloured inhabitants of 

 the dovecote. — Bibmingham Colujibakian Society — J.W. Lud- 

 low, Secretary. 



SILVER DEAGOONS' BARS. 



I BELiE\'E it will be admitted by all breeders of experience that 

 it is a difficult matter to breed Pigeons of any kind true to the 

 feather points (of com'se, in thus writing I except self-colours), 

 and that every thrown feather short of the true standard of 

 any bird — say, for example, " close cut" of a Baldhead, " flight" 

 of a Beard in either of the disputed quantities, " crescent" 

 of a Pouter, or the " handkerchief " of a Tumbler — can be bred 

 easUy in comparison to the difficulty experienced in breeding 

 the " i>oint " true. From an artistic point of view it can be 

 shown, and would be admitted by all (when the difference be- 

 tween two birds is pointed oiit, one true to the standard of points, 

 the other not, although neai-ly so), that there is gi'eater truth in 

 the lines of the tnie bird, that they are more pleasing to the eye, 

 and consequently are correct. Almost every man can feel and 

 appreciate the beauties of correct as compared with inoon-ect 

 lines, and harmonious from inharmonious colours. I may 

 illustrate this from a Pigeon. 



I have given much attention to Pouters, and nothing bnt the 

 ill-treatment to the real and true Dragoon has grieved me as a 

 fancier so much as the ignorant way in which this bird has for 

 some years past been bred by many, judging from birds I have 

 seen exhibited, and others I have seen which have won prizes, 

 as I have been told, at different shows. 



A Pouter true to the standard is, artistically' sjieaking, the most 

 beautiful of all Pigeons in feather and shape, for the bird 

 as a whole is entirely made up of " natural curves," which are 

 the most agreeable of all lines to the sight; and if dissected, each 

 point of shape and feather will be found to be a natural cxuwe ; 

 the variation of a single feather from the true standard in 

 any one of the dissected parts will destroy the beauty of the 

 cirrve, and show so plainly that everyone, fancier or not, can 

 detect the departm-e from the true line, and would say its beauty 

 is marred by it. The ten flight feathers of a Pouter's -n-ing 

 should be white ; the tip of the first (from the secondaries) shoxild 

 be just seen above them, and the other nine in gradation above 

 that, presuming the wing closed. It is obvious that the line of 

 the curve of the secondaries would be seen shai-p and clear ; but 

 if the bird had but nine white feathers in the flight, the tenth, 

 the first fi'om the secondaries, being a dark one, the line of the 

 curve of the secondaries would not be shai-p, but irregular — as it 

 is termed, *' broken" — by reason of the end of the dark flight 

 feather projecting above the curve of the secondaries, thereby 

 spoiling the truth of the cui-ve. This is a matter which does not 

 require a fancier's knowledge to decide upon ; it is evident to 

 aU, that the natural beauty of the cruwe, by being broken, is 

 destroyed. I could show how the slighest known deviation from 

 the standard spoils eveiy other "point," were it necessary, but 

 it is not so, and I have only introduced the example of this well- 

 known point in the Pouter to help my argument as to the proper 

 colour of a Silver Dragoon's bar. But if I have succeeded in 

 showing impartial fanciers, as I tnist I have, that the most diffi- 

 cult point to arrive at is the true " point," I shall have advanced 

 my argument ; for all will also admit Ijy hke reasoning that the 

 most difficult colour to breed — the one showing the most pleas- 

 ing contrast, the one which tiies man's art as a breeder most to 

 breed, and when bred gives the most pleasing because most 

 naturally correct efifect, is the true colour for the "point." 



Mr. Allsop states that in " breeding Silvers it is next to an im- 

 possibility to obtain the black bar." It is on this presumed 

 difficulty to breed black bars, and not because that colour does 

 not harmonise or show the greatest beauty of contrast of colour, 

 that Mr. Allsop bases his opinion that " brown bars," are coiTCCt 

 for a Silver. This, I believe, is the correct intei-pretation of his 

 meaning, and I wish to be correct. 



Coming now to my main argument. It is well known to 

 breeders that the tendency of aU Pigeons is to " soften " in 

 eoloiu' ; this tendency the breeder uses for all his purposes of 

 feather-breeding, correcting it when falling off from what he 

 wants by crossing-in a harder one, thereby, as it is termed, 

 strengthening it, and generally using this inclination to 

 change to alter any colour if required. But for this natural ten- 

 dency man could not have done with Pigeons as he has done. 

 It is this which makes breeding a Pigeon to the standard of 

 feather points for its breed so difficult, requiring constant 

 attention and thought from the breeder to attain the desired 

 result. Thus, Blacks wiU often soften-off to White, Eed to 

 Yellow, Blue to Silver, and Silver, by continual breeding with- 

 ■out strengthening the colour, softens off to a very pale shade, 

 with a dun, or, as Mr. Allsop calls it, a " brown bar." Many 

 other changes could be enumerated, but these are prominent 

 ones, well kriown, and sufficient for my argument. 



Thirty or forty years ago we had no Pigeon shows as we have 

 now ; the bulk of Dragoon fanciers then cared more for the good- 

 ness of the bii-d as a " homer " than for breeding to particular 

 colours. Still experience has proved to flying men that as a 

 nile, to which there are of course exceptions, birds of certain 

 colours are best for certain jom-neys, and are better " homers " 

 than others. For example, noexperiencedflyingman would expect 

 to do any good in homing -n-ith Blacks, Eeds, Yellows, or 

 their Pieds, and Kttle better with Whites. He would not choose 

 a Eed, Black, or Iron Grizzle, or a very light Grizzle for hard 

 work ; he would know that for that pm-pose he must look among 

 the Blue Pieds, choosing a " helmet-headed" one in preference 

 to a " Crescent " Pied, the Blue Grizzles (the darkest for pre- 

 ference), Chequers, aud Blues. The last-named colour was 

 always allowed by everj-one to be good, and by many considered 

 the very best, because so many bh-ds of that colour were to be 

 found among the hardest workers, were pai-ticularly light- 

 hearted, and on that accoimt stood continuous heavy training 

 •nithout getting the sulks. Therefore Blue had the call in flying 

 men's opinions, and was for flying more carefully bred. Now 

 this colour was properly divided into three divisions, the more 

 usual and common one'being a hard, clear, dark Blue, properly 

 speaking the right blue ; the Soft Blue ; and the Sooty Blue. 

 The Soft is the result of breeding too much with the " clear 

 dark," without strengthening the colour. As these Soft Blues are 

 bred together the blue stiU fm-ther pales, and the rump be- 

 comes white ; but as, while this is going on, the contrast of the 

 black bars on the lighter blue is heightened, the colom- of the 

 bird is very pleasing, leading to the common exclamation, " What 

 a beautiful blue ! " It is the contrast that shows this. The 

 bars of these birds are always good ; it is because the heightened 

 contrast makes the edges of the bars show " shai-per," as the 

 clearness of the line is defined. It is from these Soft Blues, and 

 chiefly from the white-nimped ones, that Silvers are thrown, the 

 colour undergoing a stiU further process of softening. But up to 

 this time— the Silver result — the blackness of the bar has not 

 decreased, and it is this blackness on the Silver showing so 

 sharply defined on the soft, I may almost say liqiud silver, that 

 makes these birds so beautiful as they are. Now to prove 

 that this is the result of " softening," I can appeal to the experi- 

 ence of hundreds. The weakest bird in the nest is considered to 

 be the hen ; if one out of the two dies in the nest, the sirrvivor is 

 almost to a certain tv the cock, and in nearly every mstance when 

 a Silver is thrown from two Blues it is a hen ; it is a gi-eat rarity 

 to have a cock thus thrown. , , „., ■, , , . j 



It was noted by " flying " men that Silvers were sensible birds, 

 generally very sharp flyers, and on this account many kept them 

 for short spins where speed was the great object. It must be 

 distinctly noted that, because there were no shows m those days, 

 men had no inducement to breed birds to a particular colour 

 beyond what I have described as a " flying " motive ; if they had 

 one they would very soon, instead of accepting what Mr. 

 AUsop says about the "impossibiUty," have bred them with 

 black bars thus ; SQvers are bred from Soft Blues ; match Silvers 

 to Soft Blues, thereby fm-ther softemng the colour. Provided no 

 Silver cocks are thrown for two or three generations— a not im- 

 probable result— stUl keep breeding the last-thio^-n SUver with 

 a Soft Blue, choosing that one last thrown from the softest- 

 bred birds and in a short time not only must cocks of the right 

 colour be produced, but the colom- will be graduaUy bred to a 

 standard, one which would throw cocks regularly as it did hens. 

 During this time also the black bar is kept, because of the 

 amount of blue there is left in the colour ; and the colour, thus 

 bein" set firm, would only need to be kept from further soften- 

 in" by iudicious crossing and strengthening, either at once by 

 a Soft Blue, or a Silver once removed fi-om it. By this process, in 

 a very short time, SOvei-s with " black " bars can be easily bred ; 

 and no man, fancier or otherwise, could hesitate for one moment 

 as to which is the most beautifully contrasted colour, and as a 

 consequence the most beautiful bird. 



It may be said. How was the Clear Dark Blue k-ept ? Easily 

 and without trouble ! There were al the dark Gr^zles and 

 Chequers to refresh the colour, aU bred from and between Blue 



