160 



JJUKNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE &ND COTTAGE GAia-£NEH. 



t August 27, 1868. 



he Dragoons from the time they are hatched nntil their death, 

 whatever age they may be, and not a Horseman when young, 

 a Dragoon at middle age, and a Carrier when eld. I have 

 myself taken a prize with a young Carrier hen, shown as a 

 Dragoon at four months old, and when about fourteen months 

 she was highly commended in the Carrier class when com- 

 peting with Blacks and Duns of various ages, and I know that 

 similar cases are numerous where time only has transformed 

 them into another variety. I appeal to Pigeon fanciers. Should 

 this be the case? Let us draw a distinct line, then. 



Dragoons should be moderate-sized birds, very much smaller 

 than good Carriers. They should have a long, straight, black 

 beak, narrow skull, large and bright orange-coloured eyes, 

 rather prominent but not protruding too much. They should 

 have but little wart or wattle either on the beak or round the 

 eye ; that upon the beak should be neatly packed on the top, 

 and not overhanging the sides of the beak ; it shonld also be 

 well tilted at the back — that is, raised to the bend of the top 

 of the head, which together with the lump at the back of the 

 skull adds to the length of the head. This, by-the-by, shonld 

 not be too long, 1; inch or Ij inch is quite long enough ; that 

 of a good Carrier should be I4 inch, or as much longer as yon 

 like, measiuring from the centre of the eye to the end of the 

 beak. The eye-wattle of the Dragoon should be small but 

 ciicular, and not pinched-in at the back ; the neck should be 

 long and thin, and nicely tapered ; the shoulders or butts of 

 wings shonld be wide and prominent ; the body wedge-shaped; 

 the leg5 and thighs long, and should show the angle distinctly ; 

 the feet large ; the colour uniform with the exception of the 

 neck, which in all is more or less beautifully resplendent with 

 rainbow tints, which are more distinct in Blue and Black 

 Pigeons generally than in the other colours. 



With regard to the colour of Blue Dragoons there is a di- 

 versity of opinion. Mr. Percivall (a Dragoon fancier), and 

 myself had a little controversy some time ago in this Journal, 

 and I think the only difference in our opinions is, that I would 

 admit the light-rnmped and white-rnmped birds to a share 

 of favour, whilst Mr. Percivall considers any variation in 

 colour a positive defect. This point I leave ; but still I hold 

 that what is lost in one particular is amply made up in the 

 richness, transparency, and brilliancy of colour and contrast in 

 the lighter-coloured birds. Blue Dragoons should be of a 

 bright colour on the sides of the wings and across the upper 

 part of the back, but in nearly all cases and all kinds of blue 

 Pigeons this tint wisl be fonnd to soften towards the lower ex- 

 tremity, and whatever tint that may be a corresponding shade 

 is to be found under the wings, belly, and thighs. The head, 

 I should mention, ought to be rather darker than the sides of 

 the wings, and terniinating in a circular shape at the ends of 

 the hackle. The bars upon the wings should be neat, narrow, 

 and jet black. 



Dragoons shonld also be sprightly flying birds, and are, un- 

 doubtedly, good homing birds, as I can testify. All my birds 

 have their liberty. They are about seventy in number, and with 

 seven exceptions are all Dragoons and Antwerps. Dragoons are 

 swifter in flight, but fly lower than the Antwerps, are not so 

 persevering or enduring as the latter, and consequently not so 

 safe or so good as homing birds. — J. W. Ludlow, Birmingham. 



REARING YOUNG CANxVRIES. 



I THANK several correspondents for kindly answering my 

 queries about using gas in a Canary room. I now offer a few 

 remarks on rearing young birds. 



This season I adopted, though not nntil the end of June, the 

 food recommended by Mr. Blakston in his " Guide," and have 

 only lost two young birds out of twenty, and these not from 

 the food, but the fault of the parent birds. Every morning, to 

 six pairs of birds with eighteen young ones, I gave two eggs 

 chopped fine and mixed with a good table-spoonful of crushed 

 hempseed — the seed to be measured before crushing — and three 

 or four lettuce leaves. In the evening I gave the same, but 

 only used one egg. The hempseed is crushed in a couple of 

 minutes in a small box coffee-mill properly set for the seed ; 

 and I ought to say, once or twice when the eggs were very 

 small, I used two also in the evening. Any food remaining in 

 the egg tins I mixed with a little canary and rape seed, and gave 

 to what I call my " weaned lot," so that nothing was wasted. 



On this food I was enabled to turn out, at three weeks old, 

 the young birds into a large aviary cage to shift for themselves ; 

 but I continued giving a little soft food. Hitherto I have sus- 



tained many losses amongst young birds, which I attribute 

 entirely to bread crumbs. The bread does not get properly 

 cleansed, in steeping, from yeast, salt, etc., all of which are 

 injurious to young birds and old ones. But whilst upholding 

 eggs and hempseed, I maintain that the secret is in giving the 

 fresh lettuce leaves. It is surprising the quantity a hen and one 

 canary chick will manage to eat between them in a day. The 

 rich stimulating food — egg andhempseed-meal — combined with 

 the cooling and purifying vegetable, forms a diet unequalled. 

 I much prefer lettuce, but ripe groundsel or chickweed must be 

 given rather than no green food at all. Others more experi- 

 enced than I am may be very successful in bringing up yonng 

 birds on different food. I am only induced to make these ob- 

 servations in support of the food recommended in the " Guide," 

 that others trying it may find it succeed with them. I shall 

 be glad if any one can corroborate my statement by his own 

 experience this season. — W. D., Sexlton, jux., Leeds. 



MARKED AND VARIEGATED CANARIES. 



What does Mr. Blakston mean by "marked birds, and 

 marked birds?" To a novice in Canary-breeding this seems 

 tautology.— T. C. H. 



^I used the expression " marked birds, and marked birds" in 

 the same way as we say " II ;/ a des femmes it des fcmmes," 

 implying that, although similar in name, they may differ widely 

 in character. " Well-marked" was " T. C. H's." description of 

 his birds, and I simply wished to call attention to the fact that 

 birds may be marked without being u-ell marked ; and I meant 

 it more in the way of a query as to the style of marking, than 

 as conveying any idea of a doubt as to the existence of the 

 marks themselves ; only it struck me that fifteen well-marked 

 birds from one hen were so unusual, that " T. C. H." was 

 possibly under a misapprehension as to what good marking 

 consists in. 



The two terms in general use applied to Canaries not 

 absolutely clean, are " Variegated," and " Marked; " but either 

 from some ambiguity in the meaning of these words, or from 

 their not being regarded as technicalities, mistakes are con- 

 stantly occurring, and few societies issue a schedule in which 

 the difference is clearly defined ; while comparatively very few 

 exhibitors have a clear and intelligent appreciation of the 

 proper significancy of the terms. I believe that the North of 

 England Ornithological Association was the first to separate 

 " Variegated " and "Marked" into two classes in the Great 

 Show of Christmas, 1807, and was induced to take this step 

 from the fact that up to that time it had been the custom to 

 have but one class, called "Marked or Variegated," which ex- 

 pression, taken as it stands, may mean either of two things — 

 that " Marked " and " Variegated " are synonymous terms, 

 representing one and the same class of bird, which may be 

 designated either way at the option of the exhibitor ; or, that 

 both Marked and Variegated birds might be exhibited in the 

 same class. Plainer still, it might be taken to mean birds 

 which are sometimes called Marked and sometimes called 

 Variegated (recognising no difference between the two), or both 

 Marked birds and Variegated birds, admitting the difference. 



That either of these conclusions might be arrived at is fully 

 evidenced by the fact that both kinds of birds were being con- 

 stantly shown together, till Mr. Barnesby, of Derby, struck a 

 direct blow at the absurdity by awarding the first prize, say in 

 the Jonque class, to the best Variegated bird, and the se- 

 cond to the best Marked bird, and vice ver-'a in the Mealy 

 class, contending, and very justly too, that it both descriptions 

 of birds were grouped in one class, each had as much right to 

 notice as the other, much to the chagiin of exhibitors, however, 

 as, cicterisj'aribus, a Variegated bird is of much more value than 

 a Marked one, so far as the marking is concerned. 



Then what is a Variegated bird, and what a Marked bird ? 

 I will try and explain. Any departure from being absolutely 

 clean, however slight, will render a bird variegated, inasmuch 

 as it varies from the original, having a diversity of colours ; 

 keeping clearly in view the idea that the word has reference 

 solely to a plurality of colours, and not a plurality of markings. 

 This word then becomes a comprehensive term, including 

 every bird not positively clean, whether lightly or heavily 

 marked. If it have as much as a single feather of a different 

 colour from its original yellow or buff, it at once enters the list 

 included in the parent word variegated, simply because it 

 is not clean but has a diversity of colours. But since all 

 markings are not of equal value, some being of everyday 



