THE BLUE-LACED FORTY YEARS AGO. 



meets with to-day has that undesirable bronzy- 

 reddy coloured breast, caused, no doubt, by 

 crossing them with red laces. This, apart from 

 the fault already mentioned, was wrong in 

 method, the red-laced having a laced tail, and 

 the blue-laced a spot tail — a cross I never advo- 

 cate if it can be avoided. 



The sulphur-laced is a lovely Pigeon, but, 

 alas ! we are confronted with the same sad story. 

 They are few and far between . We had plenty of 

 this charming colour years ago. In fact, down to 

 fifteen years ago, Mr. H. E. King had quite a 

 nice collection of really good birds. I think he 

 still has a few, and so have one or two other 

 fanciers. But that they are scarce I know full 

 well. 



Some of my young friends may be saying 

 what is a sulphur Blondinette? It differs from 

 the blue-laced in this respect . The ground colour 

 is diffused with a soft sulphur tint (pale yellow), 

 and the neck and head also. A very good speci- 

 men will have a powdering of the same colour. 

 These are termed golden sulphurs, and are 

 rare. The colour of rump differs from the 

 blue -laced, being of a soft fawn shade, and 

 invariably they possess good spot tails. 



The brown -laced is also a very pretty 

 variety of the Blondinette family. The head, 

 neck, and breast should be of a pretty shade of 

 reddy brown, with lacing of a similar colour, 

 and with rump and tail in keeping. It is very 



47 



