.^8] WATTLED PIGEONS. 



The yellow may sometimes be seen fairly good, it being a 

 -colour which does not look so bad, when a little thin, as the 

 red. Red, well lustred to the ends of the flights and tail, is 

 undoubtedly the most difficult colour to breed and to maintain 

 in fancy pigeons. Where it exists, black and yellow will be 

 found good. Dun in Barbs is usually of a deep, dark colour, 

 often merging into black. Pure white Barbs are scarce; they 

 ajDpear from time to time as albinos bred from coloured 

 birds. To breed whites with coloured ones would certainly 

 result in a pied produce to some extent, but such are not 

 wished for. By this method, however, some specific marking 

 would be obtainable in time, if wanted. Black, red, yellow, 

 and dun Barbs, are so much crossed that, when any two of 

 them are breeding together, there is great uncertainty as to 

 the colour of the produce. Mr. P. H. Jones, in his description 

 of this pigeon in Mr. Fulton's book, mentions having bred from 

 a pair, in one season, black, red, yellow, dun, and white young 

 ones. He has given the following measurements of the Barb 

 in the same work : " Weight, 13oz. to lib. ; length, beak to tip of 

 tail, 12iin. to 14in. ; inner edge of eye to tip of beak, iin.; width 

 of skull, a full inch to l^in., measured between, not over, the 

 eye wattles; diameter of eye wattle, 3 iin.; length of limb, 

 measured as Pouters, 4iin. to 4fin. These dimensions would 

 apply to cocks, and would be a little modified for hens, more 

 especially in width of skull." He considers these measure- 

 ments a fair standard, though a few birds might be found to 

 exceed them. 



Formerly the native breeds of the Pouter, Can-ier, and Short- 

 faced Tumbler, were regarded as the only high-class pigeons, 

 the Jacobin, Fantail, Owl, Turbit, Barb, and Trumpeter coming- 

 lower in the scale, and being regarded as " Toys." Lately, Mr. 

 Fulton, in his book, has removed the Barb from the '"Toy" 

 division, and added it to the " high class," or inner circle, 

 making four varieties of the latter. For my part, I regard 

 the Jacobin and all the Owl family as much choicer pigeons 



