302 FANCY PIGEONS. 



Dragon before now for Dragoon, but I admit there is no defence 

 for this. However the word may be pronounced in conversa- 

 tion, it ought to be written as of old, because its meaning is 

 clear, and not obscure. There is a quaint note by Eaton, on 

 page 59 of his 1858 book, on this question: "Why do authors 

 on pigeons spell the Dragon with two ' o's', making the word 

 Dragoon, a kind of soldier, &c. (Walker) ? In society we never 

 call it the Dragoon, but the Dragon — Drag-un, a winged serpent 

 (Walker), from which it derives its name. I hope no author 

 who follows me will be guilty of doing it." This is amusing, 

 and very Eatonesque. 



I must next say something about the beak and eye wattles 

 of the Dragoon. What they ought to be in a show bird is 

 clearly stated ; but it is quite usual for the best birds, while still 

 in the very prime of life, to put on, with advancing age, more 

 wattle than is allowable for the show-pen, or to become " more 

 than a Dragon," as it is called. This bird, therefore, occupies a 

 quite unique position among exhibition pigeons. A Fantail can 

 never become more than a Fantail, nor a Jacobin more than a 

 Jacobin. I have seen Dragoons that could win prizes at from 

 two to three years of age become, when five or six, great 

 €oarse-wattled, pinch-eyed Horsemen. They are then only fit 

 for stock birds. 



The colours of Dragoons mentioned in the Peristeronic 

 Society's Report do not include black and dun. This is wisdom 

 itself. It would scarcely do, for reasons good, to have show 

 Dragoons of these colours. There was once an inquiry in The 

 Bazaar newspaper on this very subject, and the answer given 

 was this : " They would have no chance in competition what- 

 ever." But why not ? I would have thought that, the more 

 variety of colour in a breed, the better. It will be seen from 

 the Report, that the said Society advocates a silver with dark 

 beak and eyes, and with bars as black as possible. There can be 

 no harm in fancying such a colour, but why should the real 

 silver be ignored, and not even be mentioned ? As I have said 



