OTHER BREEDS OF UTILITY PIGEONS 63 



split tails. Short wing flights crossing in front of the tail can 

 only be produced by mating a short-back bird to a long-back 

 bird and in this way one can correct this defect and strike a 

 happy medium. 



C. R. King writing for the American Pigeon Journal covers the 

 Maltese nicely when he says: "California has long been noted 

 for its fine Maltese. In fact, there is no doubt that there are 



WHITE MALTESE 



more and better Maltese bred and raised in California than in 

 any other state in the Union. The climatic conditions are such 

 that the birds seem to develop and thrive from the start. 



From the utility standpoint, the Maltese is one of the most 

 valuable birds. They are very strong feeders and take good 

 care of their young. They are used quite extensively on the 

 Pacific coast as a producer of 'double breasted' squabs for mar- 

 ket. These squabs weigh around twelve pounds to the dozen. 

 The Maltese is an ideal bird for crossing, being short, blocky, 



