THE BALDHEAD. 93 



advances, and do not keep a cat, except it be a 

 salt one. 



The origin of the shortfaced Baldhead is un- 

 certain. Whether it was bred down from the 

 longfaced, or whether by a cross with the Almond, 

 we cannot determine. I incline to the latter 

 theory, because of the difficulty experienced in 

 breeding shortfaced Baldheads with correct mark- 

 ings. Perfectly marked birds are common enough 

 amongst their longfaced brethren ; but with 

 these there is a pertinacious tendency to run 

 unevenly cut, dirty thighed, and speckled on the 

 head or rump. These peculiarities seem to infer 

 the admixture of alien blood ; for it is a well- 

 established fact that in all settled varieties the 

 pigeon breeds remarkably true. I have in my 

 possession a yellow Baldhead cock fine in head 

 and beak, but its body feathers are broken similar 

 to the Almond ; also several white feathers in the 

 tail are streaked with colour. I am informed 

 the parents of it were perfect Baldheads, and 

 sound in colour. In this instance they " threw 

 back " a few generations, and thus revealed their 

 ancestry. 



I consider shortfaced Baldheads as difficult to 

 breed as the Almond, and are quite as valuable. 

 Good specimens are extremely rare, and the 



