217 FRILL-BREASTED PIGEONS, 



ties, as the Schietti, or whole- coloured Triganicas, do to the 

 Gazzi, or pied ones. I am not aware if every variety of colour 

 in the Blondinette is represented in the Satinette, not having 

 seen so many; but the same natural laws of variation of 

 colour must affect both in course of time. 



The SATIN BLONDINETTE is marked on the shoulders and 

 tail exactly the same as the Satinette, and, where the latter 

 is white, the former is of a dark blue; but its primary nights 

 should have large oval spots on their extremities, making them, 

 when closed, to appear laced. The colour which has gained 

 most acceptance in this country is the clear pinky flesh ground, 

 evenly laced with black, the flight feathers of which, when 

 opened out, are also generally laced all round their edges, but 

 with, usually, a strong brownish cast on their inner webs. 

 There is, however, an immense variety of colour among Satin 

 Blondinettes, many being heavily marked on the wing coverts 

 with arrow-pointed blue chequers ; but the inferiority of these, 

 in appearance, is at once seen when they are placed alongside 

 the laced kind. The nest plumage of the different kinds of 

 Blondinettes is dull and heavy, the intricate markings and 

 clear ground colour only appearing after the first autumnal 

 moult. The bronzy flesh colour of the wing coverts often 

 reaches up the back of the neck, which ought to be dark 

 blue. The Blondinettes are grouse-legged, and generally peak- 

 crested. 



BROWN AND SULPHUR BLONDINETTES. Yery pretty varie- 

 ties are the red and yellow laced or spangled ones. The 

 former is reddish-brown, and the latter sulphur-yellow, 

 where the Satin variety is dark blue, and their shoulders 

 are of the same colours, merging into white, each feather 

 being laced, spangled, or chequered at the edge with reddish- 

 brown or clear yellow. These varieties fall away in colour 

 in tail and flights. I have not seen similarly shouldered 

 Satinettes, but should suppose they could be bred. 



BLACK LACED BLONDINETTES. There are black and white 



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