279 WATTLED PIGEONS. 



SKULL. This should be very broad, and is, consequently, 

 rather flat, and generally with a fulness at the back. It should 

 be as much as possible of an equal breadth, and not wedge- 

 shaped. The forehead should be very broad, prominent, and 

 well-filled out, and form a curve from the crown to the beak 

 wattle, a straight-lined forehead in profile being a bad fault 

 very often seen. The forehead must be well-ribbed up, with 

 an indented line on each side of it, as if carved out, which 

 gives this pigeon a very nice modelled appearance in head, 

 not so marked in any other variety, though seen, in a less 

 degree, in the Owl tribe. 



BEAK, very short, thick, well-boxed, and wide in the gape ; 

 the upper mandible in the same curve as the forehead, and the 

 under mandible approaching the upper in massiveness as much 

 as possible, which is hard to get, but which, when got, gives 

 a bird a grand appearance. The beak should be flesh-coloured, 

 or no more than tipped with colour. 



EYE, as pure white or pearl coloured as possible, though 

 the nearest approach to this is usually a white iris, rather 

 red at its outer edge. Many good Barbs have yellow irides, 

 which ought not to disqualify, but be duly allowed for in 

 competition. White Barbs have been seen with pearl eyes, but 

 generally have bull or hazel eyes. 



BEAK WATTLE. At maturity the beak wattle ought to 

 have filled up all inequality in the curve of the forehead 

 and upper mandible, and it may stand out a little in addi- 

 tion ; but it ought to be as free as possible from rough 

 wartiness, and show a clean division in the middle, appearing 

 like a small bean split open and laid across the beak. The 

 jew wattle on the under mandible should not be excessive, 

 but of course grows to a certain extent in such a pigeon as 

 the Barb. It should appear as three small warts, one in 

 the middle of the lower mandible, where the feathers finish 

 off, and the others on each side, below the opening of the 

 mouth. The beak wattle in a healthy bird is nearly white, 



