319 THE TUMBLER. 



will stick at nothing to win somehow, and I have known of 

 a self-coloured bird transformed into a perfect Mottle, the 

 white feathers being pasted in. There can be no doubt that 

 no pigeon has its toilet made to a greater extent than the 

 show Mottle, and that, if absolute perfection has been seen, 

 it has been but rarely. 



In breeding Mottles, the best plan is to ascertain how 

 the pigeons to be mated have been bred for as many genera- 

 tions back as can be found out. If they should have de- 

 scended through some generations of nearly perfectly marked 

 birds, they ought to breed many such themselves; but as the 

 general plan is to mate a self-coloured bird, bred in most 

 cases from a Mottle and a self-colour, to a Mottle bred in 

 the same way, self-colours and Mottles are produced from 

 such mating. Self-colours, therefore, are part of the Mottle 

 breeder's stock, and represent more than they appear to do. 

 To put a self-coloured to a gay bird is not the plan that ex- 

 perience has taught as most likely to produce the right 

 marking, for the produce is ever inclined to run too gay. 

 And yet, if the self-colour and Mottle matching results in 

 an undue proportion of undermarked birds, one rather over- 

 marked must be thrown in occasionally. To attain success 

 in Mottle breeding, a fancier cannot know too much of the 

 pedigree of his stock birds, and, the longer he has the strain, 

 the better he should be able to produce good ones. 



The young Mottle does not leave the nest as it appears 

 after its first moult, but entirely self-coloured. If a bird has 

 even a few grizzled feathers about it as a nestling, it often 

 becomes too white after moulting. It is during its first 

 autumnal moult, therefore, that its beauties become apparent, 

 and that is the time when eager eyes are on the watch for 

 a coming wonder. Many flying Tumblers which are self- 

 coloured as nestlings become more than half white during 

 their first moult. The mottled flying Tumbler is not nearly so 

 difficult to breed good as the Short-faced Mottle; but yet it 



