74 THE PRACTICAL PIGEON KEEPER. 



grounded on very frequent inspection from the nest-pan, had 

 either nothing at all or very little done to them. While, 

 therefore, it cannot be doubted that judges should keep a 

 keen look-out, and often act with more stringency, it is quite 

 possible to do injustice in this respect; and we do not think the 

 practice will ever be put down in this manner. 



A surer remedy for this and many kindred evils in other 

 varieties would be found, did judges attach more weight to a 

 proper balance or proportion of properties. The evil in question 

 has obviously arisen from attaching overmuch importance singly 

 to size of wattle. Now any property is good, with the other 

 properties ; but we hold that when it destroys other properties 

 it is no longer a merit. In this case, exaggerated beak- wattle 

 spoils the beak, causes down-face, makes a thick and coarse neck, 

 and is too often accompanied by a thick and coarse eye-wattle. 

 All these are serious faults, which spoil the beauty of a Carrier, 

 and are contrary to every old tradition. It is easy enough 

 to get one point, such as beak-wattle, if others are allowed 

 to be overlooked for it ; but it is impossible to go beyond a 

 certain point with due attention to all. That other points have 

 been neglected in judging Carriers is notorious ; and in return- 

 ing to a more healthy standard will, we believe, be found the 

 true remedy for abuses of this kind. 



The head needs little detail. It should be as long as possible 

 from back to front, as flat on top as possible, and as narrow 

 from eye to eye as can be got. In this latter respect, coarse 

 thick eye-wattles quite spoil an otherwise good head. We may 

 add that a very important point, not mentioned by Moore, is 

 parallelism of the head ; that is, the space between the back 

 edges of the eye-wattle should not be greater than between the 

 front edges. 



Clever sharpers occasionally practise great cruelty on a fine 

 bird which may be too broad in the skull by cutting out a strip 

 of skin from the middle of the head and sewing the two 



