BARBS. 97 



yellows or a cross from the red. Reds can only be kept up 

 by red, from another strain also pure and deep in colour all 

 over, and always avoiding any reds from the yellow cross ; 

 unless a jet Hack bird can be procured of suitable properties, 

 which will often improve the red considerably. But any sign 

 of sootiness, or ash-colour, or bars should discard a bird at once. 

 The eyes of these varieties are orange. 



As to head-points, it is necessary every now and then to 

 keep down size and keep up symmetry of wattle by using a 

 bird rather under-wattled. Symmetry of body will give little 

 trouble. 



Above all, study condition. A Dragoon is nothing unless 

 hard and clean in feather, as if " cut out " of solid material. 

 Nothing but plenty of exercise can give this ; while it also tends 

 to darken the eye, keep the wattle hard and compact, and in 

 blues darken the beak and eye-lash. 



Dragoons will train and perform well for any distance up to 

 a hundred or a hundred and twenty miles. It is probable that 

 if bred so severely by results as the Belgian birds, they might 

 be found not inferior for longer distances. They give no 

 trouble, and need scarcely any attention in rearing. 



CHAPTER VIIL 



BARBS. 



THE Barb makes a convenient transition between the wattled 

 pigeons and the Short-faces, as they are called j and it is in- 

 teresting to observe in this variety how some of the very same 

 elements that go to make up the Carrier have been here de- 

 veloped in a direction exactly opposite to the type of that 

 pigeon. The resemblance between the large eye-wattles of 

 both varieties is so striking that some people have tried 

 ii 



