POINTS IN BREEDING BARBS. 105 



face, of more than moderate size. On the other hand, a harder 

 wattle that grows more slowly, and a much longer-looking face 

 that gives room for the eye-wattles to grow, will generally, if 

 there be real massive character about the head, make the most 

 dangerous bird in the end. "We have, however, bred very 

 pretty-looking young ones that also made up well, and realised 

 when developed a considerable sum, though not of the most 

 massive school. 



We have heard a great deal about the uncertain character 

 of Barb breeding in regard to head properties ; but we believe 

 no pigeon breeds more truly if bred in the right way. The 

 grand points are, good square skulls, and good beaks. Mere 

 eye-wattle can be got up easily, but good skull and beak cannot. 

 On the other hand, if well- bred birds of this character be started 

 with and kept to, a high degree of certainty is attainable. 

 Moderate ages may be bred together, but it is bad practice to 

 put young birds together, as the wattle is apt to diminish; 

 therefore, a young bird with wattle undeveloped is best 

 matched to a fully matured one. Young birds, on the contrary, 

 show the best beak, which is another reason for counteracting 

 in point of age. It is in fact found, as a rule, that in Barb 

 breeding there is a kind of antagonism between eye- wattle and 

 beak. Heavy wattle, which is produced by breeding fully 

 matured birds of good type, is usually accompanied by some 

 failing in thickness of beak ; which therefore needs to be 

 counteracted by throwing in younger blood, and so on through 

 the whole history of the strain. 



Black, or at least dark beaks, are a great difficulty in black 

 Barbs. There is evidently a strong tendency for all black 

 pigeons to become black in the beak ; but in a Barb this gives 

 a coarseness of look which is most unpleasant. Unfortunately 

 this objectionable depth of colour seems increased by much 

 flying, which adds yet another difficulty in Barb breeding. 

 For these reasons it is almost impossible to go on long breeding 



