SHORT-FACED BEARDS, ETC. 125 



of the other Short-faced Tumblers, except that in blues and 

 blacks the upper mandible is nearly always dark. While, 

 however, good-headed Balds can be found in the flesh, we 

 have scarcely ever seen Beards nearly so good in head as the 

 others of the family. Black Beards could probably be improved 

 greatly in this respect by judicious matching to black, Kite, 

 or black-mottled Tumblers, breeding back to the Beard 

 marking. 



Matching for breeding colours, which are known as in the 

 Baldhead, will follow the hints above given for that breed. 

 Reds and yellows especially, however, could be vastly improved 

 in head properties by matching to Whole-feathered birds good 

 in those points. We may also remark that some fanciers 

 have matched Balds and Beards together with good results, 

 producing thereby excellent progeny of both varieties. 



There is, beside the foregoing, rarely met with a Short- 

 faced Blue Tumbler, whole-coloured except black bars. Most 

 of them want improvement as regards head points, but breed 

 so true to colour that they could be easily developed with a 

 little care. 



Short-faces depend especially, and above all other varieties, 

 upon good feeders for success ; none of them being able to rear 

 their own young, unless, perhaps, some of the coarser-headed 

 Beards and blues. Two or three pairs of feeders for each 

 pair of breeders are therefore needed, and the greatest care 

 is necessary to put down every date of laying and hatching, 

 feeders included. Obviously only fine-beaked birds are suit- 

 able, such as coarse Jacobins, pleasant-faced or common 

 Tumblers, &c., heavy-beaked birds injuring the young. Young 

 Almonds are so delicate that two shifts are often advisable, and 

 a tame and quiet disposition on the part of the feeders is 

 absolutely necessary. 



