262 BIRDS 



performing is exhausting and a good worker must either 

 leave a high-flying kit or become a non-roller himself. The 

 Roller is a natural high-flyer, but if the kit is to do its best 

 performing its flying tendencies must to some extent be 

 checked. 



The breeding, training and flying of Rollers is a fascinat- 

 ing pursuit, presenting many obstacles which are not easily 

 surmounted. To get a bird that will roll a medium dis- 

 tance swiftly and cleanly, and still be able to maintain its 

 position in the kit, is not an easy matter. Many advocate 

 the mating of birds that work little to those that roll down, 

 but this is not in accord with the writer's experience. Such 

 matings may occasionally produce a good individual, but 

 when this bird is used in turn its offspring are almost cer- 

 tain to revert to the characters of its grandparents. This, 

 no doubt, is the reason so many " roll-downs " are pro- 

 duced. If such birds were never used for stock, their kind- 

 would be less common. 



Young Rollers should be got on the wing as soon as they 

 are sufficiently strong. They should not be urged, and at 

 first will fly but ten or fifteen minutes. Any which drop 

 out should be held in for a bit, as they will demoralize the 

 others. They will gradually increase in time and height and 

 soon will be going well. Young birds of some strains start 

 rolling at an early age, others hardly tumble under six] 

 months. At any rate, when they do begin to develop they 

 must be watched closely, to prevent the stronger birds from 

 spoiling the others. An individual that is starting to work 

 well will often be ruined by kit-mates which fly too fast 

 and too long for it. 



Rollers, like all flying breeds, should be taught to drop 

 together on a given spot and to enter the loft at once. 

 Loitering in the loft-top will ruin the best. Many fliers 

 train their birds to come down to a " dropper," usually a 



