got, for knocking down an industrious Bee, and received my reward, I have not the 

 slightest wish to scrape acquaintance with them again ; I apologized to you to allow me 

 to tell you all I knew about Bees, I have now informed you. 



(Eaton.) — In Paragraph 14, Mr. Mooee says, I sometimes endeavoured to relax 

 the mind, by throwing in some diverting parts of history, which though not altogether 

 necessary to the main purport of the Treatise, will, I hope, answer the end for which 

 they were designed. Mr. Mooee knew, as a wise man, there was a time for all things — 

 a time for hard thinking, and a time to relax the mind. I am confident no one will 

 make a good Fancier who has not his head placed on his shoulders in the right way, 

 and his brains properly scraped, and then it will avail you nothing unless you exercise 

 those brains in deeply thinking. A thorough good and acknowledged Fancier, never 

 acquired his experience by mere accident, but the result of observation and reflection. 

 I entertaia very little opinion of that Gentleman joining a Fancy Pigeon Society, sup- 

 posing he knows all about it, unless it be true, (if so, so much the better,) or it opens 

 his eyes to conviction that he is at sea or all abroad, there is hope this person, in due 

 time, will be a Fancier ; on the contrary, that Gentleman never will that imagines he 

 sees and perceives all at once, or first sight. It is possible he may do for the first Lord 

 of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Cabinet Minister, or any thing else (save 

 a Fancier.) It is wise to mind our stops, and be a little too slow, than like the fast 

 Man upon Town, or his Country Cousin — ^the Go-a-head man. To return to my old 

 friend Cocker, to give us the total of this Paragraph ; IVIr. Moore knew from his 

 observation and reflection, there was not any possibility of gaining a thorough know- 

 ledge of Fancy Pigeons, but from long study and experience. He was fully sensible 

 that studying the points and properties of the birds are often tedious and irksome, 

 therefore threw in gome diverting parts of History ; I have no doubt some of the young 

 Fanciers will think I handle the matter too serious ; I do not wish to deceive the 

 Fancier, but plainly to inform him, he has his work to do ; I am fully as sensible as 

 Moobb, it is dry work, and requires to be enlivened up by facts, stories, and anecdotes. 

 I sincerely hope I shall be able to get up the steam, and render the subject as pleasant 

 as possible, giving everything its due consideration, or weighing it in the balance. I 

 fancy I am of tgo serious a mood to try my hand at wit, at the same time, it is not 

 Philosophy to be unhappy to-day, because we may be miserable to-morrow, I cannot 

 help thinking we may as. well be merry as sad. I cannot tell, my young Fanciers, how 

 you feel in reading it ; I, who am writing it, feel dry, and as Parsons beautifylly wind- 

 up, having finished this Pint, let's have a Full Pot. 



(Eaton.) — I hope against hope, you have obtained the small Library of Books, 

 written by various Authors on the Subject, we have under consideration, as before 

 recommended ; at all events, I hope you have tried. It may be that you have obtained 

 the Works. My object in advising yoti to obtain as large a Library of Works, and of 

 the earliest dates, upon the subject ; then commencing by reading carefully over a few 

 times the earliest date, say John Mooee, 1735, then read the Work dedicated to John 

 Mayor, 1765, thirty years after Moore, carefully comparing the Work 1765, to the 

 Work, and as you read and compare Works together, interline with your pen what you 

 find in the second book, what you find in the first, do not interline that which is not 

 in the first book, which leaves the im-interlined original matter due to the Work 1765 ; 

 follow up plan by comparing Daniel Girtin's Work, without date, to the two former 

 works, interline all you have read before, but not that information which is not con- 

 tained in the two prior books, which leaves the un-interlined original matter due to 

 Mr. Daniel Girtin; proceed in the same way with the Columbarian Work of 1802 

 and 1804, and that which you do not interline is original matter, is due to the late 



celebrated Almond Fancier and the Author Windus, Esq., Solicitor, Southampton 



Bvuldings, Holbom. Follow up the same plan with regard to the Naturalist's Library, 

 vol. 5, part 3, on Pigeons, by Peideux John Selby, Esq. F.R.S., E.F.L.S., M.W.S., 

 &c. &c, 1835. Also, the Dovecote and the Aviary, by the Rev. E. S. DixON, M.A., 

 &c. &c. 1851, and what you have not read or discovered in prior dates give each 

 Author according to the earliest dates the credit of originality, and nothing more ; when 

 you come to read over all the Works you can obtain, after my style of interlining, you 

 will then find out to whom the credit is due, as to originality. Read, also, the Natural 

 Histories, Encyclopsedias, some of the lar^^er Dictionaries, &c. &c. in search of original 

 matter, then discover how far the Works are the ©oho and re-echo of Mr. Mooee'b 



