5B 



1 57.-^This Pigeon is 'a very good breeder, (*) and as they are somewhat 

 less than a Horseman, are reckoned lighter and more expeditious in their 

 jflight, for ten or twenty miles, but the Horseman if good^ will generally 

 out-do them at a greater length ; they ought to be flown and trained like 

 the foregoing. 



award them as Dragons, Their elegance of shape, the length of feather, length and 

 thmness of neck, narrowness of head, their combined -beauty of properties and style, I 

 considered put the Carriers into the shade. Whether lie entered them for competition 

 or not, this much I do know, they were not awarded a prize, beiiig too much for a 

 Dragon. With regard to the first pair I mentioned, they did not take a prize for 

 Dragons, being two good, and in the second place, were not awarded a first, second, or 

 third prize for Carriers, being disqualified through being wrongly entered. I have met 

 some good Fanciers at the shows, while looking at the class Dragons, I made the simple 

 remark to some of the exhibitors of Dragons, "it's no go," they have laughed heartily, 

 and said, ''there was no harm in trying it on." I remember meeting, a celebrated 

 Fancier of Warwickshire, who had entered a beautiful pair of birds in class Dragons, 

 their only fault being too good, although he had taken several prizes on Pigeons, he said 

 if one thing pleased him more than another, was the detection by the judges in drawing 

 the line where the Dragon should stop, that the judges were up to- the ;^ark, viz. — up to 

 their work. 1 believe in some cases the line has scarely been drawn up to the mark for 

 fear of going over the Hne, and that Dragons have been awarded the prize rather below 

 the Une for fear oi going over the Hne, which proves my remarks at the commence- 

 ment, the difficulty where to- draw the hne or where, a& touching the Dragon, it should 

 stop. Gentlemen may enter rather sheary Carriers in tlie Dragon class, it does not 

 follow, simply because they have entered them as such, the judges will award them a 

 prize, on the contrary, tliey will disc[ualify thein, it was so at the Crystal Palace Show, 

 1858. It sometimes happens the 'cheat is noft, detected. . I do' not agree with a writer 

 to the Cottage Gardener, that there ought not to be a prize awarded to Dragons, he 

 observes, "they are nothing more or less than bad Carriers." 



* 157. (MAYOr,, p. 89.) — And ^oqd nurses, and .ar^ chiefly kept as feeders for raising 

 of Pouters, Leghorn Kunts, &c. , ' , '^ , ^.-, 



(Matoe, p. 92.) — The following may be depended upon as a fact, notwithstanding 

 the appearance of incredibility, as several geatlemen now living can affirm the same, if 

 requisite — a gentleman of my acquaintance having a small wager depending, sent a 

 Dragon by the Stage Coach to his friend at St. Edmond's Bury, together with a note, 

 desiring the Pigeon, two days after his anival there, ipight be thrown up precisely when 

 the town clock struck nine, in the morning, :which was accordingly executed ; and the 

 Pigeon arrived in London, and flew to the sign of the Bull's Head Inn in Bishopsgate 

 Street, into the loft, and was thei-e shewn at half an hour past eleven o'clock the same 

 morning on which he had been thrown up at St. Edmond's Bury, liaving flown seventy- 

 two miles in two hours and a half. The wager was confirmed by a letter sent by the 

 next post from a person at St. Edmond's Bury. I could relate several more exploits of 

 this nature performed by Dragons, particularly of their being thrown up and returning 

 by moon-hght, &c., but the above may be thought sufficient. 



157. (Eaton.) — A gentleman informed me once, he had a pair of Dragons, that bred 

 him eleven pair of young ones during twelve months. Many young birds will breed all 

 tne year round, provided they have warm places, good nests made for them, and, above 

 all, plenty of first-rate good nourishing food. I agree and believe with Mr. MoORE, 

 that the Dragon being lighter than the Horseman, are more expeditious in their fiight 

 for ten or twenty miles. Matok, p. 89, truly observes they are good nurses, as feeders 

 for Pout-ers, Leghorn Runts, besides other birds ; but they are too strong or coarse as 

 feeders for short-faced birds. 



(Eaton.) — I believe there are many gentlemen living in the country (and not asso- 

 ciating with Fanciers), who keep Pigeons, that fancy they have the finest strain of 

 Carriers in the World ; if flown, no doubt very clean, their feathers close and tight, the 

 colours silver, yellow, or blue, with the black bar across the flight ; I acknowledge all 



