14.5 



and red agates, all coming from the same pair of birds. Is this what they call breeding 

 to feather ? Now, if this pair of Almonds had bred all the young-ones as near alike 

 for feather, as, they did head and beak, that would be nearer breeding to feather. I 

 will give you other instances. I matched up a beautiful head and beak splash cock to 

 a rich kite hen, in the same nest, produced two young ones— the one pure white, the 

 other as black as a coal ; from another splash cock and kite hen, I bred a perfect 

 Blue Tumbler, in the following nest a perfect Silver Ttunbler, this made me think, 

 fortunately the blue, a cock, the silver, a hen, I matched them together to see if they 

 would throw back, or what they would throw, whether Splashes, Kites, Duns, whole- 

 feather, or &c., tmfortunately they were a very cowardly pair of birds, any birds could 

 drive them off their nest, the eggs always addled ; should they lay this season I will 

 set the eggs under feeders, to see the color of feather they will throw, (I know they will 

 be Tumblers) I thought this breeding to a feather with a vengeance. The inexperienced 

 Fancier may say, they did not come from a good stud of birds ; when he knows more, 

 he will say less, I question much whether he will ever be able to obtain such birds as I 

 am writing of. 



432. Counteraction, is a grand thing to be observed, this must have its limits ; for it 

 would be unwise to match up a bad cock to an extra good hen, if you split the dif- 

 ference in then- young, you make half-and-half of them ; " Half-and-half " may be good 

 to a Fancier on a long dusty road, his throat parched with thirst, when he comes to a Pig 

 and Whistle Shop, can get nothing better, but half-an-half Almonds will not do for the 

 Fancier, besides throwing away the use of the hen for the season. A member of the 

 original Columbarian Society, to whom we owe much, stated, the best Almond supposed 

 ever bred was bred from a white agate cock and kite hen ; we are not to consider this 

 surprising, the agate cock and kite hen, for ought we know, may have had the blood of 

 the Almonds, in a direct line for the last hundred years ; do not Fanciers say, they 

 cannot have too much of a good thing, match up the most plum puddingy Almonds, as 

 they call it, cock and hen ; do they always throw Almonds ? certainly not, but all colours 

 in feather, rich kites, duns, yellows, reds, whole feathers, and agates. These birds 

 having the blood of the Almonds, coming from good feathered Almonds, as far as you 

 are able to ascertain, (if you are acquainted with their pedigree, so much the better ;) 

 these young birds, being judiciously matched, are as likely to throw Almonds, as the 

 Almonds themselves ; some of the best and most experienced Fanciers express it their 

 opinion, the amazing power of the Ahnond Tumbler to throw all shades of colour — 

 whole feather, agate, splash, broken, or spangle, is one of the chief causes, that keep 

 Fanciers so long in the fancy ; propels or induces the Almond Tumbler to persevere, 

 owing to the uncertainty of throwing feather ; as they observe if it was reduced to a 

 certainty, the zest would be lost ; the Almond Tumbler Fancy, is as open now for fresh 

 competitors, as it was a century ago. There are Fanciers who condemn me, say I 

 match up too high for feather ; be this as it may, I am one of those who think we can- 

 not have too much of a good thing, and maybe rewarded like the man who reasoned, — 

 '' if a little physic was good, what must a great deal be ?" why, do everything, but, 

 what it was intended. The Fancier may draw his inference, that I am a Head and 

 Beak Fancier, and despise Feather ; I am a great admirer of Head and Beak, I am not 

 insensible to Feather ; I observed before, which of the five properties could we afford to 

 lose ? is not feather a grand property ? 



433. It unfortunately sometimes happens, exhibiting a bird on a show night, if a bird 

 possesses four good properties out of the five, namely : — head, beak, eye, and carriage, 

 should fall short in feather, a " Feather Fancier " would remark the deficiency of 

 feather, apparently overlooking the four other properties ; do not lose your command of 

 temper, do as I have done this season, provided the strength of your aviaries and lofts 

 will aUow you to pick out of seventy pairs of birds as mine will, match up expressly six 

 pairs of the best feather, most likely to throw feather, you will probably be in a con- 

 dition to challenge him to showfor feather. 



434. I will be brief, touching on the delicate subject of exhibiting a bird as their own, 

 although borrowed from another, for my part, I would as soon challenge all England to 

 show a bird, as some, (very few I hope in the Fancy,) who would make a bet to show 

 a bird of their own breeding, and then borrow the best b^jcd they could procure for 

 the occasion ; I sincerely hope this rarely occurs, it has occured. If you fall in 

 challenging all England, you fall nobly, if you are outwitted by a rogue, you fall by 



