]4.6 



a swindler. While, on this delicate ground, in an especial manner I would call upon the 

 Fancier, if ever placed in a position, not the most pleasant in the science of the Almond 

 Tumbler, I allude to that of being appointed one of the judges, let honesty and in- 

 tegrity be as the breath of your soul, if there is no doubt on your mind the two birds 

 are equal, wash your hands as it were of the responsibility, provdded you are not already 

 outvoted by calling in an umpire or referee, above all things, err rather from want of 

 judgment than design, be assured the Fanciers would be upon your decision, should 

 your decision be manifestly partial, you will bring down the detestation of the whole 

 Fancy upon you, and be stamped with infamy to the end of your days. 



435. It might appear I would write anything, rather than grapple with the subjeet of 

 matching and pairing the birds, I thought it would not be amiss, to go into my aviaries 

 to see how I had matched my birds, found I had matched them all manner of ways, 

 with the exception of head and beak, I cannot recommend you to matching from my 

 own aviaries ; it is better to have ten pairs of good birds well-matched, than fifty pairs 

 by counteraction. Match up your aviary, or loft of birds, commencing with your best 

 cock and hen, going down tiU you come to birds, you do not approve of, then discard 

 them. I do not pretend to instruct how to breed any given feather in the Almond, 

 after all, feather is only one property out of five, therefore, it is absolutelj'- necessary to 

 guard the other properties in producing an extra bird. It is possible you may have a 

 cock, so undeniably good in all the five properties, or partic\ilarly in feather, head and 

 beak ; if you had a hundred hens, you might exclaim you had not a hen good enough, 

 in head and beak to match to him, at last be driven to match a kite hen, simply because 

 they often run better in head and beak than the Almonds. The kite hen has the ad- 

 vantage over the dun hen, by producing better black. The dun hen will produce more 

 yellow and soft ground, will not produce such good black in flight, tail and spangle, but 

 appear smokey or dunish, unless the cock is amazingly strong in feather. Good somid 

 whole feather Almond bred Hens, with their rumps extra covered, namely : kites, duns, 

 reds, or yellows, give a sound foundation or ground, by matching them to an Almond 

 or Splash cock, you stand a great chance of breeding an Almond or Splash, an Almond 

 or Splash hen, may likewise be matched to whole feather sound Almond bred cocks ; 

 I think it necessary the black should be visible either in the cock or hen. It is possible 

 two whole Feather birds may throw Almonds or Splashes, I think it dangerous to try 

 unless you are destitute of a bird, it is better to buy a bird if possible. 



436. I cannot help thinking the ground of the Almond Tumbler has greatly improved 

 in the last few years, being more yellow. The gentlemen of the late original Colum- 

 barian Society, always had good feathered birds, there were other Fanciers who had 

 not ; although it is agreed the feather should be black, white, and yellow ; some appeared as 

 though the ground, flight, and tail feathers, were as near red as yeUow, the black an olive ; 

 these are called too deep in colour, called mahogany birds ; there is another description 

 of birds, such as are called bred too high for feather ; it is easy to say too high for 

 feather, and another thing, what you mean by it, do you mean to say the too deep 

 colour bred bird, and the too high bred bird is the same thing ? Certainly not ; the 

 effect shows itself when we produce a number of white or white agate young birds, 

 that we certainly have matched the birds too high for feather, and too much blood in 

 them, as it is called ; on the contrary, should you happen to breed an Almond, it is 

 generally an extra feathered bird. It cannot be reduced to a certainty how to breed 

 for feather. If a Fancier is very desirous of breeding for feather, I do not 

 know that he could accomplish his object better, than by matching an Almond cock, 

 which is bred very high for feather, black, white, and yellow, the black particularly 

 good and strong, over to a rich golden dun hen, bred from two Almonds ; the reason I 

 say the black in the cock should be particularly good and strong, is, while the dun is 

 proverbial in softening a hard feathered cock, and giving a beautiful soft yellow or Al- 

 mond ground, fails in producing the black. I am not aware of any match that is 

 likely to throw better feather, provided the black is good, it almost amounts to an im- 

 possibility to intermix a decided black with a rich bright yellow ; there are many gentle- 

 men of the Fancy, who know what good black is, I am fearful have not paid attention 

 to ascertain, what is a good yellow. 



437. Now I am writing* on black and yellow, let us endeavour to illustrate or define 

 it. I think you could not do better than thus : suppose a grand show open to all Eng- 



