The Feather's Practical Pigeon Book 



idea of improvement and perfection ever in their minds, 

 they strive on, studying, experimenting, and breeding, 

 until the desired goal is reached, for although Nature 

 presents many obstacles, there are certain of her laws 

 that when understood and put into practice bring the 

 desired results, and these are the principles the true 

 fancier is constantly striving to understand and apply. 

 And this is what keeps him a fancier and has given to 

 the pigeon world so many varied and beautiful speci- 

 mens of their kind. Look back and consider, (taking 

 the original Blue Rock Columha Livia as the starting- 

 point,) what an immense amount of thought, time, and 

 patience must have been bestowed on the subject, to 

 produce such a lot of pigeons as the Pouter, the Jacobin, 

 the Turbit, the Oriental Frill, and the scores of other 

 beauties with which our great exhibitions make us all 

 familiar. But scientific writers prove to us that it has 

 been done, and who but the true fancier has pro- 

 duced these results? But I am digressing somewhat 

 from the topic of this chapter, and come back to the 

 subject, "What Varieties to Breed." 



While I have mentioned a few of the varieties easiest 

 cared for, and from which good results can be expected 

 by one with little experience, there are many others that 

 can be chosen which might answer as well, if the young 

 fancier knows of them, and for that purpose I give here- 

 with a detailed list of the varieties generally known in 

 America. Europe and Asia contain many varieties not 

 yet familiar to us, but which in time must come to our 

 Icnowledge as we advance in age and experience. For 

 the better guidance of the novice I purpose arrang- 

 ing the different varieties into four classes, as follows : 



First, what are generally known among exhibitors 

 particularly, as the high-class varieties. These are varie- 



54 



