The Feather's Practical Pigeon Book 



commingling of strange blood is likely to develop the 

 taint lying dormant in one or the other. 



Many a fancier has found this out to his sorrow, by 

 purchasing some single bird of unknown parentage, and 

 mating it with some good specimen of his own, and 

 fmding his young prove anything but what he hoped 

 for and expected. This does not always happen, but it 

 is oftener so than otherwise. Occasionally these chance 

 matings prove to be excellent ones, and when such is the 

 case there can be some confidence placed in their young 

 for breeders for future use. 



Many of my readers may wonder why I have given 

 no statement as to the values of pairs of good breeding 

 ?jirds. As there is no established price among breeders 

 this would be a difficult thing to do, as every man has 

 his own price, and like many of the fancy articles of 

 trade, much depends on the reputation he has made as a 

 prize-winner, and on the quality of birds he has raised 

 or has in stock. A breeder might ask for a good pair 

 $15.00 this month, and next month be glad to sell at 

 $io.GC. Then again, there is such a wide variation in 

 the values of dififerent varieties. While nicely matched 

 and mated Tumblers, Duch'esse, and Antwerps may be 

 bought as low as S3 per pair, the kingly Carrier, the 

 dandy Pouter, and the dainty Short-faced Tumbler, if 

 of high quality, would readily bring from $100 to $150 

 a pair, and even this price would be considered cheap 

 for extra-fine specimens of these kinds. The other 

 varieties I have given a list of in the preceding pages 

 of this chapter would range in price from $5 up to $40 

 and $50 per pair, according to the variety, the stock 

 descended from, and the parties having them for sale.' 

 On this basis the young fancier may judge when he 

 hears of the prices asked for the kinds he is in search 



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