go Fancy Pigeoi. 



colours. The first three are the choice colours, blue and silver not lool:- 

 inn; so well with the arrangomeut of the marking'. The black looka best, 

 and no doubt g^ives the name to the breed. The beak should be flesh- 

 coloured, or, at least, no more than tipped with dark colour, in blacks, 

 reds, and yellows. The coloured portions of the plumage of a well- 

 marked magjiie pigeon include the head, neck, and breast (which must 

 be cut straight across, or belted, jnst below the crop), the back and 

 scapular feathers {forming the figure of a heart), and the rump and 

 tail. The rest of the feathers should be white. It is no very difficult 

 matter to get this marking good, and yet most birds require to get, 

 and do get, their toilets made to a certain extent to make the lines 

 of demarcation correct. The irides should in all cases be as pearly 

 white as possible, and the best coloured birds have the eye ceres 

 and beak reddish fiesh-coloured. The black colour is often very 

 good, and burnished with green lustre ; but the rod and yellow 

 especially the red, though often what would be called very good in 

 many varieties of fancy pigeons, is seldom in the magpie of the very best 

 possible colour. A red that could carry a metallic lustre to the end 

 of the tail would be much more choice and valuable than any black. 

 The magpie must have no feathers on the legs and feet, which ought to 

 be very bright red, and although some have a liieak crest, the smooth 

 head is preferred. 



Neumeister describes another kind of magpie pigeon under the name 

 of Die Elstertaiihe, der VerJcehrifllif/el (the magpie pigeon, the reversed 

 wing), which is similar in marking to that described, except that it 

 is white on the head where the helmet is coloured, on which white skull 

 cap a coloured forehead spot is indispensable. The legs and feet of 

 this variety arc feathered. He says : *' It is to be regretted that this 

 really beautiful pigeon has been so much neglected that it threatens 

 extinction. Its beautiful marking and shape would adorn every dovecote." 





