262 Fancy Pigeons. 



latter. From this, it might be supposed that a very bad carrier would 

 make a very good dragoon, which is by no means the case, for, in 

 practice, it is found no easy matter to breed the latter good according to 

 the standard. About the time of the Oxford show, in 1876, already referred 

 to, Mr. Denne, editor of the Figeon, published an article in that paper on 

 "Exhibiting and Breeding Dragoons," from which I copy the following : 

 "It matters not what interested parties may say, the real value of 

 dragoons is about four or five shillings a pair. Of course, temporary 

 causes, such as this sudden run upon them for exhibition, may cause the 

 price of them to rise to much more than this, but the price we name is 

 the true one, as experienced men know, and we have bought scores of 

 pairs as good as ever have been seen, and could have bought thousands 

 at the price. AVe have even bought them as late as the early part of this 

 year, and end of last, at an average price of seven shillings a pair, ae 

 good as need be wished for, and in some cases good enough to win prizes. 

 The highest price we ever paid for a dragoon in the whole of our expe- 

 rience we paid this year, viz., seven and sixpence for a blue hen, and at 

 the time we did so thought we must have been slightly ' touched * to pay 

 such a price. From these birds we purchased we could, had we been 

 disposed to have gone in for dragoon breeding, have bred as good blues, 

 chequers, and grizzles in the course of one, or, at the most tsvo seasons 

 as the ' next man,' and so can anyone who has a very slight knowledge 

 of breeding, by following the instructions we will give." 



Though it is some years since this was written, during the interval, the 

 chief prizes for blue, blue-chequered, and blue-grizzled dragoons, have been 

 won by the birds of Mr. Woods, of Mansfield, Notts, who, for many years, 

 with all colours of dragoons, has kept the premier position against all 

 comers, netting what must have been a respectable annual income from 

 this breed alone. Before the days of pigeon shows, a pair of choice 

 pouters, carriers, or almond tumblers were worth as many sovereigns 

 as the best dragoons were worth fourpenny bits. How is it, therefore, 

 that now a good dragoon is worth, roundly speaking, about as much as 

 a good pigeon of these varieties ? Merely because it pays well enough to 

 give as much for a bird as it can win in a season. The dragoon formerly 

 held the present position of the homing Antwerp carrier, and, like it, 

 may have been cocasionally worth a large sum for flying purposes. 

 It now holds the same position as the short-faced exhibition Antwerp , 



