Fancy Pigeons. 



The colours of poaters other than yellow, red, black, and blue-pied, and 

 pure white, are generally called off-colours, and are not so valuable, nor 

 are they generally bred for. This would not, however, long continue to be 

 the case if the pouter fancy were to extend greatly over the country, 

 because increasing competition would cause breeders to cultivate some of 

 the so-called off-colours, many of which are very beautiful. Dun, which is 

 a standard colour in carriers, was, till lately, very scarce in pouters. 

 I do not admire it myself, but it could be vastly improved if bred for. 

 Duns are usually hens, and I only know of one good cock at present. 

 I have seen blue, red, yellow, and dun chequers. Of these the blue is 

 the only one which can be said to be common, and it is not so common 

 as formerly. Not being bred for, such chequers as come in crossing the 

 solid with the barred colours do not represent what could be made of them 

 were they to be systematically bred for ; but in the present state of the 

 pouter fancy I do not think there is room for them. The blue-chequer is 

 of two kinds, the light and the dark, sometimes called black-chequer. 

 The light blue chequer can be produced by crossing blues with blacks. 

 It is useful for improving colour of wing-coverts and bars in blues, but 

 it must be used with care and with due regard as to how it waa produced 

 itself. This colour has always existed in the breed. Tho black chequer 

 is sometimes so dark that it is apparently black on the wing coverts, 

 but its tail is dark blue with the usual black bar, and any foul feathers 

 on its underbody are greyish blue. This colour is often thrown by a pair 

 of reds which have had a recent cross of black. It is a very good cross 

 for black, and some of the most lustrous black-pieds have been so 

 produced. 



The mealy has always been a favourite colour in Scotland, because 

 many of the best pouters ever seen have be3n mealies. It is of various 

 shades, the correct colour being the same as in the best show Antwerps. 

 The neck and wing-bars ought to be lustrous red, and the wing-coverts 

 of a clear light tint, but still decided enough to show up the rose pinion. 

 The tail should be so light as to appear nearly white. Mealy has been 

 continually bred with blue, and, consequently, most mealies are of a 

 bluish tint, with a hard blue black beak, instead of a soft coloured ruddy 

 one. Mealy could be greatly improved by cultivation, which it is well 

 worth, as are the other bar-winged colours, the silver and yellow- 

 mealy. Silvers are occasionally bred from blues, and are almost invari- 



