34 THE PIGEON BOOK 



lacks. I have now children from my hen that are half 

 brothers and sisters. 



From the young cocks of one family I shall select a 

 cock as near in colour, type, and markings to his dam 

 as possible. From the hens of the other family I shall 

 select a hen as closely resembling their sire, and by this 

 means I shall hope to reproduce stock possessing in 

 marked degree the characteristics of the granddam, of 

 which it will be seen there is a superabundance of blood 

 in the young. 



You can breed to line to reproduce the cock in the same 

 manner. 



Cousins mated have seldom given me good results, but 

 father and daughter mated together, selecting a daughter 

 as much like its father or its father's mother as possible, 

 have often bred a champion if the father was such. The 

 same with mother and son. 



My experience is that in well-bred pure stock the sons 

 descend through the dam and the daughters through the 

 sire. 



Thus the son of A (his mother) is more likely to revert 

 to A (his mother) than to his father, and through A (his 

 mother) he will revert to his maternal grandsire, the 

 father of A. 



It is surprising the important part colour plays. From 

 some parents you may breed many young with here and 

 there a champion ; but the champion is invariably found 

 of the same colour and markings. So much have I found 

 this the case that after a time, particularly with racers, 

 the youngsters that certain birds bred that did not possess 

 the colour of eye and plumage that was desired speedily 

 found their way into the pot without waste of time. 



The question of crossing and in-breeding is a very 

 interesting subject. 



