I02 THE PIGEON BOOK 



admirers. No doubt on account of its hardy constitution 

 and neat, compact, and handsome appearance when in 

 condition, to maintain which requires little else than 

 good, sound food, clean water and cleanliness inside and 

 out of the aviaries, and with so many enthusiastic 

 admirers, there is always a ready sale for high-class 

 specimens at very remunerative figures, as much as jQizo 

 having been paid for a single specimen. This I believe 

 is the highest price ever realised for a single pigeon of 

 any variety, the bird being a black chequer hen bred and 

 sold in 1905 by myself, just after winning first Dairy in 

 that year, and afterwards winning firsts, specials, and 

 challenge cups galore. This is well supplemented by 

 others of the same variety, viz. : the famous " Rufus " 

 also sold by myself for ;£iio, the Cory-Jones champion 

 black chequer cock for 100 guineas, and several others 

 that could be named which have changed hands of late 

 at ;£ioo and over, with quite a list of others very 

 closely approaching these figures, so that your readers 

 will see that beginners, by going in for this variety, 

 are not only going in for a hardy, easy-to-managa 

 variety, but one that can easily be turned into a very 

 lucrative hobby, if tact and judgment are only used in 

 their selection of stock by dealing with experienced 

 fanciers of repute, and not tempted to purchase by the 

 laudable advertisements of catch-penny fanciers, most of 

 whom know little or nothing about the variety and care 

 less about the results afterwards. 



The failure of most beginners is in expecting too many 

 for little outlay, no doubt through taking too much notice 

 of the cheap rubbish advertised as fit to win at a few 

 shillings each, which common-sense ought to tell them is 

 impossible, and only ends in disappointment if purchased, 

 and in many cases in leaving the Fancy in disgust through 



