THE PIGEON BOOK 113 



is the correct for the show-pen, don't discard all the 

 copper hackle ones from the breeding lofts. Next I will 

 deal with Reds, which are exceedingly difficult to produce 

 true to colour ; in fact, I may say without fear of contra- 

 diction that they are the most difficult of all. Reds 

 should be deep and uniform in colour; it is somewhat 

 awkward to explain the exact tint, but the nearest resem- 

 blance I can think of is that of a nice ripe chestnut, just 

 burst out from its green shell. Avoid so-called Reds of a 

 liver hue, also those of a light bricky colour, and especially 

 those with plummy -coloured breasts. The colour through- 

 out, including flights and tail, should be of one rich even 

 tone, and possessing a bright golden-coppery sheen, par- 

 ticularly on hackle feathers. Steer clear of green hackle 

 birds, which denote black blood, and mean much trouble 

 in the way of plummy breasts. Some folks advocate 

 crossing Reds with Yellows, which, however, my experi- 

 ence teaches me to be entirely wrong, for such a cross 

 generally produces offspring bricky in colour and washy 

 in tails, also a nasty yellowish tip on ends of flight and 

 secondary feathers, which is considered a very bad fault. 

 My advice is, therefore, to match red to red, always for 

 producing good colour. 



In Yellows we find quite a variety of different shades, 

 some too dark and greasy looking, others too pale and 

 powdery. The colour to be aimed for is a rich guinea 

 gold, with hackle feathers showing a delicate pink sheen, 

 perfectly free from any signs of green lustre. Many 

 yellows show a ruddy tinge, which is to be despised. 

 This is the outcome of crossing with reds, and is never 

 to be recommended. Should your yellows be too pale in 

 colour, you will find plenty of material for crossing in 

 the way of dark yellows without resorting at all to reds. 



Now we come to Whites, which are not so extensively 



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