I30 THE PIGEON BOOK 



sense without a close acquaintance with it. The head is 

 somewhat typical of the blue rock, except that the beak is 

 straighter and not so curved. The peak at the back of 

 the head is typical of the variety. The neck of the 

 Archangel should not be long, but set firmly on the 

 shoulders. The body should be slender and not stunted 

 or rounded after the Tumbler variety, although there is 

 no doubt that the Tumbler has been used at times to 

 endeavour to improve the depth of colour in the Arch- 

 angel, but the use of any variety with this object must 

 have tended to diminish the beautiful bronzing of the 

 neck and breast which is characteristic of the variety. A 

 short thick neck is just as bad a quality in the Archangel 

 as a long, tapering swanlike one. 



The thighs and legs of the Archangel should be clean 

 and neat, not squatty nor thick-set ; the wings neither too 

 long nor too short, but just resting nicely over the tail 

 without crossing. The back of the Archangel, in a 

 typical specimen, is nicely hollowed out, firm, and not as 

 some describe the defect, " bible-backed," that is to say, 

 humpy across the back, which in nearly all varieties shows 

 weakness. 



It is difficult in a work of this description to do more 

 than comment on the varieties in a brief manner. 



It is in the lustre and sheen of the neck, which is of 

 a beautiful bronze and has such a lovely effect when the 

 birds are flying in the sunshine, that the Archangel has 

 qualities all its own. 



The Archangel is not a delicate variety, and it has 

 many keen enthusiasts. 



It is a variety that would give pleasure to those who 

 take it up and have the patience to study it, for although 

 so apparently a simple variety it is undoubtedly one of 

 the most difficult to breed in anything like perfection and 



