138 THE PIGEON BOOK 



at junction with head, not broadening out immediately 

 into bell-shape, but retaining its fineness in appearance, 

 joining the shoulders with graceful curves. The body 

 should be fine, narrow, rather rounded at chest, and 

 carried well up on a pair of fine legs; "gamy" about 

 the thighs rather than " Cochiny," but not unpropor- 

 tionatefy stilty. The whole appearance of a Magpie 

 should be one of grace, elegance, and true proportion ; 

 nothing exaggerated, nothing coarse, but absolutely 

 " ladylike." A Magpie should be tight in feather, the 

 tail closely folded, and carried clear of the ground, but 

 not cocked up, flights resting neatly on the tail, about 

 half-an-inch from the end. Some Magpies are very long 

 in flights and tail — a fault most noticeable in the show- 

 pen, as a bird afflicted in this way seems always in 

 trouble, and can never move round without getting mixed 

 up with the sides of the pen. 



Next to type, the Magpie is noted for its wonderful 

 colour — ^black, red, yellow, blue, silver, cream, and dun, 

 all lovely, but black the favourite, partly because of the 

 charming contrast of the black with the white plumage, 

 and partly, perhaps chiefly, because the blacks are nearer 

 in type to the ideal Magpie than any of the other colours. 

 Blacks must be black, not brown-black or grey-black, but 

 jet-black, with iridescent sheen on every feather from 

 head to tail. Reds should be a deep rich blood-red, not 

 dunnish, nor purple, nor flat in tone, nor yet coppery 

 on the neck. The colour should be of one rich even colour 

 throughout, as sound on rump as on the top of the head. 

 This applies to all colours. Yellows vary very much in 

 colour. Some are very deep and buff in colour ; some 

 dark, with a flat or dirty tone ; others of a clear pale tone. 

 Sometimes one sees the rich, clear, guinea-gold yellow, 

 which makes all the other birds in the class look anything 



