THE PIGEON BOOK 139 



but yellow, and that is the shade of yellow, I contend, is 

 the right one. It may be difficult to get, but it is yellow. 

 In the same way the blues should be blue; the bluer the 

 better — not pale and silvery, nor yet dark and slaty, but 

 as blue as blue can be. Blues should have black tail 

 bars, and silvers as well. The latter colour should be as 

 clear as a bell, free from a rusty or creamy tone, with 

 plenty of blue neck lustre. Duns must not be bad blacks, 

 or slate or fawn in colour, but a good rich warm tone, 

 like a good-coloured dun Carrier. 



Into the question of markings I shall not enter. Those 

 who know about them do not want to be told, and to 

 those who are beginners and wish to know, I cannot do 

 better than advise them to study carefully the charming 

 picture accompanying these notes, or to write to the hon. 

 secretary of the Magpie Club (Mr. William C. Lamb, 

 Cedar House, Hampton Wick) for an official copy of the 

 Magpie standard, and they will start with advantages 

 such as no previous generation of Magpie fanciers ever 

 possessed. 



In conclusion, let me advise Magpie fanciers not to 

 go mad on any one point, but to give to every point its 

 proportionate value, according to the Standard. One- 

 point crazes ruin breeds, whether Magpies or any other. 



The Modena. 



Although in this country the Modena or Triganica is 

 merely looked upon as a show variety, still it should 

 almost be under the sporting varieties, because I think it 

 is much more than merely a show bird. I believe that the 

 Triganica is really the true homing pigeon of Modena. 

 In the history of this bird one finds descriptive accounts 

 given of the owners keeping the birds on the roofs of 

 the houses, and guiding their flight by the use of flags. 



