BREEDING OP DRAGOONS. 95 



the long face, the flat, narrow, parallel skull, the long and thin 

 neck, the length of feather and limb — are Carrier properties. 

 The true fancier at least will never consent to abandon the 

 type now adopted, after long debate, by mutual consent. The 

 moderate-sized wattle, of good shape, is wonderfully difficult to 

 breed good. It tends to break out in excrescences, or to get too 

 coarse or too small, and this is the charm of producing it ; but 

 the old Birmingham style of head and wattle can be bred by the 

 dozen, and is so far a lower class of pigeon — in fact, hardly a 

 fancy pigeon at all, which the true Dragoon is. 



We give, then, the two shaded drawings as fairly representing 

 the modem Dragoon ; the cock showing about as m,uch wattle 

 as a good breeder likes to see, while the hen shows about as 

 little as he prefers on a bird of even the weaker sex. The dif- 

 ference is not greater than the latitude taken by different judges 

 of every pigeon ; both agree now in seeking a thick and dark 

 beak, and most certainly neither would throw out a good bird 

 for a little difference in limb or feather. The sole point really left 

 in dispute is as to the eye-lash of blues and chequers, which the 

 Birmingham fanciers still profess to desire white and circular, 

 while the Londoners seek a dark hue and pinched form. It need 

 not be pointed out that here again the Londoners are furthest 

 from the Carrier ; and it is sufficient to add that this point 

 will settle itself if the bird be correctly judged for soundness of 

 colour; for, as before remarked, we have hardly ever, if ever, 

 seen a good sound blue, dark on the rump, which had not the 

 dark eye-lash. 



Blue Dragoons are, as a rule, bred together, choosing good 

 colour, and especially avoiding light-rumped birds. This fault of 

 light rump is common to the brighter blues, and is best counter- 

 acted by matching to blue-chequers, or even to da/rk grizzles : 

 indeed, some good breeders prefer to pair up their birds, as 

 a rule, blue to a chequer or dark grizzle. They say that by this 

 method of breeding they get plenty of blues and more good 



