11 



ing stage and have mated ready to build a nest and hatch 

 young, they remain true to each other as long as they live or 

 as long as they are allowed to remain together. If a mating 

 is broken by death or separation, the birds will mate again 

 with other birds. This rule of constancy is rarely broken 

 and may be depended upon. 



Some big dealers are rather cautious about talking about 

 mated pairs but speak about selling pairs of pigeons wtihout 

 saying anything about matings. Insist upon getting mated 

 and married pairs when you buy squab-raisers. 



Birds which have mated and married may be shipped long 

 distances without breaking the matings, although occasionally 

 a pair breaks their mating from this cause. 



Some pigeon books say that the beginner can do as well 

 ' with the common pigeons that fly about the streets as with 

 straight Homers, This statement is absurd on the face of it. 

 The common pigeon has bred miscellaneously and inbred un- 

 til the squab produced by it is thin, light in weight, skinny 

 and dark-fleshed to such a degree that they sell for about 

 $1.50 a dozen in the markets. Most people would willingly 

 pay three times that for the plump, meaty squabs from 

 straight American-bred Homers. 



The beginner who secures the right kind of stock has made 

 the first long step toward success as a squab-breeder and he 

 should not hesitate to pay the price which good breeding stock 

 is worth, for poor breeding stock means failure and loss in 

 the end. 



