106 THE PRACTICAL PIGEON KEEPER. 



only blacks together, the more so as they seem also to have 

 more tendency than the other colours to become pinch-eyed. 

 It is therefore necessary to match them from time to time with 

 duns or reds, which improve beak and wattle both. Two 

 very dark beaks should never be bred from, or the result will 

 be a black beak in nearly eveiy case. By careful matching to 

 duns and reds, we have seen not a few absolutely clear beaks 

 produced even in black Barbs, and the effect is so far superior 

 to that of a dark beak, that this point is well worth careful 

 cultivation. 



The young are hardy and easily reared, but require feeders 

 after the first week, the form of the beak interposing mecha- 

 nical . difficulties. Very rarely we have had a really good bird 

 that fed well, but it is the exception. A strain of common, 

 long-faced Barbs often supplies good feeders ; but on the whole, 

 after trying these, Dragoons, and some others, we preferred 

 medium or short-faced Antwerps, the proportions of their heads 

 appearing to suit those of the Barbs' exceedingly well. The 

 quality of the yoting ones can be seen pretty fairly at a very 

 early age, long before they are fledged. If a bird is very broad 

 and hollow across the head, with an immense gaping mouth, it 

 is likely to turn out well. At a later stage they often become 

 very plain and common-looking, owing to the growth of the 

 feathers ; but this is only ti-ausitory, and the quality reappears. 

 Yellows can be distinguished almost as soon as hatched, by the 

 skin being almost bare and of a peculiar polished appearance. 

 Duns have a somewhat similar look, but not so marked. The 

 age of three or four months is a rather critical time, if it finds 

 them in the cold weather of autumn — they seem tried by the 

 change in plumage. A cod-liver oil capsule every other day at 

 this period seems to keep up flesh and strength, and wUl 

 prevent many losses; we never lost a young bird after, at 

 Mr. Firth's suggestion, we tried this treatment. 



As soon as the eye-wattle is at all fully developed, it needs 



