178 



THE PRACTICAL PIGEON KEEPEB. 



Blondinettes, to preserve their beauties, must be bred like 

 the Satinettes, matching the more heavily-marked to lightly- 

 marked birds, and continually throwing in the colour most 

 wanting. An exception may be made to some extent in regard 

 to the more simply laced or bi-coloured birds, which, i£ preferred, 

 may be perfected by breeding together. 



The appearance of the yovmg of all these varieties is 



Blohdiheites. 



uncertain, and birds should not be discarded because of 

 unsatisfactory appearance when in the nest feather, which is 

 very often quite dull ; or even one patch of confused colour. 

 Some birds, however, are variegated from the first; and by 

 matching the best of these together, pigeons have been pro- 

 duced with the markings extending up the neck. It is very 

 common for the white tail spot (which in the Blondinettes 

 sometimes becomes a white band) not to appear at all till the 

 first moult. Now and then a bird will lose this point (showing, 

 probably, a reversion to a black-tailed Owl), and if good in head 



