10 PIUEOX.s AXD ALL ABOLT TUEM. 



When a man believes that he can .succeBsfully breed a 

 dozen varieties of pigeons, it is generally a case of too 

 many irons in the tire; he succeeds with none. I believe 

 that any boy or man who makes up his mind to breed pigeons 

 !-hould take jilenty of time to decide just what breed he 

 fancies. The most ignorant man. and liy this I mean the 

 man most ignorant as to pigeons, can sit down in a loft 

 full of various breeds, and can soon make up his mind as to 

 vvhieh he likes best. I will not admit however that he always 

 knows which is best for him to undertake to breed, and that 

 is one reason why I shall go into detail in this book. I will 

 try and show him the breeds that can bring him the most 

 sjjeedy success. The birds on which he can hardly make a 

 mistake, for they breed fast and easily, and " throw true." 

 Then if he wants to take up the more difficult breeds, he 

 will have the very great advantage of having an intimate 

 knowledge of the fundamental principles of breeding. 



There are few men who take up pigeons from having read 

 about them. The average man who picks up a paper con- 

 taining anything about birds, no matter how interesting the 

 account might be, passes it over. He pays no more attention 

 to it than to an account of some chemical experiment or 

 something of which he knows nothing. But let him once 

 be shown the birds of some fancier; let him listen to some 

 fancier wlio knows how to talk about them, and the first 

 thing we know he buys a few pair. Generally he claims that 

 he is simply buying them for his boy, but we old fanciers 

 know better. As his birds begin to breed, his interest begins 

 to grow, and if his lieart is in his wurk, he picks up know- 

 ledge with astonishing rapidity, till so.ju he can stand in a 

 .^how room in any of the " alleys '' and discuss the birds w ith 

 the best of them. But everything must have a start, so let 

 us start with that first necessity, the loft. 



