44 . PIUEON.S AND ALL ABOUT TIIKM. 



AS TO COLOR. 



THE fancier who is deciding on what iiarticulai variety 

 to breed, should study his surroundinos and then let 

 "color" be an important factor. 



It he lives in the country or iu a small village, where the 

 air is pure and there is no soot and coal smoke, he can thank 

 his stars, for he will be able to handle any color he likes. 



But if he lives in a city, he had best not dabble in whites 

 or in any breed the beauty of which con.'^ists in a sharp con- 

 trast of colors, with white predominating, 1 will modify this 

 by stating that I have seen grand white birds keep their color 

 the entire year, in cities that use natural gas. 



But in the great majority of cities and especially in the 

 north, I defy any fancier to find a loft so close that his white 

 birds can keep clean iu the winter. He may disjiense entire- 

 ly with an air coop and keep his birds in a plastered room and 

 jet they somehow manage to soil. 



In such birds as the Magpie, Nun, Swallow, Priest, Tur- 

 bil. Jacobin and all others of that class the basis of the color 

 is white. In most of them the beautj' of the birds lies in 

 their sharp marking, and once soiled they lose their beauty. 

 The same is greatly true of Fantails, ^whites and saddles,) 

 I'outers and many other l-reeds. 



Therefore if the fancier proposes to liave a loft of flying 

 liirds, lie should choose "self" or solid color, dark colored 

 bii{ls. While a loft of blacks, reds or blues may have become 

 nearly as badly soiled as whites, still it is natural that the 

 dirt will not show as much as in whites. The Archangel is a 

 l)iid lliat does not show dirt readily, yet when its beautiful 

 Ma lie lustre is gone, half of its beauty is lost. But if we 

 uannot have perfection, we can strive to get as near it as pos- 

 sible, and so I would say, select birds that will look as well 

 as possible, conditions considered. 



