12 1>1(;K<)XS AXD AIJ. AF.OTT TI1F,.\[. 



Before leaviiii;- the subject of biiyin<; and selling, I want to 

 say that tlie la.st thing of whicli the true fancier thinks is the 

 actual money he makes out of his hobhy. If he can only get 

 enough out of his surplus birds to i)ay for his feed and ex- 

 penses and have enough over to be aljie to buy an occasional 

 " good one" that strikes his fancy, he is happy. 



No, the breeding of pigeons, by the man who is a true fan- 

 cier, ( and I ought to write the word " fancier,'' in capital let- 

 ters ) is no sordid, money-making affair. 



When we tliiuk of tlie good sensible business men who 

 work aliead getting their birds ready for a show; who pay 

 for shipping boxes and exjiressage, then entry fees, then 

 railroad fare, hotel bills, etc aside from the time lost from 

 business, and go a thousand miles to a show, when all they 

 could possibly win — if they should be fortunate enough to 

 win first, second and third — would be the magniticent 

 sum of four dollars, we can liegin to realize that it is not 

 the money they make or can expect to make out of their 

 birds, that keeps these royal good fellows in the fancy. 



