56 PIGEOXS AND AI.L AliOiTT THEM. 



steps tLi pursue if they were presented wUli an uiuiuited pair. 



Very naturally, if they had the two udd birds, they woukl 

 simply put them in the loft together aud that would be the 

 end of it, for they would mate themselves. But, say they 

 had a Magpie cook aud a Turbit hen, and a Turbit cock and 

 a Magpie hen that had persisted in mating the wrong way, 

 the}' would be at their wits ends. We think, in our love of 

 pigeons, that everybody feels as we do, knows what we do, 

 etc. ; yet the great masses of the people ai-e as ignorant of 

 what is almost a part of our Bible to us, as we are of occult 

 sciences. Take one hundred men as we meet them along the 

 crowded streets of a great city, and ninety-nine would not 

 know a Barb from a Pouter, and the last man would probably 

 ask you what nuide the Barb's eyes so red and sore. He 

 would add that the pigeons (or doves, as he would call them) 

 that he had "when he was a boy," never had sore eyes like 

 that. 



This book was written for the masses, not for the favored 

 few, who know as much about pigeons as X do, (and some of 

 them more,) and therefore I go into detail over little things, 

 in the hope tliat I may make them so pilain that any man 

 who has a kindly feeling for our liobby, may take the book, 

 follow its instructions and soon become one of the "anoint- 

 ed," as it were. 



The question is often asked, how to tell a cock from a hen. 

 ,\s a rule, the cock is the lai-ger and coarser bird, uses a 

 longer note, "plays" more, and in short acts more the devot- 

 ed lover. Fur instance, a cock is apt to circle around the 

 bird to which he is playing, whether it be a cock or hen; 

 while about the only motion of the hen is to raise and lower 

 the head quickly and take a few steps forward, spreading 

 both wings and tail. Her note is very short and sharp and 

 lacks the resonaut "roll" of the cock. 



