80 " I'KiEOXS AND ALL ABOUT TIIK.AL 



is the butttT lnuking dog, and you speak to them. Clue wags 

 his tail, looks up at you with a great beamiug eye full o/ 

 affection, licks your hand, and capers around to shoAv off. 



The otlier, when you r:!ise your hand to )iat him, shies off 

 and stands there with liis tail l)etween his legs, watching 

 you with fear and trembling, and with evident indications 

 that he suspects you of being a dog thief. 



Now wliat would you say? You would pat the loving dog 

 on the head and say, "this is a beauty; one of the finest dogs 

 I ever saw ; but as for that cur, I wouldn't take him as a 

 gift. " A good judge feels drawn to a good pigeon in the 

 same way, and he detests a bird that flutters and struggles 

 wildly around, every time he comes near it. I am pretly 

 good natured, lint a lot of wild liirds will get me terribly out 

 of humor when 1 am judging. It is impossible forme, or 

 any other jiulge to take in the good points of a wild bird 

 that is scrambling up on the side of the pen, and throwing 

 sawdust, feed and water all over me and my book, just at the 

 time I want it to stand still. 



To return to the three points ; the good birds can be bred, 

 and the good condition can be produced if one has patience. 



First, the bird must be clean. Not alone the feathers, but 

 the legs and feet, and the beak. I have already shown that 

 washing, if practised carefully, will remove all dirt from the 

 p'umage, but to show the said plumage in the best condition, 

 one must not delay the washing till just before the show. If 

 a bird is washed a month before the show, and then kept in 

 a warm, dry cellar, where not a ray of sunlight can touch it, 

 the change in its aiipearanee will be wonderful. The sun is 

 a great thing for health, but it destioys that beautiful lustre 

 that Nature has put on most iiigeons. A little rubbing with 

 a silk handkerchief jusl before a show, is a great help, and 

 the legs and feet should lie rulibed with vinegar. A drop or 



