INTRODUCTION. 



In the past writers of Pigeon books have generally 

 made their lirst chapter historical. It is possible to 

 play too much upon one string, and I intend to discard 

 this historical one for the simple reason that nothing 

 of practical value can be gained by my readers from an 

 enumeration of Pigeon lore from the days of Noah and 

 the Dove until the twentieth century. In the course of 

 one year something like one million Pigeons are bred 

 in the United Kingdom alone. These figures seem 

 stupendous, yet when one comes to analyse them they 

 are found to be well within the mark. In the first 

 place, there are about 100,000 Pigeon keepers in the 

 kingdom, many of whom breed anything from 50 to 200 

 birds in a season, thus it will readily be seen that in put- 

 ting one million as the number of Pigeons bred in one 

 season I am well within the mark, as it is only an aver- 

 age of ten to each breeder. 



PIGEON BREEDING OF TO-D,\V. 



Pigeon keeping and breeding to-daj- stands on a 

 far more exalted plane that it did j^ears ago, when everj'- 

 thing connected with Pigeons was considered to be 

 plebian and low. King Edward the Peacemaker, and 

 King George V. both have been known breeders, 

 keepers, and lovers of Pigeons. Many men of high 

 degree are also interested in Pigeon culture, and thus 

 the reproach has been wiped out. 



Again, the value of high-class Fancy Pigeons has 

 done not a little to bring into the ranks of columbophil- 

 ists a better class of man, and to-day we find in all 

 branches men of culture and intellect engaged in the 

 peaceful, genial, and profitable hobby of Pigeon breed- 

 ing. To the uninitiated the high prices which first- 

 class Fancy Pigeons realise seem quite fabulous, and to 

 " the man in the street " the idea of £100 for a Pigeon 



