148 Pigeons and All About Them. 



taken idea. Whites, it is true, are considerably 

 impro\ed in appearance b_\' being washed, and so are 

 most of the coloured varieties if they are kept in a 

 town. The dirt is not so easily seen on a coloured 

 Pigeon as on a white one, but it is there all the same, 

 and when it is removed there is a corresponding im- 

 pro\ement. In washing delicate colours like silvers, 

 vellows, creams, and reds, great care is needed; the 

 soapv ^^■ater must not be allowed to hang about the 

 plumage longer than is absolutely necessary, or it 

 may make the colour run. I have myself washed birds 

 of all colours. It is a great thing to be an expert 

 laundr\man, as a good tubbing will improve a second- 

 rater \"er\' considerabh', whilst on the other hand, a 

 l)ad wash ^^•ill destrov all chance of winning possessed 

 b\' the greatest champion e\er bred. 



Another point to be considered is the difference 

 in the qualitv of feather in birds, and whilst washing 

 impro\'es some feathers it will ruin others. Some 

 birds it would ne\er do to wash, but a rub with a dry 

 silk handlverchief will work wonders upon them. In 

 this connection I am, of course, referring entirelv to 

 self coloured birds, such as blacks, reds, duns, 

 sihers, and vellows. Others, again, are considerably 

 beautified by being rubbed over with a sponge which 

 has been dipped in spirits of wine, the sponging being 

 followed by the silk handkerchief. I cannot convev 

 to mv readers how to discriminate between the 

 feathering of birds which should be washed and those 

 which should not. No man on earth could do it. The 

 power can only be obtained b\- practical experience 

 and obser\'ation. One thing I can, and do, sav, speak- 

 ing in a genera! way, the bird which best repays the 

 washerman for his trouble is a rich, lustrous coloured 

 black. 



