l')0 Pigeons and All About The-ai. 



will be somewhat shorter, e\en as thev are also 

 lighter in build than the cocks. Important as thev 

 are, size of \\ attle and substance of beak are not 

 everything" in a Carrier. Shape and carriage are 

 equalh- \'aluable, and without them a bird is not a 

 true Carrier, for stvle and that indefinable something 

 known as quality give an air of distinction to a bird 

 which nothing else confers. 



The beak should be long, stout, straight, and 

 \ er\ close fitting from tip to base. Length of face 

 is a great feature, and this is measured from the tip 

 of the beak to the centre of the eve, and should be 

 from 2m. to 2Ain. The colour of the beak should be 

 white, or light, verv light, brown colour. A beak 

 which cur\'es or bends downward is a grave fault. 



The Iseak wattle is a source of much concern to 

 breeders, as so much depends upon it. As it is a 

 propertv which is \ears in arriving at maturity, it 

 affords endless scope for the exercise of that great 

 \'irtue, patience, and also of continual care and atten- 

 tion, A fulh- developed wattle, as seen on a Pigeon 

 of two to three vears of age, should present a close, 

 even appearance. • It should not be .rough in texture 

 nor lop-sided, but should, when \iewed from the front, 

 appear even and regular, not onlv in formation, but 

 also in balance. That is, it should present an appear- 

 ance something similar to the shell of a walnut, both 

 in shape and surface. A " walnut wattle " is much 

 esteemed. The greater portion of the wattle is on the 

 upper mandible ; that on the lower is know n as the 

 jewing or jew wattle. 



The e>'e wattle, or ceres, should be large, round 

 in shape, fine in texture, fit close to the skull, and be 

 formed in proportion to the size and length of the 

 skull. A good cere must not be hard, neither must 

 it be soft and flabby. It must be affixed to the face, 

 and not grow over the skull, neither must it grow too 

 much forw^ard so as to crowd the face, and give the 

 bird the appearance of being short in face. It should 

 be perfectly round, and about tin. in diameter. The 

 fa\'ourite term for a perfect e\e ^\-attle is " rose- 

 eyed." The skull itself should be long, fine, narrow 



