The Breeds of Pigeons. 1.33 



and flat. The eye should be large, lull, and pro- 

 minent, and possess a .staring appearance. 



The neck should be long, thin, and tapering, and 

 set on a stout, broad-set pair of shoulders. The butts 

 of the wings should project beyond the chest, and 

 the back should be flat ; a rounded back is a great 

 fault. The wings and tail should be well braced, and 

 show no clumsiness or slovenliness. The legs should 

 be stout, long, and set well apart, so as to give the 

 bird a commanding and alert appearance. 



The chief colours are black, dun, and white, fol- 

 l<jwed bv blue, silver, red, and pied. 



THE B.\RB. 



To the Barb belongs the distinction of being the 

 only Pigeon mentioned by the great dramatist, 

 Shakespeare. It is everywhere regarded as a Pigeon 

 with very ancient lineage, and is much esteemed by 

 breeders on the Continent and in America, although 

 it has, to a great extent, lost its hold on the alfections 

 of English breeders. 



Most of the show properties of the Barb are 

 centred in its skull. The beak should be short, thick 

 and massi\e, and slightly curved, and in colour 

 should be white, although many good birds ha\e dark 

 or " stained " beaks. The beak wattle should be 

 fine, close, and even in texture, divided in the centre, 

 and have the appearance of two beans, one on either 

 side of the division. The eve should be pearl or white, 

 but it is seldom found without a tinge of yellow ; but 

 a white eye, in addition to being the correct thing, 

 has the advantage of setting off the glories of the eye 

 wattle, which is one of the chief, if not absolutely 

 the chief, characteristic of the Barb. A faulty cere, 

 either in formation or colour, is a big defect. In 

 colour it should be a rich, brieht, fresh-looking red, 

 and in formation it should be circular and as large as 

 possible. It must be firm, vet not hard, soft, yet not 

 flabbv ; it must stand well awav from skull, and be 

 of considerable thickness. The skull itself should be 

 broad, somewhat flat on top, but A\'ith a good full 

 frontal, and a gradual rounding away into the neck at 



