1.54 Pigeons and A1.1, About Them. 



the base. \'ie"\\"ed from the front, the head of a high- 

 class Barb should present the appearance somewhat 

 of a cotton reel. 



The neck should be fine and short, a long reachy 

 neck being a great fault. It must be nicely modelled 

 and show no gullet. The chest should be broad and 

 full, the body rather long in proportion to the neck; 

 the wings should follo\'\' the bodv in length and be 

 neatly carried. The legs, like the neck, should be 

 short, of just sufficient length to carr^- the bod}- 

 gracefully without making the bird look squatty or 

 gawky. 



The colours are black, red, yellow, dun, and 

 '>\lTite, running in this order of popularity. This is 

 due in great measure to the fact that the blacks and 

 reds excel in head points, although of late some 

 extremely stout skulled ^•ellows ha\"e been bred. 



In the breeding of Barbs, as in Carriers, there is 

 considerable mixing of the colours, blacks being 

 paired to almost~all the other colours, and, as a con- 

 sequence, man\' grand birds are bred which are of 

 indifferent colour. Whilst the breed is in few hands, 

 and head properties are esteemed before anything 

 else, this 1 suppose will continue, but did some enter- 

 prising- fancier strike out on his own, determined to 

 improye the colour of his Barbs, whilst not losing 

 head points, he would soon reap a rich re\yard. 



THE DR,\GOON. 

 Of all wattled Pigeons, the Dragoon is the most ■ 

 popular and most largely kept. The reason for this 

 popularity doubtless is because it is a bird in which 

 there are manA points of impc^rtance, and undue yalue 

 is not placed uoon any. Thus, although a wattled 

 Pigeon, and a Pigeon in Ayhich the wattle is of con- 

 siderable importance, yet the wattle is not eyery- 

 thing, and is not allowed to oyer-balance the other 

 properties of beak, e\'e, cere, skull, bod\", feather, 

 colour, and carriage, all of which carr\" weight in the 

 make-up of the twentieth centur\- Dragoon. The 

 Dragoon holds somewhat the same position in the 



