The Breeds of Pigeons. 19B 



For the benefit of the new hand, I ma3' say that 

 the best red and yellow ]\Iottles are, generally speak- 

 ing, Selfs, or almost Selfs, in their first feather, 

 whilst on the other hand, the Blacks carry more 

 white than they do after the first moult. 



Reds, Yellows, Blacks, and Whites are the col- 

 ours in Mottles and Rosewings, the Whites being 

 very few and uncommon. In the three former the 

 marking on the shoulders should occupy a space about 

 the size of a five-shilling piece, and be composed of 

 white feathers, so arranged as to form a nice rose 

 marking. The back marking should take the form 

 of a V, extending from the nape of the neck to half 

 way down the back. This marking is sometimes 

 spoken of as the V, at others as the " handkerchief." 

 The Mottle and the Rosewing differ only in that the 

 last-named has no back marking. In Blacks, Reds, 

 and Yellows the marking is white upon the dark, or 

 ground colour, and in the Whites the marking is 

 black. 



Baldheads and Beards. — These are found in 

 the following colours: Black, Blue, Silver, Red, 

 Yellow, and Blue Chequer. In head properties the 

 Balds are generally better than the Beards, the latter 

 not showing such width of skull, or so much fullness 

 of frontal, as the Balds, Blacks, Blues, and Balds. 

 Each should have sharp, clearly defined black wing 

 bars. The Reds and Yellows must be as sound and 

 even as possible in their ground colour. The flight or 

 wing marking in each is the same, the standard per- 

 fection of value being lo x lo. That is, the ten outer 

 flights on each wing are ^vhite, the remainder being 

 of the body colour of the bird. 



The Baldhe.ad's distinguishing marking is, of 

 course, the head, which should be white, cut away 

 from the bodj' bj' a sharp line very slightl}^ below 

 the e3'e. If the line goes below this the bird is termed 

 "low cut," as opposed to "high cut." A high cut 

 bird is the most valuable owing to the difficulty in 

 keeping dark feathers off the skull in high cut birds. 

 The back, rump, tail, and underpart of the body are 



