PEDIGEEE BREEDING. 45 



to the general rule are, however, few, and confined to late- 

 hatched birds ; and an amateur may generally conclude, if a 

 bird offered him. has in the wing some of the smaller nestling 

 flights along with larger ones of the new growth, that, it has 

 been hatched the same year. 



CHAPTER IV. 



PEDIGREE BREEDING. 



It is impossible to produce pigeons (or anything else) which 

 shall year after year come up fairly to exhibition standard, 

 without understanding something of the meaning of the words 

 at the head of this chapter. The reader must, for instance, 

 purchase some stock to commence with. He will constantly 

 see advertised birds from some one's " prize strain," what is 

 meant being that they are the produce of certain other birds 

 which have won certain prizes at certain shows. Now the 

 question is, what these birds are really worth to him ; and it 

 may be that they are worth no more than common price, while, 

 on the other hand, they may be worth a great deal. The 

 immediate reason for such difference in value is, of course, that 

 one set of birds are likely to produce the desired class of young 

 ones, while the others are not ; and this every one can under- 

 stand. But since the comparatively worthless and the valuable 

 birds may be apparently alike, and also bred from parents of 

 equal merit (we are putting an extreme case, for there is 

 generally more apparent difference than is here described ; still, 

 the case supposed does occur), the question is, why it is so. 



The first reply that will probably be elicited by inquiry 

 respecting this important point is that the valuable birds — 

 valuable in spite of their comparatively plain character, perhaps 

 — are from " Mr. A's strain " or loft. Observe, not a " prize " 



