148 THE PRACTICAL PIGEON KEEPER. 



is absent, so that the white crescent reaches the throat, or if 

 there be white in it or above it under the throat at all, the 

 bird has the fault of being " swallow- throated." If, again, the 

 white crescent, whose horns should stop at the sides of the 

 neck, reaches round behind, it is " ring-necked," another great , 

 blemish. Finally, some birds — especially black Pieds, have a 

 white mark on the head or forehead, which is called a " snip " 

 or snip-mark, and is also a blemisL The colour ends on the 

 breast, a little below the crop, where the under parts (including 

 the limbs) become white to the under part of the rump. The 

 ilights are also white, the rest of the wing coloured, except a 

 few white feathers on the shoulders. These s/iould be arranged 

 like the rose on a Mottled Tumbler ; but this is very rare, 

 and it is sufficient if they be few and detached. If too many 

 the bird is too " gay," and if the white runs to the edge of the 

 wing it is " bishopped," or "lawn-sleeved." It is very rare 

 indeed to see both wings perfect in marking. In blue and 

 black Pieds the tail is coloured ; but in reds and yellows it 

 is white, though usually a little foul here and there. Why 

 this should be so is rather puzzling, as the colours have been 

 often crossed and the other markings are the same. The 

 feathers on the crop of blues and 'blacks show most brilliant 

 metallic reflections. 



Every colour has its special difficulties in breeding, perhaps 

 the black Pied most of all, for which reason most fanciers value 

 it most. The pinion-marking in this colour is often very good ; 

 but snips are very apt to occur ; and above all is the extra- 

 ordinary propensity to " foul thighs," or black or grey feathers 

 where all should be pure white. They are also apt to be thick 

 or runtish in shape. For these reasons blacks are matched to 

 blues ; but the cross is bad, the result being mostly chequers, 

 or bad-coloured birds. A much better plan is to throw in the 

 red, which is generally a clean-thighed colour. By matching 

 a red cock to a black hen there are always produced some 



