THE ENGLISH POUTER. 63 



The great size thus obtained was accompanied with an increase in the girth of 

 the body that took some years' careful selection of brood- stock entirely to get rid 

 of, and birds of " almond-mottled " feather were always making their appearance 

 in Mr. Bult's stud, even up to the time of his decease, one being sold at the sale 

 that took place after his death. As far as regards the colours of the pairs he 

 matched together, Mr. Bult was not particular ; his object was to secure length of 

 lirnb and feather, and he left colour in great part to take care of itself. 



Nevertheless, it must not be imagined that the colours of birds that are penned 

 together are of no importance. Pigeon fanciers know that there are certain 

 colours which are very apt to be reproduced in the offspring, and others which are 

 readily lost by breeding with birds of other colours. 



Thus, amongst Pouters, birds of the colour known as mealy will, when matched 

 with either blue-pied, black-pied, red-pied, yellow-pied, or pure white, often pro- 

 duce young most perfectly marked or coloured, without a trace of mealiness ; and 

 hence a good mealy bird is always, by experienced fanciers, regarded as valuable for 

 brood-stock, as any other colour can be bred from it, if not in one, most certainly 

 in two generations. 



This is an important fact, as mealy birds are not unfrequently the longest in limb 

 and feather, the slenderest in girth, and the best in carriage of any in the stud. 



"With regard to the matching of the particular colours, first of blue-pied ; a Pouter 

 of this colour should not be matched with a black-pied, as although, in many cases, 

 well-marked birds of either colour are produced, the general result is to obtain 

 dark birds, with chequered wings and black bars, which are neither elegant nor 

 valuable. Blues may be matched with reds, if no better match offers ; and we 

 have seen some very good-coloured birds the produce of this cross. Nothing can be 

 better than to cross a blue cock with a large, long-limbed mealy hen ; the 

 produce will, in almost all cases, be either blue or mealy. Blue-pied and white are 

 not desirable to match, as very white pied birds, or white splashed or speckled 

 with other colours, would most probably result. 



Black-pied may be matched with red-pied or mealy with advantage ; but white 

 should be avoided, as splashed offspring would almost certainly be produced. 



Pied-pied may also be matched with yellow-pied, when good yellow or red birds 

 will be produced ; red-pied and mealy may also be matched, but with some risk to 

 the bright red so much prized in the best-coloured birds. 



Yellow-pied may also be matched with mealy with advantage. 



White Pouters should have a white beak, a dark eye, and a plumage of 

 immaculate purity, in addition to all the other properties of the breed. The fear 

 of the hereditary transmission of a few dark feathers has made many fanciers 

 dread any intermixture of other blood with their white strain ; but we can speak 

 from long experience in breeding this variety, and can state that some of the best 

 whites we ever reared were obtained from a cock with a dark-splashed tail and a 

 mealy hen, and that the progeny of these birds, when crossed with other whites, 

 bred birds free from stain. 



