Breeding Bancy Pigeons. 
45 
the other was of good quality, we have taken especial note both of any particular progeny and of 
the general produce, and are not going beyond the truth in saying that birds thus mated by our 
advice have produced many of the very best specimens exhibited. We have also made mistakes, 
and met with disappointment ; and in many such cases have been allowed to supply another bird 
and to watch the next produce, which has or has not come nearer the mark. We have also, at 
many different times, had the privilege of seeing the studs of nearly all the amateur fanciers in the 
kingdom, and never missed an opportunity of seeing how their birds were mated, or of noting the 
progeny of those which we had fancied would produce the best offspring. This has not been the 
case during a short time only, but has already continued during a moderate lifetime, having been 
almost trained to be a fancier by a parent who was a fancier before us, and a good one too ; who 
knew all the points of horses, poultry, pigeons, rabbits, and many dogs, and who was seldom 
content to keep for long a third-rate specimen, if a first-class one was to be had. In this way we 
were literally brought up to become a fancier ; and having, from the nature of our occupation, seen 
more of the evils which undoubtedly do attach to such pursuits than most men, and knowing fully 
the very worst side of the matter, we affirm deliberately that the advantages and benefits in most 
cases far outweigh them, and that a wise parent has cause to rejoice when his sons show a decided 
penchant for any such pursuits as we are here concerned with. It is to help such young beginners, 
and to smooth away such of the difficulties as may be removed from their path, that we purpose 
freely to impart all that we have acquired during our long experience, keeping back no secrets 
whatever, but doing our very best in every way to impart the conditions and means of success. 
As we shall go fully into the details of matching under the different heads, we will only add 
here our advice, to begin if possible with really good birds. We do not mean that it may not often 
be proper to keep at first a few quite common pigeons, just to get a little into their ways and 
habits. If pigeons have never been kept before this is sometimes advisable ; and the same birds 
will afterwards come in useful as feeders. But when the fancy itself is taken up in earnest, we 
would far rather advise even one thoroughly good pair of breeders, and two or three pairs of 
feeders to rear the young to the greatest advantage, than several pairs of mediocre stock. A good 
stock, bred with judgment, will always pay its way, barring disease, and often leave a very fair 
balance ; while pigeons are, on the whole, less trouble to attend to than poultry, on account of their 
feeding from a hopper and rearing their own young. It is notorious that once let a fancier 
become noted for the quality of his birds, and he can command a good price for only a middling 
specimen, as experienced breeders well know that it is not always the best birds which produce the 
best progeny. Two first-class birds mated together sometimes produce mere trash to look at ; but 
this very trash may subsequently produce wonderful specimens; so that a good judge will often 
give more for a pigeon he knows to be bred from first-class birds, even if it is not much to look 
at, than for a much better-looking bird he knows nothing of ; in fact, a good fancier will not cross 
his strain with any bird, however grand it looks, unless he knows something of its breeding. It 
appears, in fact, as if pigeons had an especially strong tendency to throw back to the grand-parents, 
so that in some strains bad and good generations seem to alternate in a most curious way. But 
this can be got rid of by degrees and with care ; and a strain which has bred grand birds for three 
generations running becomes exceedingly valuable, and is eagerly sought after. For further 
remarks on breeding, and for details, we will refer to the following and subsequent chapters. 
As soon as the amateur knows his birds to be pretty good, we strongly advise him to exhibit 
in good company. We do so, presuming that he knows he has no real chance of winning. If he 
has, so much the better; but even if not, it is still of importance to him to see his own best 
specimens in close proximity to the best birds of the day, that he may compare them, and learn 
