46 
The Illustrated Book of Plgeons, 
thus both their good points and their deficiencies. This is especially the great benefit of the 
private Societies. If the pigeons have space, air, and exercise, they will almost always be in good 
condition and hard feather, and will need no special preparation beyond careful cleaning and 
dressing of such parts as wattles, &c., and such more special treatment as will be freely spoken of 
when we come to the different varieties, even including such “dodging” as can scarcely be called 
honest, perhaps, but which must be treated of in its place. White birds will, however, often require 
washing, which should be done with good white soap boiled in water with a little soda, washing the 
bird thoroughly and rinsing it well, afterwards drenching it with a very weak solution of borax, 
containing a little honey ; it should then be kept in a tolerably warm place in a basket to dry. 
Pigeons shown in pairs should be separated about two days before the show. They will then, 
when put together in the show-pen, in their pleasure at again meeting each other, play up to 
one another in a lively manner, and show themselves off to the best advantage ; while if left in 
company as usual, they will appear when in the pen much more listless and tame, which is a 
great drawback. 
The birds being got into the requisite condition, it is of course important to get them to the 
show in good order, much of which depends upon proper package. The nature of this will depend 
a little upon the kind of pigeons exhibited. Fig. 22 represents the best kind of box we are 
acquainted with for sending Pouters to be exhibited, made to contain six. birds, though the number 
of compartments may of course be varied, and one or two boxes of various sizes should be kept 
in store, as to a constant exhibitor it is of much consequence to save carriage. As made for six, 
the box should measure inside 25 x 16 inches, by 9 inches in depth, and is divided into six 
compartments by partitions. It will, however, be noticed that each pair of compartments is divided 
