6 4 
The Illustrated Book of Pigeons. 
from the pupil of the eye, the most prevalent fault in this respect being a want of width behind 
the eye. The outer circle, G, should be sharply and regularly indented all round, and the inner 
lacing, F, runs about midway between the circumference of the wattle and the eye-ball, but this 
depends most upon the eye of the bird. In some birds the wattle is built so as to appear like 
two small rings placed at each side of the head, and when come to maturity standing up above the 
skull ; and this class of eye-wattle both looks best and is best, being generally more evenly built, 
more regularly laced all round, more lasting in shape, and less subject to inflammation. The 
other class of eye-wattle is what we have already alluded to as the soft or fleshy eye, and has 
many admirers among Carrier-fanciers, especially those who have had but few birds possessing it, 
and therefore have not had to mourn their loss — for few of them ever live to a mature age. The 
reason of this is, that birds with such eyes are very subject to colds, which result in inflammation. 
This class of eye-wattle is, however, most attractive in young birds under twelve months old, on 
account of being so soft and regular in build ; but as the second season comes on the top part 
becomes much thicker, and inclined to roll over the top of the skull, which looks well when viewing 
the bird in front, and makes it appear to have a narrower skull than it really has, on which account 
some people “assist” the eye-wattles to come even closer together by a few stitches, plaster, or 
even by cutting out a strip of the skin from over the centre of the skull, and then bringing the 
edges together by stitches. Such trickery will often make a bird appear to have even a suspiciously 
narrow skull, but it quite spoils all regularity in the eye-wattle, and can always be detected by a 
good judge at a glance. We do not think we ever saw a bird with this class of eye that possessed 
a good beak-wattle ; and when even the best of them is penned in the same pen with a well-wattled 
bird, it will look like a hen compared with it, these fleshy-eyed birds having always a feminine 
appearance. In fact we have often and often, with others, been defrauded of prizes justly 
due to us for hens, because these feminine-looking cocks had been shown as hens, which is a 
weakness with some exhibitors, even of some who have such good birds they really could 
afford to show honestly. 
We have said there should be a white bloom upon the wattle, but this is not generally found 
upon birds which have their liberty, these being subject to a tinge of red in both eye and beak- 
wattle, caused by the exposure to the air. It is also singular that such exposure seems to check 
in some degree the growth of the wattle, causing it to become harder in character ; and that birds 
so kept always take longer to develop the wattle than others kept in confinement. In our opinion, 
the pinky cast, being a natural result of liberty, should not count against a bird ; but some 
judges are so fond of a white wattle, that birds which have been flown require a little treatment 
to please them. This is easily given by carefully washing the wattle, and then dusting over 
it a little violet powder; then, a few hours before sending to be judged, gently rubbing the wattles 
and blowing all the loose powder off. If the powder be put on three days before being sent, it can 
hardly be detected ; and this expedient will allow a red-wattled bird to be shown successfully. 
But as the very same birds, if kept up in a small place, and kept clean, will need no touching, we 
certainly think the simplest way would be for judges to lay less stress upon merely whiteness of 
colour in the wattles of good birds. A white wattle, however, certainly looks more showy; and 
we do not know that there is much fault to be found with the use of a powder-puff, which certainly 
stands on a different level to some other “ dodges ” we shall have to mention. 
The greater the diameter of the eye -wattle the better, if accompanied with regularity in build 
and length of face sufficient to carry off in effect the size of the eye-wattle. This latter point ot 
excellence is common enough in birds under twelve months, but it is rare after eighteen, as most 
birds after that age will be found to have become much thicker over the eye than beneath it, 
