70 The Illustrated Book of Plgeons. 
nearly always become rather heavy in neck as they mature. Even if the hen be not extra good 
in neck, if her gullet is good, there is a great likelihood of obtaining progeny with fair necks from 
such matching as we have described ; and if not, we would then select one of the best-shaped birds 
in this particular from the progeny to breed from again, giving the preference to a male bird, from 
whom the shape and carriage are principally derived. This is especially the case if the cock is not 
over two years old, and the hen from one to four years old ; and we take this opportunity of 
saying that, if a fair bird all round, we prefer in general breeding from a hen at three years to any 
other age, mated to a cock bird of one-half the age. If the birds be both strong and unrelated, we 
would not, however, be over particular about age ; but a breeder should never cross from a bird 
weakly or unhealthy, however good, as one such cross may ruin the most promising strain. 
We will now consider another pair of heads, represented by C and D in Fig. 33. The first 
head, C, is that of a hen at nine or ten months old, and such as, if all goes well, is very likely to be 
the produce of the two heads shown in Fig. 32, and we give it as the type of what a first-class 
hen Carrier at that age should be. The first thing to be observed is the shape, length, and 
thickness of the beak ; the shape being nicely proportioned, so as to look the very utmost length 
possible, and thus deceive the eye. This will be seen on measurement, by which it will be found 
that in actual length it is nothing extra, being only one inch and three-quarters to the centre of the 
eye ; but the fine shape causes it to look a great deal more, and this is just what the fancier should 
aim at, and is of more value than a greater actual measure which does not look so long. If 
measured in the London style, such a bird will often lose in measurement when older, owing to the 
expansion of the inner circle of the eye-wattle, though if measured to the centre of the eye it is 
the same as when young, or even longer, owing to the growth of the beak ; and this is another 
example of the unfairness of the London style of measurement. The apparent length of beak is 
also partly owing to the beak-wattle not coming too near the point, which we have spoken of 
before. Looking again at the beak, it will be seen that the lower mandible has as much substance 
as the upper, or very nearly so, and is of the same length, while the two mandibles close nicely 
and closely together, causing the line dividing them to appear very nearly if not quite a 
straight line. This is the well-known, always coveted, but so seldom seen, “ box-beak ” of the 
