74 
The Illustrated Book of Pigeons. 
owners to make them appear to the best advantage. We therefore prefer an inch and a quarter to 
an inch and a half, and if regular in build and lacing have no hesitation in saying it sets off a bird 
to more advantage than the larger size. We have seen birds with as much as an inch and three- 
quarters of eye-wattle, but their other qualities were very poor, so that an extra large eye-wattle 
alone is no sign of a good bird, though it may sometimes be valuable for breeding. 
Although the bottom and hinder portions of the eye-wattle are those which, as a rule, are 
most deficient, the top part also has much to do with the value of the bird. We have seen many 
with a great deal of extra substance at the top, standing up above the top of the skull, which 
look for a time very well ; but the wattle as it grows will often drop, and instead of rolling 
over the skull to make it appear narrower, rolls over outwardly , so as both to make the 
wattle itself appear ragged and the head wide. Such a bird as here represented, however, 
though of the regularly-formed and soft class of eye-wattle, shows a tendency rather to lean 
inwards, and as it grows such a wattle will tend to roll over the skull itself, and thus add to its 
apparent narrowness. 
The formation of the eye-wattle in a Carrier, though it grows in size afterwards, is complete 
as regards build at the age of twelve months. If at that age, therefore, the back part appear 
pinched, or the bottom part irregular, the fault will be sure to increase rather than diminish 
as the bird advances in age. It is quite common for fanciers to remark, when looking at a young 
bird thus faulty, “Oh, it is only a young bird, and will soon make up but if the fault be in the 
build, it will not “make up,” but retain the fault as long as it lives, unless the owner takes 
such steps to remedy it as we have already spoken of. Hence it will readily be seen that 
a bird may have a very large eye-wattle, and still be a bad-eyed bird ; and it is far preferable to 
have a moderate-sized eye which is well-built, and remains so without assistance, than a wattle half 
as large again, and of irregular build. 
The lacing of the eye-wattle, which is so beautifully regular in this head, and when thus 
perfect sets off the eye-wattle to such advantage, begins to appear in young cocks of good quality 
at the age of nine to twelve months ; but birds not so well bred do not show indications of it until 
two and sometimes three years old, and many of them not even then. Hence these “ half-and- 
half” birds, as they are called, always look best at the age of six or seven months, and often 
at that age deceive even good fanciers who have not seen the parent birds from which they were 
bred. Nay, we have often known one of these small and smooth-eyed hens bought to introduce 
into his loft by a good fancier, under the representation (and belief on his own part) that she was 
only six months old, when in reality three years ! Such a class of birds is especially to be avoided ; 
and as constitution comes far more from the hen than the cock, we would strongly recommend 
every one never to purchase a diminutive hen at all, unless from actual personal knowledge he is 
assured that her parents were large and strong, and that her want of size is the result of circum- 
stances and not from constitutional weakness. It is the more necessary to explain the quality and 
youthful appearance of these small smooth-eyed birds, because there are always a number of 
persons who breed chiefly for sale, and who care little about their stock if they can only get it 
cheap, and it will produce what they desire ; and as they know their birds look best at four to 
six months old, they always endeavour to sell at this immature age, before the real quality can be 
discovered by a novice. Such young birds arc easily bred enough, and being thus moderate in 
price, arc largely purchased by beginners ; indeed, we might say that perhaps three-fourths of the 
so-called Carriers in the fancy are such “half-and-half” stock; and up to the time at which we 
write, we have never at any time known of more than fifteen cocks, and about the same number of 
hens, being in existence at the same time which deserved to be called first-class, or in a fair degree 
