76 
The Illustrated Boots of Pigeons. 
or merely as good, as that of a younger bird, the old bird must be considered a great deal the best 
in this point, after making due allowance for age. Thus, if one bird be a year older than 
another, and have a beak as good, the older of the two must be credited with the points 
for best beak ; or, again, if of the two birds competing, and looking at the first glance 
about equal, one have evidently a manufactured or improved beak, while the other is genuine, 
the genuine beak must of course be given the preference. A judge — if he is anything of 
a judge — who has once been shown a few “made” beaks by a skilled breeder, can almost 
always detect them afterwards, except where a very skilful operator, whose bird already had 
a good box-beak, has taken a notion to make it perfectly straight, in which case it is hard to detect 
it. It can indeed be hardly detected until at least eighteen months old, when it can often be 
seen in the deficiency of the second portion, b'' (page 61), of the upper beak-wattle ; but in the case 
of hens, which seldom show this portion of wattle, it can hardly be detected at all. But hens 
as a rule are also straighter in the face ; and it is so very seldom a good fancier who has a fairly 
well-formed beak cares to meddle with it, from fear of spoiling the upper wattle by the operation, 
that in a beak really heavy and good, the possibility or probability of an operation having been 
performed need give little concern unless the signs of it are clearly apparent. An obviously 
“ made ” beak, however, should be thrown out at once ; for we have seen a spindle-beaked bird 
which measured as much as two inches and five-eighths to the centre of the eye, having been thus 
straightened, and the upper mandible projecting three-sixteenths of an inch ; but the produce of 
this bird was entirely valueless, although he was bred with a hen of much better quality than 
himself ; the progeny being like parrots in the shape of their beaks, and showing no more signs of 
wattle than a common rather long-faced “ skinnum.” This being almost always the case, no value 
whatever should be placed upon an obviously “ made” beak. 
The beak-wattle in this diagram of the full-grown cock will appear at first sight to be 
of extra dimensions ; but this is not so, for actual measurement will show it to be really less 
than many birds that have been actually seen, or than some which are to be found at the present 
moment. Very few, hpwever, we must say, have quite such a good shape and build ; and we would 
strongly advise any one possessing a Carrier cock with a beak-wattle at all nearly resembling this, 
to keep and breed from him till he has enough to spare, before being tempted to part with him. 
We are fully aware that some birds with the best-shaped wattles will not always produce the 
same wattle as they themselves possess. Much depends upon the hen, and even with a good 
hen they will sometimes throw plain-looking offspring, no man being able to assert that such and 
such birds will produce a certain result. But the best specimens are likely to produce the best ; 
and when such a class of bird as this does produce young not so good as was expected, even these 
are not be despised, and arc eagerly caught up by the “old hands,” who know well enough 
that their produce often reverts to or resembles the nearly perfect grandparents. If there were 
too much certainty and ease in breeding, all the charm of it would be gone, and there would 
be no room for the time, and patience, and thought , which successful breeding demands. The 
circumference of the wattle here represented was three inches and three-quarters only, which 
we have stated to have been surpassed ; and though on the paper it would appear to be more, 
this is entirely owing to the good formation, which is such as a bird should possess to be 
considered first-class ; while in proportion as any actual bird comes near it, its wattle may be 
considered good. 
On comparing this head with the representation of it at a younger stage, D in Fig. 33, the 
latter will be found to appear longer in face, although both are in reality the same. The reason of 
this is that the younger one, having so much less beak-wattle, allows more space to be seen 
