8o 
The Illustrated Book of Plgeons. 
eye-wattle to appear thus thick and ragged, but as soon as ever it shows any inclination to 
become so, remove all the offending portions, which is by them termed “smoothing” the eye- 
wattle. Such an operation certainly makes the eye-wattle more attractive to look at, and also, by 
reducing it in thickness from the outside, makes the skull appear narrower ; but it can generally 
be detected by a good judge. 
As here represented, the wattle rolls inwards over the skull, so that the two come nearly close 
together. Some might suppose the back of this skull to be wide, owing to the middle of the two 
eye-wattles coming so close ; but it will be seen on examination that there is the same space 
between them at the back of the beak-wattle, in front, as at the back. Examination of a good 
bird will show an inexperienced amateur what is meant by this, and what we wish to convey by 
this equal width of skull. We could have avoided this appearance by showing the skull of a 
younger bird, but this would not have conveyed a proper idea of full development, when the top 
Fig- 37- 
or middle portion of the eye-wattle lias attained its full growth, and approached the nearest 
together. 
We have thus endeavoured to show in detail what should be looked foi in the head of a good 
bird, at different ages, and the stamp of birds that may rationally be expected to produce it, 
even if faulty themselves. It will readily be understood that to some extent the imper- 
fections of the parents represented in our first pair of heads may be reversed in the two 
sexes, breeding from a cock resembling the hen, and a hen resembling the cock ; but such 
birds are so much rarer that this is not of practical importance, the heavy beak-wattles 
nearly always appearing on the cocks. We shall be prepared to find that, while many will 
agree with what we have said, others will more or less disagree, for all fanciers do not 
think quite • alike ; but we do not think very much exception will be taken, and we can 
assure inexperienced amateurs, that if they can breed or otherwise procure birds whose heads 
nearly approach those we have now represented, that they have succeeded in obtaining what 
hundreds have been seeking, and what the best and most experienced breeders will most value. 
But we will next endeavour to show what kind of birds should be avoided or discarded, as not likely 
either to come to any good themselves, or to produce anything worth keeping if allowed to breed. 
Such birds should be no less carefully studied than the preceding, since the introduction of one 
such into a good stud would (and often does) cause results which may be regretted for years ; and 
