Blue Carriers. 
83 
seen were produced by this style of cross. To improve mere colour of Blues, Silvers are pernaps 
best, but we have never seen these so good in either beak or eye-wattle even as the Blues. Hence 
the progeny, though they make nice long-looking birds at the age of eighteen months, and some 
of the hens have been seen very fair in beak and beak-wattle, never, as regards the cocks, become 
developed to any great extent in these latter properties ; and Silvers should be therefore restricted 
to improving colour alone. 
Another method of improving Blues when they have become what is called “ too fine ” — that 
is, when they show too little of wattle points — is to cross a very light-coloured Dun hen with 
a Blue or Silver cock, preferring the Blue. Should the produce not be the desired shade, then 
re-cross the offspring in the same manner, which scarcely ever fails. Sometimes a Chequer will 
appear, in which case pair the Chequer with a Blue or Silver, when the produce will not 
unfrcquently be a fine blue-rumped* bird, which is rarely to be found, comparatively, of the right 
shade of blue. It is comparatively easy to breed dark rumps when the body-colour looks as 
if black soot was mixed with it, but the clear bright blue, both in Carriers and Dragoons, is 
generally found combined with a white rump, and such birds are thought of comparatively little 
value. Still, we would by no means despise a good Blue Carrier, whose only very evident fault 
was a white rump ; for if a bird be so good all over that it needs handling him to see his defects, 
as is the case with a white rump, such a fault is only to be taken into consideration when points 
are required to decide between two birds. Again, we should never allow a bad, sooty-coloured 
Blue, merely because it was blue-rumped, to gain the points of colour over a well-coloured Blue 
that showed the white rump. But if we find a fair Blue, with blue rump and clear black bars, 
such is to be regarded (so far as colour alone is concerned) far before a white-rumped bird. 
What we mean by a fair or good blue, is a clear colour like the Blue Dragoon, perfectly free 
from black or sooty tinge. We regard this freedom from black stain as far more important than 
white rump, for all blue pigeons have some white feathers ; it is only to lift the wing and they 
can be seen at once. 
Blue Carriers are very handsome birds, being, as a general rule, longer in face, and also longer 
in feather than the Blacks and Duns. This gives them a very stylish appearance, in spite of their 
slight deficiency in other head properties. They are also of a stronger constitution, and therefore 
less liable to disease, and there is usually less trouble in rearing their young ; why we know not, 
unless it is that the colour is a more natural one. There have been marvellous strides made 
lately, and some few Blues are now to be seen very little behind the Blacks, even in the higher 
properties ; and as this has been done almost without any encouragement at shows, we hope now 
that some few exhibitions encourage them, they may be bred up to the same standard as the 
Blacks. A good Blue Carrier is certainly one of the most attractive of all the varieties of pigeons. 
The White Carrier, we are sorry to see, seems nearly to have died out altogether, from some 
unaccountable cause, as about twenty years back there used to be grand specimens exhibited. 
We remember two hens in particular, which we saw in the possession of Mr. Carrol and Mr. Corker, 
that have seldom been surpassed in head properties by either Blacks or Duns. We believe both 
these were bred by Mr. Potter, to whom many of the best birds of the present time owe their origin. 
He had a grand stud of both Blacks, Whites, and Duns, and it was a sad loss when he retired, in 
consequence of being robbed of the whole of his stock , which so discouraged him that he had not the 
heart to begin again. The birds thus heartlessly stolen were probably all killed, for none of them 
* The rump of a pigeon is what many, ignorant of technicalities, would call the lower part of the back, just in front of the 
insertion of the tail. The wild Llue Rock, from which most naturalists consider domestic pigeons to be derived, is whitish in this 
part ; and it is peculiarly difficult to obtain blue pigeons free from this feature, 
