1 12 
The Illustrated Book of Pigeons. 
having both birds right, or one rather too light with another too dark, this breeding of Blue to Blue 
is the correct and best method of breeding Blue-pieds, provided only birds good enough both in 
colour, limb, girth, and crop can be so selected, not too nearly related in blood. This last is the 
real difficulty, since the Pouter must be kept vigorous by sufficient change of blood, owing to its 
long limbs ; and the number of good Blues available is at present so limited. 
If a good Blue hen of the proper points and dimensions cannot be procured, we would advise 
the selection of a fine Mealy hen. Of course, we mean a Mealy of the silver tinge, with good brown 
bars, and if with a black beak so much the better. Such a Mealy hen will often produce longer- 
feathered birds than if a Blue hen of the very same dimensions was bred with a Blue cock. Nine 
of the very best Blue cocks we have ever seen were bred in this way from a Mealy hen, all but one 
of them being bred in Scotland. On the other hand, nearly all the best Blue hens we have ever 
met with were bred from a pair, both Blues. We do not like so well the cross between a Mealy 
cock and Blue hen ; but good birds may be got from this too, only we would always, where 
possible, in such a case, let the Blue hen be young and strong, and mate her with a Mealy cock 
twice her age, in order to give the Blue a greater chance of predominating over the Mealy in the 
progeny, since no one wants Mealies if he can get Blues instead. 
The Mealy Pouter has been much decried of late, while others, as we have before remarked, would 
fain have it made a standard bird. We must say that we should prefer to breed Blues from Blues 
on both sides, wheneverthere are enough good Blues for a breeder to pick and choose the necessary 
stock from them ; but that time is certainly not come yet, and we fear it will be some time before 
breeders can do without the Mealy. Many English fanciers dislike Mealies extremely, and the 
late Mr. Bult sold on more than one occasion such birds, which, passing through our hands into 
those of others who knew how to use them, bred some Blue-pieds which were long remembered for 
their extraordinary quality. The great drawback to Mealies is their being so much lower in price, 
which causes them to be used where they ought not to be, viz., to cross with Reds and Yellows. 
When a Red or Yellow from such a cross falls into the hands of a fancier who has a good stud of 
pure-bred Reds and Yellows, it makes terrible havoc with it ; producing all sorts of odd colours, 
such as red chequers, dun chequers, and mealy-barred yellows, which very naturally makes him 
ever afterwards dislike the very name of a Mealy. They are, however, most valuable for breeding 
with Blues, Blacks, or Whites ; and we know for a fact that the first good White Pouter ever seen 
in Scotland was produced from a middling White cock and a fine Mealy hen. These being facts, 
while we must say we do not much admire the colour ourselves, yet we cannot but speak as we 
find it of a bird which has done so much for the improvement of the Pouter pigeon, and point out 
how useful it may be to the breeder of Blacks, Blues, and Whites. 
