140 
The Illustrated Boor of Pigeons. 
remain the same shade of colour. But this is never the case, the best specimens of Almonds only 
retaining the standard colour for two seasons, and even this only when it is the correct shade 
we have described, viz., the rich yellow of the shell of an old nut, when it has begun to crumble or 
moulder away. Even from the age of three months, the young cock, which we will first describe, 
ought to show this desired shade of ground-colour, from the neck downwards towards the tail ; 
shoulders, rump (we have before remarked that the rump of a pigeon is the lower part of the back, 
near the tail), and thighs all being of the same shade of colour. The greatest difficulty in this 
particular point of ground-colour is to breed birds with the rump the same colour as the shoulders, 
it being rare to see a bird which is not of a mealy (lighter) tinge on the top of the rump, while 
others are mingled with mealy and white on the same part. When this last is the case the bird is 
what is known as splashed on the rump, and is only fit for stock purposes, not being admissible 
in the show-pen as an Almond, unless all the other birds against which it is shown happen 
to be deficient in the same respect, or there is so little white that a moderate “ plucking ” 
prevents its being seen. This greatest difficulty, then, being supposed to be overcome, the 
rump should be of the same rich yellow ground as the shoulders. Before it moults its nestling 
feathers the rump will be all of one colour, unless splashed with white ; but when it moults — say, 
about five months, amongst the new yellow feathers will be seen small ticks of rich black. When 
these are evenly distributed, the feather or plumage of the bird is said to be “well broken;” 
and the deeper the ground-colour the more and the sooner, usually, will the black feathers be 
seen. A bird with much of these black ticks is said to be “ strong in feather and here, too, is 
a difficulty, many of these ticked feathers being often of a bluish or dun colour, which spoils the 
beauty of the whole bird. 
Next come the tail feathers, and these, belonging to what are called the “standard ” feathers 
of the bird — that is, which must be properly marked or broken for the bird to be a standard 
Almond — we show in the plate of Almond feathers, which will greatly assist both the eye of 
the reader and his understanding of the various technical terms. Each “ standard ” feather in 
an Almond — and these feathers comprise the tail feathers and ten flight feathers in each wing — 
must show three distinct colours. The foundation is the rich yellow ground, already spoken of, 
which should in the tail feathers extend from the root to about two and a half inches from the 
tip ; there is no exact limit. Then we like to see a bar or splash of white somewhere about half 
covering the remaining space, which sometimes appears almost like a white bar across the tail, 
but so much regularity is rare. This white is intermingled with black splashes, and the larger 
the bar the longer will the bird retain a “ standard ” character as regards his tail. Then the 
last portion, or tip of the feather, should again show the yellow ground, and the nearer this is 
to the body colour the better is the bird as regards his tail. Black does not appear so distinctly in 
the nestling feathers, but as the young cock moults his tail the patches of black appear mingled 
with the white. It must be clearly understood that no particular pattern is expected of the different 
colours, either that in our plate or any other : hence there is no exact style of marking in 
Almonds, as in other “ birds of feather,” both in poultry and pigeons ; and it requires one skilled 
in what really is required to appreciate perfection, since there is nothing for the general or 
ignorant eye. All that is desired is, that each “ standard ” feather should show the three colours 
in something like fair proportion, and as distinct and sharp as possible, one colour shading 
insensibly into another not being so much valued. In the flight feathers the arrangement of the 
colours is even more irregular and uncertain than in the tail ; but the qualification for a 
“ standard ” flight is still the same — that each of the feathers shows the three colours as sharply 
and distinctly as possible. If they do this, the bird is a “ standard ” Almond, however those 
