144 
The Illustrated Book of Pigeons. 
in constitution and hard to rear, many die before they reach the age — four or five years — which 
it usually takes before the hen is thus properly spangled. There are, in fact, very few hens which 
make up into nice matches for good cocks at any age, the mealy ones least of all. The class of 
hens which usually become well broken in feather are those which, after casting their nestling 
feathers, show both yellow and white, with some signs of black, in their flights. If these feathers, 
especially the first six flights, show some signs of break of feather, the fancier may in due time 
expect a good hen ; but if these flights show no break of feather, and the centre quill be all of a 
white colour, showing no trace of black, such a feather will never become properly broken, or show 
more than the two colours of white and the ground ; and in nearly every case — as far as our 
experience extends we may say every case, but we do not pretend to know quite everything — will 
also never become well spangled on the body. Hence, it is the presence of some proportion of the 
Kite or dark feathering in the flight feathers which is to be sought as the indication of future good 
spangling ; and the more of it is intermixed with the other two colours in these early flights the 
sooner will the body become spangled. The hen being naturally so much lighter, it follows that 
there is not nearly so much danger in her case of getting too much strength of feather, the 
difficulty rather lying the other way. It must also be understood, that while a hen not broken 
enough in feather may show too much want of spangling to be a good show specimen, it does not 
at all follow she must be of no value. She may have the very same blood as much darkcr-looking 
cocks , and be most valuable as a stock or breeding hen. We simply mention the marks of future 
show birds, that those entering this fancy may know when any bird is likely to prove an exhibition 
specimen (which may very likely breed too strong-feathered cocks), or a good breeding hen. Often, 
again, Almond hens will be seen having a large patch of Kite-coloured feathers on some part of 
the body, which is of course a “ foul” mark, and makes the bird totally unfit for exhibition ; while 
others will be met with showing one or several of the flight feathers on one wing alone of a solid 
Kite-colour, which also is foul marking, and excludes a bird from any competition, unless shown 
expressly for head, beak, and carriage points alone, in which they are often very superior. But 
either of these classes of birds are most valuable for breeding. 
Carriage. 
We come next to the second property of the Almond Tumbler; and though we are quite 
aware it is not so difficult to produce as either colour, size, or formation of head and beak, we 
have always noticed, from the first day we ever did notice this pigeon, that there is no point 
about the bird so strikingly attractive as good shape and carriage. Colour requires a skilled 
eye to appreciate it ; size is to the uninitiated no point of beauty at all ; and even head and 
beak require some conception of the fancier’s ideal to understand ; but if the bird has really 
good carriage, as represented in our plates of each sex, it is strikingly beautiful to all eyes. 
On the contrary, the finest specimen of any variety of the Short-faced Tumbler, if it does not 
possess good carriage, or — as it is called by the Newcastle fanciers — if it be not good as a 
“ shaped bird,” it does not look well cither in the show-pen or the aviary, and its good points 
can only be understood and seen when it is taken into the hand. We consider, therefore, we 
are quite justified in ranking as a second property that which is so striking to the beholder, 
be he fancier or not a fancier at all. For example, let six birds be placed in a pen which show 
nothing in shape and carriage, and another which is fine in this particular. We care not who 
sees them ; he will at once select the one specimen as the bird out of the lot, the most attractive, 
and the best bred. Should the six birds be even grand in head and beak qualities, and good 
in colour, while the other bird is very middling in both, still the well-shaped bird will appear 
