The Illustrated Book of Plgeohs. 
.150 
on, in which case they are of far less value ; but when Almond-bred birds, they are of the greatest 
use. No doubt the Almond was produced by combining them all, though how, and when, and 
where, no man can now say. All we can do is now to give our advice in pairing. It will be readily 
understood, after what we have said, that perhaps a larger element of real chance enters into the 
breeding of Almonds than of any other pigeon. No one can speak with certainty, or say that such 
a pair of birds, mated with the most sedulous care, will breed thus and thus. All we can do is to 
say what we have known produce good results, and may be expected to do so again. But, above 
all, much depends upon what each bird was bred from; and we are supposing each, in the following 
remarks, to be bred from Almonds. Again, if the produce of any pair be really good of either 
sex, and especially if those which are Almonds be of good colour, carriage, and head properties, 
we strongly advise never to separate a pair which has been thus proved to “ hit ” well, so long as 
they will breed, or continue to breed thus satisfactorily. No one, again, must expect to see pairs 
of Almonds in the nest, but must be satisfied with one in most cases. We have known pairs of 
Almonds produced through a whole season, but it is very rare indeed to breed good cocks and 
good hens from the same pair — that is, good colour as well as head and beak. On the other hand, 
should a pair fail to produce what the breeder desires ; for example, should he get no Almonds, or 
if he does, find them poor and mealy in colour ; then, if the cock be a choice bird, we would not 
advise losing the whole season with him, since if the first pair be Almonds and of a bad colour, 
the rest are nearly certain to be the same, though they may be excellent in every other property ; 
but by all means in such a case we would re-match the birds otherwise and try again ; for it will 
be found needful to seize every chance in Almond-breeding of obtaining what benefit is possible 
from any particularly good bird. 
The most usual, and a very old plan of breeding Almonds, is to breed an Almond cock with a 
Kite hen, and many first-rate specimens have thus been bred, particularly exhibition cocks ; since, as 
in most other colour crosses, the progeny are very likely to be the same, or still Almond cocks with 
Kite hens, though in some cases the reverse happens. Then to breed Almond hens we would, if 
possible, and for the same reason, reverse the process, putting a good Almond hen to a Kite cock. 
This is now seldom done, but is one of the best matches we know for breeding what is so rarely 
seen and so difficult to produce — an Almond hen of good sound colour all through the body. Of 
course, in these and all other matches, the breeder will get, and must expect, a large proportion of 
other colours, such as Red and Yellow Agate Mottles, Red and Yellow Agates, Whole-feathered, 
and even Duns. The cross between Almond cock and Kite hen is rather too dark to repeat often. 
It sometimes happens the breeder has a strain of birds so valuable, both for its own properties 
and its power of transmitting them, that he is anxious to breed from them without a cross. In 
this case each parent should be crossed with one of its own progeny the following season. If 
the cock should be of a rather deep colour, and the young hen a Yellow Agate, Agate Mottle, or 
Splash, either would be a good match; and if a Whole-feathered Yellow, or even a Golder, Dun, so 
much the better ; but on no account a Kite, which, for obvious reasons, is unsuitable for the darker 
or very sound-coloured Almond cocks, breeding often too dark, especially when of the same strain. 
For a sound-coloured hen we would recommend a similar cross with one of her offspring of the 
same lighter shades, and we have known both breed remarkably well. 
The cross above mentioned between a Kite cock and Almond hen is not easy to procure, as 
good Kite cocks are ahvays scarce to be got ; but we like it much, and when the Kite has 
plenty of the bronze it makes the progeny almost always of a fine rich ground-colour, if 
they happen to be Almonds. We know no cross so likely to produce good hens ; and, 
in fact, all hens bred from this cross — be they Agates, Splashes, Yellows, Duns, or what 
