Various Hints on Matching. 
i53 
matched to another containing an excess of the third. Such a plan is the most likely to produce 
the coveted but rare result of tivo Almonds in the nest. But one thing above all others should 
be carefully avoided, and that is, breeding together two ^//-coloured Almonds, the progeny being 
generally Mealy Chequers, Chequered Duns, or bull-eyed White Splashes. 
Red Agate-mottle cocks should be mated to Almond or Kite hens, and the better the colour 
of each, the more likely to produce valuable progeny. We would breed Yellow Agate-mottle cocks 
to the same hens as the Red Agate-mottle, both as a rule producing very similar offspring when 
mated to the same bird. But to speak frankly, the Almond is such an artificial or composite bird 
in colour, that no one can say with certainty that any two pigeons mated together will produce 
Almonds. We have known many cases were birds were mated, of such a quality and matching 
that the owners made sure of success, yet not one single bird came of the desired colour the whole 
season, while the very same cross as regards colours, with another pair, produced nothing but 
Almonds. And still more strange, to all but those who are accustomed to the lottery of Almond- 
breeding, the very same pair of birds the following season have precisely reversed these results, the 
one which had failed the year before now breeding Almonds, and the other not ! That is the 
reason of our laying stress not only upon what a bird is in matching, but on the actual colour it 
has at that time attained from age. But even with this qualification all we can do is to state 
what are the most promising matches to adopt. Of course any one who has bred his own birds 
can attain much more certainty than in employing stock of whose breeding he is ignorant, as two 
off-coloured birds which are in themselves a suitable match, if the produce of Almonds direct, are 
much more likely to produce Almonds than when they are themselves the offspring of off-colours. 
Under these circumstances, if a breeder finds any given pair produce pretty generally even 
one good bird and one plain one, he should let well alone and feel satisfied, be the other bird in 
the nest Agate, Splash, or anything else. But one precaution should never be lost sight of, which 
is, never to breed from birds, both of which have coarse beaks and wattles ; since, if this fault once 
get into a strain, it takes incalculable time and trouble to breed it out again and obtain birds with 
fine beaks. No bird can look finished which has this fault, and it is one which cannot be remedied 
by any art, at all events as regards coarse beaks : we have known before now some improve- 
ment made in wattle, though it is very difficult. It will be found difficult enough to obtain fine 
beaks even from parents all they should be, without introducing coarse parentage, which we would 
never do even on one side, unless the colour was so bad we could not find what we wanted in any 
but a coarse-beaked bird. In such a case, if the choice offered, we would let the coarse-beaked 
bird be the hen ; when, if matched with a small cock (small birds being generally fine in beak and 
wattle), there will be less chance of a bad result. This is especially the case if the small cock be a 
late-bred one, as it will almost always be found that the smallest, most delicate-looking, and 
handsome cocks are bred after the month of June. It is comparatively little trouble to breed good- 
coloured birds which are large and coarse in shape : the difficulty is to get the true Almond 
colours with the small and beautiful formation so much admired ; and this difficulty arises from 
so many of the smallest and best birds dying in comparison to the stronger and coarser stock, 
that it is often impossible to get a small bird of the colour and other points desired. 
While late-bred cocks are, however, as a rule the best, and preferable even for breeding, on 
account of their power of transmitting the delicate high-bred characteristics to their progeny, we 
would very strongly impress upon all who take a fancy to Almonds the importance of choosing 
hens which have been bred early in the season, and especially for breeding young hens. Late-bred 
hens not only never lay so well, but even when they do lay, and there are birds in the eggs, it will 
often be found that they do not hatch, owing entirely to the want of constitutional vigour. We can 
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