The “ Making" of the Head. 
i57 
delicacy of the hen, more than usual care should be taken to have all the arrangements so that 
there may be as little quarrelling as possible, and that none of the hens be persecuted and bullied 
by strange cocks. Such mischances may spoil many eggs, and greatly injure the hen. A good 
look-out should also be kept to see if any liens appear egg-bound, a mishap to which this variety is 
more subject than perhaps any other breed. And finally, the bath should be carefully attended to, 
not only as regards the water being kept fresh and clean, but that there be a block or brick on 
which the birds can stand ; otherwise, a weakly bird may be unable to leave the water, and get 
drowned. We repeat this piece of advice, because we have known the misfortune actually to 
happen. 
Before being exhibited, the beaks of the birds are always reduced by trimming, if necessary ; 
but this we can treat of most conveniently in a few words upon exhibition at the close of our 
remarks upon all the Short-faced division. 
Next we must describe the process to which nearly all skilled fanciers subject the young birds 
whilst in the nest-pan, in order to straighten the beak and “ make ” a good head. When the bird 
is about six days old it is taken in one hand, while with the other the beak is caught between the 
thumb and forefinger, and gently bent upwards, so as to make it appear quite straight. The same 
is done on the tenth day, again on the fourteenth, and lastly about the twentieth. This makes the 
beak straight, and if the bird has a short and good head, many content themselves with it ; but most 
fanciers, while they perform the above operation, at the same time press back the front of the head, 
at the base, with the thumb-nail, which helps to make what is called a good stop ; the skull, being 
thus forced inwards, growing wider and higher. This, however, is a bungling piece of work unless 
very carefully done, as it tends to make the front of the head too flat, and shows the signs of the 
operation too plainly. But some of the most skilful fanciers have hit upon a great improvement, 
which consists in using for the operation an instrument of wood, shown in Fig. 44. The form of 
the handle is of course quite immaterial, the front being the important part. This is shaped into a 
curve, concave both in front and on the under side, and bevelled back at an angle from the lower 
edge. This is pressed against the bottom of the forehead four or five times, beginning about the 
tenth day, and of itself makes the beak come straight ; while, if carefully done, it makes the skull 
so much wider, higher, and better in shape, as would scarcely be believed by any one who had not 
known and seen the birds before being operated upon. 
In thus describing the mode of “making” the head of a Short-faced Tumbler, we expect 
to arouse a great deal of angry feeling, since it has been kept as a secret by many fanciers. 
We do so, however, in accordance with the whole plan of this work, which is to place all that we 
know, so far as description can do so, within the reach of every reader : and this we do, not only 
that all may be upon the same level as regards these points, but because, in our opinion, this free 
publicity is the most likely means of putting a stop to all such questionable proceedings. We are 
quite aware many will deny that such processes are used, and we are sorry to say we have heard 
some of the strongest of such denials from parties who, to our personal knowledge, adopted it 
to even a greater extent than most others, and whose social position should have kept them from 
the denial, if not the perpetration of the cruelty. In fact, very few indeed will acknowledge it until 
