170 
The Illustrated Book of Pigeons . 
Mottles, as we have already stated ; or, if means did not allow of that, we would match one of the 
best young cocks with the parent Black hen ; but taking care that the young cock had plenty 
of the Mottle feather on the shoulders, so as to keep up the markings in the progeny. Similarly, 
we would match the original cock, for the second season, with one of the young hens, choosing, of 
course, one as free as possible from Kite colour on the head. This will provide three pairs of birds 
for the second season ; and in this way we would proceed, carefully weeding out as much as 
possible the Kite marking, as well as the blaze, until we got what we desired. 
Some may wonder we should enter into the mode of breeding from materials confessedly 
imperfect, and even not pure-bred. The simple fact is that no perfect Mottle has ever yet been 
seen, nor has it been proved that the Mottle is a distinct breed from the Almond. We have known 
a Black Mottle and Almond, mated, produce beautifully-feathered Almonds ; and, on the other 
hand, we ourselves allowed an old Almond to match, according to his own inclination, with a young 
Black Mottle hen, and reared from that pair three Mottles, as near the desired markings as we 
ever knew bred in one season, all three being alive at the date this is written, and so free from 
Kite colour that it cannot be detected without taking the birds in the hand. Hence, it appears 
highly probable that such Mottle strains as exist first occurred in breeding Almonds, and were bred 
together for the beauty of the markings, which would soon improve the colour and obliterate the 
Almond feather ; and we see no reason to discard birds in commencing a strain because they show 
a trace of the Kite : the more especially as we have often noticed that these Kite-bred birds often 
have the marking more accurate than those of the pure ground-colour. The Kite cross also 
imparts better head and beak and carriage properties than can usually be seen in our present pure 
Blacks and Black Mottles, with the sole disadvantage of the colour on the head. Again, let 
us suppose one breeder breeds from two Mottles true in their ground-colour, and produces from 
them birds a raven black, but irregular in marking, and with the white blaze (almost irrepressible 
by this mode of breeding) ; while another, breeding from a Kite hen, gets progeny pretty good in all 
points, but showing more or less Kite in the head ; which progeny will soonest produce birds free 
from all faults? We answer, that the Kite produce will easily, with judgment, breed in two 
seasons young birds free from Kite; but we should be well pleased to breed the blaze out from the 
other strain in four or five. We have already hinted also, that the present strains of Mottles — if 
such can be said to exist — are mostly plain in head and beak properties, in which Kites are apt to 
be peculiarly good. 
When it is not desired to cross with Kites, blaze on the face is best got rid of by crossing with 
pure Blacks ; or if a pair of these, suitable in other respects, could not be found, we would employ 
Mottles too dark or short of marking, black or dark birds being those most free from this 
troublesome fault. If the produce showed little or none of the fault, we would keep the birds 
breeding together ; and then selecting the best, breed brother and sister of the produce if we could 
not get unrelated matches for them to please us. If the first produce did not satisfy us, we would 
select the darkest of them and breed to the parents, as so often advised ; and in this way the blaze 
may with care be bred out of the strain. 
Most of the best Mottles we know have been bred partly from Kites in the way we have 
described. Of course, if there were better materials at command, we would not advise such a 
course ; but as the matter stands, the Kite offers assistance which can be got from no other quarter. 
When a strain is formed, and good birds can be had, of course ’the breeding should be different. 
We would then select a cock possessing all the properties as far as possible, but valuing them as 
follows : — First, a raven black colour, so that when the tail or flights are opened there is seen a 
polish or gloss on the quills, and at least fair marking on the shoulders, with as few as possible 
