2 10 
The Illustrated Book of Plgeoks. 
tone of colour is needed ; otherwise, the colours may be matched together for breeding as for 
showing, provided that form properties are such as required. The admixture of colours should be 
gradually made. Black to yellow is too powerful at once, for, although useful, and actually needed, 
it should be transmitted through the Reds, and by this method the colours are not developed in 
distinct patches, nor yet in dingy smears, but absorbed, as it were, into the body, and bursting 
forth in the entire web of feather, evenly, and with richer and more uniform effect. 
“ Dragoons are prolific birds, and very fair nurses too. They raise their own young as well as 
any foster-parents could do ; therefore such aid is not needed. It is remarkable to watch the daily 
increase in the size of their nestlings, and the still more rapid growth of their beaks. It is not well 
to speculate too much upon the qualities of ‘ squabs,’ for they are ‘as variable as the shade.’ There 
are, however, one or two parts upon which first attention should be fixed as indicative of what 
their merits or demerits may probably be when fully fledged, viz., the straightness of head and 
beak, and the colour of the feathers upon the rump and thigh as they burst forth from their bonds. 
More than this we cannot determine by any positive calculation, though there are other minor 
points which lead us to hope and expect that we may each day see developing new good qualities, 
which time only can clearly reveal. 
“ Beware of malformation, such as wry breasts, crooked beak, twisted toes, or straddling gait, 
as such blemishes generally arise from a physically used-up constitution ; also shun the weakly, 
sickly issue of an ill-assorted pair, or the produce of too young, too old, or delicate parents, or of 
winter-raised young. Such birds in a loft are both unpleasing to the sight, and comparatively 
useless either as stock or exhibition birds.” 
As Mr. Ludlow seems to admit that the “ London ” style of Dragoon has at all events chiefly 
won of late, we are quite willing to admit that the very rough and unshapely-wattled birds we have 
seen occasionally shown years ago would not and ought not to win now : but we must also add that 
we have little fault to find with the plates he has given as his “ Birmingham ” ideal, and that these 
are also by no means what was represented as the Birmingham Dragoon of years ago. Without 
further arguing this point, however, and as he especially grounds his opinions upon the necessity 
of distinguishing the Dragoon from the Carrier, we will proceed now to give our own detailed 
description of what we consider the Dragoon should be, in which we hope to make clear that while, 
as all admit, there is perhaps about one-third of Carrier blood in its original composition, it is 
really distinct from both Carrier and Horseman, and that any intelligent fancier can readily, 
by characteristic signs, distinguish the three. 
It is necessary first to remark that the Dragoon, like all wattled pigeons, has two periods in 
its life at which it can properly be shown, viz., under one year and over two years of age, whence 
we have amongst our representations shown a young bird. Like the Carrier, the Dragoon looks 
very different at these different periods, and this is one reason of the differences of opinion, some 
forming their “ eye ” on the young bird and some on the old. But a more common reason we 
believe to be, that like all other wattled pigeons, a pair of even good birds will produce a lot of 
weeds in proportion to a few good ones. Now, in birds heavily wattled, the difference between 
good and bad is so conspicuous as not to lead to many mistakes after a little knowledge has been 
acquired : but the Dragoon being less marked in its head points, the amateur is less able to detect 
the faults which a keen judge readily sees, and thinking that the young birds from his good pair 
are good necessarily, and the Dragoon being a free breeder and good rearer, and giving him a large 
progeny, he is very apt to get his eye falsely educated by the majority or most “skinnum ” quality 
class of his birds. For we must say we believe that the Dragoon is about as hard to breed really 
