Beak of tiie Dragoon. 
2 1 1 
good as a Carrier. Few have bred half a dozen specimens fairly approaching what is desired, and 
it is hard work even to produce one bird in a season, which a good judge can find no glaring fault 
in upon a close inspection. Such birds being thus rare, while many people do not regard the 
Dragoon as at all a high-class pigeon, and therefore ground their notions more upon the average 
of what they sec than in other cases they would do, is in our opinion the chief reason why so many 
favour the thin-faced, spindle-beaked birds, which can be bred by the dozen with little difficulty 
except as regards colour. But such a thin beak is in our opinion one of the very worst faults a 
Dragoon can have. In the first place it is supposed to be a bold, strong, and powerful bird, and 
though not now generally bred for flying, other varieties having superseded it, we still expect to 
see traces of its old flying faculties. Now, when a young bird has a spindle-beak, it is almost sure 
to be also narrow in the flight and tail feathers, and weak in the quills, showing loss of vigour, and 
accordingly we generally find it is also a weak and small-bodied bird, with little substance in the 
bone of the leg. Similarly, such a bird very seldom carries the butts of its wings projecting at the 
shoulders, but tucked close in to the body ; and finally, when we add that the most spindle-beaked 
birds are mostly those bred late in the season, it will be seen we have good reasons for our dislike 
of this fault, for connecting it with weakness of constitution to some extent, and for placing nearly 
as much value on a good heavy beak in a Dragoon as in a Carrier, the good beak being an 
indication both of other good properties and of a strong constitution. 
In proceeding to consider the Dragoon in detail we shall take as our standard bird the Blue, 
as of all others usually found the most perfect in points, as being in all probability the origin of 
all the Dragoons, and as formerly used for flying purposes. The size we would prefer as what 
may be described as “ one size less” than a Carrier. The beak should be rather short, thick, and as 
close-fitting as possible, especially when young, but with age it is apt to shrivel a little, as in all 
wattled pigeons. It should appear blunt at the point, and the lower mandible just a trifle less in 
substance than the upper. As to absolute length we care little, as if a bird be so symmetrical as 
to deceive the eye and “ look” well, we would never condemn it for mere measurement ; besides, an 
extra large specimen must measure rather over an average, and a small one under. Still we may 
say that in our opinion a medium-sized bird should not measure over one inch and five-eighths 
from the centre of the eye to the point of the beak ; and while the mere bald rule-measure should 
not be laid too much stress upon, we would certainly say that a bird either measuring or looking 
lone in the face like a Carrier shows a recent cross, or at least too much of that breed, and should 
not be allowed to compete as a Dragoon. No bird ought to measure over this unless a very large 
one, and a hen will usually be about one-sixteenth less than the measurement we have given for 
cocks. Of course a very large bird ought to be longer, or it would appear actually short in face. The 
colour of the beak is very important in a Blue Dragoon, as it carries with it more or less of the 
whole colour of the bird. We never yet saw one with a light or horn-coloured beak, but it was 
accompanied by a too light or soft colour of feather, approaching the Silver, and nearly always by 
a light rump and thighs as well. On the other hand, if the beak be the proper colour — black — on 
both mandibles, the body colour will be almost sure to be of the proper deep, sound shade, and 
it is rare to find such a bird with light rump or thighs. Generally speaking it will also be found 
that if the beak be light the colour of the eye is faulty too ; and, on the whole, according to the 
standard we are laying down, we may say we never saw a Blue Dragoon with light beak that was 
good enough in other colour points for the show pen, and all the few birds — not exceeding 
perhaps twenty out of the thousands we have seen — which we have seen or had of the rare but 
only correct deep blue, had black beaks. Moreover, this is a second point which marks the bird 
off from the Carrier, and therefore to be insisted upon. 
