The Illustrated Book of Pigeons. 
218 
and we must confess we have never since seen their equals as pairs, as it is extremely difficult to 
obtain hens good enough, really, to match the cocks. But some very grand single birds have been 
shown ; and some of our readers may like to see a portrait of one which, shown by Mr. F. Graham, 
won the cup at the Crystal Palace in 1874, and was, in our opinion, the best bird of his year. 
Drawn many months after the sketches for our coloured plates, it will show that these are not 
“fancy” sketches, but that birds have been and are shown possessing all the points described. 
We have next to consider the breeding of the Blue Dragoon. Most fanciers seem to prefer 
breeding the Blues and Silvers together when a cross is required, and this is the right course for 
breeding Blues of the silvery tinge of colour ; but this colour and this cross are nearly always 
accompanied with the light rump and pale thighs, which accordingly disfigures nearly nine-tenths 
of the Blues seen at exhibitions. It is also too often accompanied by a light beak, a horny colour 
taking the place of the true black ; and also by too light colour in the iris of the eye, which is 
orange instead of the proper deep red ; and even the eye-wattle frequently shows the too light 
blood also, by being pale and fleshy, destitute of the dark inner lash. This cross and its results 
are, in our opinion, the reason why so many profess to regard an orange-coloured eyeball and pale 
eye-wattle as the proper colour. We do not, therefore, by any means approve of breeding Silvers 
to Blues as a rule, and we include in our exception both black-barred and brown-barred birds : the 
only case in which it is advisable being when the fancier has got his Blues of a sooty colour, which 
will from time to time happen, and in which case a Silver is the proper cross. But in general, to 
breed the much-coveted deep, sound Blue, the best match is a Blue to a Blue-chequer. This is a 
cross also within the means of most amateurs, being a colour little appreciated for showing, but 
the most valuable and certain cross for breeding both the sound feather free from lightness on the 
rump, black beak, black eyelash, and dark eye ; but perhaps the most convincing argument we can 
use is to say that it is this match which has actually produced the very best Blues exhibited. It is a 
singular thing/too, that most of the fanciers we have known to use this cross have been men who 
used it simply because their means were small, and they could not afford to get a Blue to their 
liking, and thus “ put up with ” the Blue-chequer simply as being less in price ; since few have 
known its great value, and many are so obstinate that they will not believe it, or go out of their old 
beaten track, even when told, for fear it should “spoil their strain;” but a little experience soon 
teaches quite differently. As specimens of this we may state that the Blue Dragoon, just now 
figured as having won at the Crystal Palace Show of 1874, and which was declared by all the 
judges to be — all in all — the most perfect specimen ever seen, together with another as good, if not 
still better, in all points except upright carriage, were both bred by such a poor man, by this 
identical cross of a Blue-chequer to a Blue. We are inclined to think some of the old fanciers 
bred this way, since they occasionally produced very sound-coloured Blues ; but the case we have 
mentioned will be sufficient to show that we do not advise the cross from theory only, but from 
having seen its results in many cases. 
Of course all Blue-chequers arc not suitable, some having white rumps as well as some Blues ; 
but a blue-rumped Chequer must be found for a blue-rumped Blue, if possible ; but even if the 
Blue be pale on the rump, the dark-rumped Chequer will be the most likely cross to produce from 
it some blue-rumped birds, from which a strain may be started. It matters not if the Chequer be 
cock or hen, though, of course, as a rule, a young Blue cock to a Chequer hen will be most likely to 
produce Blue cocks, and vice versa. In all cases, however, the Chequers produced from the cross 
should be carefully preserved for re-crossing, as, until Chequers are more valued than at the time 
we write, it is not easy to procure Chequers of the right stamp, and these blue-bred Chequers are, 
of course, the very best, unless perhaps such as are bred from pairs of dark Blues, which are better 
