250 
Tiie Illustrated Tools of Plgeoxs. 
nestling has a broad, thick skull, with an ugly, buil-dog-looking beak, although it may for a 
few months after assume a somewhat plain and common appearance, yet it is almost' certain to 
develop into a bird of good properties. In conclusion I would say, that to the ardent and 
patient fancier no better variety exists on which to exercise his skill and judgment in matching 
and breeding, or which will better reward him in watching the gradual development of those much- 
coveted properties which gladden his heart, and compensate for many disappointments.’’ 
Such are the views of one of the best Barb fanciers we know. In giving our own, as before 
in this work, we will consider each point in detail. 
One of the first and most important of all points in a Barb is the beak. Some judges think 
less of this point than they should ; but however fine even in other head properties, we for our 
part refuse to consider any bird a really first-rate specimen without its beak is good, any more 
that we would a Carrier. In the mature bird it should not be more than about three-eighths of an 
inch in a fair average-sized specimen from the front of the beak-wattle to the tip, and if less the 
better ; some of the small specimens of course will not exceed a quarter of an inch. But still, 
shortness is of less importance than thickness of beak. Both mandibles should appear equally 
stout, the lower looking as massive as the upper, and this is the difficult point. It is quite easy to 
get a fairly heavy upper mandible, but a thick and massive under mandible is comparatively rare. 
When thus short, thick, and the mandibles equal in thickness, it much resembles the beak of a 
bullfinch ; ^nd the head of the young bird shown further on represents, without the least ex- 
aggeration, a beak all that could possibly be desired, thopgli on a small bird, which as a rule are 
more often seen with good beaks than large ones. 
The colour of the beak should be pale or flesh-colour, as in the Carrier; and it unfortunately 
happens that in Black Barbs some of the best-shaped beaks are of the wrong colour. It is little 
or no fault for the upper mandible to have a dark stain on the top ; but however good the beak 
may be, if both mandibles be black it always looks coarse, and such birds are also much longer in 
developing their wattle properties than birds of a softer texture (for it will be found on trial that 
the pale beaks are really softer than the dark ones). Still, we are no advocates for a fine bird 
being either disqualified or discarded from breeding because of a black beak ; this would be to 
throw out some of the finest black specimens ; it is simply to be avoided as much as possible, fairly 
allowed for in judging, and got rid of by judicious matching — say with a pale-beaked Dun, as we 
shall speak of further on. 
There is one more property about the beak : the more it points downwards, or, in pigeon- 
language, the more the bird is “ down-faced,” the more valuable it is so far, and the shorter the 
beak appears. Still, though this be an attractive property in a Barb, it must not be laid too much 
stress upon, for the simple reason that, as in the case of Tumbler skulls, it admits of being to 
some extent produced artificially in a bird which naturally is deficient, and if done carefully, so as 
to defy detection in such birds as have massive beaks, though it can easily enough be detected if 
the beak be at all thin. The plan adopted is simply this : — At about the age of four days the beak 
is taken between finger and thumb (thumb under and finger on top), and gently but firmly bent or 
pressed downwards at the point by the finger. This is repeated every third day for about four 
times ; and if thus frequently done, with comparative gentleness, and the beak be thick enough, no 
sign of the process will remain, and no pain seems to be suffered ; in fact, there are but few 
fanciers who do not give to the beaks of their birds a little gentle “ persuasion” of this kind. 
But we have known such a wrench given that the little sufferer has died, and even cases where the 
beak has broken off a day or two after the barbarity, upon which we need scarcely express our 
