Sk ui.i. of the Barb. 
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opinion. Indeed, we must state that while such very gentle manipulation as simply inclines — if we 
may use the word — the beak to grow rather more downwards, appears neither to give pain nor to 
involve any other ill-effect, if it be attempted to go beyond this, though it may be impossible to 
detect what has been done, there is still a loss in other points. The beak looks shorter and more 
down-faced, but the beak-wattle is neither so large, so full, or so well-shaped as if nature had been 
allowed to take its course, and what would have been perhaps a fine cock, has more the appearance 
of a hen, and retains the feminine look to the end of his days. If still more overdone, besides 
the cruelty, there is often caused an opening or space between the mandibles, which probably 
produces canker, as described in earlier chapters. For these reasons we protest against too much 
stress being laid by judges upon “ down-face,” and advise all who admire Barbs to breed from 
such stock that the young shall require no improvement, or at most only such “coaxing” of the 
very gentlest kind, as a mother sometimes finds it necessary to employ even with her infant child, 
if inclined to any slight malformation. 
Next we come to the skull. First, as all fanciers know, this is to be as broad as possible from 
eye to eye. But not only so, it should be of the same width both at front and back of the 
eye-wattles. This is a comparatively rare point. Many are the winning birds we have seen which 
do not possess it, the two eye-wattles tapering towards each other at the front, though a fair width, 
or even more than fair width behind ; but in the square width, or parallelism of the eye-wattles, 
lies the chief and greatest beauty of the skull of the Barb. No matter how wide the skull is 
behind, if not at least nearly as wide in front, it will only look “mean” and coarse, the fault being 
seen not only when looked at from the front — perhaps the most attractive point of view of all for 
seeing this pigeon — but in any other position. This equal width in front to back is both the most 
valuable property, and the most difficult to breed correct. A bird possessing it, though only of a 
fair moderate width of skull, looks wide, and is far more valuable to breed from. It makes the 
eye-wattles seem as it were to rise above the skull equally on both sides ; and adds greatly to the 
apparent shortness of face. Moreover, it is generally accompanied with another great beauty, in 
the shape of an apparently indented notch or groove on each side of the front of the head, between 
the eye and beak-wattles, as if a little hollow had been sharply cut or scolloped out with a 
penknife. This groove on each side of the forehead is another great beauty, making the head 
appear sharply “cut out,” and showing off to greater advantage the back of the skull, which should 
show a sort of rise or projection, giving to the whole, when perfect- — very rarely indeed is all 
perfect — a peculiarly neat, attractive, and “well-chiselled” appearance, which belongs to the Barb 
alone among all pigeons. These skull properties — some of which seem not generally understood — 
cannot be too highly valued, and not the less so because no art or manipulation can either produce 
or increase them. 
If such a skull be valuable, it will easily be understood, on the other hand, that the tapering or 
wedge-shaped skull is to be carefully avoided, not only for the native ugliness we have already 
mentioned, but because it leaves no room for the beautiful indentations just mentioned, even if the 
bird does possess them, which in such circumstances is very rarely the case. In fact, the eye and 
beak-wattles appear crowded together, completely covering the part where the groove or indent 
should be ; and though to remove this some will cut off a portion of wattle, this still looks ugly, 
and moreover soon grows again. 
Such a skull as last described, again, is very rarely accompanied by the next great point of a 
Barb — a well-formed eye-wattle. This should be large, circular, and evenly distributed round the 
eye ; whereas, in those birds with taper skulls, the wattle is generally far too much developed on 
the front side, with much too little at the back and bottom, in fact, badly “ pinched,” which makes 
