254 
The Illustrated Book of Plgeons. 
rose, to the Reds, Yellows, and Whites. Of course the White can show no true rose, which requires 
two colours to make it evident : still the formation is there ; but the Black is really deficient, 
as a rule, in the formation of chain and mane which produces it, and hence loses a great beauty, 
since the contrast of the white under fluff shows off the colour as much as the white head. We 
have seen, however, some Black Jacobins with a really good rose, so that we think the reason of 
not having it is simply not trying to get it. We should advise, then, the seeking first a good- 
coloured Black cock, by which we mean a deep raven colour, and showing no bluish or other 
different colour throughout, particularly on the belly and thighs, and with just as good Jacobin 
points as can be got with this. Such a bird should be matched to a deep-coloured Red or Yellow 
hen, but either of these must be true in colour, not washed out or mealy. If the hen can also be 
got dark-thighed, so much the better ; and Reds and Yellows are particularly apt to be neither 
one nor the other, but a mixture of the two. Such birds are so very apt to breed an unsightly 
chequer sort of colour on both belly and thighs, that rather than risk it we would far prefer either 
one or both birds to be fairly and really clean-thighed. In fact, while we would far prefer both 
dark thighs, if this could not be we would next choose both clean thighs ; but failing either would 
choose one bird with perfectly dark, and the other perfectly clean, thighs. If both parents are 
really good colours the progeny will almost always be the same, and frequently one of each ; but 
sometimes what is called a “ strawberry ” colour will be produced, which would be more correctly 
termed a sandy, and is often intermixed with small black ticks through the feathers. These may 
be bred back to the Blacks if good enough in Jack points to be worth while ; and, of course, if the 
breeder gets at once what he wants he has no more to do than go on his way rejoicing, breeding the 
best of his Blacks to the Black again, so as to get the colour true, the use of the Red in this case being 
not so much to gain colour as to impart hood, mane, and chain, which the Red chosen must have 
plenty of. This is why Red usually makes the best cross ; and even if build, or close and neat forma- 
tion be wanting, let there at least be plenty of it, this being where the Black, though usually very 
neat and trim, is deficient. The imperfectly coloured birds spoken of above as often produced by 
the first cross are also very frequently fine in these points, and hence valuable for breeding again to 
Blacks. Often, also, Reds are produced with black ticks; and these are not only valuable for 
breeding to the Blacks, but if bred to the Red generally improve that colour too, resulting in a 
splendid deep Red. If crossed with very faulty-coloured Reds they sometimes produce Duns; but 
these, too, are very useful in crossing with Blacks, provided the Dun be not chequered, when the 
result is unsatisfactory, being usually black, barred or chequered with an inferior or duller shade. 
In crossing with the Yellow instead of the Red, the greatest risk is that of getting some of the 
yellow feather intermixed through the black, something like a Kite Tumbler. Of course such 
birds do not look well, and are useless for showing themselves ; but crossed again with Blacks they 
breed beautiful colour, and in fact the most lustrous Blacks we can remember were so bred. So 
that we would just as willingly use a Yellow as a Red for breeding Black Jacobins; and consider 
the only reason there are so few good Blacks to be met with is owing to the constant breeding 
together of Blacks alone, which are, as we have said, generally deficient in Jack points. Blacks 
constantly bred together are also peculiarly apt to be “ short-flighted,” usually having only four or 
five on each side ; which fault, too, is most easily corrected by the red or yellow cross, which most 
frequently possess the proper number of flights of any colour. It is also to be observed that such 
Reds and Yellows themselves as are bred from the cross are generally of splendid colour, much 
better than when bred to their own colour; the cross producing even in Yellows a lustre which the 
Red cross itself does not impart to that colour. 
We come next to Reds, which are most generally bred with Yellows, so as to get progeny 
