• _ 
264 The Illustrated Book: of Pigeons. 
conformity with the colour of bar. The beak is of a pale colour, the top bill being a little darker 
along its upper ridge. 
“ Silver Chequers are similar to last-named, but, in addition, are chequered throughout the sides 
and saddle with precisely the same dark colour as bar of aforenamed Silvers, in every way else 
fac siuiile. Beak and nails to match, and both of pale light colour ; regularity of chequering most 
important feature of the colour and markings. These are useful to cross with Blue Chequers, to 
brighten and lighten, and thereby make more distinct, the markings of the former. Silvers also 
may be used with Blues, but I do not advise the cross of either Silver or Silver Chequers with other 
kinds, only under special circumstances — in the absence of better kinds, and for counteracting the 
dark or dingy tendency. 
“ Creamies are of very pale faded colour, flights and tail being of a creamy tinge ; bars of a 
yellowish cast, and neck and breast, too, of a similar tone. These are the offshoots of Mealies, and 
may be mated with them, but are not actually a desirable cross. 
“ Blacks are generally of a blue-black cast, invariably with a faint trace of bars. These are ol 
service as crosses for Blues, and may be used with great advantage for producing or retaining the 
sound Blue of uniform shade, but if used too frequently a dingy tone will be the result. I have 
used them with both Blues and Blue Chequers, but there is little gain by the latter cross, unless the 
Black possess form properties, which you would wish to embody in the Blue Chequers. Having 
now enumerated the meritorious and distinctive qualities of each sort, I will now give a few hints 
on breeding and mating, which may be useful to those who seek such information. 
“ First, then, Silver Duns, or Mealies. I mention both these names in conjunction (I rather 
prefer the latter term, ‘Mealy,’ but as the variety are better known as ‘Silver Duns,’ I name it so 
as to be clearly understood). Well, then, I have described what a Silver Dun or Mealy should be 
to be perfect, and for exhibition the desideratum is to obtain a perfect match, cock and hen alike, 
or as near so as possible. This is often a difficult matter, as the hens are invariably darker in 
colour throughout. In order to produce a similar colour in both sexes, a different system of mating 
should be adopted, for if light-headed hens be paired with light-headed cocks, lighter and still 
better coloured hen progeny will invariably be the produce ; but the majority of male issue will 
be grey upon neck and breast, sometimes all the neck and breast feathers tipped with grey ; and if 
this system be followed up, both cocks and hens thus produced will in time become too light, and 
thus lose the brilliant neck-colouring which adds so much to their attractive appearance. For 
breeding good-coloured Silver Dun cocks, I have found the better plan is to mate a good clear 
light-coloured cock with a clear-coloured but very dark-breasted hen — I mean with such a hen as 
shows a good deep colour right up the neck, even though the head, too, be dark. The colour of each 
parent is, of course, occasionally imparted to the offspring (in some cases it may be often), but, as a 
rule, I find that the majority of young partake more of the colour of the paternal parent, especially 
the hen progeny ; it will then be seen as reasonable inference that, whilst the issue partake 
more often of the colour of the father, still the darker colour influence of the hen checks the 
natural tendency to the grey neck, which is strikingly manifest in so many birds. Some years 
ago, I remember, we had to be satisfied with dark hens, for at that time a light-headed, good- 
coloured hen was a rare and much-valued bird, and good-coloured cocks (so far as colour only was 
concerned) were then in abundance ; but the general demand was for good-coloured hens, and by 
mating the lightest coloured hens that were procurable with cocks of lightest shade, the ideal has 
been reached by that course ; but it has resulted in the almost total abolition of the deep, rich, 
uniform bronzy neck and breast of the cock birds. Happily, by the cross of darker hens, as sug- 
gested, they may again be bred as heretofore ; but at the present time good-coloured hens are in 
