296 
The Illustrated Book of P 1 geo ns. 
young birds not matured in colour, or the injudicious crossing with Yellows, which produces the 
many pale-coloured Reds seen at the various shows. Such pale birds improve little with age, and 
even when crossed with Yellows do not improve them, but generally produce either a light mealy 
tinge or a kind of chequer of slightly paler colour than the ground, which when once got into a 
strain is most difficult to get rid of — on this account, rather than breed a good-coloured Yellow to 
a bad-coloured Red, we would far prefer to breed it to a good-coloured Black, provided the Black 
be perfectly free from all bluish tinge. If bad colours be produced we would breed them back as 
before stated. 
As to the general want of frill, the only means of remedy is self-evident : viz., to breed from 
the best, matched together, that can be had. It is a most extraordinary fact that many of the 
birds which are worst in nearly every other point greatly excel in this one alone. Thus the 
material lies at hand, but it will be seen how much must be done to get the perfect bird. Still, it 
is rather strange more has not been done, considering that the hardiness of the bird allows of any 
course of breeding desired. There is so much less to do in Reds and Yellows as compared with 
Blacks, however, and both can be used with such success to help the Black, that it is perhaps 
through these colours success can be soonest obtained. 
The Blue Turbit, like the Blue-pied Pouter, has one extra point among its properties, viz., the 
bars on the wings. It is as usual the most hardy of all the various colours. The Silver has the 
same qualities, and may indeed be considered as a sub-variety of the Blue. The proper Silver 
Turbit should have bars as dark as those of the dark-barred Silver Dragoon ; and we have, indeed, 
heard people talk about their “ black-barred ” Silvers, but must say we never yet have seen one. 
We say the Silver should be thus barred ; but the great majority of birds are kite-barred, and 
some so bad in colour that the bars resemble a kind of washed-out yellow. Such bars are very 
dangerous to breed, especially with a Blue, for not only does the faulty bar appear on the Silver 
progeny, but even on the Blue, spoiling the whole effect, since a Blue pigeon can never look well 
without nice black bars. No matter how good the other qualities of such a kite-barred or brown- 
barred Blue Turbit, the fault is so glaring that it would inevitably cast a bird in anything like good 
competition. So staring is this fault, indeed, that we have several times seen attempts made to 
remedy it by dyeing , but the edges of the dyed portions always betrayed what had been done, and 
made the operation a failure. We have seen so many really fine Blue Turbits lose their chance in 
competition through faulty bars, that we thus strongly caution the amateur against ever crossing 
such a Kite-barred Silver with any good Blue, if he can possibly get instead a fair bird with dark 
bars. Far better get if possible a Blue hen ; though this is not easy. We believe, in fact, the 
usual custom of breeding a Blue cock to a Silver hen to be connected with most of the mischief. 
It leads to the great comparative scarcity of good Blue hens, while the imperfect Silvers are plenti- 
ful (and of course it is much easier in comparison to select from such birds) with the other desired 
properties. When a Blue is really sound and good — and the deep clear colour of the Dragoon is 
what we mean — we would be content to breed it with a good dark-barred Silver, when the bars 
would probably be good in both sexes of the progeny. Still we would prefer, if the birds suited, to 
breed such Blues together, when the colours and bars of the Blues will almost invariably be good. 
Even such pairs of Blues will throw Silvers, and when such is the case, the bars of these too are 
generally excellent in colour. The Silver is only really needed when the Blue is of a hard colour, 
or when it begins to show slight signs of black ticks amongst the Blue. Then it is certainly time 
to throw in a judicious mixture of the lighter shade. Blue-chequers, which are not unfrequently 
produced from pairs of Blues, are also good matches in Turbits for Silvers. The two last — the too 
