Points of the Oivl. 
303 
it is necessary to maintain this distinction, but the difficulty is the great number of medium-sized 
birds. Yet there is really no other permanent distinction, and every one knows that size depends 
quite as much upon the feeding of the young as upon the parentage. We have already said we 
have seen large birds bred from recently-imported Foreign Owls by no means large, and all sizes 
between ; and, on the other hand, any very small specimens, however purely bred from indubitable 
English specimens, would certainly, if really good in head, be suspected of a Foreign cross. We can 
sec, therefore, only three possible courses — first, to merge all Owls into one class, and judge entirely 
by colour and general properties irrespective of size; or, secondly, to keep the distinction of size 
as marked as possible, fixing a limit beneath which birds may not be shown as English Owls (there 
is no similar need to fix a maximum for the Foreign, since too large a size would of itself count 
against such a bird in competition); or, thirdly, to keep a distinct class for Powdered Blues and 
Silvers of all sizes, and another class for all other colours, judging each class by properties. On 
the whole we are disposed to think the second plan preferable at present, and that perhaps the last 
is likely to be so by-and-by, should the fanciers of Powdered Blues succeed in making their pigeon 
more generally popular. 
But we must now come to the description of the Owl, in which we shall ignore the present 
faults of the coarser birds, and presume that the fancier wishes at least to produce them equal in 
points to the others ; while, on the other hand, it will be understood that, at the time we write, the 
head-points of the larger variety are many shades inferior to the small or African birds. First and 
most characteristic, the beak should be short, thick, and chubby (more so than in any present 
Turbits, though we have, in the last chapter, set out the Owl beak as an ideal standard for the 
Turbit too), much turned downwards, and the upper mandible hanging over the lower, like the beak 
of a parrot : the more these points are observable the better. When the bird is one year old, and 
rather less so when even two years, the lower mandible will and should appear as if nearly equal in 
thickness to the upper ; and really good specimens, for the first six months of their lives, seem to 
show little or none of the upper mandible overhanging the lower ; but as time elapses the upper 
mandible comes over more and more. When this happens, many fanciers cut off the projecting 
part in order to make the beak appear shorter and thicker, which it certainly does ; and if only the 
horn is cut off, the operation is at least free from pain ; still, treating the beak in this way shows 
that the fancier does not at all understand what an Owl should be. It literally destroys the Owl 
beak, from which the bird derives its name, and with it spoils the look of the head too, besides 
other disadvantages to be mentioned hereafter. We therefore urge all who possess good Owls not 
to meddle with the beaks in this way, unless in the case of an actually wry-beak, which should 
always be kept trimmed off as evenly as possible, for a reason stated when describing the Short- 
faced Tumbler, viz., that the bird may be able to preen its feathers, without which it is pestered 
with vermin. The fault of a wry-beak is, however, apt to be hereditary ; and unless, therefore, we 
had special reasons for breeding with it, we would rather get rid of such a bird altogether. The 
colour of the beak in Blues, Powdered Blues, and Blacks, is black ; of other varieties, flesh-colour, 
Powdered Silvers being rather darker, the same as Silvers, but if stained a little on the upper 
mandible it is no great matter. The beak-wattle should be smooth, but rather full, and even on 
each side, much like that of a young Barb or Short-faced Antwerp ; and the higher it rises from the 
beak, if neatly made, the better, as its projection fills up and rounds off the even convex profile, 
free from any straight line or dent, which is desired. For this reason, a flat or square wattle makes 
a comparatively mean head. Of course, the wattle takes time to make its full growth, the cock 
usually requiring two, and the hen three years ; so that an Owl, like a Short-faced Antwerp, 
somewhat improves with moderate age. 
