3°6 
The Illustrated Book of Pigeons. 
with good black bars it is very pretty, and we only caution against the too free use of it 
with Blue. 
As to Reds, Yellows, and Mottles of these colours, they must be bred much as we have 
spoken of in treating of the Mottled Tumblers. We fancy some at least of these colours were 
produced by German fanciers, and they would probably be more popular but that their head- 
properties are generally far inferior to those of Blues and Silvers, which may not improbably be 
caused by the crosses employed to get colour, which is the strong point of the German breeders. 
Other points besides colour must of course be got in the ordinary way by patience and care. 
All the colours in the large Owl are hardy, and good breeders, requiring no foster-parents for the 
young, and being little liable to disease. 
With the small or African Owls it is different, and they must be considered as delicate birds. 
The reason of this is obvious. Each breeder who has had a nice small pair has sought to produce 
even smaller and better than the parents. Mr. Eden and the late Mr. Joshua Fielding were the 
most successful breeders we ever knew, and we attribute their success to two causes: the first 
being that they mostly employed moderate-sized, strong hens, trusting for diminutive size to small 
cocks, and it was wonderful the beautiful birds they thus obtained, especially towards the end of 
the season ; the second reason, we believe, was that Mr. Eden kept his birds in a place not only 
free from draughts, but which was warmed by there being a room the other side of the wall which 
always had a large fire ; for though Mr. Fielding kept his in his ordinary loft, and did far better 
than most others, still, so far as we could ascertain, Mr. Eden’s success in rearing young birds was 
pretty nearly six to one even of his. We ourselves once purchased forty-two birds from Mr. Eden, 
the produce of only three pairs, and lost all but five through putting them into a house which, 
being built of iron and unlined, was too cold. We would, therefore, advise that first-rate 
specimens be kept in a place which can be warmed in cold weather, and is free from draught, 
applying the last condition to the aviary or open flight as well. The medium-sized birds, however 
and especially those which are nearly as large as the Flying Tumbler, are fairly hardy. We 
should also advise nurses for the better class of birds ; for though we know that both Mr. Eden 
and Mr. Fielding reared without them, we fancy they often gave a little assistance from the 
mouth, which will often save young birds that would otherwise die. The best nurses are common 
Fantails, Balds, Beards, smallish Magpies, or some of their own rather coarser brethren. 
A second cause of many of the best birds dying we only discovered after a long time. In some 
of the shortest-beaked birds the tongue seems to be too long to lie properly between the 
mandibles, but gets crooked at the end and rubs against the upper one, causing at first a kind of 
low, but constant irritation, which at last becomes canker. We have thus lost specimens of great 
value ; but have found that if the horny tip of the tongue be cut off, which seems to cause no pain, 
and certainly causes no bleeding unless cut in too far, the evil is stopped. 
There are amongst the foreign Owls more good Blues, and of better colour, than among the 
large ; and hence we believe it only needs the patience of some breeder to produce from these the 
same colours as in the English, viz., Silvers, Powdered Blues, and Powdered Silvers. The first 
step would be to breed together two Blues as light in colour as could be got, of which there are 
plenty ; by which means, with perhaps breeding the progeny back to the parents, ere long Silvers 
would be obtained. Care, however, should be taken to keep up the pure uncrossed dark Blues, 
when we feel sure the Powdered Blue would soon be got by matching dark and blue-rumpcd Blues 
to Silvers, though it might have very likely to be waited for a while. The Powdered Silver would 
be also got in the same way, and we arc sure such a result would be a pleasure and credit to the 
fancier. 
