The Illustrated Book of Pigeons. 
, 1 6 
“The Blues and Silvers should also be similarly crossed, as it is beneficial to bDth ; but be 
careful to select the best and strongest-looking birds. A singular observation is peculiar to these 
varieties. If you match a crested with a plain-headed bird, the young, if crested, you may 
rely the crest is always perfect, as lop-sided and shell-crested birds amongst them are extremely 
scarce. 
“ Often the appearance of the young when feathered, in all the tri-coloured varieties, are of a 
rich brown purple-black colour on the shoulders, with very little variegation, and in most cases 
without the white spots on the tail or flight feathers. An uninitiated breeder at first (and I have 
known such cases) may think that his beautiful Satinettes have bred a pair, or one of the two, of a 
kind of bronzed black Turbit with dark tail and muffs ! or, from a pair of Bluettes, a pair of blue 
Turbits with bronzed bars and blue tails ! But have patience, do not be uneasy, and do not 
condemn or part with such looking youngsters, because as nature grants them, in certain rotation, 
their first annual suit, you will gradually perceive a most pleasant and gratifying transformation 
on the wings, then on the flights or bars (as the variety may be), and lastly on the tail ; all this, as 
a rule, provided no alien cross has taken place. 
“ In general, all the young which appear at first as described prove to be heavily pencilled and 
rather dark, rich in colour of markings, or in the bars (as I am including the barred varieties), and, 
as a rule, they have the white spots in the tail feathers of moderate size and not as a band. The 
white markings also in the flights of the Blondinettes are not so well defined, but still they possess 
all those points to a more or less degree. On the contrary, a good number — and generally the 
young birds produced by w’ell-pencilled and perfectly-marked parents — are gifted with this 
variegation from birth, and, when fully feathered, appear as perfect and beautiful as the best 
moulted birds. These extra-gifted squeakers prove, after moulting, to be finely-pencilled, lightly 
but delicately coloured, and possessing the white tail band, and in the Blondinettes the white 
flight markings to perfection. The pencilling also in such birds extends to the upper part of the 
neck. 
“ The barred varieties are under the same category, as they often breed birds which may be 
mistaken in the Blondinettes for bronzed-barred Owls but for the muffs, as only from a pair 
possessing the white tail band with bars edged with fine black, and in the Blondinettes with 
conspicuous white markings in the flights and tail, you may rely to see perfectly-marked young 
before the first moult. 
“ Rarely, all the aforesaid varieties will breed a young one without, or with only very faint, 
white spots in tail or flights, or both, even after moulting. Such birds, if perfect in muffs, frill, and 
form (which they are sure to be) should be treasured for stock purposes, to be mated with the 
lightest and highly-pencilled birds, as they will not only impart strength of colour and markings, 
but also vigour of constitution. 
“ During my visit to the East, five years ago, of two years’ duration (after an absence of 
lourteen years), I endeavoured to discover what improvement or alteration the present fanciers 
contemplated ; but I failed to discover, and on inquiring I was asked to make a suggestion ; but as 
my silence proved I had none to make, an old acquaintance said, ‘ Have you seen any better 
specimens in Europe or America than our favourites ?’ As I did not like to stimulate his vanity, I 
said, ‘ Wait till you see some varieties I am expecting from England though I knew then what 
they would appreciate, and I was not mistaken. 
“ These birds are excellent breeders and feeders, as all the frilled varieties are, and in their 
native land they commonly produce from eight to nine pairs annually, resting only during moulting- 
time. They are principally fed on hemp-seed, occasionally on dari and barley. They are flown 
