S TAR LINGS AND PRIESTS. 
349 
medley hue the beauty gradually develops, even into the perfect bird ; an utter transformation 
takes place, such as is invariable with all the most beautifully-marked or gorgeous-feathered birds 
in Creation. It is, then, quite a mistake to expect these beauties of feather to burst forth at once 
with their dazzling chequering. The experienced fancier may judge pretty accurately of the value 
of these unattractive nestlings at once ; some, it is true, come out in early life in fine array, but 
the majority are, in their nest garb, of a rather dull mahogany tint throughout the sides, shoulders, 
back, and head, and dark as these appear, they will often change into the most delicate ground- 
tints, leaving the markings of feathers thereon clear and in bold relief, even in the black-and-white 
spangled sorts, upon which at maturity no other colour should be visible. There is at first a 
brownish cast all over. With the Starling, too, when young, his ‘ crescent ’ is mixed and 
apparently imperfect, and his bars wholly brown or intermixed therewith ; but in time they 
invariably assume their perfect whiteness, pure and untarnished, so that to those who make choice 
of these varied gems of pencilled pigeons, patience and perseverance are truly virtues which must 
be exercised. In breeding for perfect unity of tri-coloured markings, make selection of such birds 
as possess between them the very properties to the highest degree which you would wish to see 
amalgamated in the offspring. To mate together pencilled birds of exact colour or markings 
tends to lighten the tone and lacings of their issue ; such may be occasionally necessary, for the 
paler birds are singularly pretty ; but where the three distinctly-coloured lacings, black, brown, and 
creamy-white, are desirable, there must be a careful and systematic infusion and pretty equal portion 
or balance of power of each colour so as to avoid a predominance of either, which results in the 
produce of smeared or irregular dapplings. The more profuse the bronzy hue (for the first season’s 
garb) the better the prospect. The common plain blue-chequering will crop out occasionally; 
but without destroying the specimens, use such as mates with birds possessing extra bronzy 
qualities to a powerful degree, in order to check or counteract the reversionary tendency, for in 
their time plain-chequered pigeons have played an important part in the manufacture of these 
pencilled beauties. Such blue-chequered birds are only useful as occasional supports to their 
more refined and more esteemed offshoots ; they are generally of a stronger and more robust 
constitution, and as such they may now and then be used, but beware of their prevailing influence 
and use them sparingly. I may just mention that Suabians, Porcelains, and Starlings are much 
about the same figure, standing longer on the leg than all the others, save Hyacinths and 
Victorias, which are altogether bigger and bolder birds. 
PRIESTS. 
“These are of four recognised kinds — Black, Red, Yellow, and Blue, with several other sorts 
of less value produced therefrom. The general formation and size much resembles the aforenamed, 
the body being a little wider, more plump and compact, the neck rather short, and the head 
adorned with a double crest, or, rather, a wide-spread ‘ shell crest,’ or inverted feathers rising 
up from the neck immediately at the base of skull, and a tuft or rose-shaped radiation 
of feathers arising at the back of nostrils and spreading over them, and part of the beak 
in a circular form similar to that of the Trumpeter. In many of them the nostril-tuft assumes 
merely a division of feathers ■ across the forehead, the one course falling upon the head, the 
other overhanging and almost encircling the beak ; and further, there are others which display 
an erect and pointed tuft of twisted feathers growing from between the forehead and nostrils. 
It is a difficult matter to decide which of the three frontal tufts should be preferred. 
I rather incline towards either of the two latter, which, although perhaps not so pleasing 
in appearance as the ‘rose’ when perfect, still as the ‘rose’ is a cardinal property of the 
