THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
357 
September 5.] 
was but 18Jibs., he., only 3Jibs, heavier than it was on the 
24th of April. The hive itself and appurtenances weighs 
!) lbs. Since then, however, it has much improved; the 
drones appeared soon after, and the weight of it at the pre¬ 
sent moment is 32 lbs.—sufficient, I hope, to ensure its 
future prosperity. I removed it the other day (July 30th) 
from the window, where it had remained since September 
last, to its old stand in my friend’s garden, to make way for 
one of my experimental stocks, which took its place yester¬ 
day evening (August 7th). Not more than about 200 bees 
in all seem to have returned to their okl quarters, though 
my friend’s house is not half a mile off. 1 am sceptical as 
to the great harm of shifting bees, if it be not done in the 
early and cold spring, and the busy season. My hive “ B,” 
seems to be doing as well as before. One thing, however, I 
have learnt from the tum-up of this speculation—not to 
keep late casts. I must wait till the third, or perhaps the 
fourth, year for any profit from it. This hive is not even 
now more than two-thirds full of comb ; but it is very large. 
My most profitable stock lias turned out to be the identical 
one united last August, and fed on artificial food (C), hi the 
manner which was stated and recommended in my last 
paper. I have taken from it in all 34 lbs. of undefiled honey¬ 
comb, viz., a boll-glass containing (> lbs. on the 27th June ; a 
second, containing 4 lbs., on the 28tli; and a third, containing 
upwards of 11 lbs., on the 27tli July; besides lib. from a small 
fourth glass, and 12 lbs. from the side-box on the 20th of the 
same month; and it now weighs 29 lbs. 
A Country Curate. 
THE DOMESTIC INGE ON. 
(Continued from page 202.) 
CROSSING OF BREEDS. 
This chapter—the most interesting of all—relating to the 
means of obtaining varieties more desirable for their beauty 
and utility, will be found the most incomplete, because ama¬ 
teurs have always neglected to note down their observations, 
and the bird sellers or trainers have not published the 
manner in which they have obtained some varieties on which 
they speculate. We shall mark with an asterisk the previous 
observations of authors that we think false, or at least very 
doubtful. We must warn amateurs, that in crossing their 
varieties, if they do not immediately obtain such as they 
wish, they must not in consequence renounce their hopes ; 
for it very frequently happens that we do not attain the 
desired end until the third or fourth generation. 
*1. The Pouters produce with the Mixtures the Blue- 
spotted, and their speckled varieties. This note of M. 
Yicillot appears to us altogether wrong, for the spots do not 
exist either in the Pouters or in the Mixtures ; it can only 
be the production of a happy chance, and in this case would 
it transmit itself to the young pigeons ? 
2. The Pouters crossed with the Jacobin produce the 
Cavaliers. 
*3. The Pouters and the Jacobin produce the Hooded 
pigeon. M. Corbie has often crossed these two birds, to dis¬ 
cover the justice of that observation of M. Vieilot, but has 
never obtained anything but worthless pigeons. 
4. The Chamois Pouter and the Jacobin may produce the 
Spotted Chamois or the dark variety. 
5. The Pouter and the large Mixture produce the Cavalier. 
(I. The Spotted Jacinllie and the Bed-spotted produce the 
Spotted Tawney. 
7. The Jacinthe and the Tawny produce the Bed-spotted. 
8. The Blue Pouter and the Black-banded Pouter produce 
the Grey. 
9. The Spotted Grey Pouter and the Black-banded Pouter 
produce the Grey-dotted. 
10. The Chamois Pouter and the Blue produce the slate- 
coloured. 
11. The Black-banded Pouter and the Blue produce some¬ 
times the Bed Pouter ; but this production is very uncertain. 
12. The Lisle crossed with the Feather-footed has furnished 
the Plunging pigeon, and the Lisle snapping pigeon. 
*13. A male of the Tambour and a female of the Broad- 
tailed Shaker produce, according to Ray and Willulgliby, the 
Shaker pigeon with a straight tail. We have not been able 
to test this by experience. 
14. A Tambour and a Carrier produce the Goai-sncker 
pigeon. 
10. The Bastard Bagdad and Mixture produce the Large¬ 
headed Bastard Bagdad. 
1U. The Bagdad with a large white mushroom excrescence 
with the Black Bastard Bagdad produce the Short Bagdad. 
17. The Mixed Bagdad or Swan pigeon and the Common 
Cavalier produce the Proud Cavalier. 
18. The Common Bunt mixed with the Bastard Bagdad 
produce the Mixed Bunt. 
19. The Black Bunt and the Grey Bunt produce the 
Grey-spotted. 
20. The mixing of the Silky Shaker pigeon with other 
races produces Silky pigeons of every form and colour ; if it 
is crossed with pigeons that have bars on the wings they 
produce individuals bearing handsome fringes of varied 
colours. 
21. The female of the Hooded Jacobin with the malo of 
the Bed Jacobin produce the Spotted Bed Jacobin. 
22. The Spotted Bed Jacobin with the Dun-coloured Jaco¬ 
bin produce the Spotted Dun Jacobin. 
23. The Common Jacobin and the Mixture produce the 
Hooded Jacobin. 
*24. The English Tumbler and the small Mixture, if very 
rich in colour, may produce the Swiss pigeon with a golden 
collar, says M. Yieillot. 
*25. The Common Carrier and the Peacock pigeon produce, 
according to the opinion of some authors, the Black Carrier, 
with a white tail. 
20. The common Polish pigeon and the Turbit produce 
the Gentle Polish. 
This is nearly all that is known of the results obtained by 
crossing pigeons. As to the blending of colours, we now 
give their probable result; for nature often produces tints 
altogether unlooked for. 
1. A blue male and a red female mil produce pigeons of a 
golden colour, or yellowish—sometimes black. 
2. A red pigeon and a black will produce birds of a deep 
red, but frequently lead colour. 
3. A red with a dun colour will often produce a very beau 
tiful red, but sometimes dull. 
4. A blue and a fawn colour will sometimes reproduce 
individuals all blue, or all fawn, or mixed with both colours. 
5. A fawn and a black, or a blue and a black, may produce 
a pinkish grey. 
G. A black and a blue will sometimes produce pigeons of 
a dark colour with black bars—perhaps red, or black, or 
sparkling. 
7. A yellow and a black will produce dark colours streaked 
with yellow. 
8. Finally, a female of a sparkling red with a male of a 
blue sparkling black might produce a dark gold colour span¬ 
gled with red. 
The amateurs who attempt to breed new varieties of 
pigeons will always be recompensed for their trouble, whether 
they obtain or not their immediate object; for it has been 
proved that mongrels are more fruitful than pigeons of a 
pure race, and they are so much the more so according as 
the varieties from which they have been obtained had least 
analogy between them. As to the general forms and charac¬ 
ters, it is necessary to know that the male alone transmits 
them. 
We will now show by an example the manner in which we 
must proceed to insure success. I will suppose that we wish to 
establish a race of the Peacock, of which we only have one 
male: we would choose a female that has some resemblance 
to it in size and form; we would also choose its colour 
according to the variety we wished to reproduce in the race, 
and couple them together. The mongrels produced by them 
would already have from 13 to 28 feathers in the tail, and 
this, without being yet so raised as that of its father, would 
still place it already much above its wings. AVe would then 
choose a female from their young, and couple it the follow¬ 
ing year with the old male; and the tail of these mongrels 
of the second generation would be furnished with from 17 to 
28 feathers, haring the faculty of raising and displaying it 
in the same manner as the father. AA T e would then couple j 
the old male a third time with one of these new females, j 
