Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/720

 PETS 694 The eye-cere should be small and of fine texture, the eye dark and full, with a soft expression, quite different from that of the homer pigeon. The neck should be swan-Hke, thm, nicely arched, and of a fair length, the body short and compact, the breast full and prominent and carried high. This last point is particu- larly noticeable when the bird is viewed from the front, as the breast then completely hides the head, which is carried on the back, or, rather, the "cushion" The back should be rather short, the thighs and legs of medium length. The legs and feet should be a bright crimson in colour and free from any feather- ing, although occasionally some good birds show a shght indication of feathering on the legs. This tendency is what is termed a " thro wing- back" to their early ancest- ors, as the Indian birds have feathers on the legs. Another trace of this reverting or " throwi ng- back " to the old Indian blood will be found in birds occasionally bred with a peak or crown of feathers at the back of the head, which was a trait of many Indian birds. Now we come to the most important point in a well-bred fantail — viz., the tail. This should be large and spre^td out evenly like a fan, coming down equally on each side of the bird. The feathers should be long and broad and closely fitting over each other, without a break in the centre. Some other- wise good birds have a bad habit of pushing their head back and through the centre of the tail, thus causing an ugly break, which is a very bad fault. The number of feathers in the tail of a good fantail varies from twenty-eight to thirty- eight, but the point for the breeder to aim at is a well-fitting fan-hke tail, which the bird can carry in the correct manner, rather than the greatest number of feathers. The tail should be carried perfectly up- right and flat, neither turning over the back nor faUing backwards. B:rds with " funnel " shaped instead of fan-shaped tails are. unfor- tunately, often seen, but should not be used for breeding purposes. The wings should be carried low, with the flights beneath the tail. There are several varieties of fantails, but the white species is, and always has been, the most popular, and is also the nearest to Blue fantail pigeon, Red saddle fantail pigecn. These are also interesting varieties perfection in exhibition points. Blues and blacks rank next, then saddles and reds and yellows. There is also a seldom seen variety known as laces, but in appearance these birds look very like a badly washed white fantail, the webbing of the feathers being separated and having a rough appearance. The feeding of fantails will be dealt with later in an article in Every Woman's Ency- clopaedia on "Feeding and Housing of Fancy Pigeons." As regards the prices of fantails, fairly good birds can sometimes be obtained at half a guinea each, but the wisest and most econo- mical Way to start With fantail pigeons would be to apply to a well-known breeder of them for a pair of vStock birds at about two guineas the pair and leave the selec- tion of the mating to him. In this man- n e r, when dealing with a true fancier, you would have a far better chance of breeding good birds than if you purchased two winning birds from different breeders at three times the money and mated them yourself. Of course, you must not expect to get the best at this price, for show specimens often change hands at five and ten guineas each, whilst extra good specimens have been sold for 25 guineas and upwards. WTien the birds are mated in the spring- time, it is advisable to cut off a little more than half of each tail feather, thus securing better results in the fertility of the eggs. Some fantails have a bad habit of walking about with their tails almost horizontal over the body and head, the head and breast nearly touching the ground. These birds should be disregarded, as it is a fault that is often hereditary. The fault previously men- tioned of some birds pushing their heads back, and through the centre of their tail, can sometimes be remedied, and the habit cured, by tying the three or four centre feathers in the tail for a time, so that the bird cannot push its head through them and so cause the break or open space in the tail. The comparative values of points in judg- ing fantails for exhibition are : Head and beak, 10 ; size of body, 10 ; shape and carriage, 28; action. 17; tails ^5 — 100 points.