PIGEON NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 14535, 10 December 1910, Page 10

PIGEON NOTES.

[By Tun Antwerp.]

Questions relating to pigcon-brceding, etc., requiring answer must, be sent to -'Antwerp," care of this office, not teter than noon of Thursday, in order to secure attention the same week.

Tho monthly show of the Fancy Club was held on .Monday last, and was very well attended. In tho unavoidable absence of Mr Allen, Mr Crabhe look the chair, and gave a most interesting and instructive address on matters pertaining to the fancy. In point of number tho exhibits did not come up to previous shows held by the club. W. Crowther scored iirst prize with a very nice show homer hen, whilst Master (!-ilbertson. took second, third, and h.e. with his birds. Several now members were elected, and I am informed (hat a very handsome donation has been received from tho South .Island Poultry Association as a special prize, to ho competed for at tho young bird show to be held in March.

h\ continuance of my remarks of last week: In tho present stale of affairs, so far as they relate to .-.bow:; and the judges are not altogether blameless. If judges would let it bo known to the fancy at largo what their ideal is, fanciers would soon learn to show or keep their birds at home. If judges would fearlessly back their honest opinion by sticking t" their own type, and not endeavor 10 "sit on the fence," much of the unpleasantness would be done away with. When one sees a bird in one class win. then a totally different type win, it naturally disgusts exhibitors. Unless judges stick 10 one type, and judue to that type, having always before them condition aud feather, 1 am'afraid we shall have nothing but dissatisfaction. One point in favor of exhibitors Ims always struck mo veiy forcibly, and it is their respect for a judge when they see that he has stuck to one type throughout, hj is, as I said before, when he wanders in and out that they get excited. While upon this subject of shows and showing, 1 wish to impress upon tho beginner this great point: never introduce exhibition blood into racers, by "exhibition blood" 1 moan the manufactured article which has been evolved purely and simply for the 6how pen. and not at all with a view to racing. 1 say this because 1 have in my mind's eye one or two iiistanV.' where fanciers have been well on their way to establish a good loft of racers, aud having suddenly developed a strong desire for exhibiting, have introduced exhibition blood, to the detriment of the Hying ability of their team. There is. plenty'of scope to breed handsome- birds from proved racers; in fact, some of the finest birds I have ever handled havo been consistent, raceis.

Go to any good show and have a look at, ear, the 300-mile elas,s. You will eee some handsome birds—a.s a matter of fact, it is there where you will find them. There is a jauntiness, y go, an intelligence, rarely, if ever, teen in the exliibition homer pure and simple. I want it to bo clearly understood that I have a love for all varieties of pigeons. 1 can pause in client admiration before a good specimen of a trrrbit—the. little toll', I call him, of pigeondom—;in archangel; with tho beautiful metallic sheen on him, ho is indeed a picture. And then there is the muff. 1 admire them for what they are, and respect their owner's admiration and valuoof thc-m.

In showing racers, it must naturally follow that tho best way to show .them is us near racing condition as possible. Tho feathering must bo close fo perfection, the muscles hard, tho eye clear, and also tho wattle and cere .spotless. Thoso aro conditions «hich require nothing but good, sound food, clean water, and plenty of exercise, coupled with unlimited bathing facilities, if the biids are naturally well feathered, well built, aud of .smart carriage, they will put the finishing touches on themselves. In showing, as in racing, birds cannot bo prepared in a few days, nor vet in a few weeks.

If is indeed foolish to imagine for a moment (as I know is the ca.se in scores of instances) that a team of birds can be shuttled with, Jeft to their own devices, fed erratically, given a bath now and then —in J.-t-ct, genrally neglected, and then suddenly prepared for showing in a few days. Yet you have only to look over a lew classes at any ehow, or better still, handle a iosv of the biids, and you will at once realise that veiy little, if any, attention has been spent in their preparation. Some ii.ro wild, others havo dirty, coiled plumage, looso feathers, and all tho rest of it; yet in many cases tho owners of these neglected birds, for such I consider them, aro surprised when they aro beaten in tho show pen by birds which have had mouths upon months of pieparation put into them. While I am not ;;i- ail an advocate, of artificially-prepared i.iids (,;, Ihe r.how pen, there is a certain amount of legitimate and natural preparation which ia quite allowable. My attention was drawn one day during the past, week to three kcre.scno tin.s, iu which, 1 was informed, the Winlon Homing Club send their biids away ior liberation. 1 may say L have tiaveiled some during my so join uon thi L -i earth, but never before have 1 s.eeit pigeons consigned to points of liberation iu tins. Surely omWinton friends can get limber with which to make a decent carrying box.