TREATISE ON THE ART OF BREEDING, Eatok 1858

DEDICATED TO THE YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED FANCIER TREATISE ON THE ART OF BREEDING AND MANAGING TAME, DOMESTICATED, FOREIGN, AND FANCY PIGEONS, OAKEFULLY COMPILED FKOM THE BEST AUTHOKS, WITH OBSERVATIONS AND KBrLECTIONS, CONTAINING ALL THAT IS NECESSARY TO BE KNOWN OF TAME, DOMESTICATED, FOREIGN AND FANCY PIGEONS, IN HEALTH, DISEASE, AND THEIR CURES BY JOHN MATTHEWS EATOK ** All that a is Man knows, or ever b/ Cjtsei-vc/rion will know, cr Bo^oition." Locke 57n-i'i PUBLISHED FOR, AND TO BE OBTAINED OF, THE AUTHOR, 81, UPPER STREET, ISLINGTON GREEN, LONDON, N 1858 R.I5 TO MY YOUNG AND INEXPEEIENCED BEOTHEE IN THE FANCY The cause of my bringing out this Work is having sold all my Treatises on the Art of Breeding and Managing the Ahnond Tumbler, 1st May, 1851, also all my Treatises on the Art of Breeding and Managing Tame, Domesticated, and Fancy Under these circumstances, I consider- there is Pigeons, 7th December, 1852 no time to be lost in taking into consideration whether I will at empt t bring All the ability out an improved Work, or leave it to Fanciers more competent in the World will not bring out a Work unless there is the " Will," and not perceiving the ''Will" of the acknowledged best Fanciers, I have weighed it seriously and heavily in my mind that it would be anything but wisdom to leave > young Fanciers, who are springing up every day, without a Work to guide them in the right path to acquire the knowledge of high standards, as laid down by gentlemen of the Fancy, touching the properties of what different varieties ought to be first-rate Pigeons of the I consider it would be cruel to leave the aspiring young Fancier of yesterday, or to-morrow, without a Work to guide him, and would be an act of base ingratitude on ray part, considering the encouragement I have received from so large a body of the gentlemen of the Fancy In soliciting the favour of a very experienced Fancier, if it was not his intention to bring out a Work, provided he would favour me with his observations and reflections, I would put it into print and give him the benefit of it by attaching that his intention was to have his name stated he had written a Work presented it to the Society he was a member of: unfortunately a difference arose — He in the Society, and it was his intention to burn the manuscript Should I meet with sincerely hope I shall be more fortunate with others no better success, by " hook or by crook" I must endeavour to bring out a Work without their assistance, for I consider it would be " too bad" to leave the young and aspiring Fancier without a Work to refer to In soliciting the favour of other excellent Fanciers to give me assistance from their observations and reflections, promising to give them the credit by attaching their names, the answer I told I received from some was, "They did not know what to write about." I them "Pigeons." I believe some few may as^^ist me : I know a gre;it many will approve of attempting to play the part of giving away their experience, which might prove a fatal part to them, while they play with such success their part of the " Dog in the Manger." It appears to me monstrous strange tbat those who have the power to write have not the " will," and those who have the " will" have not the power I believe there are excellent Fanciers of Pigeons, who never put a single observation or reflection upon paper as regards "Pigeons." I sincerely hope you will not copy them, at the same time well knowing you cannot take a lesson out of their book not, simply because they don't You will perceive I am under great obligations and owe an immense debt of gratitude to B P Brent, Esq., the author and brother Fancier, for his kindness in allowing me permission to make what use I please of his series of papers on Pigeons, extracted from the "Poultry Chronicle," "The Field, the Farm, the Garden, and the Country Gentleman's Newspaper." I cannot find language to express the debt of gratitude I owe to him, especially for assistance on our native Doves, the Toys, and foreign Pigeons, &c &c A Also to John Boys, Esq., the highly-respected and worthy magistrate of Mar= gate, Kent, for his truly beautiful notes, observations, and reflections on the Almond-Tumbler, which I have inserted in this Work after my Almond-Tumbler You will perceive owe these two gentlemen an immense debt of gratitude Whether I shall be under obligations to others, I cannot inform you here, as this If any, I propart of the Work will be in the bands of the printer to-morrow mise to attach their names to the remarks I receive from them have made up my mind to take a high standard, and you will think so, too, I inform you, my inexperienced brother Fancier, that I shall attempt to or compilation, or mass of information on the subject brins: out a Work, (Pigeons) I believe no man under the sun ever compiled I am prompted to so, believing it to be my last attempt or eff*ort on Pigeons " The subject will not allow of it, owing to the true, beautiful, and fixed standards, now 1858, being the same as when Mr John Moore brought out his work, Columbarian,' 1735." I am sensible we have occasionally new varieties brought from foreign parts, which scarcely look like Pgeons Fanciers feel grateful to exhibitors for exhibiting any new varieties, although they take little or no notice of them, comparatively speaking, simply because they cannot work any good with them I when — — ' my thoughts to endeavour to impose upon Fanciers that the endeavouring to bring out is all new matter The Fancy will not allow of it As I stated, before, the standard laid down by John Moore, 1735, is the same standard, with very trifling exceptions, to what the standards are now, 1858, the time of my endeavouring to write this Book, which I shall endeavour to prove by and bye I think it would be wasting ) our tin)e to read and mine I in endeavouring to write more on the cause of mv bringing out this Work told you the fact that I had sold all my former Works, and seriously considered whether it would be right and fitting to leave the young and inexperienced Fancier without a Work of reference worthy to guide him to a knowledge of the It is the last of Work I am properties of the different varieties of Pigeons I scarce know whether it is worth my while to write, or yours to read, an idea just flashed across mind; while I have my pen in hand, I may as well put it on paper, and see how it looks You are aware there are some crotchetty men, who play the parts of old ladies with this disadvantage their intellects being more weak than their legs, who draw inferences or assumes that a man must be an incorrigible blackguard, notwithstanding his station in life, whether a peer or artisan I not approve of writing on such poor, weak, addle-pated nincompoops, who are so weak in their heads as to be fiightened at their own shadows (boys never do), which proves the brain is becommg soft (query, was it ever hard and clear ?) After the death of Mr Neal, late the excellent Chairman of the Southwark Columbarian Society, I had the honour to be chosen Chairman, and filled the ofiice since October, 1853, being between four and five years I have presided over between fifty and sixty members; I am not aware I ever heard a bad word escape one of the member's lips 'Tis true at times visitors, not knowing the rules of the society, may make a trifling mistake, and if it is considered unparliamentary, he is called to order no one was ever given in custody You must not suppose our members are like members of Parliament, or that we turn our meetings into a bear-garden I am informed the original Columbarian Society, that existed over 100 years (now unfortunately defunct), and presided over in the cream of its day by the late Sir John Sebright, numbered seven members of Parliament at one time, and, strongly contend, none my — : the worse for that Extracted from John Boys', Esq., notes Those who and scoff at this Fancy should take care not to become a Florist Fancier, or an admirer of improved Horses, Dog* or Sheep nor exchange his ignorance for the knowledge of the bsst Piccateesj Dahlias, Tulips (worth ten ** criticise ; — piece), Roses (of which there are 1500 varieties), Anemonies, Heart-ease, Ranunculusses, Auriculars, &c &c &c." and twenty guineas a Extract from the " Cottage Gardener and Country Gentleman' s Companion " was, not tnany years since, when *a Pigeon Fancier' was associated in men's minds with Costermongers, Pugilists, Rat-catchers, and Dog-stealers, and for no othel- reason that we can discern than that the majority of P geon Fanciers were artisans men who lived in the courts, alleys, and other by places of the metropolis Such men, in those days, drew towards them no sympathy they were the profane vulgar the pariahs of Society and their pursuits were deemed scaifcely fit to be mentioned within audience of 'ears polite.' The Auricula and the Polyanthus became 'vulgar flowers,' fur they were pets of the Manchester and Spitalfields weavers and the remnant of this bad spirit lingers "Time all — — — ; talk of abandor^iiig Pine-culture, now that this fruit is become familiar to ' common people.' Such pride and exclusiveness would have a heaven for gentility, with a wide gulph between th^it and the heaven of the poor with those who "Gladdened are we by the knowledge th^t these seiitiments are gradually lessening both in intensity and in the number of their disciples, and respect for the man, rather than a belief in the degradation of his pursuit, is now felt for him who shows a taste for the purer occupations of life " The cultivator of a Pansey in a court-yard of Whitechapel, and the breeder Drury Lane, is now more often thoaght of as one who exhibits a praise-worthy frame of mind— and that the love of nature implanted in our first parents in their state of innocence being yet unefFaced, he is raised in the scale that of worthiness It is justiy felt that he clings to all he can of-fKe country though he cannot have a flower-border, he finds the best substitute within his reach in a flower-pot upon his window-sill though he cannot have a poultryyard, he has aif he can of its tenants, over which to be solicitous in the pigeonhutches of his attic The man in whom such tastes remain and triumph over all opposing difficulties, so far from being altogether had, is one in whiim much that We have too long watched and made notes among is estimable prevails Cottage Gardeners not to have had this fully proved, and to Ir^joice in the knowledge that it may be admitted as a rule, that he who loves the country loves of Pigeons in — — virtue too " How strong the prejudice must have been against the pursuits of the masses was never so strongly demonstrated as in the prejudice against the breeding of Fancy Pigeons The Dove, or Pigeon, is associated "^'ith all that is holy in Its very name Christianity, and with much that was held sacred in Mythology in Hebrew, Jona, is derived from a word signifying gentleness, and from the day it brought the olive-leaf to the ark, both the plant and its winged bearer have been esteemed emblematical of peace Even the Brahmins tell of their deities assuming the form of the Dove Mahomed had an attendant spirit in the same form and in the same similitude has appeared the Divine Spirit Yet, notwithstanding this sacred association, notwithstanding the gentleness and beauty of the bird, its rearing and cultivation, until very recently, has been ; ; anathematized as a low pursuit.' " Common sense is prevailing, and, consequently, prejudice is g'ving way even here, and we are well pleased with the prospect of seeing the breeding of Pigeons improve." ' Provided two of our richest peers One had a hobby in Race-horse