EXAMINATION OF THE INNER PIGEON
by Jim Emerton
With the fuss and accent on the outward appearance, eye, feather, throat, body and handling characteristics of a pigeon let me tell you some esoteric facts about quality racing birds. Other than on a theoretical, cerebral and opinion level you can dismiss belief systems based on the eye, wing, throat and body or phenotype as biased personal ideas and human judgements about racing potential of your birds. I am going to be dogmatic now and assert that the internal characteristics and traits of the bird are limiting factors, essential and central to the bird, i.e. the genes, the brain, the heart, the lungs and the total drive and inner being of the bird. In racing, if the bird performs with distinction then in a total sense your system of management has proven the point, along with the bird. We tend to base our minds on shallow, outer images and perceptions - in humans it is what is between the eyes that counts, the inner man, the brain, the personality. The corollary is all those good lookers who are dim, and the worthless but beautiful pigeons. Check the ones you have from Barcelona International and Tarbes - now see what I mean!
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Elimar - July 2014
