During a recent visit to the lofts of the great Belgian champion Raoul Van Spitael, President of the Federation Colombophile Internationale, we talked about the qualities and defects of pigeons. We mentioned that inspite of the physical qualities that we both looked for in a bird, in our opinion the main assets that make an outstanding ace cannot be seen by the naked eye. It takes inner physical and psychic qualities. M. Van Spitael agreed immediately and added that he no longer eliminates a bird without racing it, except, of course, those that showed by their behavior and appearance that they were in less than perfect health and that their internal organs were sub-normal.
Taken from The Road To Success
By Jules Dehantschutter
Revise edition 1976
