It has been over 30 years since I kept Pigeons. When I did I acknowledged I was no expert on a single breed let alone the various breeds that were popular at the time.

Here 30 years later I'm interested in getting back into birds and trying to fill the void from the past to the present by reading Pigeon magazines, joining a club and going to as many shows as possible.

I went to the Louisville show last fall and was amazed at the varieties I have never seen before or even heard of i.e. Komomers, Mookees, Egyptian Swifts, etc.

I'm interested in talking with anyone on Pigeons every chance I get. My most recent chance came last week. I was at the Farmers Market and an elderly Italian Gentleman initiated a conversation with a rather simple request. He asked "Can you spare a quarter? ". Actually, I could and gave it to him. He then informed me he was a highly successful businessman from Italy.

He certainly did not dress the part but I guess the ultra rich don't care how they dress. He had on one brown shoe and one black shoe, but I guess that's the latest style in Italy.

He was pushing a shopping cart overflowing with an assortment of various colored plastic bags containing cans. Obviously he was a collector and the cans no doubt were antiques.

He proceeded to tell me about his business, it had something to do with contracts. My Italian is limited to Bon Appetite and Chow and be spoke broken English but if I interpreted him correctly the contracts he mentioned were either with people or on people.

I don't know how we got around to talking about Pigeons but he asked me if I ever saw or heard of the Rare Ravioli Rainbow Roller. I replied I had not.

He, then told me this bird of seven colors, all the colors of the rainbow , was raised in a remote region in Ravioli Italy. The birds are never sold and government regulations do not allow the birds to be exported outside the region.

He said the secrets for obtaining a bird with all the colors of the rainbow are highly guarded and to reveal them is punishable by death/castration or both. He then said for a dollar he would reveal the secrets to me.

I thought, God is this my lucky day and promptly gave him the dollar.

He informed me the secrets were complex and required six to eight generations to get all the colors of the rainbow. He started to tell me how to proceed.

He said after the first generation you mate the brother of the sister with the grandmother of the father. Next mate that off spring with the nephew of the uncle and the sister of the mother. The next generation you mate the cousin of the brother and the niece of the aunt. This will get you the basic breeding stock that he called "I'm my own Grand PA Pigeon."

I was starting to get confused and wished I had a pencil and paper but I didn't want to interrupt him and continued to listen.

He said then take the "I'm my own Grand PA" and mate it with an Andalusian Albino Antipasto Arch Angel or a Fine Feathered Fetticini Flight. I didn't want to show my ignorance by asking where I could get an Andalusian Albino Antipasto Arch Angel or a Fine Feathered Fetticini Flight and let him continue.

At this point he said you should have a bird with four colors including red and green but to be sure the green was the same shade of green as oregano or basil and the red the same shade of red as spaghetti sauce. If it is lighter or darker you were in trouble.

Next mate that generation with a Mighty Magnificent Mozzart Magpie Modena and you should get a bird with six colors. The trick he said was to smell the chick as soon as it comes out of the shell. If it smells a strong garlic smell you are on right track.

Next mate that generation with a Tiny Tri-Colored Tarimasu Thunder Teager and you got the Rare Ravioli Rainbow Roller.

My God I couldn't wait to get started.

He said for another buck would reveal the secret to getting the birds with caps.

Before I could produce another buck some one pinched me on the back and when I turned around my newly found Italian friend was running down the street with my wallet.

I was certain he'd be back as he left his cart and all those precious collectibles. I waited several hours for him to return but it was geting dark and they announced over the loud speaker the Farmers Market was closing so I had to leave.

I plan to go back to the Farmers Market next week and hope to see him and get the secret for the caps.

I can't wait to hit the show circut with my Rare Ravioli Rainbow Rollers. P.S. It may be a plain head?