Pigeons: their structure, varieties, habits, and management

BEIGHTON, BROS.

BLUE POUTER.

PIGHONS:

THEIR

STRUCTURE, VARIETIES, HABITS, AND MANAGEMENT.

BY

W. B. TEGETMEIER, F.Z.8.,

AUTHOR OF ‘‘THE POULTRY BOOX;” EDITOR OF ‘“‘STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE IN EXHIBITION BIRDS,” AUTHORIZED BY THE
POULTRY CLUB; EDITOR OF THE POULTRY DEPARTMENT OF ‘‘ THE FIELD.”

WITH COLOURED REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES, DRAWN FROM LIFE BY

HARRISON WEIR,

AND PRINTED IN COLOURS BY LEIGHTON BROTHERS.

LONDON:
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.
NEW YORK: 416, BROOME STREET.
1868.

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LONDON :

PRINTED BY WOODFALL AND KINDER,
MILFORD LANE, STRAND, W.C.

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PREFACH.

fe compiling the following pages the Editor has endeavoured to produce a

- treatise that should not only furnish the amateur of Pigeons with a greater
amount of practical information on the different varieties than is to be found in
any previous volume, butalso to treat the whole subject in a more scientific man-
ner than had hitherto been attempted. Hence the introductory chapters on the
structure of the Pigeon ; the natural history of the Blue Rock Dove, from whence
all our varieties have descended; the account of the origin of the different
varieties, &c., &c. But whilst these topics haye been discussed, full space has been
devoted to the practical part of the subject, and the characteristics and manage-
ment of the different varieties have been more fully described than has been done
in any other book.

The original works in English on the subject of Pigeons are few in number.
They include Moore’s ‘* Columbarium,” which was published in 1735 ; the reprints
of Moore, which appeared, with slight additions, as ‘‘The Treatise on Domestic
Pigeons,” 1765, and ‘“‘The Complete Pigeon Fancier,” ascribed to Girton, but
which was originally advertised as having been written by William Thompson ; and
“The Treatise on the Almond Tumbler,” published anonymously. From these
works the remaining treatises have been in the main compiled. Eaton’s Treatise
is confessedly a reprint of Moore and the Treatise on the Almond Tumbler,
with additional notes. The Rey. E. 5S. Dixon’s “ Dovecote and Aviary,” and
Mr. Selby’s ‘‘ Treatise on Pigeons,” in the ‘‘ Naturalist’s Library,” do not call for
special notice; but the Editor must not omit to acknowledge his obligations to
the yaluable fugitive articles contributed by the late Mr. B. P. Brent to the Field
and the Poultry Chronicle. It may be stated, that whatever information he has
taken from other writers has been in all cases acknowledged.

CONTENTS.

Chapter ag
I. THe SrructuRE aNd GENERAL CHARACTER OF PIGEONS 3
II. Tse Rock Dove . : 15
III. THe OricIn oF THE VARIETIES OF Renks 25
IV. Dove Cores anp Piceon Lorts 33
V. Tse EncuisH Povrer ; ; : 49
VI. Foreren Pourers ; IsaBeLs, BRUNNEN OR ae Roamans 71
VII. THe EnciisH CARRIER c 5 : 74
VIII. Toe Dracon o 5 80
IX. Hoxrxe Birps, or Les erereae OER oars cheating &e. 82
X. THe Comaon Tumsrer G : 6 : 102
XI. Tse SHort-racep TumMBLER 110
XII. Tse Lowran on Ground TuMBLERS oF ie Eerie Teeeras! &e. 127
XIII. Tse Bars 9 5 133
XIV. Tse Own 5 139
XV. Tue Torsit 142
XVI. THE Jacosine 145
XVII. Tae Fanta 150
XVIII. Tue TRUMPETER AND THE iecean 157
XIX. Nuns, Hetmers, anp Sports 161
XX. Tse ARcHANGEL : . 2 167
XXI. Geran Tors—Macprres, Scaprans, Priests 170
XXII. Tae Frxsrery, Samrer, anp Tcrxer 175
XXIII. Tue Lace, or Siuny, anp Friiupick PrcEons 177
XXIV. Tue Row. 179
XXV. Tue Laws RELATING TO EreOne 183
XXVI. Tue Diseases or Proecxs. 185
COLOURED ENGRAVINGS. ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD. a
ase
Tar Pourer ; 2 . Frontispiece. | Boxes anp FeaTHERsS oF THE WinG oF PicEoN 4
IsaBELS AND AUSTRIAN Pore BS to face page 71 | Srernuw anp Muscies oF THE WrxG uf
Buack CARRIER . 5 75 | Diczstrve OreaNs . 5 9
DraGgoxs anD ARCHANGELS 96) 81 | Area For Lorr, AND inarae Wines . 41 and 42
ANTWERPS AND SvaBIANs as 89 | Nestrxc Boxes anp Nest Pans . 48, 44, and 48
BEARDS AND BALpHEADS 111 | Martixe CacE 46
Buiack Morrrep Trmpiers . 113 | Povrer - 59
ALMoND TUMBLERS 121 | Heap or Carrier. 74
Bive Ow is anp Bangs oe 137 | PrcEeon Race 98
TURBITS AND JACOBINS a 5 5 35 145 | Heaps or BEARD AND Bane -HEAD Tumszens, 111, 112
FRIZLBACES AND Fantatms. 5 . ns 151 | Heap or Bars 133
Lerz anpD TRUMPETERS A 157 | Heap or Own 139
Noss anp SwaLtows. : oe 161 | Heap oF Jacosise F 145
Brivze Brunswicks anp Buack Priests "9 172 | Drserams or Fanrarn . 0 150, 154, and 155
Macrres axp Ice PicEons 3 5 + 174 | Heap or Hetwer 164
Royts AS 179 | FsatHer Lovse (Lipeurus aS) 187

INTRODUCTION.

HE Columbine birds, familiarly known as Pigeons and Doves, constitute a
very peculiar and well marked group of animals, interesting not only to the
scientific naturalist, on account of the great peculiarities of structure and habits
that they present to his notice, but also to more general observers, as one of
their number, the Rock Dove, Colwmba livia, has, from the remotest periods
of recorded time, passed into a state of domestication, and been subject to a
greater amount and number of variations than any other animal belonging to the
class of birds—variations so great, that did they exist in a state of nature,
they would not be regarded by ornithologists as characterizing varieties of one
species, but would be considered as belonging to birds of distinct genera, or
groups.

In the following treatise it is proposed to give, in the first instance, an account
of the structure, habits, and food of the wild original of our domestic breeds,
the knowledge of which will greatly aid the breeder in treating his birds in
a more natural and therefore more successful manner. The evidence which
proves all our varieties to have been derived from one and the same wild species
will next be considered.

Then will follow the consideration of the Pigeon as a domestic animal; this
portion of the work will include the characteristics of all the varieties, from the
semi-reclaimed Blue Rock of our dovecots, through the different races to the
most artificial high-class breeds, such as the Pouter, Short-faced Tumbler, and
Carrier ; and the practical management of the several varieties will be fully treated,
from the construction of a doyecot for Blue Rocks to the artificial arrangements
requisite for rearing the more delicate breeds with success.

The singular faculty exercised by the long distance homing birds will be
fully investigated, and accounts of the methods of training these pigeons that
are adopted, both in England and on the Continent, will be fully described.

PIGEONS.

CHAPTER I.
THE STRUCTURE AND GENERAL CHARACTER OF PIGEONS.

HE structure and habits of the family or group of pigeons are so peculiar

. and so strikingly distinct from those of any other birds, that they demand
special attention. The pigeons were formerly classed by the majority of natu-
ralists along with the gallinaceous birds, the true poultry, and by others with
the passerine or sparrow-like birds; but more accurate observation has rendered
evident the fact that they form a perfectly distinct family, distinguished from
all other birds by the singular manner in which their young are nourished.
Unlike the true gallinacee—which are hatched in a very perfect state and able
to follow the parent hen within a few hours after birth—the young pigeons
are born in a most immature and helpless condition, and are fed with a curdy
secretion, produced in the crops of the parents, the ‘‘ soft food” of the pigeon-
fancier. This is expressly produced at the period of hatching, for the support of
the callow young.

The following account of the formation of these birds applies more particularly
to the European species known as constituting the genus Columba, and has special
reference to the wild Blue Rock dove, Columba livia, the undoubted origin of
all our numerous domestic varieties.

Pigeons are usually birds of moderate size; their legs and feet are small com-
pared with those of the gallinaceous birds, that scratch the earth in seeking for
their food—a habit that is neyer followed by the doves.

Although slight in size, the legs and feet are very efficient organs of motion,
the birds being able to walk with considerable rapidity when traversing the ground
in search of food. The limbs are moved alternately, the pigeons never, when
seeking food, leaping with both feet together, like the sparrow and other birds of
the same. group, although, when advancing to his mate, the cock pigeon often
makes a kind of imperfect leap.

4 PIGEONS.

The chief organs of motion in the pigeon are the wings, which are very powerful
when compared with the size and strength of the birds. In form they are
long and pointed, differing essentially from the short rounded concave wings of
the ordinary gallinaceous birds.

The wings are well adapted to urge the bird through the air in its long-sustained
flight, which sometimes approaches a speed of three miles a minute, and has been
kept up for eight consecutive hours at an average speed of forty-five miles an hour.
The bones of the wing are shown in Figure I., where a represents the scapula

FIG. 1—BONES OF THE WING OF THE PIGEON.
a, Scapula or blade-bone ; 6 c. Humerus or arm-bone ; c d. Radius andulna, bones and fore-arm; g. Index finger;

g ef. Bones of hand.
or blade-bone, lying over the ribs on the back. To this is attached, by a movable
joint, the arm-bone or humerus, extending from b to ¢; then follows the fore-arm
or portion of the wing from ¢ to d, this is formed of two bones, the ulna and radius ;

FIG. U.—PRIMARY AND SECONDARY FEATHERS IN THE WING OF THE PIGEON,

from d to f are the bones which correspond with those of the human hand—the
small pointed bone g being the first finger. The second figure shows very clearly

Newel?
soensercoxe

THE STRUCTURE AND GENERAL CHARACTER OF PIGEONS. 5

the position of the different feathers of the wings with regard tothe joints of its
framework. Into that part of the wing formed of the bones of the hand, d to f,
are inserted the flight-feathers of the fancier, the primaries of the naturalist.
These are ten in number, the second being usually the longest, and the length
diminishing regularly from it to the tenth. In some of the more artificial varieties,
as the Short-faced Tumblers, the number of primaries is diminished to nine.

The secondaries are twelve in number, and take their rise from that part of the
wing, c to d, which corresponds to our fore-arm. In some birds a third set of
quill feathers, termed tertiaries, take their rise from the humerus b c, but these ~
are not conspicuous in the pigeons. In describing the feathers of the wing, the
bastard or spurious pinion e, attached to the rudimentary fore-finger g, must not
be overlooked.

It is impossible to conceive any mechanical contrivance working more smoothly
and effectively than the wing of a pigeon. When open each quill feather is sup-
ported by, and in its turn supports, those adjacent to it; and thus is formed a
concave under surface to strike the air in flight. In closing, each feather glides
smoothly over its fellows, and the whole wing shuts up in the smallest possible
compass, the primaries passing under the secondaries, so that only their ends are
exposed. In flight, the bird raises the extended wing, and then strikes it against
the air below with great force. The support of the bird in the air is due to the
circumstance that the downward stroke is made with much greater force than
that with which the wing is raised, and also to the form of the wing and the
curvature of the feathers. The mode in which the forward flight of the bird is secured
has been more correctly described by the Duke of Argyll, in his ‘“‘ Reign of Law,”
than by any other writer. His Grace writes :—

“© The power of forward motion is given to birds, first by the direction in which
the whole wing-feathers are set, and next by the structure given to each feather in
itself. The wing-feathers are all set backwards, that is, in the direction opposite
to that in which the bird moves, whilst each feather is at the same time so con-
structed as to be strong and rigid towards its base, and extremely flexible and
elastic towards its end. On the other hand the front of the wing, along the
greater part of its length, is a stiff hard edge, wholly unelastic and unyielding
to the air. The anterior and posterior webs of each feather are adjusted on the
same principle. The consequence of this disposition of the parts as a whole, and
of this construction of each of the parts, is, that the air which is struck and
compressed in the hollow of the wing, being unable to escape through the wing,
owing to the closing upwards of the feathers against each other, and being also
unable to escape forwards, owing to the rigidity of the bones and of the quills in
this direction, finds its easiest escape backwards. In passing backwards it lifts
by its force the elastic ends of the feathers; and thus, whilst effecting this escape,
in obedience to the law of action and reaction, it communicates, in its passage
along the whole line of both wings, a corresponding push forwards to the body of
the bird. By this elaborate mechanical contrivance the same volume of air is

6 PIGEONS.

made to perform the double duty of yielding pressure enough to sustain the
bird’s weight against the force of gravity, and also of communicating to it a
forward impulse. The bird, therefore, has nothing to do but to repeat with
the requisite velocity and strength its perpendicular blows upon the air, and by
virtue of the structure of its wings the same blow both sustains and propels it.

. The truth of this explanation of the mechanical theory of flight may be
tested in various ways. Perhaps the simplest is an experiment which may be
very easily made. If we take in the hand the stretched wing of a heron, which
has been dried in that position, and strike it quickly downwards in the air, we
shall find that it is very difficult indeed to maintain the perpendicular direction
of the stroke, requiring, in fact, much force to do so; and that if we do not apply
this force, the hand is carried irresistibly forward, from the impetus in that
direction which the air communicates to the wing in its escape backwards from
the blow.

“ Another test is one of reasoning and observation. If the explanation now
given be correct, it must follow that since no bird can flap its wings in any
other direction than the vertical—i.e., perpendicular to its own axis (which is
ordinarily horizontal)—and as this motion has been shown to produce necessarily
a forward motion, no bird can ever fly backwards. Accordingly no bird ever does
so—no man ever saw a bird, even for an instant, fly tail foremost. A bird can,
of course, allow itself to fall backwards by merely slowing the action of its wings
so as to allow its weight to overcome their sustaining power; and this motion
may sometimes give the appearance of flying backwards—as when a swift drops
backwards from the eaves of a house, or when a humming-bird allows itself to
drop in like manner from out of the large tubular petals of a flower. But this
backward motion is due to the action of gravity, and not to the action of the
bird’s wings. In short, it is falling, not flying backwards. Nay, more, if the
theory of flight here given be correct, it must equally follow that even standing
still, which is the easiest of all things to other animals, must be very dificult,
if not altogether impossible, to a bird when flying. This, also, is true in fact.
To stand still in the air is not indeed impossible to a flying bird, for reasons to
be presently explained, but it is one of the most difficult feats of wingmanship—
a feat which many birds, not otherwise clumsy, can never perform at all, and
which is performed only by special exertion, and generally for a very short
time, by those birds whose structure enables them to be adepts in their glorious
art.

“* Another fact observable in reference to birds of easy and powerful flight, is,
that their wings are all sharply pointed at the end.

‘“«The motion of a bird’s wing increases from its minimum at the shoulder-
joint to its maximum at the tip. The primary quills, which form the termination
of the wing, are those on which the chief burden of flight is cast. Each feather
has less and less weight to bear, and less and less force to exert, in proportion as
it lies nearer the body of the bird; and there is nothing more beautiful in the

THE STRUCTURE AND GENERAL CHARACTER OF PIGEONS. 7

structure of a wing than the perfect gradation in strength and stiffness, as well
as in modification of form, which marks the series from the first of the primary
quills to the last and feeblest of the tertiaries. Now, the sharpness or roundness
of a wing atthe tip depends on the position which is given to the longest primary
quill. If the first, or even the second primary is the longest, and all that follow
are considerably shorter, the wing is necessarily a pointed wing, because the tip
of a single quill forms the end; but if the third or fourth primary quills are the
longest, and the next again are very little shorter, the wing becomes a round-
ended wing. The common rook and all the crows are examples of this. The
peregrine falcon, the common swallow, and all birds of very powerful flight, have
been provided with the sharp-pointed structure.”

FIG. I11.—STERNUM OF THE PIGEON.

The mechanism by which the wing is moved has now to be described. _ It
consists of the mass of muscles on the front of the chest. The sternum, or
breast-bone of the pigeon, Figure III., has an exceedingly deep keel, a, serving for

FIG. 1V.—MUSCLES OF THE WING OF THE PIGEON.

the attachment of the powerful muscles which form the great mass of flesh on
the breast. These muscles, as shown in Figure IV., pass from the keel of the

2

8 PIGEONS.

breast-bone to the humerus, and, when they contract, pull down the wing with
extraordinary force. The muscles that raise the wing are not shown in this figure:
they are much slighter, and, consequently, act with much less force.

The annual change of the flight-feathers takes place in the autumn. The mode
in which this is arranged, so as not to interfere with the efficiency of the wing as
an organ of flight, is most admirable. The moulting of the wing commences with
the tenth or last flight-feather, or primary, and a new feather is produced so as to
supply its place. A few days before this attains its full length, the ninth primary
is shed, and subsequently the eighth, and so on to the first. The secondaries
are replaced in a similar manner, only that the process commences with the first
secondary and proceeds gradually to the twelfth. The effect of this arrangement
is, that the efficiency of the wing as a means of flight is never seriously interfered
with, as the loss of one feather at a time has no great effect in impairing the
action of the limb.

The feathers of the tail are usually twelve; but in some of the domestic
varieties the number is very greatly increased, occasionally to even three times
that amount. The use of the tail is to support the hinder part of the body during
flight. The tail, being held inclined obliquely downwards, presses, during the
forward flight, against an inclined plane of air, and thus tends to raise the hinder
part of the body—a support which is required, inasmuch as the wings are placed
at the fore part of the trunk, far in advance of the centre of gravity of the whole
body. The utility of the tail during flight is strikingly shown in the difference
with which a pigeon flies after it has lost its tail-feathers : the action of the wings is
much more rapid, the flight laboured in the extreme, and the bird so mutilated is
left behind by the other birds of the flock in their rapid flight. The statement
that the tail can be made to act like a rudder, in directing the course of flight,
is often made by compilers of works on natural history, and repeated even in a
work of as high authority as Owen’s ‘‘ Anatomy of Vertebrates.” It is, however,
entirely destitute of any foundation in fact. Birds turn, during flight, by striking
the air more forcibly with one wing than the other.

The general character of the plumage of the pigeons differs greatly from that of
the true poultry. The tube or quill of the body-feathers is generally short, and
the shaft increases considerably in size towards the middle of its length, and then
diminishes very rapidly towards the end. The whole of the feathers of the pigeon
are destitute of the small second feather or accessory plumule, which is found
growing at the top of the tube of the feathers of the true poultry birds. These
peculiarities of plumage are sufficiently strongly marked to render the recognition
of the feather of a pigeon certain to an observant naturalist.

The digestive organs in pigeons, Figure V., are strongly characterized by struc-
tural peculiarities distinct from those of other birds. The bill is small, slightly
curved, and covered at its base by the membrane of the nostrils, which is scurfy
and bare of feathers, the nostrils themselves being long and narrow. Contrary to
the arrangement that is found in most birds, the bony frame-work of the upper

THE STRUCTURE AND GENERAL CHARACTER OF PIGEONS. 9

mandible is much narrower than that of the lower.

This is most readily
observed in a dried

skull or in a very young nestling. This peculiarity of
structure is important, as it is intimately connected with the mode of nourish-
ment of the young bird. -

FIG. V.— DIGESTIVE ORGANS OF THE PIGEON.

a. Beak; bc. Gullet; de. Crop; fg. Proventriculus; l. Gizzard; hij k. Muscles of gizzard; mno pq. Intestines ;
r. Vent.

The gullet ¢ is wide and opens into a crop d e: this is equal on both sides, unlike.
that of the fowl. From the back part of the crop, a tube proceeds through the
opening at the fore part of the chest into the interior of the body; this enlarges
somewhat before reaching the gizzard, and is termed the proventriculus or fore
stomach ; it is furnished with glands which secrete the true gastric or digestive fluid.
The gizzard itself is strong and muscular, lined with a thick dense leathery cuticle,
and capable of grinding down the food with great rapidity, when aided by the
sharp-edged stones and grains of sand swallowed by the bird. The intestinal tube
which receives the ground food is upwards cf three feet in length, and is remark-

c

10 PIGEONS.

able as being destitute of the large intestines, the ececa, which form so large a
part of the digestive canal of the common fowl and of all other true gallinaceous
birds.

Nor is this the only respect in which the digestive organs of the pigeon differ
from those of birds in general; for there is no gall-bladder to receive the secretions
of the liver, which are poured at once into the intestinal canal.

Pigeons feed on vegetable substances, grain, pulse, the seeds of grasses, and also
on green vegetables. In a wild condition they devour a great number of the
smaller snails that frequent neighbourhoods of the sea-coast, their crops when shot
being often found to be partially filled with these small molluscous animals. The
bird when feeding fills the crop, which is a mere receptacle for food and water, with
the seeds and other substances it is collecting; these are soaked and macerated in
the moisture of the crop. Small portions at atime pass through the proventriculus,
where they are acted on by the digestive or gastric fluid, and passed on to the
gizzard, in which, by the action of its powerful muscles and the small stones it
contains, they are ground to pulp. In this condition the food passes on into the
intestines, where it is mixed with the bile and other secretions ; and the nutriment
for the support of the bird is absorbed as it passes along the canal.

The intestines of a pigeon are twice as long as those of a hawk of the same
size, the nourishment not being so readily extracted from vegetable as from
animal food. The canal is also much longer in comparison than that of a fowl,
in which the size of the coca compensates for its shortness. The mode of
drinking followed by pigeons is very characteristic; the beak is plunged deeply
into water, and a long draught taken. The quantity of water consumed by
these birds is very great—much more than would serve fowls of the same
size.

The pigeons usually lay two purely white eggs, in confinement sometimes only
one egg is laid, but never more than two, unless, from the absence of a sufficient
number of male birds, two hens pair and make a nest, when four eggs are laid,
which of course are sterile, and after being sat upon for the usual period are
deserted.

The young are usually covered with long yellow down, but in those do-
mesticated varieties that have certain colours this down is absent, as in the
silvery and dun birds. Thus it is easy to distinguish between a young dun
and a black in the same nest, the one being naked, the other covered with
profuse yellow down.

The young, which are hatched in a very helpless and immature condition, are
entirely fed at first with a soft curdy secretion, which is produced in the crops
of the parent birds at the end of the period of sitting.

This secretion of ‘‘ soft food,” as it is termed by pigeon-fanciers, cannot be
delayed ; consequently, if the young do not emerge from the eggs on the
eighteenth day, the old birds desert the nest, refusing to sit longer on the sterile
eggs. The production of the soft food, however. may be hastened a day or two.

THE STRUCTURE AND GENERAL CHARACTER OF PIGEONS. 11

If a pair of chipped or hatching eggs are put under a pair of birds that have been
sitting for sixteen days, their presence will always stimulate the secretion of the
soft food, and the young will be duly nourished. The formation of this curdy
secretion—true pigeon’s milk—is a very remarkable fact; it seems determined
“altogether by the process of sitting; it is produced equally in both parents,
though the hen sits for about twenty hours, and the cock usually for only four—
namely, from about ten or eleven in the morning to two or three in the afternoon.

To receive this nourishment the young thrusts its beak into the side of the
mouth of the old bird, in such a position that the soft food which is disgorged
from the crop of the parent, with a sort of convulsive shudder, is received into the
lower mandible or jaw, which is widely expanded in order to receive it. It is
singular that so simple an action as this should have been so greatly misrepre-
sented as it has been by many writers. Even so good an observer as Yarrell
described, in his ‘‘ British Birds,” the old pigeons as feeding the young by placing
their beaks in the mouths of the little ones, and overlooked altogether the
beautiful adaptation of the broad spoon-shaped lower jaw to the habits of the
animals.

As the young advance, the soft food lessens in quantity, and the grain and seeds
that constitute the nourishment of the parents become mingled with it; and
when about eight or ten days old the young are fed with disgorged grain and
seeds only, until such time as they are able to fly and seek their own nourishment.

The secretion of this curdy nutriment was first described in the ‘‘ Philosophical
Transactions” by the celebrated physiologist John Hunter, whose account of
the process is as follows :—

‘‘ There is infinite variety in the means by which nature provides for the
support of the young. In many insects it is effected by the female instinctively
depositing the egg, or whatever contains the rudiments of the animal, in such a
situation that, when hatched, it may be within reach of proper food; others, as the
humble bee, collect a quantity of peculiar substances which serves both as a nidus
for the egg and nourishment for the maggot, when the embryo arrives at that
state. Most birds, and many of the bee tribe, collect food for their young. There
is likewise a number of animals capable of supplying immediately from their own
bodies the nourishment proper for their offspring during this stage, a mode of
nourishment which has hitherto been supposed to be peculiar to that class of
animals which Linneus calls Mammalia ; nor has it, I imagine, been ever suspected
to belong to any other. ;

“‘T have, however, in many inquiries concerning the various modes in which
young animals are nourished, discovered that all the Dove kind are endowed with
similar power. The young pigeon, like the young quadruped, till it is capable of
digesting the common food of its kind, is fed with a substance suited for that
purpose by the parent: animal; not, as the Mammalia, by the female alone, but
also by the male, which, perhaps, furnishes this nutriment in a degree still more
abundant. It is a common property of birds, that both male and female are

12 PIGEONS.

equally employed in hatching and in feeding the young; but this particular mode
of nourishment, by means of a substance secreted in their own bodies, is peculiar
to certain kinds, and is carried in the crop.

“‘ Besides the Dove kind, I have some reason to suppose parrots to be endowed
with the same faculty, as they have the power of throwing up the contents of the
crop, and feeding one another. I have seen the cock parroquet regularly feed the
hen, by first filling his own crop, and then supplying her from his beak. Parrots,
Macaws, Cockatoos, &c., when they are very fond of the person who feeds them,
may likewise be observed to have the action of throwing up the food, and often
doit. The cock pigeon, when he caresses the hen, performs the same kind of
action as when he feeds his young; but Ido not knowif at this time he throws
up anything from the crop.

“‘ During incubation, the coats of the crop in the pigeon are gradually enlarged
and thickened, like what happens to the udder of females of class Mammalia in
the term of gestation. On comparing the state of the crop, when the bird is not
sitting, with its appearance during incubation, the difference is very remarkable.
In the first case, it is thin and membraneous ; but by the time the young are about
to be hatched, the whole, except what lies on the trachea, becomes thicker, and
takes on a glandular appearance, having its internal surface very irregular. It is
likewise evidently more vascular than in its former state, that it may convey a
quantity of blood sufficient for the secretion of the substance which is to nourish
the young for some days after they are hatched.

‘«« Whatever may be the consistence of this substance when just secreted, it must
probably very soon coagulate into a granular white curd, for in such form have
always found it in the crop; and if an old pigeon is killed just as the young ones
are hatching, the crop will be found as described, and in its cavity pieces of white
curd mixed with some of the common food of the pigeon, such as barley, beans, &c.

“Tf we allow certain of the parents to feed the brood, the crop of the young
pigeons, when examined, will be discovered to contain the same kind of curdled
substance as that of the old ones, which passes from them into the stomach,
where it is digested.

““The young pigeon is fed for a little time with this substance only, as about
the third day some of the common food is found mingled with it; as the pigeon
grows older the proportion of common food is increased ; so that it is seven, eight,
or nine days old, before the secretion of the curd ceases in the old ones, and of
course no more will be found in the crop of the young ones.

“‘T have called this substance curd, not being literally so, but resembling
that more than anything I know; it may, however, have a greater resemblance to
curd than we are perhaps aware of, for neither this secretion, nor curd from which
whey has been pressed, seems to contain any sugar, and does not run into the
acetous fermentation. The property of coagulating is confined to the substance
itself, as it produced no such effect when mixed with milk.

‘“* This secretion in the pigeon, like all other animal substances, becomes putrid

THE STRUCTURE AND GENERAL CHARACTER OF PIGEONS. 13

by standing, though not so readily as either blood or meat, it resisting putrefaction
for a considerable time ; neither will curd much pressed become putrid so soon as
either blood or meat.”

The young are fed until they have attained nearly their full size and perfect
plumage, so that they are capable of fluttering after their parents, and flapping
them with their wings until they disgorge the contents of their full crops into the
throats of their greedy young.

Four species of the genus Columba inhabit Great Britain. They are :—

1. The Cushat, which is also known as the Quest, Ring Dove, or common
Wood Pigeon, the Columba palumbus of ornithologists. This is the largest of our
native species, and is readily distinguished by the two white spots on the neck,
the white patch on the wings, and the reddish purple colour of the breast and
neck. The Cushat is an arboreal species, nesting and roosting in trees, and is not
found on the coasts or in rocky treeless districts. This species does not possess
the capability of being domesticated; even when eggs of the Cushat have been
obtained and hatched under domesticated pigeons, the birds so reared have always
betaken themselves to the woods on acquiring their full powers of flight.

2. The Rock Dove, or Blue Rock Dove, the Colwmba livia of scientific treatises.
This is distinguished from the other English species of a blue colour by its having
the lower half of the back white. This is the original of our domesticated breeds,
and is described at length in the following chapter.

3. The Blue-backed or Stock Dove, Columba dinas. This species was, until the
time of Brisson and Temminck,* confounded with the last named, and the title of
stock dove was bestowed upon it, as it was supposed to be the origin or wild stock
of our domestic breeds. This idea is now known to be erroneous, for the bird is
not capable of domestication. The Stock Dove usually breeds in the hollows of
decayed trees, sometimes in deserted rabbit burrows; and recently Mr. Harting
has ascertained that in some localities it makes its nest on the cliffs of the sea-
coast, in situations somewhat resembling those selected by the last species.

4. The Turtle Dove, Columba turtur, the smallest of our British species, is a
yery elegant little bird, of a greyish-brown colour, having on the neck two large
black spots, the feathers of which are tipped with white. The Turtle is too deli-
cate to withstand the rigours of our winter, and departs for warmer latitudes in
September.

In many of the treatises that have been published on pigeons, the existence of
another distinct species, the Dovehouse Pigeon, Colwmba affinis, has been men-
tioned; but there is no doubt that this is a mere variety of the Columba livia, and
that it has no title whatever to be regarded as a distinct species.

Another species of dove is well known in England, though not a native of
Britain—namely, the Collared Dove, Columba risoria—characterized by its pale
cream colour, which is only varied by a black ring or collar on the neck. This

* Histoire Naturelle Générale des Pigeons et des Gallinacés, par C. J. Temminck, 1813.

14 PIGEONS.

bird has been domesticated from very remote periods. By the ancients it was
sacred to Venus, and it was unquestionably the dove alluded to in the Old and
New Testaments. It breeds freely in confinement, even when in cages of moderate
size. Although a native of warm climates, it may be allowed its liberty in the
southern parts of England, and may occasionally be seen flying with domesticated
pigeons; but it is apt to be killed by the cold of very severe winters.

A purely white variety of this species, destitute of the black collar, is not
uncommon in confinement.

All these five species are perfectly distinct from each other; if a pair be matched,
the male being of any one of these species and the female of another, they will
not unfrequently breed, but the offspring are invariably sterile hybrids or mules.

CHAPTER II.

THE ROCK DOVE.

HE Blue Rock Dove, Colwmba livia, being the origin from whence all our

numerous domestic varieties have sprung, demands at our hands a full descrip-
tion of its structure, markings, and habits. It is not the good fortune of many
naturalists to have had similar opportunities of observing this beautiful bird in its
feral condition to those that fell to the lot of that ardent ornithologist Macgillivray.
As his description of the Rock Dove is unquestionably the best that has ever
appeared, we shall freely avail ourselves of it in this chapter, and this the more
readily as the admirable work from which we extract, ‘‘The History of British
Birds,” has been long out of print.

«©The Rock Dove,” writes Macgillivray, ‘‘is a very beautiful bird, although its
style of colouring is less gaudy than that of many foreign species. It is of a
compact form, the body being rather full, the neck rather short, the head small,
the feet short and strong, the wings rather long, the tail of moderate length.

‘The bill is short, slender, and straight; the nasal membrane scurfy, the
outline of the upper mandible straight for half its length, then arched and turned
down ; the edges soft at the base, the tip compressed, with the edges inflected ; the
lower mandible weak at the base, its sides nearly erect, the edges towards the end
sharp, and the tip obtuse. Both mandibles are deeply concave internally. The mouth
is only four-twelfths of an inch across. The tongue is very slender, seven and
a half-twelfths in length, emarginate at the base, horny towards the end, and
pointed.

«‘The eyes are rather small; the eyelids bare, and haying in their vicinity a
bare space of considerable extent. The nostrils are linear, wider anteriorly, two
and a half-twelfths long. The aperture of the ear is roundish or obliquely oblong,
a line and a half in diameter.

«The tarsi, which are very short, and feathered anteriorly one-third down, have
five entire and two lower divided scales, their hind part soft, without scales, but
seurfy. The first toe has six, the second eight, the third fourteen, the fourth
eleyen scales. The claws are arched in the third of a circle, compressed, rather
sharp.

“The plumage is generally compact and short; on the abdomen downy and
blended. The feathers are mostly ovate and rounded ; those of the lower part of
the neck all round haye their filaments flattened and shining. The wings are
rather long and pointed; the primaries, or first ten flight feathers, are tapering;

16 PIGEONS.

the second is the longest, the first almost equal in length, the third considerably
shorter ; the secondaries are twelve in number, short, and end obliquely. The
tailis straight, slightly rounded, the feathers broad and abruptly rounded.

“* The horny part of the bill is brownish-black. The iris of the eye is bright
yellowish-red ; the bare space around the eye flesh-coloured. The tarsi and toes
are carmine-purple ; the claws dark greyish-brown or black.

“The general colour of the plumage is light greyish-blue, the lower parts
being as deeply coloured as the upper. The middle of the neck all round is
splendent with green, its lower part with purplish-red. The lower part of the
back and the upper part of the sides, from near the shoulders to near the tail, are
pure white, as are the lower wing-coverts and axillaries. The primaries and their
coverts are brownish-grey on the outer web, the former dusky towards the end,
as are the outer secondaries. There are two broad bars of black on the wing,
one extending over the six inner secondary quills, the other over the secondary
coverts, the outer two excepted. The tail has a broad terminal band of black,
and the outer web of each lateral feather is white. The downy part of the
feathers is greyish-white, excepting on the white part of the back, where it is pure
white.

‘‘ Length to end of tail 14 inches; to end of wings when closed 123; extent of
wings 27; wing from flexure 93; tail 5; bill along the back 12, along the edge
of lower mandible 1; tarsus 1-2; first toe 4, its claw 45; second toe 19, its
claw 3; third toe 1-3, its claw 53 twelfths; fourth toe 14, its claw 43 twelfths.

«The only external differences which the female presents consist of her being
a little smaller, and having the shining colours on the neck less extended.

“Length to end of tail 13} inches ; extent of wings 26} ; wing from flexure 93;
tail 43; bill along the back 19, along the edge of lower mandible 1; tarsus 1,35;
first toe 3, its claw 74,; second toe 49, its claw 54; third toe 1,4, its claw 5}
twelfths; fourth toe }4, its claw 43 twelfths.

«* Among the vast numbers of undoubtedly wild birds of this species which I have
seen, I have not observed any remarkable variations of form or colour. The dark-
coloured, purple, and white individuals, which are occasionally seen consorting
with the wild doves, or residing in maritime caves or rocks, are in all probability
domestic birds that have betaken themselves to the original mode of life of the
species. As the moulting season approaches, the blue tint becomes much paler,
especially on the wings. The outer primary quills are often tinged with brown,
in consequence of the bird’s striking the ground with its wings when commencing
its flight; and the bill is frequently more or less crusted with earth or mud.
Individuals vary in length from 13 to 14 inches, and in the extent of their wings
from 24 to 27.

«* At the western extremity of Ben Capval, a promontory of one of the remote
Hebrides, is a vast mass of rock, broken by gaps and fissures into projecting crags
and sloping shelves, and looking as if originally produced by the separation of a
portion of the mountain which had sunk into the depths of the ocean that heaves

THE ROCK DOVE. 17

its billows against the rugged shores. At the summit is an ageregation of angular
fragments, the termination of an elevated ridge, and midway down is a green
slope, horizontally traversed by several paths formed by the sheep, which at all
seasons, but especially in spring, are fond of rambling among the crags, in search
of fresh pasturage. The declivity terminates on the sinuous and angular edge of
precipices several hundred feet in height, near the upper part of which a pair of
White-tailed Eagles have fixed their abode, while the crevices are here and there
peopled by starlings. The shelves of those rocks are totally inaccessible by
ordinary means, although an adventurous shepherd or farmer sometimes descends
on arope held by half-a-dozen people above, to destroy an eagle’s nest, or rescue
a sheep which has leaped upon some grassy spot, and is unable to reascend; but
on one side, by a steep and slippery descent in a fissure, one may penetrate to the
base, where he discovers a hole in the rock barely large enough to admit him on
his hands and knees. This hole is the entrance of a narrow passage in a crevice
roofed with fallen blocks. On one hand is a recess, in which a person might
recline at full length, and which was actually employed as a bed by Mr. Macleod,
of Berneray, after the battle of Culloden; and a few yards farther, the crevice opens
into an irregular cave communicating seaward with the open air, and formed by a
rent in the rock, filled above with large blocks that seem ready to fall. The heavy
surges of the Atlantic continually dash against a heap of stones, which partially
block up the mouth of the cave. On this heap the Crested Cormorants nightly
repose, and in summer rear their young. The little shelves and angular recesses
of the roof and upper parts of the cavern are tenanted by pigeons, the light blue
of whose plumage has a beautiful appearance, relieved as they are by the dark
ground of the moist rocks, and the soft murmur of whose notes comes upon the
ear with a pleasing though melancholy effect. There, and in other places of
a similar nature, have I watched these beautiful birds, until I rendered myself
in some measure familiar with their habits; and amid such wild and desolate
scenes have I loved to wander and indulge in the not less wild imaginings of
a spirit that desired to hold converse with the unseen but ever present Spirit of
the universe.

«* At early dawn the pigeons may be seen issuing from these retreats in strageling
parties, which soon take a determinate direction, and meeting with others by the
way, proceed in a loose body along the shores until they reach the cultivated parts
of the country, where they settle in large flocks, diligently seeking for grains of
barley and oats, pods of the charlock, seeds of the wild mustard, polygona, and
other plants, together with several species of small shell-snails, especially Helix
ericetorum and Bulimus acutus, which abound in the sandy pastures. When they
haye young, they necessarily make several trips in the course of the day; but
from the end of autumn to the beginning of summer they continue all day in the
fields. In winter they collect into flocks, sometimes composed of several hundred
individuals ; and, as at this season they are anxious to make the best use of the
short period of daylight, they may easily be approached by a person acquainted

D

18 PIGEONS.

with the useful art of creeping and skulking. In general, however, they are rather
shy, and very seldom allow a person to advance openly within sixty or seventy
yards. {t is not uncommon to kill four or five at a shot; and on this subject I
have heard many marvellous tales in the Hebrides; but as I intend to confine my
relation to my own experience, I can only state that, during a snow-storm, when
the pigeons had assembled in a corn-yard remote from houses, I once killed
twenty-three at three successive shots; that is, nine for the first, eight for the
next, and six for the third. Two or three wounded made their escape to the rocks
in the immediate neighbourhood.

**The manners of the Rock Doves are similar to those of our domestic pigeons,
which are evidently descended from individuals of this species. ‘When searching
for food, they walk about with great celerity, moving the head backwards and
forwards at each step, the tail sloping towards the ground, and the tips of the
wings tucked up over it. In windy weather they usually move in a direction more
or less opposite to the blast, and keep their body nearer to the ground than when
it is calm, the whole flock going together. When startled, they rise suddenly,
and by striking the ground with their wings, produce a crackling noise. When at
full speed they fly with great celerity, the air whistling against their pinions.
Their flight is very similar to that of the Ringed and Golden Plovers, birds which
in form approach yery nearly to the pigeons, as may be seen more especially on
comparing their skeletons. They usually alight abruptly when the place is open
and clear, and, if very hungry, immediately commence their search; although on
alighting they frequently stand and look around them for a few moments. On
other occasions, however, they fly over the field in circles, descending gradually.
When flying from the rocks to the places where they procure their food, and
when returning in the evening, they do not mount high in the air; and when
passing over an eminence they fly so low as almost to touch it. When the
wind is very high, and their course is against it, they fly in the same manner,
taking advantage of the shelter. It used to afford me much pleasure, and
probably would be interesting to most people, to observe, from one of the wild
headlands of Harris, the pigeons flying swiftly and silently towards their homes,
along the cliffs, while every now and then a string of cormorants, gannets, or
guillemots would come up, and a straggling flock of gulls pursue their route in a
desultory manner.

“The notes of the Rock Dove resemble the syllables coo-roo-coo quickly
repeated, the last prolonged. Its nuptials are celebrated with much cooing and
circumambulation on the part of the male. A love-scene among the rocks is
really an interesting sight. Concealed in a crevice or behind a projecting cliff,
you see a pigeon alight beside you, and stand quietly for some time, when the
whistling of pinions is heard, and the male bird shoots past like an arrow, and is
already beside his mate. Scarcely has he made a rapid survey of the place, when,
directing his attention to the only beautiful object which he sees, he approaches
her, erecting his head, swelling out his breast by inflating his crop, and spreading

THE ROCK DOVE. 19

his tail, at the same time uttering the well-known coo-700-coo, the soft and some-
what mournful sounds of which echo among the cliffs. The female, shy and
timorous, sits close to the rock, shifting her position a little as the male advances,
and sometimes stretching out her neck, as if to repel him by blows. The male
continues his strutting and cooing, until the female, inadvertently coming upon
the edge of the shelf, flies off to the dark recesses of the neighbouring cave, where
she has scarcely alighted when her lover is again by her side.

«* Matters go on in this manner, and in the meantime a nest is gradually
formed, which consists of withered stalks and blades of grass or other plants, not
very neatly arranged, but disposed so as to answer the intended purpose. Two
beautiful white eges, of an elliptical form, one an inch and four-twelfths in length,
an inch and one-twelfth in breadth, the other a little shorter, are then deposited,
and in due time the young make their appearance. In about three weeks the
young come abroad, and after being fed and instructed by their parents for some
days, are left to shift for themselves.

«* The old birds soon repair their nest, and rear another brood. I cannot speak
with certainty as to the precise number of broods raised in the course of a season,
but I know that there are at least two. The first eggs are laid about the middle of
April, and the latest young are seen about the end of September. It appears to
me probable, from circumstances which have come under my observation, that the
same nest is used for different broods; and it is commonly believed, and not
improbable, that these birds pair for life. The young are fed by their parents,
who, applying their open mouth to that of the nestling, the mandibles of which
enter the pharynx, force up the food from their crop, so as to be within reach of
the bill of the young, which all the while flaps its wings, and utters a low cheep-
ing note, indicative of its eagerness to have its wants supplied.

«* There can be no reasonable doubt that the Rock Doye is the original of our
domestic pigeons, in fact the true Stock Dove, although that name has been given
to another species. Individuals of the domesticated race which cannot be distin-
guished from those of the wild, are of common occurrence; and, however highly
varieties may be prized, the blue, white-backed race is-certainly the most beautiful.
I have seen in the Hebrides a few house-pigeons which had deserted and lived
among the wild doves. In various places along the east coast of Scotland, as
at-the Cove, near Aberdeen, at Dunottar Castle, near Stonehaven, and the Bass
Rock, in the Firth of Forth, I have observed wild pigeons among the rocks.
Some of them presented the pure unvarying tints of the Rock Dove, while others
were of different shades of blue or purple. These were in all probability domestic
pigeons that had run wild, and their descendants. The best places for studying
the habits of the species, or for procuring specimens, are the islands of Lewis,
Harris, Uist, Barray, Skye, the northern coasts of Scotland, the Shetland and
Orkney Islands.

“The boys in the Outer Hebrides often attempt to rear young doves, but their
eares are seldom continued long enough. They introduce the food, dry barley

20 PIGEONS.

grain, by the side of the mouth, which occasions inflammation and swelling of
the basal margins of the mandibles. When a boy, I had a young Rock Dove,
which I fed for some time in this manner, until the bill became tumid and sore,
when, in consequence of advice from a friend, I took a mouthful of barley and
water, and introduced the pigeon’s bill, when the bird soon satisfied itself, flapping
its wings gently and uttering a low cry all the while. It grew up vigorously, shed
the yellow down-tips of its feathers, and began to fly about. Towards the middle
of autumn it renewed its plumage, and assumed the bright and beautiful tints
of the adult male. Whenever I escaped from the detested pages of Virgil and
Horace, the pigeon was sure to fly to me, and sometimes alighted on my head or
shoulder, directing its bill towards my mouth, and flapping its wings. Nor did it
ever fly off with the wild pigeons, which almost every day fed near the house,
although it had no companions of its own species. At length some fatal whim
induced it to make an excursion to a village about a mile distant, when it alighted
on the roof of a hut, and the boys pelted it dead with stones. Long and true
was my sorrow for my lost companion, the remembrance of which will probably
continue as long as life. I have since mourned the loss of a far dearer dove.
They were gentle and lovely beings; but while the one has been blended with the
elements, the other remains ‘hid with Christ in God,’ and for it I ‘mourn not
as those who have no hope.’

“‘The young, which at first are covered with loose yellow down, are when
fledged of the same colour as the old birds, the head and neck, however, being of a
dull purplish-blue, without the bright green and purple tints of the old, and the
wings tinged with brown. At the first moult, they acquire their full colouring,
only that a little brown remains on the edge of the wings.

*« They are easily tamed when taken young; yet it is said that when not par-
ticularly attended to, and supplied with abundance of food, they are more apt to
fly away and join the flocks of their own species, than the common tame pigeon.
They are seen in large flocks in the winter and spring months, when they frequent
barn-yards much for food, especially when the ground is covered with snow. I
have also seen them in large groups in the harvest-time, when that happened late
in the year.

“The crops of three obtained from Shetland were examined and found to be
completely filled, up to the throat; that of the first with a mixture of barley
and oats of the same species as mentioned above, namely, bear and the small oat,
with a considerable number of what appeared to be eggs of snails or Helices, being
globular, dusky, a twelfth of an inch in diameter, their envelope membranous, and
their contents a whitish fiuid of the consistency of pus; along with these sub-
stances were fragments of pods of Raphanus Raphanistrum. The crop of the
second was crammed with oats, among which were a few seeds, apparently of
polygona, and fragments of charlock pods. That of the third contained oat-seeds
exclusively. In the gizzards were numerous fragments of quartz, generally white,
but some tinged with chlorite, and a few of felspar and either gneiss or granite.

THE ROCK DOVE. 91

They were for the most part highly polished, and did not exceed two-twelfths of an
inch in diameter. :

** The number of oat-seeds in the crop of the second amounted to 1,000 and
odds, and the barley-seeds in that of the other female were 510. Now, sup-
posing there may be five thousand wild pigeons in Shetland, or in Fetlar, which
feed on grain for six months every year, and fill their crops once a day, half of
them with barley, and half with oats, the number of seeds picked up by them
would be 229,500,000 grains of barley, and 450,000,000 grains of oats ;—a
quantity which would gladden many poor families in a season of scarcity. I am
unable to estimate the number of bushels, and must leave the task to the curious.
What is the number of pigeons, wild and tame, in Britain; and how much grain
do they pick from the fields and corn-yards? It is probable that were the quantity
of seeds of the cereal plants, which all the granivorous birds in the country devour
annually, accurately known, it would prove much higher than could be imagined ;
yet by far the greater part could be of no use to man, were all the birds destroyed,
it being irrecoverably dispersed over the fields.”

Writing from Iona, Mr. Henry D. Graham states :—

“The Wood Pigeon (Columba paluwmbus) is unknown upon our rocky woodless
shores, but its absence is compensated for by great numbers of a smaller species—
the Rock Dove.

** The granite cliffs on the south of Mull, the basaltic crags of Staffa, and lofty
precipices of trap rock upon the adjacent islands, are all perforated by innumerable
caverns of every imaginable size and shape ; from the well-known majestic hall of
Fingal, resounding with the sullen booming of ever-rolling waves, down to the
little fairy grotto, whose cool white shell-sand is scarce dimpled by the sparkling
ripples of the sheltered sea. Some of these caves are grand, and of lofty dimen-
sions, with no floor but the deep blue water which heaves to and fro through their
huge frowning portals; others are romantic and picturesque, their rocks covered
with many-coloured lichens, and their dark apertures fringed with shaggy heather
and ivy, amongst which is browsing a wild mountain goat, with huge horns and.
beard. But many more of these caverns are horribly gloomy and forbidding—
deep black dens, extending far beyond the reach of the light of day, stretching
into the very bowels of the adamantine cliff: the air smells dank and foul, and
the walls are dripping with unwholesome slime. It is dangerous to explore them
further without striking a light, as you may meet deep holes and black pools
of water; and it is not unlikely but you may see the twinkling eyes of an
otter peeping out through the gloom. These caves generally have legends
attached to them, such as of fugitive clansmen hiding from the pursuit of
the avenger of blood; of wholesale deeds of murder, or of wild scenes of
diablerie; and the names of the Cave of Death, the Pit of Slaughter, and
the Hobgoblivs Den, are often met with, and human bones actually are often
discovered in them.

92 PIGEONS.

“These haunts of bygone murderers, smugglers, and outlaws are now only
tenanted by Rock Doves, the emblems of innocence. They may be seen perpetually
flitting in and out, some parties going off to feed, others returning to rest; a few
birds sitting about the entrance, pluming themselves in the sunshine, or quietly
dozing upon a sheltered ledge of rock. Upon a near approach, the cooing of the
old birds may be heard, together with the querulous peep-peeping of the young
demanding food, and the occasional stir of wings; but upon any alarm being
given, the voices are immediately silenced, the clang and whir of wings reverbe-
rate from the profundity of the cave, and out pours a long stream of downy
bosoms and silver wings, which swiftly skim along the surface of the sea, and
disappear round the next headland. -In Iona alone (though but a small island),
we haye as many as nine or ten caves frequented by pigeons; and in nearly every
island of the Hebrides, there is sure to be one cave called, par excellence, ‘ Ua’
Caloman,’ the Pigeon Caye.

“‘T believe this dove is only found upon the coast, though I am not aware
what attraction the sea-shore has for it ; certainly, with us, it exclusively inhabits
the sea-caves, and never goes far inland. In the winter I have once or twice seen
them sitting upon the rocks at low water, but I hardly think they were looking
for food. They feed upon land snails—some small species which at certain times
is found in considerable variety and vast abundance, spread over the low sandy
pastures which skirt the sea. The stubbles, the newly-sown fields, and the stack-
yards, are their principal resorts for food, and their crops are invariably to be
found well distended with grain, though in winter it is difficult to account for
their getting such good supplies, after the stubbles are picked clean, and the
stack-yards cleared. They must sometimes go great distances for their daily
food ; those which inhabit the small islands must, of course, always come to the
mainland for the supply of grain—some a great distance. When a large flock
is suddenly raised while feeding in a corn-field, after wheeling up in the air, it
breaks up into smaller parties, which dart off in various directions for their
homes; some across the seas, others to the nearer caves.

«They seem to be migratory, to a certain extent in quest of food, at seed-time
and harvest, if, as is often the case, the island crops are a little earlier than those
on the mainland; then our fields are covered with those petty plunderers, and
at night the caves are filled with roosting birds, which remain about the island as
long as food is very plentiful, and then decamp. I think, however, that individual
birds are a good deal in the habit of frequenting the same localities, and roosting.
in the same cave, until driven off by some cause. I have watched marked birds
doing so; especially last summer I was. observing a large white male pigeon,
which had evidently escaped from the cote: he took to himself a little wild mate,
and reared a brood in one of the caves. I made a duty of destroying his family,
which was easily done, as they were marked birds; but he himself, though of
such a conspicuous colour, always contrived to escape. He became very wary,
from being pursued, and I remarked that he always frequented the same cave, till

THE ROCK DOVE. 93

he received a random shot, after which I lost sight of him for a considerable
time; but I found him at last, located upon the other side of the island, where he
remained till his death.

‘The Rock Dove’s nest is made up of small sticks or heather, or dried sca»
weed, and is lined with dried grass: the situation selected is any little ledge or
cleft within the sheltering bosom of a rocky cavern. The eggs are two in number,
generally producing male and female birds. The time for commencing their
nestling seems rather variable: this year I found some young ones already hatched
on the 2nd of April, while other pairs were only erecting their nests. They have
several broods in the year, and their eggs may be found unhatched as late as
September.

“Tt is rather a timid bird if often shot at, but is by no means a shy or
wary bird: in the fields the feeding flocks may often be openly approached, or the
most barefaced attempts at stalking them will succeed. In the breeding season
the hen will sit on the nest till approached, and never deserts it, though often
disturbed, and her nest and eggs handled. She does not seek for inaccessible
ledges to build her nest on, but takes any spot which offers, sometimes even the
very floor of the cave. If her eggs are taken out, she will probably replace them ;
and if her young are taken when half-fledged, she seems glad to get them so soon
off her hands, and at once prepares for rearing her second brood. The young
birds instantly become quite tame, and reconciled to hand feeding; indeed, as
they grow up, their impertinent boldness becomes rather troublesome. They
readily take to the dovecot, and pair with the tame pigeons; even with fancy
breeds, such as Fantails, etc. If a pair of real wild ones breed in confinement,
their progeny at once show signs of diverging in colour from the natural uniform
of their wild ancestry; the young birds are of a dark'slate-colour in their first
plumage, though they have the same markings as the adult birds. The male
is recognized from his mate by a slight superiority of size, and more lustrous
plumage.

“Tn a gastronomic point of view, these pigeons are one of the most valuable
kind of birds which frequent our coasts. They are nearly always fat and in good
condition, are numerous and always to be procured; besides, being fed constantly
upon our barley and oats, one can feel no compunction in levying a tribute upon
them in return.

«They are easiest shot while feeding abroad in the fields: at the caves, a
shout will cause them to fly out, but with such suddenness and swiftness, that
it requires something of a pigeon-shooter’s knack to succeed in hitting them
quick enough. An indifferent shot (after knocking over one or two which may be
incautiously napping upon the outer ledges) had better conceal himself either in
the caye or in a good position above it: in a short time the bird is sure to come
darting swiftly for its accustomed haunts, but upon catching a glimpse of a
lurking foe, he stops his rapid career, flutters his pinions for a moment, uncertain
what to do; that momentary indecision is fatal—down he falls !—while a roar

24 PIGEONS,

of a volcano bellows along the vaulted roof, and the cave is filled with wreaths of

sulphureous smoke.
“Writing from Iona, I must not conclude without reminding you of the name

of our patron saint, St. Columba, the Dove that first brought to this land the

olive branch of mercy.”

CHAPTER III.
THE ORIGIN OF THE VARIETIES OF PIGEONS.

AVING treated at length of the structure and habits of the Rock Dove, it is
now desirable to enter upon the consideration of the production of the
numerous varieties of Pigeons that are known to naturalists and fanciers, and
which are regarded by all who have carefully studied the subject as being descended
from the one wild species which has been so fully described in the last chapter.

The Rock Dove is one of those animals that is capable of being domesticated by
man. The opinion that the majority of animals could be domesticated is one that
is very generally prevalent, but has no foundation whatever in fact. For example,
if a pair of eggs from the nest of a wild Blue Rock are placed under a domestic
pigeon that has been sitting the same length of time as the birds from which the
eggs were taken, the latter will produce a pair of Blue Rocks, that will become
domesticated, being attached to their domus, or home.

On the other hand, if a pair of eggs from the Stock Dove (Columba e@nas), or the
Ring Dove (Columba palumbus), be treated in a precisely similar manner, the birds
so produced will not become domesticated. There is precisely the same difference
between the fowl and the pheasant. The former is so attached to its home that
the return of the brood at night has given rise to the proverb that ‘‘ Curses, like
chickens, always come home to roost.” The pheasants, on the other hand, may
have been tame-bred for twenty generations, and yet are no nearer true domestica-
tion than their wild progenitors.

The ease with which the Rock Dove is domesticated may be gathered from the
anecdote so exquisitely told by Macgillivray in the last chapter (page 20). This
capability of perfect domestication is one of the conditions necessary to the produc-
tion of distinct and numerous varieties.

Tt is well known that all animals, even those living in perfectly natural condi-
tions, are subject to certain variations, such as those of colour, form, size, &c.
Thus we have not unfrequent examples of white moles, blackbirds, and other
animals; and changes of form and size are equally common.

Tn birds as extensively distributed as the Rock Dove (Columba liwia), slight local
or geographical variations constantly occur. Thus, in India, all the wild Blue Rocks
have ash-coloured feathers over the rump, whereas the European birds have, as is
well known, white rumps; and, as is well known to most fanciers, this white rump
is one of the most difficult points to ‘“‘ breed out” in any of our Blue varieties ;
whereas the Blue breeds derived from the Indian birds have, as might be expected,

E

26 PIGEONS.

blue rumps. The exact character of this local variety is so well described by
Jerdon, in his valuable and accurate work on the ‘“‘ Birds of India,” that we have
much pleasure in quoting the account. He writes :—

““The common Blue Pigeon differs from the Columba livia of Europe only in
having an ash-coloured instead of a pure white rump. This, however, appears to
be constant, and as Blyth remarks, is also always observable in domesticated
varieties in this country (India), when these assume the normal colouring.

“The Blue Pigeon of India is one of the most common and abundant birds
throughout the country, congregating in large flocks, and breeding wherever they
can find suitable spots. They are most partial to large buildings, such as churches,
pagodas, mosques, tombs, and the like ; frequently entering verandahs of inhabited
houses, and building in the cornices. Holes in walls of cities or towns, too, are
favourite places; and in some parts of the country they prefer holes in wells,
especially, I think, in the West of India, the Deccan, &e. In default of such spots,
they will breed in crevices and cavities of rocks, caverns and sea-side cliffs; and I
have often noticed that they are particularly partial to rocky cliffs by waterfalls.
The celebrated falls of Gaiss-oppa are tenanted by thousands of Blue Pigeons,
which here associate with the large Alpine Swift. It is more rare in forest
countries generally than in the open country. It extends from Ceylon throughout
India to the Himalayas, and also to Assam, Sylhet, and Burmah. It is doubtful
if it occurs in Affghanistan, or in other parts of Central Asia. These pigeons are
' held in favour by most natives, and almost venerated by some; and if they build
in the house of a native, he considers it a most fortunate omen.

«They are, however, very destructive to grain, assembling in vast flocks in the
cold weather, and, in general, the natives do not object to their being shot. They
are undoubtedly the origin of most of the domestic pigeons of India.”

Another local variety exists in the South of England, a third in Italy, a fourth
in Africa. These all vary slightly in their markings; thus, the English variety
has a chequered instead of a pure blue wing. These were formerly regarded by
some naturalists as distinct species, but are now universally regarded as mere
local variations. As the authority of the eminent naturalist, Mr. Blyth, has been
quoted by Dixon and others in support of the view that these races constitute dis-
tinct species, we have much pleasure in reproducing a short extract from the
proceedings of the Dublin Natural History Society for 1866, in which Mr. Blyth
stated :— ;

«¢ With regard to the Spotted Pigeon, occurring in the South of England, which he
had been the first to distinguish as a particular race, by the name Columba afinis,
he had now been long aware that it was no other than the common dovecote race,
which was bred in multitudes, to be turned out at pigeon matches. There are
many local races, or sub-species, each of which occupies its own area upon the
earth’s surface: thus there is a Columba turretum (so called) in Italy, and a
Columba intermedia in India, and the Indo-Chinese countries, the common Blue
Pigeon of that region, which barely differs from the European Columba lia,

THE ORIGIN OF THE VARIETIES OF PIGEONS. 27

except in constantly wanting the white above the tail. He had watched great
flocks of these birds, as especially those crowding about the many suitable nooks
of the great mosque of Aurungzebe, at Benares, looking down upon them from
the top of one of the two famous lofty minarets of that edifice, and had observed
in them no variation of colour; but this race particularly frequents large buildings
equally with rocky precipices, whether inland or by the sea-side, as also old ruinous
walls ; and in parts of the country where such do not occur, it breeds abundantly
far down the shafts of deep wells; and in towns and villages it merges insensibly
into domesticity; and among the more or less domesticated individuals are very
many that exhibit the spotted wing of the (so called) Columba affinis. He would,
moreover, remark that among the domestic pigeons.of India, it is as rare to see the
white rump as is the reverse in Europe. In Middle Asia another cognate race
exists in the Columba rupestris of Pallas, which occurs in Thibet and in the
British province of Kemaon. High upon the Himalayas there is the Colwmba
leuwconota, which is another true rock pigeon, though differing more from the rest
in plumage; and in Abyssinia, again, there is a peculiar corresponding race of
Blue Pigeon, which is denominated Columba schimperi; as in Senegal there is
even another, denominated Colwmba gymnocyclos, by Mr. G. R. Gray. The
decided use of applying names to such distinguishable geographical races was,
that each of them could thus be severally and definitively referred to by its special
designation. This was a practical advantage, wholly irrespective of the zoological
yalue to be attached to such appellation, about which there would of course be
difference of opinion. The whole of the races mentioned, Mr. Blyth fully
believed, would intermingle in domesticity, and produce completely fertile hybrids,
or, should he not rather call them sub-hybrids.”

There can be no doubt, as Mr. Blyth surmises, that all these races will inter-
mingle with the greatest readiness, and produce perfectly fertile progeny, which
can only be regarded as mongrels between different varieties or breeds, and not as
hybrids between two distinct species.

Variations, however, of a much more striking character, not unfrequently occur
in single cases of wild birds ;~but when they take place in a state of nature, they
are not very likely to be propagated, inasmuch as a bird with any variation of
plumage or form will almost of necessity mate with one of the ordinary character,
the offspring again do the same, so that in a very few generations all trace of
any singular variation is apt to be lost.

In a state of domesticity, however, any singular variation would be noticed, and,
by careful selection of breeding stock, would be perpetuated, and even increased.
In this manner all the different breeds have been produced. Some Indian fanciers
in distant ages (for pigeons have been kept as domestic pets many hundreds of years
in India), observing that certain pigeons were produced with extra feathers in the
tails, mated them together, and again selecting those of the offspring that showed
the desired characters, succeeded eventually in producing the Fantail. Some short
time since a pigeon was forwarded to the writer, with a second or supplementary

28 PIGEONS.

tail, consisting of three quill feathers, growing out between the shoulders. Unfor-
tunately, the bird had been shot, otherwise there would have been but little
difficulty in establishing a race of two-tailed Pigeons from this singular variation.
It is needless to go through all the varieties in succession, for the same principle
applies to the production of each. The recurved feathers of the Jacobin and other
breeds, the long beak of the Carrier, the length of plumage and limb in the
Pouter, &c., &c., all owe their origin to natural variations which have been per-
petuated and intensified by the careful selection exercised by the breeders through
many successive generations.

We know that this view is widely opposed to the general ideas of persons who
have not very carefully studied the subject, and would therefore call attention to
the following passage from ‘‘ The Origin of Species,’ by Mr. Charles Darwin, in
which the facts bearing on this question are very fully stated :—

“Great as the differences are between the breeds of pigeons, I am fully con-
vinced that the common opinion of naturalists is correct, namely, that all have
descended from the Rock Pigeon (Columba liwia), including, under this term,
several geographical races or sub-species, which differ from each other in the
most trifling respects. As several of the reasons which have led me to this
belief are in some degree applicable in other cases, I will here briefly give them.

** Tf the several breeds are not varieties, and have not proceeded from the Rock
Pigeon, they must have descended from at least seven or eight aboriginal stocks ;
for it is impossible to make the present domestic breeds by the crossing of any
lesser number: how, for instance, could a Pouter be produced by crossing two
breeds, unless one of the parent-stocks possessed the characteristic enormous
crop? The supposed aboriginal stocks must all have been Rock Pigeons, that is,
not breeding or willingly perching on trees. But besides C. livia, with its geo-
eraphical sub-species, only two or three other species of Rock Pigeons are known ;
and these have not any of the characters of the domestic breeds. Hence the
supposed aboriginal stocks must either still exist in the countries where they were
originally domesticated, and yet be unknown to ornithologists—and this, con-
sidering their size, habits, and remarkable characters, seems very improbable—or
they must have become extinct in the wild state. But birds building on precipices,
and good flyers, are unlikely to be exterminated; and the common Rock Pigeon,
which has the same habits with the domestic breeds, has not been exterminated
even on several of the smaller British islets, or on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Hence the supposed extermination of so many species having similar habits
awith the Rock Pigeon seems to me a very rash assumption. Moreover, the several
above-named domesticated breeds have been transported to all parts of the
world, and, therefore, some of them must have been carried back again into
their native country; but not one has ever become wild or feral, though the
Dovecote Pigeon, which is the Rock Pigeon in a very slightly altered state,
has become feral in several places. Again, all recent experience shows that it is
most difficult to get any wild animal to breed freely under domestication ; yet,

THE ORIGIN OF THE VARIETIES OF PIGEONS. 29

on the hypothesis of the multiple origin of our pigeons, it must be assumed
that at least seven or eight species were so thoroughly domesticated in ancient
times by half-civilized man, as to be quite prolific under confinement.

«* An argument, as it seems to me, of great weight, and applicable in several
other cases, is, that the above-specified breeds, though agreeing generally in con-
stitution, habits, voice, colouring, and in most parts of their structure, with the
wild Rock Pigeon, yet are certainly highly abnormal in other parts of their struc-
ture, we may look in vain throughout the whole great family of Columbide for a
beak like that of the English Carrier, or that of the Short-faced Tumbler, or
Barb; for reversed feathers like those of the Jacobin; for a crop like that of the
Pouter ; for tail-feathers like those of the Fantail. Hence it must be assumed, not
only that half-civilized man succeeded in thoroughly domesticating several species,
but that he intentionally or by chance picked out extraordinarily abnormal
species; and, further, that these very species have since all become extinct or
unknown. So many strange contingencies seem to me improbable in the highest
degree.

** Some facts in regard to the colouring of pigeons well deserve consideration.
The Rock Pigeon is of a slaty-blue, and has a white rump (the Indian sub-species,
C. intermedia of Strickland, having it bluish); the tail has a terminal dark
bar, with the bases of the outer feathers externally edged with white; the wings
haye two black bars; some semi-domestic breeds and some apparently truly wild
breeds have, besides the two black bars, the wings chequered with black. These
several marks do not occur together in any other species of the whole family.
Nov, in every one of the domestic breeds, taking thoroughly well-bred birds, all
the above marks, even to the white edging of the outer tail-feathers, sometimes
concur perfectly developed.

** Moreover, when two birds belonging to two distinct breeds are crossed, neither
of which is blue or has any of the above-specified marks, the mongrel offspring
are yery apt suddenly to acquire these characters. To give one instance out
of several which I have observed: I crossed some white Fantails, which breed
yery true, with some black Barbs, and it so happens that blue varieties of Barbs
are so rare that I never heard of an instance in England,—and the mongrels
were black, brown, and mottled. I also crossed a Barb with a Spot, which isa
white bird with a red tail and red spot on the forehead, and which notoriously
breeds very true. The mongrels were dusky and mottled.

**T then crossed one of the mongrel Barb-Fantails with a mongrel Barb-Spot,
and they produced a bird of as beautiful a blue colour, with the white croup
(rump), double black wing-bars, and barred and white-edged tail-feathers, as
any wild Rock Pigeon! We can understand these facts, on the well-known
principle of reversion to ancestral characters, if all the domestic breeds have
descended from the Rock Pigeon. But if we deny this, we must make one of
the two following highly improbable suppositions. Either, firstly, that all the several
imagined aboriginal stocks were coloured and marked like the Rock Pigeon,

380 PIGEONS.

although no other existing species is thus coloured and marked, so that in each
separate breed there might be a tendency to revert to the very same colours and
markings ; or, secondly, that each breed, even the purest, has within a dozen, or,
at most, within a score of generations, been crossed by the Rock Pigeon. I say
within a dozen or twenty generations, for we know of no fact countenancing the
belief that the child ever reverts to some one ancestor removed by a greater
number of generations. In a breed which has been crossed only once with some
distinct breed, the tendency to reversion to any character derived from such cross
will naturally become less and less, as in each succeeding generation there will be
less of the foreign blood ; but when there has been no cross with a distinct breed,
and there is a tendency in both parents to revert to a character which has been
lost during some former generation, this tendency, for all that we can see to the
contrary, may be transmitted undiminished for an indefinite number of genera-
tions. These two distinct cases are often confounded in treatises on inheritance.

‘Lastly, the hybrids or mongrels from between all the domestic breeds of
pigeons are perfectly fertile. I can state this from my own observations, purposely
made on the most distinct breeds. Now, it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to
bring forward one case of the hybrid offspring of two animals clearly distinct,
being themselves perfectly fertile. Some authors believe that long-continued
domestication eliminates this strong tendency to sterility: from the history of the
dog, I think there is some probability in this hypothesis, if applied to species
closely related together, though it is unsupported by a single experiment. But to
extend the hypothesis so far as to suppose that species aboriginally as distinct
as Carriers, Tumblers, Pouters, and Fantails now are, should yield offspring
perfectly fertile, inter se, seems to me rash in the extreme.

‘From these several reasons, namely, the improbability of man having
formerly got seven or eight supposed species of pigeons to breed freely under
domestication ; these supposed species being quite unknown in a wild state, and
their becoming nowhere feral; these species having very abnormal characters in
certain respects, as compared with all other Columbide, though so like in most
other respects to the Rock Pigeon; the blue colour and various marks occasionally
appearing in all the breeds, both when kept pure and when crossed ; the mongrel
offspring being perfectly fertile: from these several reasons, taken together, I can
feel no doubt that all our domestic breeds have descended from the Columba liwia,
with its geographical sub-species.

*‘In favour of this view, I. may add, firstly, that C. livia, or the Rock
Pigeon, has been found capable of domestication in Europe and in India, and
that it agrees in habits and in a great number of points of structure with all the
domestic breeds. Secondly, although an English Carrier, or Short-faced Tumbler,
differs immensely in certain characters from the Rock Pigeon, yet by comparing
the several sub-breeds of these breeds, more especially those brought from distant
countries, we can make an almost perfect series between the extremes of structure.
Thirdly, those characters which are mainly distinctive of each breed ; -for instance,

THE ORIGIN OF TUE VARIETIES OF PIGEONS. 81

the wattle and length of beak of the Carrier, the shortness of that of the
Tumbler, and the number of tail-feathers in the Fantail, are in each breed
eminently variable: and the explanation of this fact will be obvious when we
come to treat of selection. Fourthly, pigeons have been watched and tended
with the utmost care, and loved by many people. They have been domesticated
for thousands of years in several quarters of the world. The earliest known
record of pigeons is in the fifth Egyptian dynasty, about 3000 B.c., as was
pointed out to me by Professor Lepsius; but Mr. Birch informs me that pigeons
are given in a bill of fare in the previous dynasty. In the time of the Romans,
as we hear from Pliny, immense prices were given for pigeons: ‘ Nay, they are
come to this pass, that they can reckon up their pedigree and race.’ Pigeons were
much valued by Akber Khan in India, about the year 1600: never less than
20,000 pigeons were taken with the court. ‘The monarchs of Iran and Turan
sent him some yery rare birds.’ ‘ And,’ continues the same courtly historian, ‘his
Majesty, by crossing the breeds, which method was never practised before, has
improved them astonishingly.’ About this same period, the Dutch were as eager
‘about pigeons as were the old Romans.

‘The paramount importance of these considerations, in explaining the
immense amount of variation which pigeons have undergone, is obvious. We
see how it is that the breeds so often have a somewhat monstrous character.

“Tt is also a most favourable circumstance for the production of distinct breeds,
that male and female pigeons can be easily mated for life; and thus different
breeds can be kept together in the same aviary.”

The success of the fancier in perpetuating the different varieties of pigeons
depends on the tendency in the young to reproduce the natural peculiarities of the
parents. It is always to be remembered that variations occurring naturally are
alone capable of being thus reproduced. Any artificial alteration has no effect on
the offspring, even when the same alteration is produced in many successive gene-
rations. Thus, in some tribes of North American Indians, the custom of flattening
the fore part of the skull has been constantly practised, but no child is ever born
with this peculiarity. Many generations of horses have had their tails docked in
obedience to the dictates of an absurd fashion, yet a breed of dock-tailed horses
has not been produced. Game cocks have had their combs and wattles cut
off for at least fifty generations, nevertheless, the young birds are always pro-
duced with these appendages of the fullsize.

The perpetuation of variations artificially or accidentally produced would be
an evil of enormous magnitude. Were every accidental loss in the parent to
be reproduced in the offspring, no race of animals would be free from defects
that would go on increasing, generation after generation, and would ultimately
result in the extinction of the species. If the loss of a limb was thus trans-
mitted from father to son, the whole human race would, long ere this, have
been a generation of maimed and helpless cripples.

On the other hand, any variation occurring naturally always has a tendency

82 PIGEONS.

to reproduce itself. Even those slight variations which constitute individual
peculiarities are so constantly reproduced, that we look in children for what is
termed ‘‘ the family likeness” to their parents ; and where there is any decided
departure from the normal type, this has a still stronger tendency to reappear
in the progeny of the individual. Among naturalists, this tendency to revert
to the ancestral type is termed Atavism, from Atavus, an ancestor. Professor
Huxley, in his Lectures on ‘“‘The Phenomena of Organic Nature,” has entered
very fully into this subject, and he gives some striking illustrations of the
mode in which varieties are established. He states :—

** One very remarkable case came under Reaumur’s notice of a variation in the
form of a human member, in the person of a Maltese, of the name of Gratio
Kelleia, who was born with six fingers upon each hand, and the like number of
toes to each of his feet. That was a case of spontaneous variation. Nobody
knows why he was born with that number of fingers and toes, and as we don’t
know, we call it a case of ‘spontaneous’ variation. There is another remarkable
case also. I select these, because they happen to have been observed and noted —
very carefully at the time. It frequently happens that a variation occurs, but the
persons who notice it do not take any care in noting down the particulars, until at
length, when inquiries come to be made, the exact circumstances are forgotten ;
and hence, multitudinous as may be such ‘spontaneous’ variations, it is
exceedingly difficult to get at the origin of them.

““The second case is one of which you may find the whole details in the
‘Philosophical Transactions’ for the year 1813, in a paper communicated by
Colonel Humphrey to the President of the Royal Society,—‘ On a New Variety in
the Breed of Sheep,’ giving an account of a very remarkable breed of sheep,
which at one time was well known in the northern states of America, and which
went by the name of the Ancon or the Otter breed of sheep. In the year 1791,
there was a farmer of the name of Seth Wright in Massachusetts, who had a flock
of sheep, consisting of a ram, and, I think, of some twelve or thirteen ewes. Of
this flock of ewes, one at the breeding time bore a lamb which was very singularly
formed; it had a very long body, very short legs, and those legs were bowed!
I will tell you by-and-by how this singular variation in the breed of sheep came
to be noted, and to have the prominence that it now has. For the present, I
mention only these two cases ; but the extent of variation in the breed of anjmals
is perfectly obvious to any one who has studied natural history with ordinary
attention, or to any person who compares animals with others of the same kind.

“* Now let us go back to Atavyism,—to the hereditary tendency I spoke of. What
will come of a variation when you breed from it, when Atavism comes, if I may
say so, to intersect variation? The two cases of which I have mentioned the
history, give a most excellent illustration of what occurs. Gratio Kelleia, the
Maltese, married when he was twenty-two years of age, and, as I suppose there
were no six-fingered ladies in Malta, he married an ordinary five-fingered person.
The result of that marriage was four children; the first, who was christened

THE ORIGIN OF THE VARIETIES OF PIGEONS. 83

Salvator, had six fingers and six toes, like his father; the second was George,
who had five fingers and toes, but one of them was deformed, showing a tendency
to variation; the third was André, he had five fingers and five toes, quite perfect ;
the fourth was a girl, Marie; she had five fingers and five toes, but her thumbs
were deformed, showing a tendency towards the sixth.

“These children grew up, and when they came to adult years, they all married,
and of course it happened that they all married five-fingered and five-toed persons.
Now let us see what were the results. Salvator had four children; they were two
boys, a girl, and another boy: the first two boys and the girl were six-fingered
and six-toed like their erandfather ; the fourth boy had only five fingers and five
toes. George had only four children: there were two girls with six fingers and
six toes; there was one girl with six fingers and five toes on the right side, and
five fingers and five toes on the left side, so that she was half and half. The last,
a boy, had five fingers and five toes. The third, André, you will recollect, was
perfectly well-formed, and he had many children whose hands and feet were all
regularly developed. Marie, the last, who, of course, married a man who had
only five fingers, had four children: the first, a boy, was born with six toes, but
the other three were normal. ;

<“ Now observe what very extraordinary phenomena are presented here. You have
an accidental variation arising from what you may call a monstrosity; you have
that monstrosity tendency or variation diluted in the first instance by an admix-
ture with a female of normal construction, and you would naturally expect that, in
the results of such an union, the monstrosity, if repeated, would be in equal pro-
portion with the normal type; that is to say, that the children would be half and
half, some taking the peculiarity of the father, and the others being of the purely
normal type of the mother; but you see we have a great preponderance of the
abnormal type. Well, this comes to be mixed once more with the pure, the
normal type, and the abnormal is again produced in large proportion, notwith-
standing the second dilution. Now, what would have happened if these abnormal
types had intermarried with each other? that is to say, suppose the two boys of
Salvator had taken it into their heads to marry their first cousins, the two first
girls of George, their uncle? You will remember that these are all of the abnormal
type of their grandfather. The result would probably have been, that their off-
spring would have been in every case a further development of that abnormal type.
You see it is only in the fourth, in the person of Marie, that the tendency, when
it appears but slightly in the second generation, is washed out in the third, while
the progeny of André, who escaped in the first instance, escape altogether.

«We have in this case a good example of nature’s tendency to the perpetuation
of a variation. Here it is certainly a variation which carried with it no use or
benefit; and yet you see the tendency to perpetuation may be so strong that,
notwithstanding a great admixture of pure blood, the variety continues itself up to
the third generation, which is largely marked with it. In this case, as I have
said, there was no means of the second generation intermarrying with any but

EF

3k PIGEONS.

five-fingered persons, and the question naturally suggests itself —What would have
been the result of such marriage? Réaumur narrates this case only as far as the
third generation. Certainly it would have been an exceedingly curious thing if we
could have traced this matter any further; had the cousins intermarried, a six-
fingered variety of the human race might have been set up.

“‘To show you that this supposition is by no means an unreasonable one, let me
now point out what took place in the case of Seth Wright’s sheep, where it
happened to be a matter of moment to him to obtain a breed or raise a flock of
sheep like that accidental variety that I have described—and I will tell you why.
In that part of Massachusetts where Seth Wright was living, the fields were
separated by fences, and the sheep, which were very active and robust, would
roam abroad, and without much difficulty jump over these fences into other
people’s farms. As a matter of course, this exuberant activity on the part of the
sheep constantly gave rise to all sorts of quarrels, bickerings, and contentions
among the farmers of the neighbourhood; so it oceurred to Seth Wright, who
was, like his successors, more or less ’eute, that if he could get a stock of sheep
like those with the bandy legs, they would not be able to jump over the fences so
readily, and he acted upon that idea. He killed his old ram, and as soon as the
young one arrived at maturity, he bred altogether from it. The result was even
more striking than in the human experiment which I mentioned just now.
Colonel Humphreys testifies that it always happened that the offspring were either
pure Ancons or pure ordinary sheep ; that in no case was there any mixing of the
Ancons with the others. In consequence of this, in the course of a very few
years, the farmer was able to get a very considerable flock of this variety, and a
large number of them were spread throughout Massachusetts. Most unfor-
tunately, however—I suppose it was because they were so common—nobody took
enough notice of them to preserve their skeletons; and although Colonel Hum-
phreys states that he sent a skeleton to the president of the Royal Society at
the same time that he forwarded his paper, I am afraid that the variety has
entirely disappeared ; for a short time after these sheep had become prevalent in
that district, the Merino sheep were introduced ; and as their wool was much more
valuable, and as they were a quiet race of sheep, and showed no tendency to
trespass or jump over fences, the Otter breed of sheep, the wool of which was
inferior to that of the Merino, was gradually allowed to die out.

‘You see that these facts illustrate perfectly well what may be done if you take
care to breed from stocks that are similar to each other. After having got a varia-
tion, if, by crossing a variation with the original stock, you multiply that variation,
and then take care to keep that variation distinct from the original stock, and make
them breed together, then you may almost certainly produce a race whose tendency
to continue the variation is exceedingly strong.

** This is what is called ‘selection;’ and it is by exactly the same process as
that by which Seth Wright bred his Ancon sheep, that our breeds of cattle, dogs,
znd fowls are obtained. There are some possibilities of exception, but still,

TUE ORIGIN OF THE VARIETIES OF PIGEONS. 35

speaking broadly, I may say that this is the way in which all our varied races of
domestic animals have arisen ; and you must understand that it is not one pecu-
liarity or one characteristic alone in which animals may vary. There is not a
single peculiarity or characteristic of any kind, bodily or mental, in which offspring
may not vary to a certain extent from the parent and other animals.

‘* A striking case of what may be done by selective breeding has been studied
very carefully by Mr. Darwin,—the case of the domestic pigeons. I daresay
there may be some. among you who may be pigeon fanciers, and I wish you to
understand that in approaching the subject, I would speak with all humility and
hesitation, as I regret to say that I am not a pigeon fancier. I know it is a great
art and mystery, and a thing upon which a man must not speak lightly; but I
shall endeayour, as far as my understanding goes, to give you a summary of the
published and unpublished information which I have gained from Mr. Darwin.

«* Among the enormous variety,—I believe there are somewhere about a hundred
and fifty kinds of pigeons,—there are four kinds which may be selected as repre-
senting the extremest divergences of one kind from another. Their names are the
Carrier, the Pouter, the Fantail, and the Tumbler. In these large diagrams that
I have here, they are each represented in their relative sizes to each other. This
first one is the Carrier; you will notice this large excrescence on its beak; it
has a comparatively small head; there is a bare space round the eyes; it has a
long neck, a very long beak, very strong legs, large feet, long wings, and so on.
The second one is the Pouter, a very large bird, with very long legs and beak. It
is called the Pouter because it is in the habit of causing its gullet to swell up by
inflating it with air. I should tell you that all pigeons have a tendency to do this
at times, but in the Pouter it is carried to an enormous extent. The birds appear
to be quite proud of their power of swelling and puffing themselves out in this
way; and I think it is about as droll a sight as you can well see to look at a cage
full of these pigeons puffing and blowing themselves out in this ridiculous
manner.

‘This diagram is a representation of the third kind I mentioned—the Fantail.
It is, you see, a small bird, with exceedingly small legs and a very small beak..
It is most curiously distinguished by the size and extent of its tail, which,
instead of containing twelve feathers, may have many more,—say thirty, or even
more—I believe there are some with as many as forty-two. This bird has a
curious habit of spreading out the feathers of its tail in such a way that they
reach forward and touch its head; and if this can be accomplished, E believe it is
looked upon as a point of great beauty.

«But here is the last great variety—the Tumbler; and of that great variety,
one of the principal kinds, and one most prized, is the specimen represented here.
—the Short-faced Tumbler. Its beak, you see, is reduced to a mere nothing.
Just compare the beak of this one and that of the first one, the Carrier. I believe
the orthodox comparison of the head and beak of a thoroughly well-bred Tumbler
is to stick an oat into a cherry, and that will give you the proper relative propor-

Big) | PIGEONSe

tions of the head and beak. The feet and legs are exceedingly small, and the
bird appears to be quite a dwarf when placed side by side with this great Carrier.

‘« These are differences enough in regard to their external appearance; but these
differences are by no means the whole or even the most important of the differences
which obtain between these birds. There is hardly a single point of their
structure which has not become more or less altered; and to give you an idea of
how extensive these alterations are, I have here some very good skeletons, for
which I am indebted to my friend, Mr. Tegetmeier, a great authority in these
matters; by means of which, if you examine them by-and-by, you will be able to
see the enormous difference in their bony structures.

“Thad the privilege, some time ago, of access to some important manuscripts
of Mr. Darwin,* who, I may tell you, has taken very great pains and spent much
valuable time and attention on the investigation of these variations, and getting
together all the facts that bear upon them. I obtained from these manuscripts
the following summary of the differences between the domestic breeds of pigeons ;
that is to say, a notification of the various points in which their organization
differs. In the first place, the back of the skull may differ a good deal, and the
development of the bones of the face may vary a great deal; the back varies a
good deal; the shape of the lower jaw varies; the tongue varies very greatly, not
only in correlation to the length and size of the beak, but it seems also to have a
kind of independent variation of its own. Then the amount of naked skin round
the eyes, and at the base of the beak, may vary enormously ; so may the length
of the eyelids, the shape of the nostrils, and the length of the neck. I have
already noticed the habit of blowing out the gullet, so remarkable in the Pouter,
and comparatively so in the others. There are great differences, too, in the size
of the female and the male, the shape of the body, the number and width of
the processes of the ribs, the development of the ribs, and the size, shape, and
development of the breastbone. We may notice, too,—and I mention the fact
because it has been disputed by what is assumed to be high authority,—the varia-
tion in number of the sacral vertebre. The number of these varies from eleven to
fourteen, and that without any diminution in the number of the vertebre of the
back or of the tail. Then the number and position of the tail-feathers may vary
enormously, and so may the number of the primary and secondary feathers of the
wings. Again, the length of the feet and of the beak,—although they have no rela-
tion to each other, yet appear to go together,—that is, you have a long beak wherever
you have long feet. There are differences also in the periods of the acquire-
ment of the perfect plumage,—the size and shape of the eges,—the nature of flight,
and the powers of flight,—so-called ‘ homing’ birds having enormous flying powers ;
while, on the other hand, the little Tumbler is so called because of its extraordi-

* The manuscript to which Professor Huxley referred was that of “ The Variation of Animals
and Plants under Domestication ; or, the Principles of Inheritance, Reversion, Crossing, Inter-
breeding, and Selection,” by Charles Darwin, M.A., F.R.S., author of “The Origin of Species by
Variation.” London, John Murray. 2 vols. 8vo. 1867.

THE ORIGIN OF THE VARIETIES OF PIGEONS. 87

nary faculty of turning head over heels in the air, instead of pursuing a distinct
course. And, lastly, the dispositions and voices of the birds may vary. Thus the
case of the pigeons shows you that there is hardly a single particular,—whether of
instinct, or habit, or bony structure, or of plumage,—of either the internal economy
or the external shape, in which some variation or change may not take place, which,
by selective breeding, may become perpetuated, and form the foundation of, and
give rise to, a new race.”

CHAPTER IV.
DOVECOTES AND PIGEON LOFTS.

AVING considered at some length the structure and habits of the Rock Dove,
and the theory of the origin and perpetuation of the different varieties or
breeds, we have now to regard the pigeon as a domesticated animal, and in
the first instance to describe the appliances and food that are found best suited
to its condition as a domestic bird. Of the old-fashioned dovecote little need be
said. Formerly, when the supply of fresh animal food during winter was a matter
of great difficulty, the well-stocked dovecote was regarded as an almost indis-
pensable addition to every country mansion, and severe penal laws, still unrepealed,
were passed for the protection of the inmates. At the present time, when im-
proved processes of husbandry give us an abundant supply of beef and mutton
during the whole year, dovecotes have lost much of their economic value, and
are retained as appendages to many aristocratic country residences, more from old
associations than from any particular value. Dovecotes were generally constructed
of stone, in the form either of circular towers or placed over a gateway or park lodge.
The entrance was not unfrequently made at some distance from the ground, and
only to be reached by a ladder, so as to prevent the access of rats, cats, weasels,
polecats, foxes, and other enemies. ‘The interior of the tower was furnished with
numerous holes or resting-places, built either of stone or constructed of wood. In
these dovecotes large numbers of young birds were reared, and furnished a useful
addition to the larder.

At the present time, pigeons are usually kept either in pigeon-houses or in
lofts or rooms specially devoted to the purpose. A pigeon-house on a pole may
possibly be regarded as a picturesque addition to a farm or stable yard, but a
worse residence for the birds it would be almost impossible to devise. The
pigeons in these houses are exposed to all the variations of weather. During the
great heat of summer the close nests become offensive from the accumulation of
dung and swarm with vermin. In the cold weather the young birds frequently
perish from the low temperature to which they are exposed, and at all seasons of
the year the driving rain is apt to saturate the nests and destroy the vitality of the
eggs or the life of the unfledged birds. It is obvious that a pigeon-house can only
afford comfortable breeding quarters during a small proportion of the year; and in
inclement seasons is a dreary habitation even fcr full-grown birds. The result of

DOVECOTES AND PIGEON LOFTS. 39

these disadvantages is, that the same number of birds will not rear half the number
of young in an exposed pigeon-house that they would if placed in a comfortable,
well-sheltered loft or room.

If pigeon-houses are employed at all, they should always have a broad roof,
projecting far over the sides, so as to screen off the rain as far as possible.
Houses on poles are worse even than lockers placed against a wall, as being
less sheltered, and offering the smallest amount of accommodation for the
inmates.

The following plan for their improvement has been proposed by E. S. Delamer,
who writes :—

** The best pole-house with which we are acquainted, is that of which a plan and
eleyation are given in the accompanying cuts (see Figure VI.). <A pair of birds

FIG. VI—PLAN AND ELEVATION OF A TWO-STORIED POLE PIGEON-HOUSE,

take possession of the suite of apartments whose landing-place is marked A. They
will probably pass through the vestibule B, when they first bring in straws for a nest,
and deposit them in one of the chambers, as C. When the young are a fortnight
or three weeks old, the hen will probably leave them mostly to the care of the
cock, and make a fresh nest, and lay in the opposite apartihent, D. As soon as
the first pair of young are flown, C will be vacant for the hatching of a third
brood, and so, by shifting alternately from parlour to study, and never being
idle, a good pair of birds will produce quite a little flock by the end of the
summer.

“<Tt is easy to make use of this arrangement on a larger scale, or to apply it
to the triangular frames of lockers which are fixed against barns and other
outbuildings.”

There can be no doubt that this plan is really far superior to the ordinary
pole-house, as offering much more accommodation -to the sitting birds: the
design, however, is capable cf considerable improvement. If the sloping boards
forming the roof were much larger, so as to extend farther over the ends
and sides, the upper story would be more perfectly sheltered from sun and rain ;
and if the alighting boards, or landing-places (A, A), extended along the entire

40 PIGEONS.

length of the sides, they would be more convenient for the birds, and those
belonging to the upper story would serve to shelter the lower nesting-places from
the weather.

Pigeon lockers, or houses placed against a wall, should have a southerly aspect,
and be well protected by a broad projecting roof; but, under even the most
favourable circumstances, they must be regarded as greatly inferior in productive-
ness to lofts or rooms.

It seldom occurs that a room is specially built for pigeons; but where there is
any choice of locality, it is best to select one that is open to the south, so as to
get a warm aspect in winter and early spring, as that tends to encourage early
breeding, and is more healthy for the birds than a room exposed to the cold
blasts from the north. It is not uncommon to see many pigeon rooms or lofts
that are very deficient in light: this is particularly objectionable. A dark room
-is not as healthy for the birds, especially if they are not suffered to fly out; and
it can hardly be as well cleaned as one which is well lighted. Moreover, the
owner is not able to see his birds conveniently, or to examine the nests when
required.

Another point, of the highest importance to the health of the birds, is the
establishment of a good system of ventilation. Nine-tenths of the diseases that
afflict our high-bred pigeons arise from their being crowded together in dark,
dirty, ill-ventilated lofts. There is no necessity for an absolute draught of wind to
be allowed to rush through the loft, but full provision must be made for ventilation,
if healthy birds are desired.

Cleanliness in the pigeon-loft is no less essential than ventilation, particularly if
many birds are kept, and they are not flown. The loft should be cleared out daily.
Under no circumstances should the dung be suffered to accumulate until it
becomes offensive to the smell.

Fresh gravel, sand, or dry earth should be thickly strewn on the floor every day,
and the dung that accumulates in the nest-boxes and around the nest-pans not
suffered to collect so as to be offensive. The most convenient instrument for
clearing the shelves will be found to bea small hoe fixed on a short handle about
eight or ten inches in length.

Pigeons are often kept in lofts, or in the spaces under the tiles or slates of a
house. In this case the rafters should be properly boarded over, otherwise the
dung which falls upon the laths is with difficulty removed; and there is the still
more serious evil, that the owner’s foot may occasionally slip off the rafter and find
its way through the ceiling into the room below.

It is requisite that the loft or room devoted to pigeons should be proof against
the ingress of cats, rats, and other vermin. Strange cats are most destructive to
pigeons. When a cat has once tasted pigeon, she seems to prefer it to all other
food. Sometimes the access of a cat can hardly be prevented, and it may be
necessary to get rid of the intruder to prevent the entire loss of the stock. A box
trap baited with a pigeon’s head will be found to be invariably successful in the

DOVECOTES AND PIGEON LOFTS. 41

capture ; after which pussy may be shaken into a bag, which may then be placed
in one pailful of water and pressed down with another.

Laying poisoned meat for any animals is now illegal, and, moreover, if arsenic
is employed to destroy cats, the proceeding is attended with much cruelty, as they
immediately reject that poison by vomiting, and only retain sufficient to produce
violent and painful inflammation of the stomach without killing them. If poison
must be had recourse to, a little carbonate of baryta, mixed up with the soft roe
of a piece of red-herring, is the most certain and speedy that can be used. Rats
are no less injurious than cats, and must be got rid of at all hazards. Traps,
phosphorus paste, a trained cat that has been accustomed to pigeons from the first,

A

FIG, VII.—AREA FOR PIGEON LOFT.

may all be had recourse to. In some country places, weasels are troublesome, and
we have known an instance where a domesticated ferret from a neighbour’s house
paid nightly visits to the loft of an Almond-Tumbler fancier, whose birds were
decimated by the mysterious visitor.

The loft should, if practicable, admit of being divided, so ag to enable the
separation of the birds during winter to be readily accomplished. With the more
common hardy breeds, this is not absolutely requisite, as in a well-sheltered room
they will go on breeding successfully nine or ten months out of the twelve; but with
the more artificial and delicate high-class varieties, it is useless to attempt to rear
the young during the colder months of the year, and therefore it is desirable to
separate the sexes after moulting time, or the autumn. This is most readily done
by dividing the loft. If the birds are flown, the division should be so arranged

G

42 PIGEONS.

that the cocks and hens can be let out separately, and they may be given their
liberty on alternate days.

If the birds are flown, ingress and egress to and from the loft should take
place through a cage, technically termed an area, Figure VII. ‘This should be
fixed outside a window on a platform, which is usually supported by oblique struts.
This area may either be constructed of laths or wires, and should have a falling
door, to which is attached a string capable of being pulled from the inside, so as to
close the entrance. It not unfrequently happens that some birds may be shut out
when the door is pulled up; and in order to give these free access to the loft when the
area is shut, two contrivances are used, One or more square holes, called dropping
holes, are constructed in the top of the area, through which the pigeons can readily
pass into the area, but out of which they cannot possibly emerge: the other is
spoken of as the bolting wire, Figure VIII. An aperture is left in the side of the
area: at its upper part is fixed a small roller, turning on a wire which passes through
it, and into the stout laths that are on either side. From this roller hang two wires,
placed nearly two inches apart, so as to give a pigeon space to put his head and
neck through: these are quite unattached at the bottom, so that the bird pushing
from the outside raises them and gains an easy entrance.

But the exit of birds from the interior is prevented by the wires resting against
a small beading or piece of wood below, which hinders their being pushed out-
wards.

These two simple contrivances are of great service; they prevent birds being shut
out at night when they would often fall an easy prey to cats, give them at any time

FIG. VIII.—ARRANGEMENT OF BOLTING WIRES FOR AREA.

Tree access to the loft, and save the owner from much anxiety and trouble. The
birds learn to avail themselves of these means of ingress with the utmost
readiness.

The furniture of the loft must now claim our attention. Not the least important,
especially if many birds are kept together, are the breeding-places or nesting-
boxes. These are of two kinds; in rooms that are rather crowded, shelves are

DOVECOTES AND PIGEON LOFTS. 43

generally placed around the walls, and the spaces between them are usually
divided by upright divisions, placed not less than three feet apart, so as to form —
pens or breeding-places for the different pairs of birds. The distance between the
shelves should not be less than eighteen inches, if Pouters are kept; but for the
smaller varieties, a foot or fifteen inches will suffice. The ends of each pen should
be boarded, so that the centre only is open; this arrangement offers several
advantages ; the bird in the nest, which may be formed at either end, sits concealed
and undisturbed, a state of things that greatly conduces to success in hatching ;
and by hanging a piece of wire or lath-work before the open centre, the pen is
capable of being closed, and the birds kept confined as long as may be desired.

The arrangement of haying darkened nesting-places at both ends of the pen is
yery advantageous, as during the summer a pair of birds will often wish to go to
nest before the last hatched young are able to fly or feed themselves. When this
is the case, a second nest-pan may be put into the other end of the pen, when the
birds will lay again, and thus rear a pair of young and sit at the same time.
Some Pouter fanciers have their pens fitted up with wire fronts, so that they serve
for penning up the birds separately during the winter. In this case each pen
should have its own water-supply and box for food.

When there is more room, and the birds are not so numerous, nest-boxes placed
on the floor of the loft will be found more advantageous than shelves. ‘I find by
experience,” writes the author of the anonymous ‘‘ Treatise on Domestic Pigeons,”
‘that nests made on the floor are much more convenient than otherwise, if the

FIG, 1X.—SQUARE NESTING-bOXx.

loft will admit of it (this is particularly true with regard to Runts, Trumpeters, and
Fantails), for it prevents the young ones from falling out of their nests, which
sometimes breaks a leg, and very often lames them, and also gives them a chance

44 PIGEONS.

°

of being fed by other pigeons as well as their parents, which frequently happens.
An old cock pigeon, who is a good father, will often take compassion upon @
hungry squeaker which teazes him, and runs after him begging for food, although
it does not belong to him, and will charitably bestow upon it the contents of his
crop.” When nests are placed upon the floor, breeding-boxes for the concealment
of the nests are very desirable. They should be made without bottoms, so as to be
merely covers to slip over the nests. One very convenient form is shown in Figure
IX. It consists of three sides of a cubical box, and half of a fourth, the bottom
and side next the wall being absent. This is placed over the nesting-pan, and admits
of being lifted off in an instant, either for the purpose of observation or for cleaning
around the nest. One advantage of this form is that the cock bird usually takes
his station over the nest of his mate, and thus does not interfere with the birds
belonging to other nests, nor permit any intrusion on his own.

Another form of nest-box is even still more simple. It is formed, as shown in
Figure X., of an oblique or slanting board resting against the wall; this is sup-

Tic. X.— SLANTING NEST-BOX.

ported by a piece behind, not seen in the drawing, and a half piece in front: thus
a convenient shelter for the nest is formed. It is always to be borne in mind that
pigeons invariably prefer a concealed and snug retreat for incubation to any open
place that may be afforded them, and, where they are allowed a chance, sometimes
make strange selections. We recollect going into the room of an ardent fancier,
who had at that time a very valuable stock of birds, and his showing us a nest in
the sleeve of an old coat, which he had accidentally left on the floor of his pigeon-
room a few days previously.

Having spoken at some length of the nest-boxes, we now have to speak of the
nests themselves. Having tried every plan that has been suggested for their
construction, we are free to confess that we know of none so advantageous as the
employment of the coarse earthenware saucers known as nest-pans. These are
formed usually of rough red earthenware, and are best if made of the shape shown
in Figure XI.; although for large birds, as Pouters and Carriers, some fanciers
prefer the nest-pans to be rather flatter at the bottom than the one represented. In
size, these pans should vary with that of the different breeds; for small birds, as
Tumblers, seven or eight inches in diameter is quite sufficient; but for Pouters, ten
inches is not too great. These pans should be made heavy, so that they are not

DOVECOTES AND PIGEON LOFTS. 45

likely to be overset by the old birds resting on the edge. Some fanciers object te
the use of nest-pans, on account of the young occasionally falling out and perishing
from cold. Others endeavour to obviate this evil by sinking the pan in a hole cut

FIG. XI.—EARTHENWARE NEST-PANo

in the shelf or board on which it rests; but we have never found it necessary to
have recourse to this plan. The advantages of nest-pans over all other contriv-
ances of the kind are very great. They are superior to boxes or baskets, on
account of the slight harbour they afford to vermin, and the ease with which they
ean be cleaned. Then the facility they afford for examining and shifting the young
birds should not be lost sight of. They are much cleaner and more healthy in use
than any other contrivance that can be employed. When the nestlings are very
young, if the pan becomes wet, a handful of dry sawdust or bran speedily absorbs
all moisture, and the nest becomes dry and wholesome ; and as the young become
stronger, the dung is ejected over the sides of the pan, and the nest remains
unsoiled. Some persons object to their employment, thinking that they are apt to
chill the eggs ; but we never experienced that evil, and the pans are readily made
warmer by a little soft hay, cut straw, bran, or sawdust being placed within them.

We are convinced that with high-class delicate birds a very much larger
number of young can be reared when nest-pans are employed than when they
are not used.

When nests are made on the ground, some persons place a few bricks around
them, to prevent the eggs being rolled away; but the plan is far inferior to the
employment of the nest-pan. In some parts of the country there may be some
difficulty in getting these simple appliances, but as they can be made by any brick,
tile, or coarse earthenware maker, they should be accessible anywhere.

Another appliance, very necessary to the health and comfort of the birds, must
not be overlooked,—that is the washing-pan. Pigeons are not dusting-birds, like
fowls, but, on the contrary, cleanse themselves by washing; they are fond of lying
down in shallow pools of water, expanding their wings, loosening the arrangement
of the feathers, and then, when the plumage is well-nigh saturated, they give a
vigorous shake, and the water at once becomes quite white and milky with the
scurf thrown off from the skin of the bird.

When kept in aviaries or in lofts, it is cruel to deprive them of this pleasure, so
conducive to their well-doing; and therefore shallow pans of water should be
provided. In our own lofts we use milk-pans for the purpose ; but any broad, open
vessels, capable of holding two or three inches’ depth of water, will answer
equally well.

46 PIGEONS.

As it is necessary to capture the birds at times, a common cheap landing-net will
be found a very useful article in the pigeon-loft, as by its use a single bird can be
readily caught without driving the others about and frightening the sitting birds
off their eggs and young.

A supply of drinking-water is at all times an essential requisite. Pigeons are_
very thirsty birds, drinking a much greater amount of water than most persons
would suppose possible ; therefore a good supply is required. This is especially the
case when the young are being fed, as, after picking up a cropful of corn or pulse,
the old bird has to take a copious draught of water before it can disgorge it into the
throat of the young.

The old fanciers used to employ a large bottle filled with water, and then
inyerted into a saucer; but the contrivance is somewhat clumsy, and the common
earthenware or metal poultry fountains will be found far more convenient in use.
Many fanciers, who are particular about the food of their birds, care but little
respecting the water given them. Too much stress cannot be laid on the fact that
a supply of pure, clear drinking-water is absolutely essential to the health of the
birds. Often have we seen the owner of valuable pigeons bewailing his misfortune
in losing so many by sickness, and when we looked at his drinking fountains
we found that they contained water contaminated with filth, the presence of
which quickly explained the diseased condition of his stock.

FIG, XII.— MATING OR MATCHING CAGE.

Another very necessary appendage to the loft is a mating or matching-up cage.
For the purpose of breeding birds of any desired properties, it is requisite that
the parents should be matched together according to the judgment of the owner.
For this purpose all that is necessary is to place them in a mating cage for
a few days.

A yery useful mating cage is represented in Figure XII.; it is mneueliy an
ordinary pen or cage with an open wire partition separating the two birds; ae
cock is placed on one side, the hen he is desired to pair with on the other. Itis
desirable to remove this pen from the loft, and out of the sight of other birds,

when the cock will be seen in a day or two making advances towards the hen; they

DOVECOTES AND PIGEON LOFTS. AT

_ may be then placed together, and as soon as the cock is seen calling the hen to
nest, they may be regarded as paired, and returned to the loft. Sometimes, though
rarely, it is necessary to keep them apart from the general flock a few days longer ;
but, generally speaking, there is but little trouble in matching birds together in
any pairs that may be regarded as desirable.

One evil should be strongly guarded against in the loft, namely, a superfluity of
male birds, as odd cocks are constantly persecuting the hens that are mated,
driving them off their eggs, and causing much fighting and turmoil. If there
are too great a number of hens, the evil is much less, as a pair will often
mate together, go to nest, lay and sit on four eggs, in the vain hope of rearing a
brood ; and, what is still more extraordinary, sometimes two cocks will match
together in the same manner, and build a nest. Ifa pair of good eggs are
given to them, they will even sit on the eggs, and hatch and rear the young,
in the same manner as if they were a pair consisting of cock and hen.

We had a pair of Smerles, or Short-faced Antwerp cocks, that were mated for
two seasons, and reared several pairs of young from eggs laid by other birds. The
third season one was shot, and the survivor then mated with a hen and bred
some exceedingly good homing birds.

With regard to the food of the birds, we are inclined to recommend a greater
yariety than that usually employed. The London fanciers are strongly in favour
ot yery small beans, regarding them as superior to all other articles, where the
birds are large enough to take them ; but the Short-faced Tumblers cannot possibly
feed their young even on the smallest beans, and therefore they are supplied with
wheat and tares. Peas, both white and grey, are also extensively used. Whatever
yariety is employed, care should be taken to select old samples, as new peas, beans,
or tares, are almost certain to purge the more delicate varieties. In America,
Indian corn or maize is constantly used, being crushed for the use of the smaller
breeds. In England, most fanciers have a great prejudice against its employment,
but from long experience we can speak very favourably of it as a valuable addition
to the dietary of the birds.

When pigeons are flown they become much more hardy than if confined to a
loft, and only permitted to take exercise in a large area, or enclosed aviary.
Under these circumstances so much care need not be exercised in the choice of
their food: barley, tail-wheat, and even coarse rice, may form part of their food
without danger. Pigeons flying in the country find a considerable portion of their
own food, and even when an unlimited supply of pulse and grain is afforded them :
they pluck off the small seeds of grasses, and eat a quantity of green vegetables,
that greatly conduce to their well-being. In the crops of the wild Rock Dove, there
is almost always found, as will be seen by referring to Chapter II., numerous small
snails ; and we have always noticed that such of our own pigeons that have their
liberty, fly to the grass fields after a shower of rain, and pick up the smaller snails
that are brought forth by the wet.

Believing that we cannot do better than follow the natural instincts of the birds

48 PIGEONS.

in the matter of their food, we always strive to vary their dietary as much as
possible, and give to those in confinement a green turf, or sometimes a cabbage
or a lettuce to peck at.

It should be borne in mind that pigeons are derived from the Rock Dove, a bird
frequenting the sea-shore, and drinking the salt water of the pools left by the
retiring tide. This may account for their fondness for salt, a natural instinct that
it is most desirable to indulge. They also require calcareous matter to furnish
the materials of the egg-shell. We endeavour to supply both of these desires at
one and the same time, by mixing a little salt with a quantity of old mortar
rubbish, and placing it where the birds can gain easy access to it.

If mortar rubbish is not accessible, we burn a few oyster shells, so as to render
them brittle, then powder them up, with the addition of a little salt. Care must
be taken not to supply salt or salt mixtures of this kind in too large quantity to
birds that have long been deprived of this substance, as under those circumstances
they are apt to eat so much that they injure themselves. The old fanciers used
to make a nauseous and filthy compound they called ‘‘ salt cat,” for the delectation
of their birds, but it offers no advantage over salt and mortar, or burnt shells,
such as we have described. So fond are pigeons of salt, that they will peck at any
substance containing it. On one occasion the brine out of a barrel of Scotch
herrings was emptied in our garden, and for many months the pigeons were to be
noticed pecking at the mould around the spot, evidently attracted by the saline
constituents of the brine. Many fanciers refuse to give their pigeons any salt,
but it is difficult to believe that the gratification of so strong a natural instinct
should not tend to the advantage of the birds.

CHAPTER V.
THE ENGLISH POUTER.

treating of the different varieties of breeds of domestic pigeons, either one

of two methods might be pursued. A naturalist would regard it as most
desirable to commence with the wild species, and trace the different breeds from
it; taking in the first instance those that showed the least departure from their
wild progenitors. Such a method of procedure would, however, not be acceptable
to the fancier, who regards the natural bird with slight esteem, and values his
specimens precisely in proportion as they depart from the original standard.

As this work is on the domesticated pigeon, and is written for the use of the
fancier rather than for that of the naturalist, it is more desirable to commence
with the most highly valued varieties ; and therefore the so-called high-class birds,
the Pouters, Carriers, and Short-faced Tumblers, will first engage our attention,
as these breeds, with some few others, such as the Barbs and small African Owls,
offer the strongest instances of departure, at least in structural peculiarities, from
the formation of the original stock.

The history of the origin of the English Pouter has not been very accurately
recorded. In all probability it was due to cross-breeding with, and careful selec-
tion from, the old Dutch Cropper, the Uploper, or the Parisian Pouter. These
breeds are alluded to by Willughby in his ‘‘ Ornithology,” published in 1678, and
edited by the celebrated naturalist John Ray, and are described in the first
distinct work on the natural history of tame pigeons, namely, the ‘‘ Colum-
barium ” of John Moore, which was published in 1735, and which was reprinted,
almost verbatim, without acknowledgment, in the anonymous “Treatise on
Domestic Pigeons,” published in 1765, in “The Complete Pigeon Fancier,”
ascribed to Daniel Girton, and which is reproduced with many notes in Mr.
Eaton’s well-known ‘‘ Treatise.” Of these breeds Moore writes as follows :—

“‘Tue Dutcu Cropprr.—This pigeon seems to be originally Dutch, being
naturally thick, and its name is derived from a large bag, or crop of wind, which
they carry under their beak, and can at pleasure either raise or depress; they are
thick-bodied and short; their legs are likewise thick, short, and feathered down
to their feet ; their crop is large, but always hangs low; the feathers on their thighs
hang loose, whereby they are said to be flag-thighed; their legs stand wide, and
they seldom play upright; they are grayel-eyed, and are generally very bad feeders,

H

50 PIGEONS.

therefore as soon as they have fed off their soft meat it is proper to put their
young ones under a pair of small Runts, Dragoons, or Pouting Horsemen, which
may be kept as nurses for the purpose.

“ There are all sorts of feathers in this pigeon, and the Dutch in breeding it take
a very great care ; for as soon as they have fed off their soft meat, they put their
young ones under others to nurse, and then separate their old ones, placing them
in different coops, and feeding them high with hemp or rape-seed for a month,
then turning them together; and by being very hearty and salicious, they breed
pigeons with very good properties; from whence we may observe, that would
mankind be alike abstemious, their progeny might be more complete both in body
and mind,

“These are the pigeons that are most apt to gorge, if not: kept constantly
supplied with meat and water.”

** THE Uprtoper.—The Uploper is a pigeon bred originally in Holland; its make
and shape agrees in every respect with the English Pouter, only it is smaller in
every property. Its crop is very round, in which it generally buries its bill; its
legs are very small and slender, and its toes are: short and close together, on which
it treads so nicely, that when moving, you may put anything under the ball of its
foot; it is close-thighed, plays very upright, and when it approaches: the hen,
generally leaps to her with its tail spread, which is the reason the name is given to
it, from the Dutch word Uplopen, which signifies:to leap up.. These pigeons are
generally all blue, white, or black, though I will not assert that there are no
pieds of the species. There are but few of them in England, and I have been
informed that in Holland they haye asked five-and-twenty guineas for a single pair
of them.”

“THE Partstan Pourer.—This pigeon was originally bred at Paris, and from
thence brought to Brussels, whence it was transmitted to us; it has all the nature
of a Pouter, but is generally long-cropped and not very large; it is. short-bodied,
short-legged, and thick in the girt. What is chiefly admired in this bird is its
feather, which is indeed very beautiful,.and peculiar only to itself, resembling a fine
piece of Irish stitch, being chequered with various colours in every feather, except
the flight, which is white; the more red it has mixed with the other colours, the
more valuable it is: some are grayel-eyed, and some bull-eyed, but it.is equally
indifferent which eye it has.”

Of the origin of these three varieties of Croppers, no historical details are
known. All ordinary breeds of pigeons have the power of distending the upper
part of the gullet with air to some slight extent, and so enlarging the neck.
Even the wild Rock Dove possesses this faculty ; and a@ reference to the figure at
page 9, illustrating the structure of its digestive organs, will show that the gullet,
be, is unusually large, as compared with the size of that organ in fowls and other
allied birds.

By careful selection, and breeding from birds that developed this peculiar pro-
perty to the greatest extent, the breed of Croppers must have been obtained. And

THE ENGLISH POUTER. 51

it appears not improbable that the modern Pouter, characterized by its extremely
long limbs and great length of feather, in addition to size of crop, might have
been bred from these Croppers, crossed with a long-limbed, long-bodied, and long-
feathered Carrier, and thus the variety produced by artificial selection, in precisely
a similar manner to that in which Moore states the Pouting Horseman to
haye been obtained. ‘‘ This pigeon,” he says, ‘‘is a bastard strain between the
Cropper and the Horseman, and according to the number of times that their young
ones are bred over from the Cropper, they are called first, second, or third breed ;
and the oftener they are bred over, the larger their crop proves. The reason of
breeding these pigeons is to improve the strain of the Pouters, by making them
close-thighed, though it is apt to make them rump, from the Horseman’s blood.
They are very merry pigeons upon a house, and by often dashing off, are good to
pitch stray pigeons, that are at aloss to find their own home ; they breed often and
are good nurses, generally feeding their young ones well. I have known these
pigeons to be six inches and six and a half in legs; they are a hearty pigeon, and,
give them but meat and water, need very little other attendance. Some of them
will home ten or twenty miles.” Whatever it may be, we find the earliest
history of the Pouter in Moore’s ‘‘ Columbarium ;” and as his book is exceedingly
scarce, it is desirable to preserve his description, more especially as it has been
taken as the basis of almost all the English works that have been since published
on the subject,—the ‘‘ Treatise,” and Girton more especially. The modern
fancier cannot fail to be struck with the fact that the standard of properties, as
laid down by Moore, is in the main identical with that of the present day.
Many other breeds have felt the influence of fashion, but the Pouter of Moore’s
time and that of last Glasgow show, are almost, if not quite, identical.

Writing of this breed, which Moore terms “‘ The English Pouter,” he states :—

‘‘This pigeon, which was first bred in England, and is therefore called the
English Pouter, is originally a mixed breed between a Horseman and a Cropper,
experience teaches us, it will add a wonderful beauty to this bird, and raise in it
the five following properties:—1. Length of Body; 2. Length of Legs; 3. Neat-
ness of Crop; 4. Slenderness of Girt; 5. Beauty in Feather.

*©1. As to the length of body, the longer they are from the apex of the beak _
to the end of the tail, the more the pigeon is esteemed: I have seen one that
measured this way near twenty inches, although seventeen or eighteen is reckoned
a very good length.

“2. The length of the leg is the next thing to be examined in a Pouter, 4.¢.,
from the upper joint of the thigh in sight, to the end of the toe-nail; and in
this property some pigeons have been very considerable, wanting a mere trifle of
seven inches, yet the bird that produces six and a half or three quarters must be
allowed to be a very good one.

«3. The next property to be considered is the crop, which ought to be large
and round, especially towards the beak, filling behind the neck, so as to cover the
shoulders and tie neatly off at the shoulders, and form a perfect globe.

52 PIGEONS.

“4. The smaller the girt the better, because by this means a contrast of
beautiful shape is given to the whole bird.

“5. The last thing that is generally allowed as a property in a Pouter is the
feather, and indeed its plumage affords a very great variety. The Pieds are most
universally esteemed, and under these may be ranked the Blue-pied, the Black-
pied, the Red-pied, and the Yellow-pied, each of which advance in their worth
according as they answer best the foregoing properties; for instance, if the Blue-
pied and Black-pied are equal in the measure of the other properties, the Black-
pied will be reckoned the best pigeon, on the account of the feather, and the
Yellow-pied, if equal, better than any.

“‘ Before we leave this head of feathers, we must take notice how a Pouter
ought to be pied: and, in the first place, the chop ought to be white, girt round
with a shining green, intermixed with the colour with which he is pied. By the
chop is meant the front part of the crop, and this white ought by no means to go
behind the neck, for then it is said to be ring-headed. He ought to have a bib or
round patch, of the same colour with which he is pied, coming down from under
his chop, and falling upon the chap, which makes it the shape of a half-moon ;
but if this bib be wanting he is said to be swallow-throated.

‘* His head, neek, and back ought to be of one uniform colour, and the tail the
same; and if the pigeon be Blue-pied, he ought to have two bars or streaks
of black across the lower part-of both wings ; but if these happen to be of a brown
colour, he is said to be kite-barred, which is not so valuable.

*«The shoulder or pinion of the wing ought to be mottled with white, lying
round in the shape of a rose; this is called a rose-pinion, and is reckoned
the best, though but very few arise to be complete in this property; but if the
pinion runs with a large patch of white to the outer edge of the wing, he is said to
be lawn-sleeyed.

‘‘ His thighs ought to be clean white, though sometimes the joints of the knees
will be edged round with another colour, but let it fall here, or any other part of
the thigh, he is foul-thighed.

«The nine flight-feathers of the wing ought to be white, otherwise he is said to
be foul-flighted, and if only the external feather of the wing be of the colour of
the body, it is called sword-flighted, or sworded.

‘Besides the five properties before mentioned, there is another, which, though
not generally allowed, will be found to be one of the best—I mean the carriage ;
under which I comprise the following heads :—

“The crop ought to be so far filled with wind as to show its full extent,
without bufling* or being slack-winded, which are both esteemed very great faults.
The Pigeon that bufles fills his crop so full of wind, that it is thereby strained in
such a manner that he is ready to fall backwards, because he can’t readily
discharge the confined air, which renders him uneasy and unwieldy, and many a

* Probably this obsolete verb, to bufle, is derived from the French verb bouffer, to blow out or
puff out.

THE ENGLISH POUTER. 53

good bird has, by this means, either fallen into the street, or become a prey
to those fatal enemies of the Fancy, the cats. The other extreme is being slack-
winded, so that he shows little or no crop, and appears not much better than an
ill-shaped Runt.

“‘The second beauty in carriage is their playing upright, with a fine tail, well
spread like a fan, without scraping the ground therewith, or tucking it between
their legs ; neither should they set up the feathers on their rump when they play,
which is called rumping.

“The last beauty of carriage in a Pouter is to stand close with his legs, without
straddling, and keep the shoulders of his wing tight down to his body, and when
he moves, to trip beautifully with his feet, almost upon his toes, without jumping,
which is the quality of an Uploper.

‘© Pouter that would answer all these properties might be said to be perfect ;
but as absolute perfection is incompatible with anything in this world, that Pigeon
that makes the nearest advances towards them is certainly the best. Some have
answered them so well, that I have known eight guineas refused for a single
pigeon of this breed.”

This quotation from Moore disposes of the history of the bird, as far as regards
English treatises, for more than a hundred years; for, as before stated, the works
subsequently published in this country were but slightly varied copies from this
writer.

On the Continent, however, several notices of the Cropper appeared. Thus
Temminck, in his ‘‘ Histoire Naturelle Générale des Pigeons et des Gallinacés,”
published in 1813, describes this variety, under the title of Pigeon Gosse-gorge, as
follows :—

“The Pouter is generally a bird of large size. It possesses the peculiar
faculty of inflating its crop to a prodigious size. It is by means of drawing in
the air and retaining it, that the bird succeeds in inflating himself in such a
manner that the crop appears larger than all the rest of the body. It even some-
times occurs that he loses his equilibrium in performing this feat. When he
springs up he always inflates the crop. :

<*Pouter pigeons are found of all colours, the most beautiful and those most
sought after are such as are peculiarly marked. The caprice of the amateur
regulates the estimation in which the different coloured birds are held. There are,
however, some varieties which appear most difficult to obtain. In order to breed
these, a very particular attention and great care are required. I have been assured
that some persons possess in so high a degree this talent of producing and of
creating, so to speak, extraordinary markings in the plumage of pigeons, that there
is scarcely a variety of plumage which they cannot obtain at will. But they are
often obliged, in order to attain their end, to cross an infinite number of varieties
in order to arrive at that particular one that they desire.”

The system thus accurately described by Temminck is one worthy of the notice of
English breeders, who, for the most part, are afraid to cross birds of different colours,

54 PIGEONS.

Temminck was apparently acquainted with the experimental researches of the
German fanciers, who, as he truly says, are possessed of such a degree of skill in
creating extraordinary markings, that there is scarcely a variety of plumage they
cannot produce.

Leaving the older authors on the subject of the Pouter, we now have to consider
the more modern writers on the breed.

In 1850, the Rey. Edward Saul Dixon published ‘“‘ The Dovecote and the
Aviary; being Sketches of the Natural History of Pigeons and other Domestic
Birds in a Captive State,” London, John Murray. This work is distinguished by
considerable ‘scholarly research, and a pleasant readable style; but unfortunately
the author was neither a scientific naturalist nor an experienced fancier, and his
book was necessarily destitute of much practical value.

A very large portion of the Rey. E. S. Dixon’s work was afterwards reprinted in
a smaller treatise, published under another name, being issued as ‘‘ Pigeons and
Rabbits, by E. S. Delamer.” As the Rey. E. 8. Dixon’s original work was the
first, after that of Moore, that contained any novel remarks on the Pouter, we
reproduce his account, which is especially interesting as containing references to
Pliny, Willughby, and other ancient writers. Writing of this variety, he states :—

“* Pouters appear to us to be the most isolated of the domestic pigeons ; they bear
little resemblance to any of the other kinds, and it is difficult to say to which
breed they are most nearly related. If, as some writers have held, the inflation of the
crop is the peculiar distinction of the pigeon, Pouters ought to stand at the head
of the whole family of Columbide. Provincially they are called Croppers, which
is nota vulgarism, but an old form of speech.

““« Croppers,’ says Willughby, ‘‘ ‘so called because they can, and usually do, by
attracting the air, blow up their crops to that strange bigness, that they exceed
the bulk of the whole body beside; and which, as they fly, and while they make
that murmuring noise, swell their throats to a great bigness, and the bigger,
the better and more generous they are esteemed. Those I saw at Mr. Cope’s, a
citizen of London, living in Jewin Street, seemed to me nothing bigger, but
something less than Runts, and somewhat more slender and long-bodied.’*

‘«* The hen Cropper also has an inflated crop like the male; the same in kind,
though Jess in degree. When zealous fanciers want to form an opinion of the
merits of a Cropper pigeon, they inflate the crop by applying the bird’s mouth to
their own, and blowing into it, exactly as if they were filling a bladder with air,
till it is extended to the very utmost. Nor does the patient seem in the least to
dislike the operation, but the contrary ; and when set upon its legs, choke-
full of wind, it will endeavour to retain the charge as tightly as it can, and
appears actually to be pleased with, and proud of, the enormity of the natural
balloon which it carries about with it. The only analogous case I am acquainted

* The figure of the Cropper given in Willughby’s “ Ornithology” represents a short-legged
ordinary pigeon, that differs only from the other specimens delineated in having a large inflated
erop.—W.B.T.

THE ENGLISH POUTER. 55

with is the fish which blows itself out with air, and then floats on the surface of
the sea, belly upwards.

**T cannot agree with those who think the gait and appearance of Cropper pigeons
at all displeasing or unnatural, although they certainly are a very marked and
peculiar style of bird. We can admire the classic figure of Atlas with the globe
upon his shoulders ; the Cropper is an Atlas wearing the globe under his shirt-
front. He has indeed something of a military air, and requires but a few
finishing touches from a drilling-master to make his demeanour perfect in
formality and politeness. We have seen gentlemen belonging to Her Majesty’s
army, whose back-thrown head, super-erect carriage, taper waist, and well-padded
breast, brought them very much to the model of a gigantic Cropper, and whose
countenances betrayed no dissatisfaction with their own personal appearance ; and
a style of beauty which contents a man, may surely be allowed to please a bird.
The feathered legs and the sweeping tail may be supposed to complete the
likeness, by representing spurs and dangling and trailing what-nots.

«The flight also of the Cropper is’ stately and dignified in its way. The inflated
crop is not generally collapsed by the exertion, but is seen to move slowly forward
through the air, like a large permanent soap-bubble, with a body and wings
attached to it. The bird is fond of elapping his wings loudly at first starting to
take his few lazy rounds in the air; for he is too much of a fine gentleman
to condescend to violent exertion. Other pigeons will indulge in the same action
ina less degree, but Croppers are the claqueurs par excellence ; and hence we
believe the Smiters of Willughby to be only a synonynz of the present kind. He
says, ‘I take these to be those, which the fore-mentioned Hollander told
Aldrovandus, that his countrymen called Draiiers. These do not only shake their
wings as they fly, but also flying round about in a ring, especially over their
females, clap them so strongly, that they make a greater sound than two
battledores or other boards struck one against another. Whence it comes to pass,
that their quill-feathers are almost always broken and shattered; and sometimes
so bad, that they cannot fly.’

“‘Smiters and Croppers, or something very like them, must have been known
and kept so long back even as Pliny’s time. ‘Nosse credas suos colores, varieta-
temque dispositam: quin etiam ex volatu queritur plaudere im ecelo, varieque
suleare. Qua in ostentatione, ut vincte, prebentur accipitri, implicatis strepitu
pennis, qui non nisiipsis alarum humeris eliditur.’ ‘You would think they were
conscious of their own colours, and the variety with which they are disposed :
nay, they even attempt to make their flight a means of clapping in the air, and
tracing various courses in it. By which ostentation they are betrayed to the
power of the Hawk, as if bound, their feathers being entangled in the action of
making the noise, which is produced only by the actual shoulders of their wings.
(Lib. x. 52.)

**Pouters are of various colours; the most: usual are blue, buff (vulgd cloth),
splashed in various mixtures, and white. Pure white Pouters are really

56 PIGEONS.

handsome, and look very like white Owls in their sober circlings around the
pigeon-house. Apropos of the blue and the cloth-coloured birds, a friend asks,
‘ Have you ever observed that if you pair a chestnut with a blue pigeon, the cock
being, say the chestnut, the chances are that the young cock is blue, and the hen
chestnut, and their offspring will come vice versé round again?—H.H. This is
a curious alternation.

** Pouters have deservedly a bad character as nurses, and it is usual to put the
eggs of valuable birds under other pigeons to hatch and rear; but otherwise they
are not deficient in natural powers, either of hardiness, flight, or memory. I
am well acquainted with the party to whom the following case happened :—

““*T once had a pair of pigeons of the Cropper kind given to me by a friend,

I confined them about a month, with the view of breaking off the thoughts of
their former home; but as soon as they had their liberty, they flew towards their
old habitation. The hen arrived immediately; but, strange to say, her mate did
not till two years afterwards. No doubt he was trapped, and remained in con-
finement during the whole of that time. The distance to their old home was only
four miles and a half, but what seems curious is, that a pigeon should recollect
his Lome after two years’ absence. My friend told me, that as soon as the Cropper
cock got back again, he began to play the same tricks as he used to do before he
was sent away to me.’—2J. W.

*“An objection to Pouters is, that the largest-cropped birds seldom have their
crops perfectly covered with feathers, but show a great deal of naked skin (from
their rubbing off) which leaves the beholder to wnagine the beautiful plumage
which ought to be beheld. They are also apt to be gorged by over-feeding them-
selves; in which case we have proved the benefit of the directions in the Treatise,
adding to them, however, a calomel and colocynth pill. ‘ When they have been
too long from grain, they will eat so much that they cannot digest it; but it will
lie and corrupt in the crop, and kill the pigeon: if this, therefore, at any time
happens, take the following method :—

«Put them in a strait stocking, with their feet downward, stroking up the
crop, that the bag which contains the meat may not hang down; then hang the
stocking upon a nail, keeping them in this manner till they have digested their
food, only not forgetting to give them now and then a little water, and it will
often cure them; but when you take them out of the stocking, put them in an
open basket or coop, giving them but a little meat at a time, or else they will be
apt to gorge again.’

“‘No space remains to give the technical points of the Pouters of the fancy,
which would best be done by liberal quotation from the Treatise. The author
quite sympathizes with the ‘insanity’ of the ancient Romans. He elaborately
describes five properties of the standard Pouter, and six rules for the manner in
which a Pouter should be pied, as ‘published and in use among the columbarians ;’
and sums up all philosophically thus :—

«©¢ A Pouter that would answer to all these properties, might very justly be

THE ENGLISH POUTER. 57

deemed perfect; but as absolute perfection is incompatible with anything in this
world, that pigeon which makes the nearest advances towards them is most
undoubtedly the best.’

“Some of the crosses between Pouters and other pigeons. are held in
esteem ; that most prized is the cross with the Carrier, as being a bird of powerful
flight. ‘Light Horsemen. This is a bastard kind, of one parent a Cropper, the
other a Carrier, and so they partake of both, as appears by the wattles of their
bill, and their swollen throats. They are the best breeders of all, and will not
lightly forsake any house to which they have been accustomed.’ (Willughby.)
The same mixture of breeds often goes by the name of Dragoon.”’

-It is hardly necessary to say that, to many of the statements in this pleasantly
written account, the acquiescence of the experienced amateur cannot be expected ;
that the Smiters of Willughby were identical with his Croppers is not correct.
The statement respecting the alternation of colours in the generations bred from
a pair consisting of a blue and a buff or chestnut bird, is only true accidentally,
and must not be taken as a general fact.

Shortly after the publication of ‘‘The Dovecote and Aviary,” Mr. John
Matthews Eaton published his very eccentric work, in which he reproduces the
text of Moore’s “‘ Columbarium,” and adds the slight amount of additional matter
derived from ‘“‘ The Treatise” of 1765, and the work ascribed to Girton ; to these
he appends some remarks of the late Mr. B. P. Brent, and a number of very
remarkable but perfectly characteristic and original notes of his own writing.

These works comprise, it is believed, everything that has been written on the
Pouter, with the exception of a few paragraphs hardly worth transcribing in such
works as Mowbray’s ‘‘ Domestic Poultry,” and other books of a similar class.

Having discussed at considerable length the history of the origin of the English
Pouter, we have now to estimate its properties as an exhibition bird, and to take
into consideration those points of excellence that are valued by amateurs at the
present time, and that command success in a show-pen. The properties of the
Pouter that are now held in the highest estimation are the same as those recorded
by Moore nearly 140 years since. They are five in number, namely :—

1. Length of leg or limb.

2. Length of feather.

3. Slenderness of body.

4. Size and carriage of erop.
5. Colour.

In an article on the properties of the Pouter as an exhibition bird, published in
The Field some time since, Mr. Tegetmeier, after enumerating the properties as
above stated, says :—

“*T have arranged these properties in what I believe to be generally regarded as
the order of their importance, although I am aware that some fanciers of the
highest standing and greatest experience take a different view of their relative
value.

58 PIGEONS.

‘Almost all Pouter-breeders, however, are agreed that length of limb is the
most important property, without which the best bird in all other respects would
be but of little value. I need scarcely say that the limb is measured from the
joint nearest the body to the end of the nail of the centre toe. It requires
some little practice to measure a bird accurately, and hence loose and random
assertions are constantly made as to the length of limb of certain birds. We
often Lear of Pouters seven and a half inches in limb; but I must confess that,
though some scores or hundreds of the best birds in the kingdom have passed
through my hands when awarding the prizes at various exhibitions, it has never
yet been my good fortune to measure one of that length, The best bird I ever
bred was seven and a quarter inches, and I should ever be perfectly satisfied with
my success if I could breed a few more like him. In fact, seven inches for a
cock, and six and three quarter inches for a hen, may be regarded as a first-rate
limb.

“In addition to a good length, the leg also requires to be well and closely
feathered to the tips of the toes.

‘The illustration represents a very superb blue-pied cock that belonged to the
late Mr. Samuel Bult. The engraving is an exact copy of the original sketch,
now in my possession, by the celebrated animal draughtsman, Harrison Weir. The
lees of this bird were over seven inches in length; but in the matter of feathering
they were very faulty, the loose long feathers about the hocks detracting very much
from the beauty of the bird. The absence of feathers on the shank is as great
a fault as their excess, many otherwise very first-class birds being partially bare,
or, as it is termed, spindle-shanked.

“The length of feather is measured from the tip of the beak to the extremity
of the centre feathers of the tail, the bird being stretched out at full length. The
bird represented measured a little over eighteen inches, which is a very good
length, although sometimes exceeded by half or even a whole inch. It is true that
I have often met with birds over twenty and even twenty-one inches in length ;
but it has always been in print or in conversation about absent birds, as I have
never had the pleasure of seeing them in the flesh. !

‘‘Slimness of girth is a very essential property in a Pouter; nothing detracts
more from elegance in a bird of this breed than a thick, clumsy body. The old
fanciers used to say that the body of a Pouter ought to be able to slip through a
wedding-ring, which, making due allowance for the slight exaggeration always
found in the conversation of enthusiasts, gives a correct idea of the form desired
to be obtained by the Pouter-breeders. Within the last few years, I think, the
generality of Pouters shown have improved in this quality. A few years ago,
many of the London birds were thick and clumsy, arising from the fact that one
of the largest breeders crossed his strain with a very large Mottled Runt, in order
to get size into his breed. This he did at a sacrifice of. shape, and it took several
years before the bulky body was bred out. ;

“The fourth property, the size ard carriage of the crop, is one on which the

THE POUTER PIGEON,

THE ENGLISH POUTER. 61

elegance of the bird greatly depends. The crop, when distended, should be of as
globular a shape as possible. It certainly should not be so enormous as to extend
over the shoulders of the bird, and involve part of the body, nor should it force
back the head of the bird till it is bent backwards down towards the tail. The
crop should be of good size, neither overblown nor contracted. When not inflated,
as happens when the bird is not in show, the crop should not hang down as a loose
bag, with a few beans and a little water at the bottom, as in that case the bird is
said to be slack-winded, and loses all elegance of form.

“The colour of a Pouter is an important property. The most common are the
blue-pieds. These should be a good bright blue, with the wings and the tail well
barred with black, and pied with white on the crop in the shape of a new moon or
erescent : this white moon should not be too large, nor should the points of the
erescent meet around the back of the neck. On the shoulder there should be a
mere patch of white, which is termed the rose-pinion ; the flight-feathers should
be white, and those covering the legs and feet. There should be no white over the
back or any part of the head. The black-pied birds should have the same
distribution of colour as the blues.

** With regard to the reds and yellow-pied, white tails are regarded as ad-
missible, not perhaps because they are admired, but because these colours cannot
be bred with dark tails. Pure white is also a favourite colour of many breeders,
and few birds can look more beautiful than a clean, long-limbed graceful bird of
this colour. No person who had the pleasure of ever seeing the stock of the late
Mr. Bult, can fail to remember the beautiful sight that his birds presented when
walking about the lawn in his garden; the contrast of the pure white specimens
with the green of the closely mown lawn, added in no little degree to the striking
character of the group.

“Tn addition to these, there are several off-colours, that are not valued in
themselves, although the birds may be of the greatest worth as breeding birds.
The most common of these is that known as mealy, a kind of dull powdered red, of
different depths of colour in different birds. These mealy birds are often the best in
limb and feather that the fancier breeds, and although as show birds their colour is
regarded as nothing, they are invaluable as breeders. The same is true of
splashes and mottles of various kinds, which are also not uncommon.”

The publication of this communication elicited the following letter from James
Ruthyen, Esq., the Honorary Secretary of the Glasgow Ornithological Society.
The annual exhibition at Glasgow is known to present the grandest collection of
Pouters that is got together in the United Kingdom. The success of this society
is in great measure due to the energy and knowledge of the Secretary, whose
experiences and intimate knowledge of this breed render his communication of
the highest value. Mr. Ruthven writes as follows :—

“Tn reading over your article on the Pouter, I certainly would differ from you
as to the relative importance of the various properties. I should feel disposed to
give the most important position to the point that gives the character of the bird;

62 PIGEONS.

the next to the points that give grace and elegance. However, after all, the principal
points must be combined in harmony with each other. I should not always con-
sider the longest limb the best, as so much depends on the shape and covering of
the limb. The length of limb and length of feather should be in proportion, say a
63-inch limb to an eighteen-inch bird, or 7-inches to a nineteen inch, is better than
a 7-inch limb to a 174 bird, which gives what we have seen too often—long bodies
and short tails. I may also mention that in proportion to length of feather, the
hens have just as long limbs as cocks; and I would almost say, from a sudden
recollection of all the hens I have had, or known, of any merit, that they would
average the same length of limb, nay, I could almost assert they were longer
in limb, in proportion to their length of feather.

“‘T have known a hen measure 7} inches, I never saw a cock measure that.
When you take 7 inches for a cock and 6% inches for a hen, I suppose you mean
that the hen should be about 1 inch shorter,in feather; if so, you may be right,
but I think the length of the limb goes with the bird in proportion to the size ;
take all the 18-inch cocks in any fancier’s loft, and all the 18-inch hens, and I
think you will find the limbs measure the same on the average. I like the draw-
ing of Mr. Bult’s Blue-pied Pouter very much, although the length of the wings
has been curtailed.

«Ts there not a want felt by beginners, in the way of a little more information,
as how to breed birds for particular points, as colour, length of limb, &c.? we are
told in every publication what is considered perfection, and that all beginners
should aim at this, but how to do so is the question. I see you give us a little of
this in the ‘ Poultry Book,’ but it might be extended; practical knowledge is what
the breeder wants now-a-days; he will not have the patience of bygone fanciers, and
toil through years of experience : such information that could be relied on would be
greedily devoured. I have been all my life a breeder of pigeons, and latterly I
have added poultry, since I have been able to keep them. I have all the books
published of any note, and I can scarcely put my hand upon a page that would
guide me to match up for certain points to be obtained.”

The suggestions of Mr. Ruthven for the publication of practical directions for
the benefit of the inexperienced amateur, appear to be of great importance, and we
will therefore state the results of our experience, and also of that of others, as
far as we have been able to ascertain them.

The rock on which most Pouter-breeders have been wrecked has been a slavish
fear of breeding away from some one particular colour.

Blue-pied birds have generally been matched with blue-pieds, black-pieds with
black-pieds, whites with whites, and so on through the whole of the varieties. The
late Mr. Bult was one of those who rejected this practice, and it was to his freedom of
action that his great success was mainly to be attributed. When he first embarked
in the Pouter fancy, he threw large size into his strain by crossing his breed with
a very large, long-feathered Runt, of a white ground colour, mottled with light
red, and which he termed an ‘‘ almond-mottled ”’ bird.

THE ENGLISH POUTER. 63

The great size thus obtained was accompanied with an increase in the girth of
the body that took some years’ careful selection of brood-stock entirely to get rid
of, and birds of ‘‘ almond-mottled”’ feather were always making their appearance
in Mr. Bult’s stud, even up to the time of his decease, one being sold at the sale
that took place after his death. As far as regards the colours of the pairs he
matched together, Mr. Bult was not particular; his object was to secure length of
limb and feather, and he left colour in great part to take care of itself.

Nevertheless, it must not be imagined that the colours of birds that are penned
together are of no importance. Pigeon fanciers know that there are certain
colours which are very apt to be reproduced in the offspring, and others which are
readily lost by breeding with birds of other colours.

Thus, amongst Pouters, birds of the colour known as mealy will, when matched
with either blue-pied, black-pied, red-pied, yellow-pied, or pure white, often pro-
duce young most perfectly marked or coloured, without a trace of mealiness; and
hence a good mealy bird is always, by experienced fanciers, regarded as valuable for
brood-stock, as any other colour can be bred from it, if not in one, most certainly
in two generations.

This is an important fact, as mealy birds are not unfrequently the longest in limb
and feather, the slenderest in girth, and the best in carriage of any in the stud.

With regard to the matching of the particular colours, first of blue-pied; a Pouter
of this colour should not be matched with a black-pied, as although, in many cases,
well-marked birds of either colour are produced, the general result is to obtain
dark birds, with chequered wings and black bars, which are neither elegant nor
valuable. Blues may be matched with reds, if no better match offers; and we
haye seen some very good-coloured birds the produce of this cross. Nothing can be
better than to cross a blue cock with a large, long-limbed mealy hen; the
produce will, in almost all cases, be either blue or mealy. Blue-pied and white are
not desirable to match, as very white pied birds, or white splashed or speckled
with other colours, would most probably result.

Black-pied may be matched with red-pied or mealy with advantage; but white
should be avoided, as splashed offspring would almost certainly be produced.

Red-pied may also be matched with yellow-pied, when good yellow or red birds
will be produced; red-pied and mealy may also be matched, but with some risk to
the bright red so much prized in the best-coloured birds.

Yellow-pied may also be matched with mealy with advantage.

White Pouters should have a white beak, a dark eye, and a plumage of
immaculate purity, in addition to all the other properties of the breed. The fear
of the hereditary transmission of a few dark feathers has made many fanciers
dread any intermixture of other blood with their white strain; but we can speak
from long experience in breeding this variety, and can state that some of the best
whites we ever reared were obtained from a cock with a dark-splashed tail and a
mealy hen, and that the progeny of these birds, when crossed with other whites,
bred birds free from stain.

64 PIGEONS.

White, in the language of the fanciers, is a ‘‘ strong” colour, that is to say, it is
one that reproduces itself with great force, and readily overpowers other colours
existing in the bird to which it is matched.

Having treated of breeding for colour, it is now desirable to speak of the
most certain modes of obtaining the other characteristics. In breeding for length
of limb and feather, it should not be forgotten that the influence of the hen over
form and size is generally superior to that of the cock: thus a poor cock mated
with a superior hen, will produce much better birds than a good cock if matched
with a short-limbed hen; size and limb take after the female parent, colour more
usually follows the male. Thus a white cock with a long-limbed mealy hen,
would be more likely to throw good white birds than a mealy cock with a white
hen.

It is always desirable to mate birds so that any deficiency in one shall be
counteracted by the other; thus-a bird with very heavily feathered legs would be
judiciously mated with one deficient in this quality. Another with too much
white with one that has too little, and so on.

As extreme vigour of constitution is required in the Pouter, it is always de-
sirable to avoid too close interbreeding ; brother and sister should never be matched,
nor, if possible, should any birds be paired that are closely related, as weakness
of the limbs, and deterioration alike of size and length of limb, will be the result ;
whereas, on the other hand, the extraordinary influence of a total change of blood in
giving vigour, size, and constitutional hardihood can hardly be overrated.

We now have to consider the arrangements most desirable for the accommoda-
tion of a stud of Pouters. The size and peculiar habits of these birds render
necessary a very considerable modification of the arrangements that are usually
made for the other varieties of domestic pigeons. Their height necessitates pens
of much greater altitude, their length of feather requires a large increase of size
in their nesting-places and cages, and the desirability of getting them into show
renders it almost imperative for the Pouter fancier to have such an arrangement
of his loft as will admit of his penning the whole of his birds separately during the
winter months, that is, from immediately after the moulting season until they
are matched up anew in the spring. First-class Pouters cannot be advanta-—
geously kept, either in dovecotes, pigeon-houses, or lofts, such as may be devoted
without inconvenience to many of ihe other varieties; and except in country
districts where they are secure from molestation, they cannot be safely flown at
large, as they are so tame that they may frequently be taken up in the hand, and
when they are strutting about with inflated crops, they offer themselves as easy
victims to predatory cats. Hence, in towns, Pouters are always kept in rooms or
enclosed aviaries, and these are fitted up with pens for the nesting and con-
finement of the birds.

Mr. Eaton, in his ‘‘ New and Improved Diagram or Plan of Building or Fitting
ap a Pigeonary,” gives a design for pens that are to be placed against the side of

a room or enclosed aviary.

THE ENGLISH POUTER. 65

The stack of pens being fifteen feet four inches in length, by seven feet six
inches in height; the entire length is divided into five tiers of pens, each pen
being three feet in width from side to side, and sixteen inches from back to front.
This stack is divided horizontally into six rows of pens, placed one over the other ;
of these the lower row only is intended for Pouters, being sixteen inches in height,
the second for Carriers, fourteen inches in height, and the upper four rows for
Tumblers, each row being twelve inches high. These dimensions will show that
all experienced fanciers consider that Pouters require larger and taller pens even
than Carriers.

A low pen would prevent the birds raising themselves to their full stature, and
their carriage would be entirely destroyed. The arrangement proposed by Mr. Eaton
is one calculated to enable the possessor of a single loft or room to keep the three
high-class varieties, Pouters, Carriers, and Almond Tumblers, together. In prac-
tice, we should doubt whether it would be found advantageous to do so. The
pens for the Pouters would be too low, and too near the ground for the birds to be-
come familiar with their feeder, and consequently they would not ‘‘ show” so freely ;
and the Carriers, which are not unfrequently birds of a very combative disposition,
would be apt to interfere with the delicate and fragile Short-faced Tumblers in a
manner that would not at all conduce to the well-being of the latter. A single
peck from the sharp-pointed beak of a Carrier would destroy the beauty of the
eye of an Almond Tumbler for life.

The compiler of the anonymous “Treatise” of 1765, who was evidently a
practised breeder, states that ‘‘The Pouter requires an infinite deal of
attendance, it being necessary to keep them separately all the winter season ;
that is to say, every single bird, cocks as well as hens, in a separate pen
or coop, each of which must be furnished with meat and water, and
should be lofty and spacious, as otherwise they would contract a habit of
stooping, which is an imperfection, and should by all means be prevented.
Then haying (in the spring) matched or paired them, you must be provided
with at least two pairs of Dragoons to every pair of Pouters, for nurses or
feeders, which must be kept in a separate loft from the Pouters, otherwise they
would bastardize, and spoil the breed. Pouters are never suffered, by those who
are curious, to hatch their own eges, they being bad feeders, and would often
starve their young ones. When the Pouter has laid her ege, it must be shifted
under a Dragoon, that has likewise laid, nearly about the same time, and that of
the Dragoon be placed under the Pouter, exchanging the one with the other, it
being necessary the Pouter should have an egg, or eggs, to sit on, to prevent her
laying again too soon, which would weaken, and in a short time kill her. Like-
wise the inconveniency attending them when gorged (by putting them in a stocking
if gorged with food, and if gorged with water by squeezing it out of their crops),
which frequently happens, especially among the large-cropped ones, and sometimes
occasions the loss of a valuable bird, if proper care (and that in due time) be nov
taken. Again, shoulda fancier begin with half a dozen pairs of Pouters, he would,

K

66 PIGEONS.

in a short time, be under the necessity of purchasing more, or exchange (perhaps
his best birds) for worse, in order to cross the strain; for should he (as the term is)
breed them in and in, which is matching father and daughter, or any other way
incestuously together, the breed would degenerate, and not be worth sixpence;
whereas, the same number of Almond Tumblers would inevitably stock him for
life, for the breeding of Tumblers in and in would consequently breed them
smaller, which is a perfection in them, and they require no attendance while
_ breeding, provided you supply them with meat and water, and throw them a little
straw, and do not (like the Pouter) require time to be lavished upon them to make
them familiar. Experience teaches us that were Tumblers to be kept in separate
pens, as the Pouters are, they would show in the same manner, and be equally as
familiar as the Pouter, for the Pouter should be almost constantly attended and
talked to, during the winter season, in a phrase peculiar to that fancy, viz., hua!
hua! stroking them down the back, and clacking to them as to chickens, other-
wise they would lose their familiarity, which is one of their greatest beauties, and is
termed showing, and would make the finest of them appear despicable, which made
a facetious gentleman of my acquaintance say ‘that Pouters were a fancy more
particularly adapted to weavers, cobblers, and the like kind of trades only, that
worked in the same room where they were kept, that the owners might have an
opportunity of conversing with them, at the same time they were earning their
subsistence.”

In breeding Pouters we have tried both the plans of having feeders and of rear-
ing the young birds without, and most unhesitatingly give our verdict in opposition
to the author of the ‘‘ Treatise.” Feeders are a great trouble; you must have two
pairs for each pair of Pouters, or you cannot ensure their being ready to take the
young when required, and sometimes they resent the change and will forsake their
charge. By feeling the young birds’ crops twice a day, and if they are empty,
feeding them with soaked beans, they are readily reared. It may be said, this is
troublesome, but good birds are creditable, and will amply repay the owner for
the trouble of rearing them.

The most admirable arrangement for keeping Pouters that has ever fallen under
our notice was that adopted by the late Mr. Samuel Bult, of Highgate, who was
one of the most ardent admirers of this breed.

Those fanciers who, like ourselves, had the privilege of seeing this celebrated
stud at home, cannot fail to have been struck with the admirable manner in which
the birds were cared for. A visitor was never allowed to see them before the
houses had been thoroughly cleaned out for the day, the floors freshly swept and
gravelled, and the pens strewed with fresh sawdust. If the visit was early in the
day, a glass of wine and biscuit served to beguile the time until ‘‘ William ” an-
nounced the fact that the birds were ready for inspection: on stepping out on to the
lawn at the back of the house, the visitor saw a walled garden of moderate size; at the
opposite sides of the lawn were two summerhouses ; which were devoted to the
Pouters. In the centre of the lawn was the stump of a low tree, the branches of

THE ENGLISH POUTER. 67

which had been sawn off, leaving the truncated ends, each of which supported a
small platform on which the birds could fly. On the lawn itself were the large
shallow vessels in which they bathed. The houses contained the pens, each one of
which was about three feet long by eighteen inches in height. The fronts of the
pens were made of perpendicular wires. The door formed the middle third, the
wires at the two ends being fixtures. At the two extremities of the pens were placed
large flat flower-pot saucers, serving as nest-pans, and often a pair of young birds
was to be seen at one end, whilst one of the parents was sitting on a pair of eggs
at the other. Each pen was furnished with two small pans, one for food, the other
for water: these were never empty.

Mr. Bult did not employ any common birds as feeders for his stock; he had
tried the plan and not found it so successful as to induce him to continue it, conse-
quently the lowest tier of pens, which had been originally constructed for their
accommodation, was devoted to a few Jacobines. Birds of this breed were selected
by him because of the contrast their small delicate forms, short legs, and recurved
hoods, offered to the large size, elongated limbs, and inflated crops of the Pouters.

Those of the young birds that required feeding by hand were fed with beans
- night and morning, and as the interval between the time of their being neglected,
wholly or partially, by the parents, and that at which they could feed themselves,
was not a long one, this feeding did not involve any great degree of trouble.

Pouters will always feed their young for a few days, until they have entirely got
rid of that secretion from the crop known as the soft food; hence there is rarely
any difficulty with the newly hatched young for eight or nine days; but shortly
after that time the birds, from being highly fed, are desirous of going to nest again.
The cock will begin driving the hen, and this leads to a desertion, more or less
complete, of the young birds in the nest. To prevent their death, under these
circumstances they must either be shifted under other birds that are better feeders,
or they must be brought up by feeding them artificially. Some fanciers effect this
in a peculiar manner, filling their mouths with peas or tares, followed by a mouth-
ful of water. The owner then takes the young bird in his hands, inserts its beak
between his lips, and by an action imitative of the method of feeding adopted by
the old pigeons, ejects the contents of his mouth into the crop of the young bird.
There are pigeon fanciers who are very expert at this operation, and who boast of
their power of rearing young birds from a very early age; but we confess to not
haying mastered the accomplishment. ;

The method of feeding by hand usually adopted is to cram the bird with soaked
beans or peas. We prefer the former, as being larger, and not requiring so many
to fill the crop. The bird to be fed should be lifted from the nest, or the nest-pan
may be taken on the knees as the feeder sits in a low chair; when, placing the left
hand over the bird, he holds the head between the finger and thumb, and taking
up the beans (which should be conveniently placed) with the right hand, he opens
the beak and slips them rapidly, one after another, down the throat of the young;

68 PIGEONS.

taking care that they pass on into the crop and do not collect in the gullet, where,
by pressing the windpipe, they might stop the breathing.

The object of soaking the beans is twofold. By it they are rendered larger, and
so are more easily handled, and sufficient water is given at the same time as the
food; this is a great advantage, for at the early stage at which some Pouters
require feeding, it is difficult to induce them to drink.

Those who, like ourselves, have had the pleasure of witnessing the scene from the
windows of Mr. Bult’s house, will acknowledge that his arrangements were the very
perfection of pigeon-keeping. The extreme cleanliness of the houses and pens, the
beauty of the birds, now prancing proudly on the lawn, and then, as it were, in the
very exuberance of their animal spirits, starting off on a short flight with loud-slap-
ping wings and inflated crops, and the pleasing variety occasioned by the different
colours of the birds, combined to render the picture most attractive.

The pure white contrasted well with the black-pied, and the reds and yellows
with the blue-pied, although these latter, in the elegance of their marking, are
perhaps in advance of all the others.

After the death of Mr. Bult, which took place in 1862, this valuable stud
of birds was disposed of on November 18th, 1862, by the hammer of Mr. J. C.
Stevens, of King Street, Covent Garden. The following account of the sale
appeared in The Field of November 22nd, in the form of a letter from a corres-
pondent :-—

‘* Sir,—As a witness to the most remarkable sale of pigeons that has occurred in
my recollection (and I am now rather an old fancier), I beg to send you the follow-
ing account of the auction at which Mr. Bult’s Pouters were sold, on Tuesday last.
The number of birds sold must have been very nearly, if not quite, seventy, and
the money they produced could not have been much under £200. Among the
more remarkable birds were the following :—A white cock of extraordinary length
of feather, a very good bird, for £5 5s.; a blue-pied cock, for the same price, which
was also realized by a red cock and a black hen. Many birds went at sums vary-
ing from £4 to £5, and the entire stud averaged nearly £3 each.

«* As usual in every sale, there were a great many inexperienced buyers who were
paying heavily for the worst birds, the best certainly not fetching their full value.
The sale attracted buyers from very distant places; many of the birds went to
Manchester, others to Halifax, some to Scotland and Ireland—so that this cele-
brated strain will be widely distributed.

«‘Fyom the number of Mr. Bult’s birds, and the extreme care and attention that
was paid to them, they always appeared in public the very pink of cleanliness, and
in capital show, hence they never failed to attract a greater amount of attention
than most other strains. Of the great merit of his best birds, there can be no
doubt, but the surprising fact is that the mere wasters amongst those bred during
the last season should find buyers at the price at which they were purchased.
After this sale, who can say the pigeon fancy is declining ?

“*Conumba Livia.”

THE ENGLISH POUTER. 69

This letter elicited the following account in a succeeding number of the same
paper :—

“* Sir, —The extraordinary prices realized by Mr. Bult’s Pouters are by no means
unprecedented. On looking at a rare anonymous work, entitled ‘“‘ A Treatise on
Domestic Pigeons,” London, 1765, I find the following notice regarding a sale of
Pouters that took place more than 100 years since :—‘ Highteen pairs and a half,’
says the author, ‘were sold by public auction for £92 9s. 6d., as appears by
a paragraph in the Daily Advertiser of Thursday, Jan. 1, and the day following
in the Gazetteer and London Daily Advertiser of Friday, Jan. 2, 1761, which,
for the greater satisfaction of the reader, I shall here transcribe :

*** On Monday evening last, at the sale of pouting pigeons, at Mr. Hay’s, the
French Horn, in Beach Lane, consisting of eighteen pairs and a half of pigeons,

they were sold as follows :—

Lot Se de
1. One pair. : C : C 212 6
Dee ittOnn es C : . 6 2 7 0
3. Ditto 2 0 0
4. Ditto Lig ©
5. Ditto : 212.6
6. Ditto’ . 3.5 O
es DiGtON ys : 7 : : : 3.13 6
8° Ditto . 0 3 . c 4 7 0
9. Ditto 4 6 0
10. Ditto 3.10 O
11. Ditto 316 0
12. Ditto 5 2 0
13. Ditto 4 1 0
14. Ditto 8 0 0
15. Ditto 13. 6 O
16. Ditto IG. 253) 10)
17. Ditto : 410 0
18. A hen only 5 5 0
19. One pair . : : 1 3 0

Total can 8) ©

“As I was present,’ says the author, ‘at- the above sale, so I had an
opportunity of examining the birds, some of which were very indifferent ones, and
some of them very capital ones indeed, viz.: Lots 14, 15, 16, and 18; and to my
knowledge, two pairs of which were afterwards sold for 86 guineas by private
contract.’

“ Senux.”

70 PIGEONS.

It is singular that at the distance of a century two sales of first-class Pouters
should occur, at both of which the birds should average almost exactly the same
price: at the sale in 1761, thirty-seven birds produced £92 9s. 6d., almost exactly
£2 10s. each, and in 1862 seventy birds realized the sum of £180 5s. 6d.,
being an average of £2 11s. 6d. each. At neither sale did the best specimens
produce their full value, and at beth the inferior birds were sold far beyond their
real worth.

The author of the ‘‘ Treatise” states that many of the birds sold in 1765 were
very indifferent, and that the best afterwards sold for a much higher price than
they realized at the auction; so with Mr. Bult’s birds, many of the inferior
specimens were resold at Mr. Stevens’s in subsequent seasons, and produced
only a portion of their first cost, whilst many of the best specimens, afterwards
privately resold, produced much larger sums than they did when disposed of by
the hammer of Mr. Stevens.

High as these prices obtained at these sales may appear, they have been far
surpassed at the present time: £10 is by no means an uncommon price for a good-
limbed and well-marked bird, and as large a sum as £20 each has not un-
frequently been given for very superior Pouters. In fact, such a sum is always to
be obtained for a bird whose properties are sufficiently good to place it as a
winner at any of the great shows, such as those of Glasgow, Manchester, or
Birmingham.

ISABELS.

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CHAPTER VI.
FOREIGN POUTERS; ISABELS, BRUNNEN OR PIGMY POUTERS.

EVERAL varieties of Pouters are to be found on the continent of Europe
which are not much known in our own country. The common Pouters of
Germany, Holland, and France are very similar to the old Dutch Croppers, as
described by Moore, whose account of the breed is quoted in the last chapter. They
are large pigeons, with well-distended globular crops. They often possess great
length of feather; but their legs are short, and, consequently, their carriage is not
erect, and they cannot compare in elegance with the English birds. In colour
they vary greatly, the continental amateurs devoting great care to the production
of variations in the colour and markings of the plumage. Some idea of the
numerous varieties thus produced may be gained from the fact that M.M. Boitard
and Corbie, in their volume entitled ‘‘ Les Pigeons de Voliére et de Colombier,”
Paris, 1824, describe nearly twenty varieties in the colour and markings of the
Continental Pouters, or ‘‘ Pigeons Grosse Gorge.”

Many of these birds are very prettily marked ; a pair, a short time since, came
into our possession, of a very bright yellow, with pure white wings and flight-
feathers, and well-defined white rings round the necks. Some of these breeds
are well feathered on the legs and feet; others are not so ornamented.

In addition to these large breeds, there are some smaller Pouters to be found in
yarious parts of the continent. Among the best known of these at the present
time, at least in England, are the birds known at the pigeon-shows as Isabels, and
so named, we may presume, in consequence of their colour. They may be described
as small Pouters, with very good-sized crops, and having the feet generally rather
heavily feathered. In colour they vary from a light and delicate fawn tint to a pale
yellow, and as in many other of the German breeds, the black bars so characteristic
of the wild Blue Rock, and the majority of the blue birds descended from it, have been
supplanted by two white bars. These Isabels have been common at our pigeon
exhibitions for some years, and really good specimens are very successful competitors
in the classes in which the new or distinct varieties are shown. Isabels are very
delicate and elegant birds; on a closely mown lawn they always appear to great
advantage, their colour contrasting well with the green background formed by the

72 PIGEONS.

short grass. They breed freely, are perfectly hardy, and require no special
attention to ensure their rearing their young with success.

Within the last few years a second variety of small Pouters has been introduced
into England. The first that came under our notice were those exhibited by
Dr. Harvey of Cork, who showed bleck and red birds at the Cork exhibition,
under the title of Brunnen Pouters.

The best of these birds are perfect Pouters in miniature; and if we except the
pied markings on the full-sized birds, they possess every property that distin-
guishes the English Pouter, but reduced to the smallest possible size. In fulness
of crop, in erect carriage, in slenderness of girth, and in length of limb, they are
perfect.

The original birds that were first imported were very bare on the shanks, a
failing that detracted much from their appearance; but which has been remedied by
careful breeding, and well-feathered specimens are now to be obtained.

In colour they vary considerably. We have at the present time some of these
little pigmy Pouters, as they have been most appropriately termed, that are
purely white; these are excessively elegant. Others are entirely red; a third set
black; whilst some, which are not the least attractive, are blue, with the usual
black bars; and others are silver, with white bars. A few are fawn-coloured, whilst
some are very elegantly marked or chequered on the wings, like the Parisian
Pouter, as described by Moore in the account quoted at page 50.

We -have not yet succeeded in breeding any that are pied like the English
Pouters; but theré is no doubt that with a little care this could be accomplished.
In fact, it was done by the late Sir John Sebright. Mr. J. M. Eaton, in his
“Treatise on Pigeons,” states he was present at the sale of the birds that was
held after Sir John’s death, and that he was surprised, ‘‘ on looking at his Pouters,
to find that he had reduced the English Pouter down to such little Lilliputians,
or ‘multum in paryo’ Pouters, possessing in an elegant degree the properties of
the English Pouter. Sir John no doubt reduced them all he possibly could,
preserving all their elegant properties.”

There can be but little doubt that Sir John Sebright obtained-a stock of the
small pigmy or Brunnen Pouters as a basis of operations, and introduced
the pied markings of the English breed, retainiag the diminutive size of the
German birds. j

We have not been able to trace the destination of the birds that were sold after
Sir John Sebright’s decease, but presume that, from want of care, the breed
became extinct. His laced bantams have become firmly established in the public
estimation, but the pigeons appear to have been: entirely lost. This is to be
regretted, as a prettier variety could not be introduced. We have, however,
no doubt but that they will become in request; and as the exquisitely elegant little _
Game bantam is appreciated as a miniature of the gallant Game cock, so will the
pigmy Pouter be admired by those who estimate the noble English breed.

It may interest our readers to know the exact size of good birds of this variety,

FOREIGN POUTERS. 73

and therefore we give the following weights and dimensions of some of those in
our possession.

Waite Cocxr.—Weight, eight ounces; length from tip of beak to end of tail,
thirteen inches and a quarter; length of leg, five inches and a quarter. This
little bird has most admirable carriage, and all the properties of a good white
Pouter, even to the dark eye and white beak.

Brive Hey.—Weight, seven ounces and a quarter; length of body, thirteen
inches; length of limb, five inches.

Smuver Hey.—Weight, eight ounces and a quarter; length, thirteen inches;
length of limb, four inches and three quarters.

These dimensions are those of mature adult specimens. We have only to remark
in conclusion that these birds rear their own young with success, and that they
may be made so tame and familiar that they will allow themselves to be taken
up by the hand without an attempt to escape.

HEAD OF CARRIER.

CHAPTER. VII.
THE ENGLISH CARRIER.

NDER the name of Carrier pigeons several very distinct varieties are com-
monly confounded together. The term Carrier, as applied to pigeons,
evidently was first employed to signify those breeds that were used to convey or
carry messages to their own homes from distant places. In the process of time it
has been used by English fanciers to signify a very artificial or high-class breed,
the birds of which are never employed for carrying messages, but are valued solely
in proportion to the perfection of certain ‘‘ properties’ that they possess. This is
an unfortunate circumstance, for by the public at large the term Carrier is always
taken to express the fact that the birds to which it is applied are really those
employed to “carry” messages; whereas the long-distance flying birds, those
known more correctly as ‘‘ Homing” birds, or “ Les Pigeons Voyageurs,” are
totally distinct. Hence it will be desirable to describe these breeds in separate
chapters, and we shall first consider the high-class fancy, or English Carrier.

Of the origin of this valued breed there is no special record. All domesticated
pigeons have a tendency to variation in the amount of naked membrane around
the eye and over the nostrils, and this, when growing to an unusual extent, having
pleased the taste of the early fanciers, has been propagated by careful breeding,
increased by the process of artificial selection, and conjoined to an extremely
elongated beak and well-developed limbs, until at last the English Carrier has
been produced.

The term English Carrier may be applied to this breed with strict accuracy, for
in no other country do birds exist possessing their characters. There are to be
found in other countries birds with the membrane around the eye highly developed,
as, for example, those known as Barbs. Others have the beak extremely elongated,
as the Scanderoons, the Bagedciten of the Germans, and the Bagadais of the

LEIGLTON, BROLHEKS.

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THE ENGLISH CARRIER. 75

French amateurs; but no bird containing the properties of the Carrier is to be
met with abroad, excepting in the case of birds exported from England.

Such being the case, we turn to the earliest English authority on fancy pigeons
for a description of their properties, and find that Moore, in his ‘“‘ Columbarium,”
writes as follows :—

** The Carrier is larger in size than most of the common sorts of pigeons: J
measured one whose length from the point of the beak to the extremity of the tail
was fifteen inches; this, though not one of the largest, weighed near twenty
ounces. Their flesh is naturally firm, and their feathers close, when they stand
erect upon their legs; their necks being usually long, there appears in them a
wonderful symmetry of shape beyond other pigeons.

«The upper chap of the bill is half covered from the head, with a naked
white tuberous furfuraceous flesh, which projects or hangs over both its sides on
the upper part nearest the head, and ends in a point about the middle of the
bill: this is called the wattle, and is sometimes joined by two small excrescences
of the same kind on each side of the under chap. This flesh is in some
Carriers more inclinable to a blackish colour, which is generally the more valued.

** The eyes, whose iris, or circle round the black pupil, is generally of the colour
of a reddish gravel, are equally surrounded with the same sort of furfuraceous
matter, for about the breadth of a shilling; this is generally thin when it spreads
wide, and is most valued, yet when the flesh round the eye is thick and broad it
shows the Carriers to be of a good blood that will breed very stout ones.

«A Carrier is generally reckoned to have twelve properties, viz., three in
the beak, three in the wattle, three in the head, and three in the eye.

** To begin, therefore, with the first, the properties of the beak are to be long,
straight, and thick. As to its length, an inch and a half is reckoned a long beak,
though there are very good Carriers that are found not to exceed an inch and a
quarter. The straightness of the beak adds a wonderful beauty to its length, and
if otherwise it is said to be hooked-beaked, and is not so much esteemed. The
thickness of the beak is likewise a very great commendation, and if it fails in
this point it is said to be spindle-beaked, which diminishes something of its
value.

** The next three properties are those of the wattle, which ought to be broad
across the beak; short from the head towards the apex, or point of the bill, and
tilting forward from the head; for if otherwise it is said to be pegg-wattled,
which is very much disesteemed ; and, therefore, some people, to impose upon
mankind, and enhance the price of an indifferent bird, have artificially raised the
hinder part of the wattle, filled it up with cork, and wired it in with fine wire, in
such a manner as not to be easily perceptible, especially to gentlemen who are not
adepts in the Fancy.

** We now ccme to consider the properties of the head, which are its length,
its narrowness, and its flatness. When a Carrier has a long narrow head, and a
yery flat skull, it is much admired; and if otherwise, it is said to be barrel headed.

H 2

76 PIGEONS.

«‘ The last three properties are those of the eye, which ought to be broad,
round, and of an equal thickness ; for if one part of the eye be thinner than
the rest, it is said to be pinch-eyed, which is deemed a very great imperfection ;
whereas if it has the contrary properties, it is said to haye a rose-eye, which is very
valuable.

“To these, some add the distance which is between the hinder part of the
wattle and the edge of the eye; but I cannot allow this to be a property, because
when a Carrier comes to be three or four years old, if the eye is broad and the
wattle large, they must of necessity meet: the distance, therefore, seems to be
rather a property of the Horseman.

*« Another distinguishing mark of the Carrier is the length and thinness of its
neck, which some call a property; and it must be allowed to add a very great
beauty to this bird, especially considering the breadth of its chest.

“‘Tts feather is chiefly black or dun, though there are likewise blues, whites,
and pieds of each feather, but the black and dun answer best the foregoing
properties ; yet the blues and blue pieds are generally esteemed for their
scarcity, though they will not usually come up to the properties of the fore-
going feathers.”

Since the time of Moore, the Carrier, as a fancy pigeon, has been even increasing
in the estimation in which it is held by fanciers. To so high a pitch has it now
risen that £20 is no uncommon price to be given for a very perfect bird, one that
is capable of taking a high position in a close competition at a competitive show,
and there is no doubt that the standard of the breed or the perfection of the
properties has been varied since the publication of the ‘‘ Columbarium ” in 1735.

Some time since the members of the National Columbarian Society drew up a
most elaborate and valuable paper on the properties of the Carrier.

The members stated, ‘‘ We shall endeavour to describe the properties which in
the aggregate constitute the perfect Carrier of the present day. In this labour of
love we have spared no pains to give value and truthfulness to our report, inas-
much as nothing has been taken for granted, or upon any previous authority, but
the standard measurements have been carefully verified on first-class living birds.
We have endeavoured to fix the relative value of the properties by the employment
of numerals. We attach much importance to this, the most practical part of our
efforts, not merely because we believe it may serve to guide young fanciers
respecting the quality of the birds they may select, but in the hope that it may
tend to produce uniformity in, and prevent dissatisfaction with, the awards of
judges ; for if it be conceded that our appreciation of the different points is correct,
it follows that the awarding of a first, second, or third prize becomes, in the great
majority of cases, a matter of simple addition. Trusting that our opinions now
recorded may coincide with those of our brother fanciers, we entertain the hope that
one result at least will be gained by the publication of this paper, namely, the
opinion of the fancy at large upon the standard we have drawn, and the relative
value of the different points :—

THE ENGLISH CARRIER. 77

“PROPERTIES OF THE CARRIER,

1. Tue Sxvutu.—lIt should be long, straight, narrow be:ween the eyes, and flat at
the top, where it is sometimes dented.

2. Tae Beax.—The upper and lower mandibles should be long, straight, thick,
and boxed, that is to say, the upper should close on the lower like the lid of
a box. The colour of the beak is not regarded as material.

3. Tue Beak Warrie.—tThe wattle of the beak should be distinct from that of
the eye, soft in texture, short from back to front, broad, tilting forwards
from the forehead, and pointed at its termination towards the tip of the
beak on the top. It should not present a flattened appearance, but stand
out like the surface of a cauliflower, and its fissures should curve somewhat
regularly towards the point; this upper wattle should be met by a cor-
responding one (sometimes called the jewing) on the lower jaw.

4. Toe Evye.—The eye-wattle should be large, fleshy, soft, round, regular, and
should rise above the skull; the ball of the eye should be prominent, like
a well-set jewel, its iris fiery red, or it may be pearl-coloured in dun-coloured
birds. In white Carriers the eye should be dark.

5. Tue Carriace.—The beak and head should form nearly a right angle with the
neck ; the shoulders should be broad, the chest full, the limbs long, so as
to keep the body well raised from the ground; the bird should show his
carriage without requiring much rousing, holding the neck slightly curved
over the back, so that the eye is directly over the toes. The body should
present a graceful line from the shoulder to the end of the flight, the back
being flat, and the tail and flight-feathers touching, so as to render the line
continuous. The neck should be long and thin from its commencement at
the shoulders upwards, the head being well undercut at the junction of
the lower jaw with the neck.

6. THe Prumace.—The feathers should be dense and closely set, a Carrier in
perfect condition appearing as if cut out of stone; the colours should be a
deep black, a dark dun, a good bright blue, with well-defined black bars
across the wings and tail, or a pure white.

“STANDARD OF MEASUREMENT.
** We now proceed to give the standard of measurements which ought to be pos-
sessed by birds with pretensions to rank high in the fancy :—

LenetH oF Sxutt anp Brax.—In the cock, not less than two inches and three
quarters, or in the hen than two inches and five eighths. |

Wits or Sxutu.—This should not exceed half-an-inch, measured at the back of
the head behind the eye-wattle.

Lenetn or Brax.—To be measured from the front of the eye-ball to its point.
In the cock, not less than one inch and three quarters; or in the hen, one
inch and five eighths.

Siz or Warrins.—Measured around the upper and lower wattles, at their widest.

78 PIGEONS:

circumference. In the cock it should not be less than four inches, nor in
the hen less than three inches.

Eye Warrie.—tThis, without being flattened out, should be the size of a shilling.

Lenero or Nrecx.—The length of neck, measured from its junction with the
shoulder to the head, should be four inches and a half.

Leneru or Lius.—The limb, measured as ina Pouter, should be six inches and
a quarter.

Lenera or Frataer.—This should be measured, as in a Pouter, from the tip of
the beak to the end of the central tail-feathers. The cock Carrier should
measure sixteen inches ; the hen fifteen and a half inches.

“The above measurements may be taken as constituting the standard for black
and dun Carriers; they are at present in advance of the blues and whites; and
in awarding prizes, these latter should have due allowance made them.

“NUMERICAL VALUE OF PROPERTIES.

Sxutit.—Leneth measured from front of eye-ball to back of head, 4; flatness, 7 ;
dent, 2; width, 4; straightness, 4.—Total 21.

Brarx.—Leneth, 4; thickness, 4; straightness, 4.—Total 12.

Brak WartrLe.—Circumference, 6; tilting, 6; distance between eye and wattle, 4 ;
shape, 4.—Total 20.

Eye Warrtie.—Roundness, 4; softness and fineness of texture, 6; size, 6;
regularity, 4; prominence of eye-ball, 4.—Total 24.

CarriacGE, 12.—We attach much importance to this property, as without it a
Carrier, especially when old, looks anything but attractive. An aged bird
that has had this property will show it on being roused. Carriage is also
generally accompanied by a good neck, a long limb, and always by a well-
shaped body. If a bird exhibited loses by want of style, it may be fairly
said that it is not desirable to show a bird that cannot show itself.

Necx.—Leneth, 4; thinness, 4.—Total, 8.

THINNESS oF Jown, 4—WuptH or SHouLDER, 4—LenetH or Live, 4—LENetTH
oF FraTHER, 6—Conour, 4.

«The total value of all the properties, as thus estimated, amounts to 119.”

The National Columbarian Society includes within its members many of the
most eminent Carrier amateurs of the present day, and we cannot, therefore, have
a higher authority on the standard points of the breed as at present estimated
amongst fanciers.

To breed Carriers to a high degree of perfection, the same general principles
must be followed that were laid down for the rearing of Pouters. Absolutely
perfect birds are so few in number, that they can rarely be obtained to match
together ; consequently, in pairing the birds, care should be taken so that the
deficiency of one parent may be counteracted by the good properties of the other ;
and two birds showing a tendency to the same defect should never be mated
together.

THE ENGLISH CARRIER. 79

In colour it is more usual to match up a black and a dun than to pair two
blacks or two duns together. It is generally supposed that a more brilliant black
results from this mode of breeding than when two blacks are matched up. As
pied Carriers are not so much valued as those that are self coloured, the white
birds are generally kept distinct.

Tt is a singular fact that red or yellow Carriers rarely, if ever, make their appear-
ance at our shows. It is said that numerous attempts have been made to breed
yellow Carriers, by crossing heavy yellow Dragons with dun Carriers, but always
without success; the yellow birds produced, even after careful selection for some
years, being always very deficient in the various properties. Never having tried
the experiment, we cannot speak from personal experience, but should imagine the
difficulties in the way of the attainment of this object not to be insuperable.

Carriers do not require any very special management in respect to nesting-
places. Their nest-pans should be large, and the birds should have food supplied
in boxes; for if the beans or peas are scattered on the ground, the best birds will
be nearly starved to death, as from the size of the wattles they cannot see before
them to pick up a single bean or pea, and can only feed freely by having a food-
box, into which they can plunge their beaks.

The extremely straight beaks that we see in many Carriers are somewhat
indebted to artificial proceedings for their perfection. If a promising bird has a
hooked beak, the custom amongst the cleverest of the fanciers is to straighten it
whilst the bird is still young, and the bone and horn soft and flexible. This is
done by putting a smooth-worn shilling into the mouth and gently pressing the
upper mandible, so as to straighten it; this operation, which must be performed
with great care and gentleness, is repeated day after day until the beak is
duly improved.

In many of the older treatises an inferior variety of the Carrier was described
under the name of the Horseman, but it had no qualities that distinguished it
from the Carrier, except that of inferiority of every property, and consequently it
does not call for any special description. The term “‘ Pouting Horseman” was
originally applied to a cross-bred mongrel between the Horseman and the Pouter,
but is now frequently given to a small variety of the Pouter.

The term “‘stout birds” is frequently applied to Carriers, and amateurs of
this breed are not unfrequently known as “ stout-bird fanciers.”

CHAPTER VIII.
THE DRAGON.

ee is perhaps no variety or breed of pigeons respecting which there has
been more dispute than the race known as Dragons. The variety that the
Dragon most closely resembles is unquestionably the Carrier, and it is stated in
the older works on pigeons, that it was produced by mating a Tumbler with a
Horseman or a Carrier. Thus Moore writes, ‘‘ This pigeon is absolutely and
without dispute a bastard strain, being bred originally from a Horseman to a
Tumbler, and by matching their breed often to the Horseman they will obtain a
tolerable degree of stoutness.” But whatever may have been the case previously,
at the present time the breed is firmly established, and has its own distinctive
peculiarities—peculiarities that it would take many generations of careful breeding
to produce. It would therefore be a very unprofitable task to try to produce anew
such a race of birds as those now known as Dragons.

The Dragon, as at present shown, is a bird of above the average size, with a
bold spirited upright carriage; the neck is held erect, and the wings closely
pressed to the sides. Its attitude and movements indicate great muscular strength
and the capability of vigorous and rapid flight.

The characteristics of the head are strongly marked. The eye is large, full,
and in the blue breed of a brilliant orange red ; the eye wattle small, neat, and
circular. The beak wattle is small, neat, and should be tilted forward from the
forehead. The beak is black, tapering, and slightly curved, differing very much in
its character from the elongated ‘box beak” that distinguishes a Carrier. -The
plumage is more firm and dense than in any other variety of fancy pigeon. The
wings are fully developed, not only as regards the bony framework and muscle,
but also in the quill or flight feathers.

From the close character of the plumage of the neck and body the wing stands
out from the breast, and gives an appearance of great firmness and strength to _
the bird.

Mr. Jones Percival, one of the most ardent admirers and successful breeders of
this variety, states :—

‘My idea of what a Dragon should be is as follows :—In a blue Dragon the
colour should not resemble that of a light blue Owl or Turbit, but should be a dark
sound blue; the bars on the wings should be perfectly black and broad; the
‘metallic lustre of the neck should reach as low down in front as the point of the

ie \

DRAGONS.

LEIGHTON, BROS,

ARCHANGELS.

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THE DRAGON. 81

breastbone; the head should be long, straight, and narrow, and the wattle of the
eye perfectly round and free from that irregular pinched-up appearance too
frequently seen in birds of this breed. The beak should be quite black. In
speaking of the feathers I must not omit noticing the white rump, which I regard
as a great defect; for I contend that a Dragon may just as well have a patch of
white on the shoulder or elsewhere as on the rump; and if the white rump be
correct in the blue, why should it not be equally so in the red or yellow birds ?
My idea is that a Dragon, even if perfection in all other points, should be
disqualified from taking prizes if it be white-rumped, it being a foul-feathered
bird.”

Any opinion coming from so good a fancier as Mr. Percival must command
attention; but in some respects other amateurs differ from him. In a blue Dragon
the plumage should be identical in colour with that of the wild Blue Rock, the
origin of all our breeds. The European race of Blue Rocks have white rumps; the
Indian have the slaty blue that Mr. Percival so much admires. No doubt all
breeders would prefer a blue to a white rumped bird, but few judges would consent
to disqualify the latter; nay, more, it is almost certain that if required to judge
between two pens, one containing white-rumped birds of high excellence, the other
blue-rumped birds of inferior quality, as regarded carriage, symmetry, properties of
the head,-&c., they would not hesitate a moment to choose the former, whether
for breeding purposes or for exhibition.

Many fanciers have a great admiration for this breed of birds on account of
their symmetry, the grace of their carriage, and the rapidity and vigour of their
flight.

The blue birds, if well marked, have, generally, a preference over those of
other colours, either red, yellow, black, or white. The wonderful gamecock-like
symmetry and hardness of feather that distinguish the best blues is rarely, if
ever, seen in Dragons of other colours. The yellows and reds are, generally, very
broad-headed; and whites and blacks are too often merely coarse-wattled, half-bred
Carriers, that offend the eye of a true London Dragon breeder.

With regard to management, Dragons require no special care; they are such
admirable parents that the commoner specimens are constantly employed in
rearing the young of other varieties. Formerly, pure-bred Dragons were largely
used for conveying messages, but other breeds are now more extensively employed,
as described in the following chapter.

The name of Skinnum is given by the London fanciers to the mongrels bred
between a Dragon and any common pigeon. Many of these birds are strong
rapid flyers.

CHAPTER IX.
HOMING BIRDS, OR LES PIGEONS VOYAGEURS—ANTWERPS—SMERLES, ETC.

AVING described the breed known as the Carrier, and the varieties allied to
it, we have now to consider the differentkinds of Homing pigeons, or those
that are remarkable for their powers of flight and their-attachment to the home in
which they have been reared and first flown. There are numerous varieties that
exhibit this peculiarity, such as the Dragon, the ordinary flying Tumbler, and the
Skinnum, or mongrel race, between these two breeds. Among the pure breeds
that can be flown good distances may be mentioned that called the Owl pigeon.
But the varieties in which this homing faculty is developed to the highest degree
are unquestionably the different races of Belgian birds, which are termed in
England by the general name of Antwerps, and in Belgium are known as Smerles,
Cumulets, Demi Bees, &c. Of these varieties the Smerles are the most im-
portant, as being the best known, and we therefore reproduce the following
description from the pen of the editor, Mr. Tegetmeier, who writes :—

“From the fact that many of the breed come from Antwerp, they are not
unfrequently known as Antwerps or Antwerp Carriers, and under the first of
these names often have a class given to them at the poultry and pigeon shows 5
a very absurd arrangement, as they have no qualities that can afford any criteria
for a judge to decide upon in a show-pen.

‘The Smerles are rather small birds, and look very much as if they had been
originally bred from a rather coarse blue Owl pigeon, crossed with a Blue Rock.
The head is arched, and the skull capacious, indicating a full development of
brain, and offering a striking contrast to the flat narrow skull of the English
fancy Carrier. The most striking characteristic of these birds is the firmness and
great breadth of the flight. feathers of the wings. These overlap each other to a
great extent, and afford a strong firm wing with which the flight is urged. The
keel of the breast-bone is deep and well covered with strong muscles; and
there is altogether an absence of any offal or large development of any part not
used in flight.

‘In rapidity and power of flying these birds far exceed any other variety of
pigeon with which I am acquainted. When I kept a large number I have often
enjoyed watching the flight dart off in a gale of wind; and, after seeing them
apparently swept away by the blast, witness them come back in the very teeth of
the gale with almost the same ease and rapidity as they would have done in a
calm.

HOMING BIRDS. 83

‘This power of flight is conjoined with an attachment to home that is not
surpassed by that of any other pigeon. As an example of this, I may state that I
kept a strange pair for two years—the first year in confinement, the second with
one wing of each bird partially cut. At the expiration of that time the wings
moulted, so that the birds gradually recovered the power of flight, and circled
round with the others; but when the complete restoration was effected, my place
knew them no more.

**TIn describing the Smerles, I have said nothing whatever respecting their colour.
The Belgian amateurs do not place the slightest value upon this property; they
match up birds without any regard to colour, and the result is that the Smerles
ean rarely be depended on for breeding true to the colour of the parents. Speed
‘and endurance are the objects to be attained, and colour is altogether disregarded
—another proof, if any were wanting, of the absurdity of offering a prize for a pair
of well-matched Antwerps in a show-pen—a prize which is generally given to a pen
of birds that would never be seen again if let out fifty miles from home. There is
one colour, however, that finds but little favour with the Belgian amateurs, and
that is white. This dislike is not an unreasoning prejudice, but depends on the
fact that white birds are more conspicuous as they fly than those of darker colour ;
and, consequently, are more apt to be destroyed by hawks and sportsmen. Setting
whites, therefore, on one side, there is but little preference shown to any colour ;
and mealys, blues, chequers, blacks, and blue or black pied are all looked upon
with equal favour, if they possess the requisite power of wing to fly with equal
rapidity. Some of the flying birds seen in this country are frilled very much
like an Owl or Turbit; but I prefer birds without any such irregularity of
plumage, as it cannot but interfere with their easy and rapid passage through
the air.

“‘ As it may be interesting to read another description of these birds, I will trans-
late that of the editor of Le Pigéon. ‘Smerles,’ he writes, ‘are the short-beaked
pigeons of the province of Liége. They are remarkable for their intelligence, and
also for the size of the skull and the well-developed structure of the wings. When
two years old they are capable of returning from Bordeaux to Liége or Verviers (a
distance of over 500 miles) in twelve hours, provided the sky be clear and the wind
favourable. In bad weather they return the following or the third day. The
journeys from Tours (330 miles), Chatelleraut (865 miles), and Poitiers (880 miles)
are performed by the same birds in eight hours.’

** With regard to the value of these birds in Belgium, it is stated that a couple of
young Smerles, warranted bred from birds that have been flown long distances, sell
for 100f.; and a pigeon which has carried off several prizes in the long distance
matches will realize even as much as 500f., equivalent to about £20 English.
Some idea may be gained of the enthusiasm with which the flying fancy is pursued
in Belgium, when the fact is stated that there are 150 societies or clubs offering
prizes to be flown for, and that these include nearly 10,000 amateurs.

“T recollect a fact that shows the importance attached to these birds in Belgium.
e

(84 PIGEONS.

The railways of Belgium are partially under the control of the State, and, on one
occasion, representation was made to the Government officials requesting them to
arrange a low tariff of charges for the baskets containing the pigeons that were
being practised or trained for the long matches.

“The training that these birds undergo is very severe. The young birds are
taken to gradually increasing distances as their powers of flight increase, so that
eventually they are acquainted with all the conspicuous landmarks of the long
journeys. If it is attempted to train them too rapidly, or by too long stages, many
of the birds are lost; whereas, by careful training, as practised at Liége, only ten
per cent. are lost in short courses, and only fifty per cent. even in very long dis-
tances. In this province they do not fly the young birds of the year more than
seventy miles, nor ever attempt more than 200 miles the second year, leaving the
longer and more seyere distances for the older and more mature birds, that have
acquired full development and experience.

«* With regard to the faculty that these birds possess of returning home from long
distances, I believe more erroneous statements have been written respecting it than
on any other subject connected with pigeons. It is usually attributed to some
mysterious power or instinct that these birds possess, and that is not possessed
by Turbits, Fantails, Jacobins, or other varieties. I believe that instinct has .
nothing whatever to do with the homing power, but that the birds find their
way solely by observation ; and I ground my belief on the following facts :—

“* Any peculiar instinct—such as that of nest-building, power of migration, &e.
bestowed on any species, is equally bestowed on all the individuals of that species,
and not on a few only; thus, all swallows migrate, but all pigeons do not return
home from a hundred miles’ distance.

“«Tnstinct is the same in all cases. All swallows fly south in autumn; but the
homing pigeon can return home north, south, east, or west—a variation in action
that is incompatible with the notion of an unreasoning instinct.

‘* Pigeons must be regularly trained by stages, or the best birds will be inevitably
lost if thrown one hundred or two hundred miles.

“The best birds will refuse to fly in a fog; nor will I ever believe, except from
personal experience, that a bird will fly home in the dark. I have tried many
experiments, and lost many of my best birds in so doing. On one occasion I took
a bird, that had often flown fifty miles, to a distance of five miles, and threw
him on a foggy day; he at once settled at the top of a house, and remained there
until the fog cleared off. On another occasion I let two of my very best birds
loose after a show at the Freemasons’ Hall, at four o’clock p.m., early in January.
One perched over the door, and when driven up, flew on to the opposite house.
Of the two only one ever returned home, the other, probably, falling a prey to
the cats.

“To any one who has ever been in the habit of flying these birds the idea of
instinct is absurd. A bird thrown in a new locality flies round and round in
gradually-increasing circles, until at length it descries some familiar object, and

HOMING BIRDS. 85

then, and then only, darts off on its homeward flight. Throw the same bird
again, in the same locality, and if a good intelligent bird there is no wheeling
round, but, the road being known, he is off instantly.

**T knowI shall be met by the fact that no bird can see two hundred miles, to say
nothing of five hundred. In that I perfectly agree; but no bird will return home
two hundred miles, or even one hundred, without he has been trained by stages on
the road. Few persons have any idea of the extent of vision from an elevated
point of view. Mr. Glaisher stated some time since that at half a mile elevation
in his balloon he saw the whole course of the Thames, from the Nore to Richmond,
in one view. And I may remark that as the earth’s surface on a dead level curves
eight inches in a mile, and as the curve increases as the square of the distance,
it is very easy to calculate the range of vision from any altitude. Thus, at a
height of a little above four hundred feet, the extent of vision, even if the surface
were a perfect level, as that of the sea, would be twenty-five miles on every side.
But in every land view there are prominent objects that can be seen at much
greater distances; and no one who has ever flown his pigeons but must have
observed them looking on all sides, turning the head as they wheel round and
round, until they discern some familiar object. In all questions that do not offer
a ready solution there is a disposition to refer the effect to some mysterious agency
beyond human ken. It is much easier to cut short the question of the homing
faculty of pigeons, and call it instinct, than to investigate the facts of the
phenomena.”

In addition to the Smerles or Liége birds other varieties are extensively
employed in Belgium, so that the flying pigeons of that country may be
regarded as a very mixed breed. M. André Coopers, Secretary of one of the
Belgian societies, gives the date of origin of the Pigeon Voyageur of Belgium as
about fifty years since, and attributes it to the crossing of the Cumulet of Antwerp
with the Smerle of Liége. The Cumulet he describes as being of Flemish origin,
with white eyes, and as having the habit of flying so high as to be lost to sight
for several hours.

The Smerle he states to be of Walloon origin, and having the same dimensions
as the Cumulet, only a little shorter, but with a short beak, and having several
recurved feathers on the throat. In flight he states that it neither rises so high
nor flies so long as the Cumulet, but that it is more rapid. Several years after
the date above mentioned, pigeons were brought to Belgium from England; these
were distinguished by their beauty, extreme strength, and large eyes with a white
flesh around the eyes and beak. In Belgium, these were called Bec-Anglais, a
name they still retain in that country. They are evidently the birds known in
England as Dragons. By judicious crossing of these three varieties, writes
M. A. Coopers, products were obtained which were stronger and better organized
than the typical races, and the present Homing bird was thus formed.

This cross was first carried out at Antwerp and Brussels. At Liége and Namur,
for seyeral years preference was given to the pure races. But it was not until

86 PIGEONS.

after this crossed breed had been originated that the long distances now so
commonly passed over were flown.

To produce good birds, and to continue the race, judicious crossing, continued to
the right point, is requisite. M. Coopers recommends crossing first a Bec-Anglais
or Dragon with a Smerle or a Cumulet; and the products of the cross with the
Smerle, when a year old, to be crossed with a Cumulet; or the cross-bred
Cumulet and Bec-Anglais to be crossed with a Smerle.

The half-bred Bec-Anglais with Smerle or Cumulet, is called a Demi-bec. The
following generation, bred again from a Smerle or Cumulet, is called a Quart-bec.
The Demi-bec is strong enough to make voyages, but not of any very great
distance. The Quart-bec, though smaller, is a more excellent long-distance flyer,
and may with success be crossed again with Smerles or Cumulets. Although
many amateurs breed birds haying a little more of the character of one or other
of these original varieties named, or of a particular colour, these variations do not
affect the good qualities of the race.

M. Coopers says that it is not desirable to hatch flying birds after the end
of August, as the young pigeons do not make their full and regular moult,
consequently cannot be trained the same year; and have not, during the following
year, the value of young that are more timely bred.

On the other hand, young birds hatched before April suffer from cold before
being perfectly fledged, and want of food during the long nights when the parents
cannot feed them.

During many years, writes M. Coopers, people have believed that pigeons
always direct their flight towards the north, but experience has demonstrated the
contrary, for they come back with as much ease from north to south as in the
opposite direction. The circumstances that have given rise to this supposition
are, that pigeons trained at first for journeys from the south, have been suddenly
sent to great distances towards the north, and the greater part of them have
been lost; but, prepared in the same manner in the north as in the south, they
come back equally well from a similar distance. Journeys made from London,
Birmingham, and Hull, to Brussels and Antwerp, have demonstrated this.

It is well known that pigeons direct themselves by sight to the houses where they
were reared. The Homing pigeons of Belgium, when liberated from the baskets in
which they are forwarded great distances from home, fly round together; of those
which take a wrong direction, a certain part return to the spot the next day, and
are captured there, proving that they recognize even a new locality in an instant.

The Cumulets of M. A. Coopers are also known as Volants or Highflyers :
of these birds Mr. Kenrick, of Bruges, informs me :—‘‘ The true-bred Volants are
either black, white, or white with a little red on their necks and bodies. They
have even whiter pearl eyes than Tumblers, and the black pupil of the eye is
extremely small. They are most extraordinary birds to fly high, and have been
known to keep on wing nine, ten, and eleven hours at a stretch. Their heads are
not what is termed ‘mousey,’ but are more elegantly shaped than Tumblers.

HOMING BIRDS. 87

The best are clean-legged birds, but occasionally they are to be seen with
feathered legs; but these are probably cross-bred. Two birds will fly together as
well as a flock, which I do not think is generally the case with Tumblers.”’

Dr. Chappuis, a Belgian physician, has published a long treatise on the
management, rearing, and training of the Homing pigeons that are flown so
extensively in Belgium. The treatise contains much information that is valuable
alike to the naturalist and to the pigeon fancier.

The following is an abstract of the chapter on the training of these birds.
It will be seen that the methods adopted by the Belgian fanciers differ from those
followed in England, the training being more sudden and severe. All experienced
amateurs agree with Dr. Chappuis in the desirability of not overworking the birds
when young, and of using the old birds only for long flights :—

** In training young pigeons to fill up the vacancies left by the loss or death of the
old ones, it is desirable to allow them to make several trial flights. Though a
pigeon at first sight may appear good, it may, nevertheless, have some defect
which renders it unfitted for the purpose for which it is designed. By observation
we can tell whether the wings of a young pigeon are well formed, but we cannot
thus learn whether it has good sight, or whether its faculties are well developed ;
whereas the first trial to which the bird is subjected will satisfy us on these
points.

** A pigeon two or three months old, counting from the time when it leaves the
nest, may be able to perform the journeys ; but it is preferable to wait till it is five
or six months old; and, in practice, it is the pigeons hatched in March, April, and
May which are subjected to these trials, which take place towards the end of
August, or in September. A first flight of five to eight miles is flown; the
second, three or four days after, will be double the length. In this manner, in
five or six trials, a distance varying from 150 to 180 miles will be arrived at as the
length of the flight. ;

“‘ These trials are amply sufficient, for the incapable pigeons will be lost on the
road. The best will have shown their rapidity and excellence. A bird in training,
which even in good condition has allowed itself to be constantly distanced, ought
not to be kept, although it is possible that it may improve; as it happens some-
times that a pigeon for several years does not distinguish itself, and all at once
gains several successes. A good deal is often said about these exceptions, but
in general the best birds may be chosen after the early trials. A very good
pigeon shows its superiority as well in its youth as at a more advanced age.
In preserving very ordinary pigeons, the race is not being perfected.

** Tn certain localities young pigeons are more severely exercised in trials which
commence from the month of July ; these increase progressively in difficulty, till
at last the pigeons are made to fly from 300 to 400 miles. That this manner of
acting, by multiplying the number of contests, augments the pleasure, is incontes-
table ; but that the breed becomes the better for it is very doubtful. A pigeon
does not come to full strength till it is three years old. If in its youth it has been

88 PIGEONS.

subjected to too severe exertions, it becomes easily exhausted; and at the age of
four or five years, when it ought to possess its greatest vigour, it begins to decline,
a journey of moderate length tires it, and if it does not remain on the road, it can
scarcely follow even the last of those in the flight.

“‘T much prefer the system of those amateurs who the first year submit their
young pigeons to only short trials, allow them to form and develop during the
second, and not until the third year permit them to make a journey of 300 to 400
miles. Thus they always possess good birds, which can with advantage take part
in the contests where long distances are flown.

‘Though various plans are followed with regard to the training of the young
pigeons of the year in the different societies, it is not so with regard to the old
ones ; that is to say, the pigeons of four or five years old, which it is proposed to
employ in the contests. It isan almost universal rule that these last, after three or
four daily trials, should make the journey from Paris to Belgium before being sent
to any more distant place. This rule is not, however, without exception, and some
experienced amateurs omit the flight from Paris from their training. When the
weather is favourable this journey is mere play for the pigeons, but if the wind is
contrary, or circumstances are unfavourable, it fatigues them much, and may be
prejudicial to them when the day of the contest comes—a day on which each bird
ought to possess all its physical strength.

‘¢ This consideration leads us to inquire into the conditions under which a pigeon
is best fitted to take part in the contests.

“As the great races take place in the second half of the month of July, it is
desirable that the moulting of the birds should be retarded as much as possible.
Indeed, at this time one frequently sees many pigeons which have only three or
four of the largest winged feathers to lose. This condition is to be lamented on
two grounds: first, the absence of a large feather is more unfavourable than that
of a small one, the long feathers increase in length from the inner to the outer
ones, so that the second is more important than the third, and so on; in the
second place, when the pigeon has arrived at the stage of its moult that there are
only three or four feathers left, it is on the point of losing its scalpulary feathers
and its wing coverts; the fall of these last constantly takes place in a rapid
manner, and it may be so much accelerated by the short imprisonment of the
birds in the baskets in which they are carried, that when they are set at liberty
they may be found entirely deprived of an important instrument of flight. By
chance a bird far in advance in its moult may succeed in gaining a victory, but
such cases are exceptional, and will,occur more rarely the more laborious the flight.
A pigeon which has only commenced its moult, and has lost but three or
four of its feathers, possesses a wing without gaps, and is in more fayourable
condition.

‘The majority of fanciers have more confidence in male than in female birds ;
ordinarily, three-fourths of the birds employed in a flight are males—not that
females are less faithful or less rapid than males, but because they are less often

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HOMING BIRDS. 89

in good condition. For example, it is known that at the approach of the time of
laying, and also during the two or three days which follow it, it is dangerous to
employ a female. If she lays her two eggs in the basket in which she is carried,
the state of weakness in which she arrives will cause her to fail, or, at least, will
not allow of her taking a brilliant part in the contest. In the same way the
female, being more employed in hatching than the male, perceives sooner the
moyements of the young pigeon in the egg; she feels that the time of coming out
of the egg draws near, and prepares in consequence; the glands of the crop
swell and secreté the milk which she gives to her little ones in the first days after
their birth. If at this moment she is taken away from her maternal cares, to be
shut up for several days in a basket, she will become ill, will cease to eat, and in
all probability will be unable to regain her home. This last circumstance is also
unfayourable in the case of the male bird, because he disgorges the same kind os
milk for his little ones.

“Tt is also necessary to watch that the pigeons should not exhaust themselves in
rearing too many young; as a rule, only one young pigeon should be allowed to
those parents that are about to take long flights.

“Thus, during the two or three days which precede or follow laying, and also the
hatching out of the young, the female must not be employed; nor must the male
during the three or four days which follow the hatching. It is often in the power
of the amateur to defer the occurrence of these unfavourable circumstances. As
the day of departure is known a long time beforehand, he may, by taking away
the young, accelerate the period of a new laying, and also, a day or two before the
hatching out, he may place a young pigeon of three or four days old in the nest,
so that the parents may disgorge the soft food which fills their crops.

« Besides the times indicated above, the question has been much agitated whether
pigeons ought to be flown while they are sitting, or when they have young ones
less than eight days old.

** At last the great day arrives; the pigeons intended for the struggle must be
caught in order to be sent to the society, where they are to receive the marks
indicating their engagement. This operation of taking the pigeons in a closed
pigeon-house appears very simple, and ordinary people would not imagine that it
could be made an object of discussion. There is a plan employed which
consists in catching the pigeons in their flight by means of a small net; the
Belgian pigeon-houses are too small to allow of the use of this instrument, and
eyen if they were larger it might not be generally adopted.

“* As a general rule more can be got from animals by affection than by cruelty,
and pigeons are no exception to this. When an amateur takes care of his birds
himself, when he neyer frightens them by abrupt and hurried movements, the
pigeons know him, and will allow themselves to be taken with the greatest facility.
We have even seen the master’s dog go into the pigeon-house without a single
pigeon manifesting the least uneasiness.

“But all amateurs have not the talent or the leisure to tame their flying birds to

I

90 PIGEONS.

as ereat an extent. To catch the birds easily some have divided their pigeon-house
by a movable partition ; they bring their pigeons into the narrow space shut in by
this partition, and in a few minutes their choice is made. Others shut out the
light from the pigeon-house in such a manner as to produce darkness so great
that the pigeons remain motionless. It is possible then to catch them without
risk of pulling out any feathers, or even of ruffling them.

«Too many precautions cannot be employed during this operation, for a pigeon
is rendered unfit for the contest simply by breaking one or two of the important
flight-feathers.

‘‘When the competitors are shut up ina basket, it is well to pass them in review,
and to make sure of the state of their wings. Attention should also be directed
to the feet, in order to free them from any hardened dirt which may adhere to
them. The feet, particularly those of large pigeons, often collect dung, which
becomes hard in the pigeon-house. We can understand that this weight may
overload a pigeon in its flight, and therefore attentive amateurs pass the finger,
soaked in oil, over the lower surface of the bird’s foot, so that excrements may
not adhere to it.”

The chapter descriptive of the present state of the pigeon societies in Belgium
is very interesting. Dr. Chappuis remarks that the increase of railways has greatly
extended the number of pigeon matches. Numerous societies have been estab-
lished, and in some districts of Belgium there is scarcely a village that does not
possess one.

Since the formation of the first societies, when pigeons were carried on the back
in a basket divided into compartments, considerable improvements have been made
in their conveyance; and great care has been taken in the construction of the
boxes and baskets in which the pigeons are carried.

The baskets are generally between four and five feet long, three feet wide, and
about twelve inches high, and an opening about a foot long, shut by a movable
door, is placed in the middle of one of the long sides. The bottom of the
basket is covered with a thick coarse cloth; the baskets are made of stout willows
stripped of the bark; these are placed at a distance of about one inch and a half
from each other, so that they are wide enough apart for the pigeons to put their heads
through to drink, but so close that no one can put in his hand to steal the birds.
Before the birds are placed in the baskets the bottom is covered with a thin layer
of perfectly dry tan ; sometimes chopped straw or long straw is used instead, but
the latter does not answer well, as the dung does not dry quickly, and the pigeons
soon get very dirty. The chopped straw is too light, and it readily accumulates in
one corner, leaving the remainder of the basket without litter; consequently the
tan is much to be preferred, as it adheres to the cloth at the bottom, and dries the
damp dung.

In other provinces of Belgium baskets of another kind are used; they are not
made of openwork, but of closely-woven willows, with square openings on one
side, through which the pigeons can drink out of a vessel fastened to the outside.

HOMING BIRDS. 91

These latter baskets have the great advantage of being perfectly closed, and of
lessening the liability to the loss of the birds from feline and other depredators.
But they are heavy, and their carriage is more cumbrous and expensive.

At Liége, the birds which are flown from a distance are always accompanied on
the railway by a skilful person, who looks after them on the road, and supplies
them with food and water. In other places the boxes are addressed to the
station-master or to the mayor of the town which has been selected as the com-
mencement of the return flight ; a label is fixed to the baskets requesting the
railway authorities to supply water to the birds and to give them some of the grain
sent in a bag for that purpose.

The cost of sending a man with the pigeons is considerable, his expenses
averaging six shillings per day, in addition to his railway fare and the percentage
he receives on the value of the prizes flown for. All these items on an average
amount to nearly £30 for each society every season.

These expenses are avoided by the second system—that followed in the pro-
vinces of Flanders and Brabant. The transport of pigeons is also made in a more
rapid manner, for they are sent by express trains; while, in Liége, the ordinary
trains are employed, in order to save expenses in the journey of the man who is
sent with the pigeons. Another advantage is, that two or three amateurs can, if
they wish it, join to have a supplementary flight of their birds; whereas, if they
employ a man, the matter would be more difficult to organize, and the expense
would be too much increased.

Thus, by the one system we can have cheapness and rapidity, and by the
other we secure care being taken of the pigeons both during their journey and at
the time of letting them fly.

After making trial of both plans, and weighing the advantages and drawbacks of
each, the balance, at least in Belgium, seems to be in favour of the plan of
employing a man to take charge of the birds. When the pigeons are addressed
to the care of the station-master it is a rare thing for them to be flown at the
time desired ; a delay of several hours makes the amateur who expects them
impatient—the pleasure which he promised himself becomes a source of annoy-
ance tohim. The baskets with the birds may remain neglected in the station ; if
rain comes on the pigeons become wet ; the dung which covers the bottom of the
baskets dirties their plumage, and may clog their wings to so great an extent that
half of the birds may find it impossible to perform their flight.

On certain Sundays, in a favourable season, three or four hundred baskets may
arrive at the same station; this overwhelming amount of responsibility puts the
railway people in a bad temper; the baskets are tossed about; if they fall they are
allowed to remain on one end, and the poor pigeons are heaped up in a corner one
upon the other. This is not the only inconvenience of this overcrowding; some
baskets may be intended for a more distant place, yet they pass unperceived and
are discharged with the others. Occasionally baskets of pigeons have been
entirely sent wrong and lost. The proprietor desires to recover their value; but

92 PIGEONS.

in his efforts to do so he is sent from pillar to post, till the intentional slowness
of administrative forms makes him lose heart, and he prefers to suffer his loss
rather than pursue a restitution surrounded with so many difficulties.

The expense occasioned by employing a man to look after the birds will not
be useless, so long as the means of transport by the railways remain so
uncertain.

As a remedy for these evils Dr. Chappuis suggests that an agency be estab-
lished, with correspondents in the distant towns in the south of France, to
whom the pigeons might be consigned, and, when received, fed and liberated at
the desired hour.

It may be of interest to learn the exact details of the training of the birds for
a lone homing match, and, therefore, we have much pleasure in quoting the
following from a letter from Mr. Kenrick, who, writing from Bruges, states :—
“There is a society here that fly pigeons every year for prizes. The longest fly
last year was from Bayonne, on the borders of Spain: twenty-one pigeons were
despatched off; three only returned after some days. This year they are to be let
off at Bordeaux, 567 miles from Bruges. The following are the stages, and the
dates on which the birds are to be let off: Thourout, 11 miles from Bruges, is the
first stage; the birds are to be thrown on May 7. The next stage is Rumbeke,
21 miles, date May 10. Then follow in order, Korbryke, 32 miles, May 14;
Douai, 69 miles, May 20; Amiens, 123 miles, May 27: Paris, 204 miles, June 3;
Blois, 317 miles, June 16; Angouleme, 484 miles, June 29; Bordeaux, 567
miles, date not fixed. These are the stages for mature birds. The young birds
bred this year will not be put in training until July, and be only flown as far as
from Paris.”

It appears that this programme is strong evidence in favour of the theory that
birds return by observation. If instinct guides the birds, why is it requisite to
train them by short stages of ten miles at first, the distances being rapidly
increased, as their observation and intelligence are developed? Surely no bird,
guided by the so-called unerring power of instinct, would require to be practised
three stages before it could be trusted to return home sixty-nine miles.

Again, of the twenty-one birds that were despatched last season from Bayonne,
how is it that only three returned to Bruges ? Were the others deficient in instinet ?
—a power that, as we know, does not vary in individuals of the same species.

In 1865 a pigeon match was flown from Liverpool to Ghent, or Gand, in
Belgium ; the distance in a straight line, as measured roughly on the map, is over
300 miles. Thirty birds competed in the race. They were all let off together at
half-past five in the morning. The first arrived at Ghent at ten minutes to six
the same evening, haying flown the distance in twelve hours and twenty minutes,
being at the average rate of twenty-five miles an hour, supposing the bird to have
lost no time in starting, and to have flown in a straight line. The second arrived
an hour after the first, and six more returned the same evening. Eventually
twenty-two of the birds returned to Ghent; eight of the thirty were lost. The

HOMING BIRDS. 93

certainty with which these birds passed over England is a convincing proof of the
fallacy of the assertion made by the English fanciers that the inferior powers of
the English homing birds are due to the climate or weather of this country. The
true explanation is evidently that they are inferior either in intelligence or power
of flight, or in both, or that their training is not properly conducted.

That shrewd practical naturalist, the late Mr. Wheelwright, better known by
his nom de plume of “‘ The Old Bushman,” writing on the subject, states :—

“T may first remark that my opinion is that this homing faculty in the pigeon
is totally distinct from, and clearly conducted upon different principles from those
which guide the swallow, the stork, and our other migratory birds over trackless
plains and across wide seas, even on the darkest nights, to their breeding homes of
the preceding year. This is clearly instinctive, and their flight is guided by an
invisible hand and an intuitive knowledge for which it will ever baffle man’s
ingenuity to account. The swallow requires no previous training for its journey
from the south of Europe to Lapland; the homeward flight of the pigeon from
any distance is learned by education, and I fancy that no education or training
would ever enable the best Antwerp that was ever bred to accomplish the journey
which the stork or even the little swallow makes every spring and autumn without
any human assistance. Iam fully of opinion that no pair of pigeons bred in an
aviary, and never let out of that aviary till they were strong on the wing, and then
carried a hundred miles away and tossed, would ever find their way home. Still,
I do not think that this homing faculty is altogether perceptive, although I fully
agree with all Mr. Tegetmeier says about the acute vision of birds. He
yery properly observes that long instinctive flights are quite unknown to the
fanciers who fly matches. I well recollect, in my day—and I suppose the custom
is not much altered—that when we began to train our young birds we never tossed
one until it had been out some little time with the flight, and had become well
accustomed to the sight of adjacent objects. I rarely tossed the young bird for the
first half-dozen times at a greater distance than one or two miles from home; and
although I did not always use the same place, I always chose an elevated situation
for the ‘chuck.’ I then used to go as far as four or six miles, quickly increasing
the distance ; and when the bird could come, under favourable circumstances, forty
to fifty miles within the two hours, I considered its education complete for any
length that I ever used to fly my birds. But of course, if I changed the bird’s
route, I gave it three or four flights in the direction from which it was to come,
before I sent it down for its last flight. This used to be my method; but I may
add that I never had a bird come home more than seventy miles to my loft.

** All this, I think, is conclusive evidence that the flying pigeon trusts mainly on
its power of vision to carry it home; and as I can well believe that for sixty or
perhaps even one hundred miles a pigeon high in air can discern some familiar
distant object for which it at once makes, there is little wonder that at that
distance the well-trained bird comes home. But birds are frequently flown at a
greater distance. Take, for instance, the flight from London to Antwerp—I believe

94 PIGEONS.

about one hundred and eighty miles, and across the sea, where there are no
landmarks ; and, unless we can allow the power of vision in the pigeon to extend
so far, we can hardly, I think, depend entirely upon that to bring it home. If we
put instinct entirely on one side and trust altogether to vision, the only way I can
account for the bird finding its way home is this, that it keeps soaring round and
round in wide circles and beating about, till at length it distinguishes in the
distance some familiar object or other, which it makes for at once, and when on
the right track has little difficulty in finding its way home; and this may very
probably be the case, for the flight of the pigeon home is often as nothing
compared with that of some other birds, and hardly so quick as might be supposed
from a bird possessing the properties of the true Antwerp. But this is only my
supposition, and I have nothing upon which to ground my arguments.

“‘T recollect many years ago—I believe it was about the first time that these
Antwerp birds (or, as the fanciers of the day styled them, the ‘’Twerps’) ever
were seen in England—that one hundred and ten of them were brought over to
London to fly back to Antwerp, for a prize given by the Columbarian Society there,
and a bye-bet, the conditions of the match being that the first bird was to reach
Antwerp in five hours. At that time my old friend Frank Redmond (who then
stood high in the pigeon fancy) kept a public-house in the Borough. It was to his
house that the birds were brought, and from there they were tossed. It is now
more than thirty years since ; and as I write from memory I may make a mistake
in some of the minor details of this extraordinary match, but in the main particu-
lars Tam right. In the first place, I believe that not one of these hundred and
ten birds had ever been up the Thames—I do not think ever before on British land,
although doubtless they had been tossed at sea. They came over shut up in large
close baskets. They arrived in London on the Saturday afternoon, and were all directly
turned out loose into a long room at Redmond’s. Of course on the Sunday these
little strangers had numerous levées of the London fanciers to visit them, and were
scrutinized by the humble partisans of pigeon-flying with as much curiosity as the
first fayourite for the Derby is by his most aristocratic friends as he strips for that
great event. I remember the impression against them was unfavourable, for they
had very little in common with the heavy English Horseman. But two properties
struck all—the extraordinary length of the flight-feathers, and the snake-like look
of the head and neck. The principal colours were blue and chequered, although
there were a few mealies among them. They were tossed on the Monday morning,
and as the Borough clock boomed out the hour of eight the whole lot went up.
The morning was bright and clear, and the wind, which was but moderate, blowing
down stream. The birds rose in the air in a compact body, went right over the
river, gradually rising higher and higher as they swept above the city, and when
they were lost to view appeared to be heading down the northern bank of the river.
Several flights were out that morning floating in the air, but these little hardy
Dutch adventurers took not the slightest notice of the English birds; and the
shrillest whistle and ‘ whoop strays ’—which no one but a true London fancier can

HOMING BIRDS. 95

give—would not have called one of them down, or delayed them one minute, when
starting on that perilous journey. The match was lost by five minutes, the first
bird reaching Antwerp at, I believe, five minutes after one, thus having done the
180 miles in five hours and five minutes. Stragglers kept dropping in at intervals
during the whole afternoon, and ten or twelve were lost at sea.

*“T can hardly believe that the above-mentioned birds found their way from
London to Antwerp with no other assistance than the power of vision alone,
although I certainly do agree with Mr. Tegetmeier, that the very fact of the
pigeon requiring instruction at the hands of man before it can accomplish even a
short distance, proves that it is not gifted with the natural instinct of the wild
migratory bird.

**T do not think there is a cleaner-made bird than the pigeon, whether we watch
the common doyve-house bird, toying with his mate on the ridge of the dovecote in
all the purity of his white or mottled blue plumage, or as we gaze in astonishment
on the majestic proportions of the Pouter, or the exquisitely beautiful plumage
of the almond Tumbler—a beauty which the finest bed of tulips can never rival.
The keeping of pigeons entails but little expense, and the lover of these birds
has this satisfaction, which no other bird fancier can feel—for he knows that
his little fayourites do enjoy a certain state of freedom, which the poor caged
song-bird too often pines for in vain.

«e*« And pray, sir, are you in the fancy now ?’ perhaps the reader mayask. ‘ No,
sir; I have given up pigeons, and taken to eagle owls.’”’

Among the false statements which find their way into print respecting the
homing birds, none ever exceeded in absurdity the paragraph which announced
the return of two pigeons from the Arctic regions. This statement, as quoted by
the Rey. E. 8. Dixon in his “‘ Dovecote and Aviary,” is as follows :—

“Tt appears that Miss Dunlop, of Annan Hill, presented Sir John Ross, on his
leaving Ayr on his chivalrous expedition, with two pairs of Carrier pigeons, an old
pair and a young one. It was arranged that he should despatch the young birds
when he had fixed himself in winter quarters, and the old ones when he fell in
with his missing friend Sir John Franklin, in search of whom he was about to
expose himself to Arctic dangers. The gift was kindly meant, but very foolish ;
the lady had much better have presented the voyager and his crew with an
enormous and well-seasoned pigeon-pie to eat, and a barrel of good Scotch ale to
drink, on first coming in sight of the ice; for hope deferred maketh the heart sick,
both with friends at home and with sailors abroad. On Sunday, the 13th of
November, 1850, two strange pigeons were observed flying about the dovecote at
Annan Hill, which, being under repair at the time, was unfortunately shut.
Suspicion was excited, and on next Thursday they were traced to the seat of a
neighbouring gentleman, and one was secured.

“« The fact of their being captured elsewhere, proves that they were only a pair of
stray pigeons, in search of a home they knew not where, and not Miss Dunlop’s
pigeons come back again.

e

96 . PIGEONS.

“The account stated that ‘the bird’s feathers were ruffled and somewhat torn,
showing, very probably, that the despatch attached to it had worn off in the long
and weary flight of somewhere about 2,000 miles. Unfortunately, therefore, there
is no written intelligence from the explorers. The other bird has not been caught.
We remember no similar feat being performed by a pigeon,’ &c., &c.

‘© Tn the ‘ Manchester Guardian,’ Mr. J. Galloway throws discredit on the whole
affair, in the following very sensible remarks :—‘ Those who know anything of the
habits of pigeons, or the careful training requisite to enable them to accomplish
long flights, will not easily be led astray by the clumsy invention of some ignorant
wag, desirous of practising on the credulity of the public. Two pigeons were
said to have been seen at a considerable distance from their cot, because it
was shut up. This would be contrary to their habits; they would remain
at their old habitation until nearly famished with hunger. Again: one of
them had the feathers ruffled or disordered under the wing, as if a letter
had been fastened there. Now an express flier of pigeons would just as
soon think of tying a letter to a bird’s tail, as under its wing. The practice
is to roll some fine tissue paper neatly round the leg, secured with a
thread of silk; and thus the bird can travel, without the paper causing resist-
ance or impediment to its flight. Then, more marvellous still, the creature must
haye flown 2,000 miles !—a considerable distance of which must have been over
snowy or frozen regions. In modern times, no such distance as 2,000 miles
has been accomplished by any trained pigeon. The merchants and manufac-
turers of Belgium have done more to test the capabilities of pigeons than any
other people. Their annual pigeon-races produce an excitement almost equal to
our horse-races. In 1844 one of the greatest races took place, from St. Sebastian,
in Spain, to Vervier. The distance would be about 600 miles. Two hundred
trained pigeons, of the best breed in the world, were sent to St. Sebastian, and
only 70 returned. In another race to Bordeaux, 86 pigeons were sent, and 20
returned. A strange and mistaken notion prevails that it is only necessary to
send a flying pigeon away from home and that its instinct will invariably lead it
back. Let any one try the experiment, and send the best bred birds at once
from Manchester to Birmingham, and I venture to assert that not one will return
to Manchester without previous training, viz., taking them short distances at a
time and then increasing by degrees. It has been asserted that pigeons are
cuided on their return home from long distances by instinct. Instinct is said to
be unerring ; not so the pigeon’s flight. If instinct be the guide, why not fly
through foggy weather with equal speed and facility as in clear sunshine? This, it
is notorious, they cannot accomplish. When the ground is covered with snow, -
pigeons seem to miss their points of guidance, and are lost. This would seem to
favour the opinion that they travel by sight, and are less indebted to instinct than
is generally imagined. Homing pigeons do not fly at night; they settle down if
they cannot reach their home by the dusk of evening, and renew their flight at
daylight next morning.”

HOMING BIRDS. 97

In a letter subsequently published, Mr. Galloway writes the following sensible
remarks on the subject, which are valuable as coming from a person who is
practically acquainted with the subject on which he is writing :—

*“Tnstinet being a primary condition, an unalterable law, uncertainty, hesita-
tion, or mistakes can form no part of a perfect and unimprovable endowment.
Instinct is intended as a ready substitute for reason, practice, or experience. The
building of a bird’s nest is an instinctive operation; the first built is no less
perfect than the last. The young of the Carnivora are directed by instinct
at once to their natural food; and had they to wait the slow teaching of
experience, they must inevitably perish. These are the natural operations
of instinct, and are, consequently, independent of all teaching, training, or
instruction.

‘How then, can it be supposed that pigeons will fly hundreds of miles and
return home solely under the guidance of instinct? How can fogs, snow, or
mountains effect an unerring faculty? and unless it be unerring it is not
instinct.

“Tt is by no means necessary that pigeons flying by sight should form ‘ private
charts’ of a country to find their way home; it is evident they must require points
of observation, or why train them by degrees? Did they possess either ‘a natural
affinity, or attraction,’ why should not the whole number flown be operated on in
a similar manner? So this process of affinity or attraction will not work, or all
should arrive at the same destination. Those persons having most practical expe-
rience are tolerably well in agreement on the subject, and the visions of theorists
will not alter their practice; knowing they can depend on nothing but sight and a
good breed of birds with strong home attachment, they steadily pursue the plan
pointed out by Belgian amateurs, and never expect success without offering their
birds frequent views of the country, with the necessary accompaniment, a clear
atmosphere. By pursuing this method, they do not expect them either to feel
their way or be drawn by attraction, but simply hope they may be enabled to
see it.

‘Ts there one advocate of the theory of flight by instinct who will venture to
send his birds eighty miles from home without previous training? This would
test his theory, though those who believe solely in sight know well beforehand
the certain result of the proposed experiment.”

The editor’s experience of the habits and management of these Homing birds
dates from a distant day, and as a description of the modes of racing prevalent
some thirty years since, among a certain class of the London fanciers, may not be
without interest, he inserts the following account of his first pigeon race, which
was originally published in ‘‘ The Savage Club Papers,” returning his thanks to
Messrs. Tinsley for their permission to reproduce the article and the illustration
by which it was accompanied.

K

98 ; PIGEONS,

MY FIRST PIGEON RACE.

BY W. B. TEGETMEIER.

The desire for the practical study of natural history, which has been a ruling
passion with me from my early youth, was sadly interfered with during many of
the years of my boyhood by a long-continued residence in the metropolis. Never-
theless, even under the disadvantages of a London life, I followed my favourite
science with a zeal and devotion that might have furnished Professor Craik, had
he but known me, with the subject of an additional chapter in his work on The
Pursuit of Knowledge under Difficulties.

As I could not study the objects of my delightful pursuit in their native
haunts, I sought them in the bird-shops of Seven Dials and the purlieus of
Westminster. The front area of my father’s house was covered with a cord
netting of my own making, for wire netting was then unknown; and a choice
collection of thrushes and other hardy British birds gladdened the neighbourhood
with their song. The possession of pigeons, however,—the objects of my most
absorbing passion,—was forbidden. The decoration of the paternal roof with a
*‘dormer,’’ an ‘‘ area,” ‘ traps,’ and all the appurtenances of pigeon-flying, so
familiar to those persons who travel by the Great Eastern Railway, and from their
high pre-eminence look down on the Spitalfields weavers and their birds, was not
to be thought of on the residence of a respectable surgeon in the Royal Navy
within a hundred yards of St. James’s Street. But ‘‘ where there’s a will
there’s a way.” Our “ doctor’s boy” lived in Westminster, over against Tothill
Fields Prison. I knew the place well; for with childish curiosity I had on
several occasions followed the long string of prisoners, men, women, and even -
children, that, handcuffed to a chain, and under the charge of two red-waist-
coated officers, passed our house every afternoon on their way from Marlborough
Street Police Court to the prison. There were ho police-vans with drivers in
mock military uniforms in those days.

Our boy was a pigeon-fancier, and had a good flight of homing birds, many

HOMING BIRDS. 99)

of which had ‘‘ done Gravesend,’’ and some had flown back from the Nore. Here
Was an opportunity that could not be allowed to escape. I at once entered into a
solemn league and covenant with him, paid one shilling weekly as my share of
the rent of the loft, and became the possessor of birds of my own.

At times, when John was supposed to be delivering the drugs that were to
assuage the sufferings of my father’s patients, we were ransacking the regions of
Kent Street, Borough, or Brick Lane, Spitalfields, in search of a ‘‘ blue-beard
hen,” ‘grizzled dragon cock,” or ‘‘mealy skinnum,” that was required to
complete my stud.

The birds kept by the class of pigeon-fanciers with whom I nad become
connected were those employed in flying-matches; and I need hardly state that
ere long my great ambition was to become the winner of a pigeon race. ‘To attain
this end, my young birds, as soon as they were old enough, were entered in a
match at a neighbouring public-house. The birds taking part in these contests
are entered soon after they are able to fly—the quill or flight-feathers of the
wing being stamped with the distinguishing mark of the particular race, and
a fixed sum contributed weekly by the owners towards the prize which is to be
competed for.

As soon as the young birds can fly strongly their training commences. They
are taken day after day to gradually increasing distances from home, and then
liberated. In this. manner both their observation and power of flight are
exercised, until at last they know their way accurately, and can fly back long
journeys without loss of time.

In the days Iam now writing about, railways were unknown, and many and
many are the long walks I have taken with a couple of birds in a brown-paper
bag, with a few holes to give them air, and a little straw in the bottom to keep
out the sides. On arriving at my destination the birds were set free, when they
would rise in the air, and circling in gradually increasing spirals, gaze around
until they descried those familiar objects that constituted the landmarks by which
they directed their homeward flight.

There are few subjects connected with the habits of animals about which more
misconception prevails than respecting this homing faculty of pigeons. Authors
and artists seem to have conspired to misrepresent the truth. The first tell us
that pigeons return home by a peculiar instinct, and not by sight; whereas every
pigeon-fancier knows that if, on their first essays, he takes his young birds long
distances, so that they cannot discern any familiar objects, they will only return
by chance. The writers on this subject do not bear in mind the fact that the sight
of birds is infinitely more acute than that of man; and that they possess a forma-
tion of the eyes by which they are able to adjust their sight to near or far-distant
objects at will. Nor do they seem aware that a bird raised 130 yards in the air
commands a panoramic view, the horizon of which is distant twenty-five miles,
even when the surface is a perfect plain.

But the artists are as much to be blamed ag the set sd We are all familiar
K 2

100 PIGEONS.

with the pretty pictures of doves flying into the bosoms of their mistresses with
large packets tied under their wings. These pictures have no foundation in
nature. Like the German philosopher’s idea of a camel, they are evolved out of
the inner consciousness of the artists. A pigeon could not fly encumbered with a
letter; and when a bird is employed for conveying a message, a narrow slip of
paper is written on, rolled round its leg, and secured by a thread. As the leg and
foot during flight are drawn up into the soft feathers, the paper so attached offers
no impediment to the speed of the bird.

But to return to the pigeon match. The birds entered and trained for the
match are, on the day appointed, taken to some distant place, either previously fixed
on, or the direction of which may be decided by lot on the morning of the race.
The birds competing are then set free; and if well trained and conversant with
the road, they return home with wondrous rapidity. Thus, in a match which
annually takes place from Southampton to London, the winning birds always per-
form the journey in less than an hour's time. The competing bird, on alighting at
the house of its owner, is instantly captured in one of the traps or in the “area,”
to which I have before alluded. A fixed time is permitted each owner to convey
his bird to the rendezvous, usually the public-house where the “ fly’? has been
organized. This time of course varies with the distance. After securing the
“‘voyageur,” the owner loses not an instant in conveying it to the goal. Not
unfrequently relays of one or two quick runners are arranged, and the bird is
passed from hand to hand with the greatest celerity.

Well do I recollect my first race. The fly was from Gravesend—a favourite
spot in that pre-railway time, as being easy of access by steamers. There were ten
competitors. The birds had been sent down the river by the first boat in the
morning, in charge of three or four persons to see fair play. John was up in the
loft on the look-out to catch my bird (the best “‘ grizzle skinnum”’ I had bred that
year) as soon as he pitched. The rendezyous was about a quarter of a mile off;
and he was to run with the bird half the distance, whilst I was waiting to convey
it the remainder. From the corner where I stood I could see the loft of another
competitor. As I was waiting, I anxiously scanned his flight of birds that were
being driven up by him with a long light pole as they tried to settle to feed; for,
to get them to come into the area directly the racing bird had joined them on his
return, they had been kept without food all day. At last I saw his head disappear
in the ‘‘dormer;”’ his flight settled. I saw his blue dragon that had returned
from Gravesend. ‘The birds all ran into the area for the handful of tares he had
thrown in; the trap-door of the area closed. I knew he had caught his bird, and
that in ten seconds he would burst from the door of the house, and be first at the
Blue Lion. And where was my bird? At that instant John turned the corner,
running as though dear life itself depended on his speed. My skinnum was in
his hand. Hurrah! the prize was mine; for, living farther from the rendezvous,
I was allowed a minute and a half more time than my dreaded competitor, whom
I had just seen catch his bird. Before John reached me, my rival rushed from his

HOMING BIRDS, 101

door, and with a shout of triumph as he saw me waiting, darted like an arrow on
his way. In a few seconds, that seemed to me an eternity, John rushed to me
with my bird. I snatched it from his hands, and ran as I never ran before or
since, for there was not a moment to be lost. Still, with great speed I was sure
of the prize; and I need not say I did my very best. I reached the corner of the
street in which the Blue Lion stood, and leaned inwards, like a horse in a cireus,
as I turned the angle at my utmost speed. But, alas for the vanity of human
hopes! An old woman, with a basket of apples suspended from her waist by a
strap, was just round the corner; and I came full tilt against her. I am not very
heavy ; but impetus is the result of weight and velocity conjoined, and what I
wanted in one was made up by the other; the consequence of the collision was
that the old woman went over backwards, and I went over the old woman. Where
the apples went I do not know; but I believe some of the boys round about
could tell better than any other persons. My best mealy skinnum, that had
virtually won the race, escaped in the collision, and went home again. I picked
myself up without loss of time, and looked towards the Blue Lion—only to see
my detested competitor and the landlord laughing at the unlucky chance which

had robbed me of the prize.

CHAPTER X.
THE COMMON TUMBLER.

ee title of Tumbler, as the word implies, was originally applied to those
pigeons that showed an hereditary disposition to turn or tumble over
backwards during their flight. These breeds were noticed by Willughby, who
wrote in the seventeenth century. He described them as being ‘‘ small and of
divers colours,’ and stated: ‘‘ They have strange motions, turning themselves
backward over their heads, and show like footballs in the air.” All varieties of
pigeons, when in good health and high condition, appear to possess an excess
of animal spirits that they permit to find vent in some energetic muscular
exertion, The quick-flying birds, that formed the subject of the last chapter, dart
off in rapid flight, and dash about in the air in eccentric courses, evidently only
that they may experience the delight of energetic muscular movement. The
birds known as Rollers ascend to a great height in the air, and roll over during
their flight from side to side with great rapidity. Pouters and other breeds smite
their wings forcibly whilst flying, and so on.

Although the Tumblers, strictly so called, namely, the tumbling birds, those
that throw themselves over backwards during flight, have been known for a very
long period, the fancy races are of comparatively recent introduction. Even
Moore, in his ‘‘ Columbarium,” published in 1735, omits all notice of many
of the varieties that have been since highly esteemed by fanciers, and describes
Tumblers not so much with reference to their structural peculiarities as to their
singular actions during flight. His, the first detailed English account of this
breed, is as follows :—

“Toe Tumpier.—This bird is so called from an innate faculty peculiar to this
species, which is their tumbling in the air, and which they effect by throwing
themselves over backward, after the same manner that the most expert artists in
tumbling perform what they call the back spring.

‘‘A Tumbler is a very small pigeon, short-bodied, full-breasted, thin-necked,
spindle-beaked, and a short button head, and the irides of the eye of a bright
pearl colour.

“The Dutch Tumbler is much of the same make, but larger; often feather-
legged, and more jowlter-headed, with a thin flesh or skin round the eye, not
unlike a very sheer Dragoon. Some people don’t esteem them on this account,
though I have known very good ones of the Dutch breed, not any ways inferior to

THE COMMON TUMBLER. 103

what they call the English. Others have remarked that they are apt to tumble
too much, and to lose ground, that is, sink beneath the rest of the flight, which is
a very great fault; but I have observed the same by the English, and am apt to
believe that most of the extraordinary feathers have been produced by mixing with
the Dutch breed; for it is generally observed that the English Tumblers are
chiefly black, blue, or white.

** This pigeon affords a very great variety of colours in its plumage, as blacks,
blues, whites, reds, yellows, duns, silvers, and, in short, a pleasant mixture of all
these colours with the white. But, amongst all, there is a mixture of three
colours, vulgarly called an Almond, perhaps from the quantity of almond-coloured
feathers that are found in the hackle: others call it an ermine, I suppose from the
black spots that are generally in it; however, I am sensible the name is not com-
patible to the term so called in heraldry, which is only white spotted with black ;
yet as the gentlemen of the fancy have assigned this name to this motley colour, I
shan’t quarrel with them about a term; if the three colours run through the
feathers of the flight and tail, it is reckoned a very good almond, or ermine, and
is much valued.

«* An Ermine Tumbler never comes to the full beauty of its feather till it has
twice molted off, and when it grows very old will decline till it runs away to a
down-right mottle or other colour.

«These pigeons by their flight afford an admirable satisfaction to those gentle-
men of the fancy that have time to attend them and make their observations; for,
besides the pleasure they afford by their tumbling, which is very considerable,
they will rise to an immense height in the air, so that sometimes the eye can
‘scarcely follow them. I have frequently lost sight of them, though they have
been almost perpendicular over my head, and the day has been very clear and
serene; yet by a fixed regard of the place where I lost them (for they never
ramble far like the Horseman, and, if good, when they are used to each other, a
flight of a dozen will keep so close together that you may cover them all with a
large handkerchief), I have at length perceived them, but so small that they
appeared no bigger than a sparrow.

** At this height they will keep two, three, four, and sometimes five hours
together; nay, I have heard it frequently asserted that there have been pigeons of
this breed which have flown nine hours when they are up at their pitch. The
better sort seldom or never tumble, choosing rather to afford you that diversion
when they are more in sight, tumbling very often at the first beginning to rise,
and again when they are coming down to pitch.

**T now come to the method of raising a flight of Tumblers; and, in the first
place, they ought, if you have the convenience, to be kept in a loft by themselves,
not having any acquaintance, if possible, with your other pigeons; for if they are
used to fly with others, it will make them sink their flight when they observe
others skimming in the air below them.

** Secondly, they ought to be turned out and put upon flight only once a day at

104 PIGEONS.

most, and that by themselves, after being well acquainted with your house. The
morning is the best time for this diversion ; and, after they are come down, throw
them a little hempseed, or rape and canary, to entice them in, and so keep them
confined until the next day.

«Thirdly, if possible, get one or two that have been used to flying high, for
they will train your young ones up the sooner.

‘Besides these things, the fanciers have observed particular seasons when a
Tumbler will make a more extravagant flight than ordinary, as, for instance, when
she sits upon eggs, and a few days after having fed off the soft meat. I can’t find
any philosophical reason to be given for this, yet, as it is confirmed by observation,
I thought it worth taking notice of.

*« Another time, when they will make a very extraordinary flight, is when you
observe ravens, crows, or any other birds wantonly playing at a great height in the
air. This may be very easily accounted for, there being at such a time something
in the temperament of the air suitable to the genius of those birds, that delight in
the upper regions of the atmosphere.

‘‘ Here I must advise the fancier not to turn out his Tumblers when thaw
appear any signs of a rising fog, for by this means the sight of their habitation is
intercepted, and many a good flight lost for ever.

“‘ A high wind will likewise drive them too far from home, so that if they are
not entirely lost, they may lie out all night, and so be exposed to the cats or
various other accidents.

‘Lastly, never turn out your hen Tumbler when she is with egg, for besides
that she is at that time sick and unfit to fly, so likewise by her long flight she may
drop her 88; an instance of which I have known, and so prevent the increase of
your breed.’

The author of the anonymous ‘‘ Treatise” of 1765 repeats this account, copying
from Moore, as usual, without any acknowledgment, and he adds: “ The bald-
pated Tumblers, which are of various colours in their body, as blacks, blues, &c.,
with a clean white head, a pearl eye, white flight and white tail, are esteemed
good flyers, and are very pretty, even when flying in the air, for the contrast of the
feather appears at that distance, when the weather is clear and fine; but the blue
ones are reputed to rise higher than any other colour. There are also some called
blue or black-bearded, that is, either of those colours having a long white spot
from the under jaw and cheek, a little way down the throat, and regularly shaped,
which has a pretty effect as an ornament; and if they run clean in the flight and
tail, as before mentioned in the bald-pated ones, they are accounted handsome.”

The ‘ Treatise” also contains an original article on the Almond Tumbler, which,
at the date of its publication, had evidently arrived at the dignity of being regarded
as a valuable high-class variety.

The Rey. E. S. Dixon, in ‘* The Dovecote and the Aviary,” in his usually

pleasant and lively style, thus describes the habits of the ordinary flying
Tumbler :—

THE COMMON TUMBLER. 105

“Of all the Doves that cleave the air, give me, in its wnsophisticated and
vulgarly bred state, the pretty little Tumbler. Birds at two or three shillings the
pair are better than those at two or three guineas, in spite of the ‘Treatise ;’ the
learned author of which we may magnanimously gainsay, without fear of contra-
diction, as he is long since quiet in his grave. The Tumbler, whether you
Frenchify it as the Pigeon Culbutant, or Latinize it as the Colwmba gyratria, is
sure to attract notice for its intrinsic excellencies. Do you want a bird to eat?
Tt is as good as any; a merit, though a humble one. It breeds as freely, and
with as little trouble; and there is nothing so neat and trim as it is among
domestic birds, not even the most perfect of the Sebright Bantams. With its
little round head and patting red feet, it is exactly a feathered Goody Two-shoes.
And then, its performances in the air! beating all the Cordes Volantes, or Tight-
rope Diayoli, into disgraceful inferiority. It is decidedly the most accomplished
member of the aérial ballet. Pirouettes, capers, towrs de force, and pas d’agilité,
all come alike in turn. Other pigeons certainly can take any course in the air,
from a straight line, that would satisfy Euclid as being the shortest distance
between two points, to circles and ellipses that remind us of the choreal orbits of
the planets round the sun; but the Tumbler, while it is rapidly wheeling past
some sharp corner in a tightly compressed parabola, seems occasionally to tie a
knot in the air through mere fun; and in its descents from aloft, to weave some
intricate braid, or whip-lash. This latter performance, I suspect, is quite a leger-
de-vol, or sleight of wing; the bird does ‘now and then tumble heels over head,
and perform somersets, which the best clown at Astley’s would be unwilling to
risk at the same altitude above terra firma—for example, on the tip of a cathedral
spire, or in the car of a balloon—but many of these intricate weavings are the
result of some trick, best known to the performer, the real solution of which may
be suspected to be the non-coincidence of the apparent centre of gravity of the
bird with its real one. The Indian jugglers have a similar feat, in throwing a
ball in a spiral course instead of in an acute parabola, more or less approaching
to a vertical straight line; and the laws of motion would assure us that, with a
homogeneous ball, such a feat is impossible, under the existing circumstances of
the universe. But take a large hollow spherical shell, heavily loaded internally
at one point of its circumference with lead, so that the centre of gravity of the
mass is by no means in the centre of the hollow sphere, and a clever juggler, by
a dexterous twist, will make it play strange freaks. Just so the wings and tail
of the Tumbler are made to follow the impulse which themselves have given, and
to revolve round the solid body of the bird, in seemingly the most unaccountable
fashion.

** Our birds have all been shut up over night, so to-day let us have a morning
performance, by special desire. Terpsichore, the saltatory Muse, belongs as much
to air as to earth. House-tops, or better, tree-tops, shall be the boards of our
rustic opera-stage ; clouds shall be the wings; the blue sky, the flies; the rising
sun shall do his best to fill the place of the gas in the footlights ; the orchestra

106 PIGEONS.

are selected from the élite of Cocks and Hens, Ducks and Geese, with China
Geese for the wind instruments and ophicleides, Thrushes and Larks for first
fiddles, and the Cow and the Pig for a pedal bass,—though the threshing-machine
in the distance best represents that. The audience is composed of yourself, your
wife, three or four boys and girls, the nursemaid with the little one, the woman
who is hanging out the week’s washing in the orchard, and the gardener who is
come with a wheelbarrow to fetch some columbine guano for his melon-bed. This
fresh breeze is better than the smell of orange-peel; that hedge of sweet-briar
is more fragrant, though less powerful, than a leaky gas-pipe. The word is given;
open sesame falls the trap; the performers appear on their little platform, for all
the world like the strolling actors in front of a show at a fair, cooing, bowing,
advancing, retiring, in this their divertissement. They plunge into their air-bath
like truant schoolboys into a brook during the dog-days. The respectable
aldermanic Pouter swells his portly paunch to the utmost, claps his wings
smartly, and sails about in circles: it seems marvellous that he should be able to
fly at all! But that darling little Cinnamon Tumbler, what a height itis! And
now, seven times, I thought I counted, it went over; but whether it was over, or
under, or roundabout, it would be difficult to say. Does your neck ache? Pray
do not complain of it; greater folks than us, when the Hawk and the Heron
were trying to over-reach each other, had to strain their eyes and necks a great
deal more to enjoy the sport, and had a chance too of scratching out the one, or
breaking the other, by riding into a bramble-bush or a pit—a danger we are not
likely to incur on this pleasant grass-plot.

‘Tumbling in the air, on the part of good unsophisticated Tumblers, is to
themselves an act of pleasure. They never do it unless they are in good health
and spirits: their best performances are after being let out from a short confine-
ment. The young Tumbler, as soon as it has gained sufficient strength of wing,
finds out by some chance that it can tumble; it is delighted at the discovery, and
goes on practising, till at last it executes the revolution with satisfaction to itself
—a feat the French have not performed of late years. Often and often the young
Tumbler may be seen trying to get over, but cannot nicely ; the same firmness of
muscle and decision of mind are required to execute that coup, which empower
the leading men at Astley’s to throw their fortieth or fiftieth somerset backwards,
and enable the premiere danseuse at the opera to drop from the air, and stand for
a second or two in an impossible attitude on tiptoe. Beginners are incapable of
such excellence.”

At the present time there are in this country two very different classes of birds
known as Tumblers, although there is no strict line of demarcation between them,
as they verge into one another by insensible gradations. These are the ordinary
flying Tumbler, such as described by Moore and alluded to in the extract from
Dixon, and the short-faced or high-class Tumbler, which is perhaps the most
artificial of any of the numerous varieties of domesticated pigeons.

These two races bear the same relation one to another that the ordinary field

THE COMMON TUMBLER. 107

Spaniel (the intelligent sporting dog) does to the short-faced Blenheim spaniel,
one being valued for its useful properties, and the other for its shortness of face,
small size, enormous ears, and extreme departure from the normal character of its
progenitors.

As we observe every gradation of size and structure between the sporting dog
and the Blenheim, so may the same series of steps be traced between the common
flying Tumbler and the short-faced breed.

The characters of the commoner birds are so varied and so loosely defined, that
it is difficult to describe them. The late Mr. B. P. Brent, who was well acquainted
with the old English and Continental varieties, thus described them in some
articles published originally in the Poultry Chronicle :—

“The yarieties of this breed that now come under our notice are very numerous;
their soaring flight and their aérial gymnastics will call forth much admiration,
and are, I conceive, well calculated to enlist the sympathies of the student of
nature. The Tumbler pigeons are well known in most of the countries of Europe;
in France they are called ‘ Voltigeurs,’ or ‘Culbutants;’ in Germany, ‘ Burzel,’
‘Umschlager,’ or ‘Tummler-Tauben.’ Their name is derived from their
throwing a summersault while flying, which they sometimes perform three or four
times at a single spring, clapping their wings together over their back, then sud-
denly bringing them down with force, they throw themselves back on their tails,
but fearing to go over, and some are a long time before they overcome their fears.
This is called ‘backing.’ When young birds fly well and back much without
going over (a great defect), I have found it useful to pull out the middle of their
tail, so that the next time they back they often fall over, and from that learn to
tumble well. Some tumble too much at a time, and thereby lose the flight, or
cause the others to come down after them, which is very objectionable. The
Tumblers should be kept in a house by themselves, and only Jet out once a day ;
the best time is in the morning before the sun is very hot; and when they have
had their fly they should be shut up for the rest of the day, and not allowed to
associate with other pigeons, or they will contract a habit of low flying, which
would spoil them. They should be kept in a commodious house, and in constant
daily exercise, or they become lazy. Their house should be provided with plenty
of food, clean water, and grit; a ‘salt cat’ will be found very useful, made of old
mortar, coarse sand, clay, and a little salt; nor should green meat be omitted,
such as lettuce, cabbage, &c., and an occasional bath is very beneficial.

** They are excellent breeders, and do not require so much attention as most
fancy pigeons. Keep them clean and in exercise, give them good food and water,
and materials to build with, and they will do well. Although their young are
small, they are excellent in pies, and are produced in abundance, provided they are
not cramped for room.

‘The Tumbler should have a nice round head, a pearl eye, a short beak, a full
chest, and a consequential deportment; they assimilate to the Almond Short-faced
in properties, but if intended for the Flying Fancy, must be stouter and of

108 PIGEONS.

stronger constitution—in fact, not so high bred. They may be met with of
yarious grades of goodness, like most other fancy articles. Their plumage is the
most varied of all pigeons: there are whole colours, of black, blue, white, red,
yellow or buff, silver, dun, ash-coloured, and kite, also mottles of all these. There
are two kinds of mottles, dark and light; the dark have only a few feathers of
white about head and shoulders; the white mottles must have the whole of the
flight and tail dark, the rest of the body white, interspersed with a few coloured
feathers. Then there are the pieds; first, the Magpie Tumbler, black, blue, red,
or yellow, with white wings, breast, thighs, and vent, evenly marked without one
coloured feather, the rest of the body being dark without any white. I have also
seen reds and yellows with quite white shoulders like shields. The Germans have
a large variety of Tumblers, which fly well and tumble very nicely; they are of
various colours, either whole coloured, or dark with white flight and tails, often
with a small beard, and their feet are covered with very long white feathers, many
of the feathers on the toes measuring four or five inches in length. I kept a flight
of them when in Germany, and was agreeably surprised to find them excellent
hich flyers and very prolific; but, to my great discomfiture, when I had got them
almost to perfection in flying, a large hawk made a daily descent upon them, and
so reduced their numbers that I was obliged to leave off flying them. These
rough-footed Tumblers I found very plentiful in and about Coblentz, on the Rhine.
In other parts of Germany they have ‘many clean-footed Tumblers of various
colours, as Magpies, Helmets, and Beards; but their Beards have only a white
beard and flight-feathers, the rest of the body being dark, of various colours.
Respecting Rolling Tumblers, I am not able satisfactorily to answer; but from all
that I can learn, they are only those birds that tumble very much, and known as
Dutch Tumblers, but are not much esteemed by the flying fanciers on account of
their fallmg so much that they bring down the flights.”

In a subsequent letter Mr. Brent continued,— The old-fashioned high-flying
Tumbler pigeons, that tumbled regularly, though not much, that were pleasant-
faced, and flew high and long in a compact flight, are now, I fear, to be reckoned as
birds of the past, the nearest approach to them being the Belgian Volants; but
these do not tumble. The high-flying Tumblers of the present day seem to me to
be generally coarse birds, often patchy-coloured: some of these, however, roll or
tumble well, and others fly for four or five hours at a time when in proper training
and condition. There is also a large variety of feather-footed Tumblers, known as
Rollers. Mine of this breed are kites, blacks, kite-mottles, black-mottles, and red-
mottles; they are large for Tumblers, and heavily feather-footed, and all tumble
a great deal. Now and then one will roll till it touches the ground. I had one
that could not fly down, but always descended by a roll, and as he frequently hurt
himself by such proceedings, I found it necessary to keep him confined. There are
also clean-legged Rollers which roll very much. I haye several cocks that I am
afraid to let out because they roll till they touch the ground, and I fear they may
injure themselves, yet they are first-rate to breed from; while others roll or spin,

THE COMMON TUMBLER. 109

so as to revolve two, three, or four times at one throw; and I have bred some that
I have counted roll sixteen times in a minute.”

The homing instinct is well developed in the ordinary flying Tumblers; we have
had in our possession birds of this variety that have repeatedly returned home
forty or fifty miles. At the present time some of the lower class of pigeon
fanciers, especially those residing at the East End of London, have devoted much
attention to the raising of what are termed by them the “ Long-faced Beards ;”
these are birds possessing the markings of the Bearded Tumbler, conjoined with a
long slender beak. They are admirable homing pigeons, though not able to
perform the long journeys that are effected by the Belgian “‘ Voyageurs.”

CHAPTER XI.
THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER.

OR many years, certainly for more than a century, pigeon fanciers have endea-
voured to modify the structure and form of the Tumbler pigeon. Their
object has been to obtain, by the most careful selection of brood-stock, a variety
in which the characters of the breed should be developed to the highest degree.
They have aimed at obtaining birds of very small size with a peculiar carriage or
form, globular heads, and diminutive beaks.

In this pursuit they have been most successful: perhaps there is not a more
artificial breed of animal existing than a Short-faced Tumbler, nor one which
departs more widely from the original type. In consequence of this extreme
variation from the natural standard, these birds are estimated very differently, as
they are regarded from different points of view.. ‘‘ Fanciers,” as is truly said by
the enthusiastic Eaton, ‘‘ do not esteem a medium standard, but admire extremes,”
and, therefore, we are not surprised to find the author writing, ‘“‘ To my fancy, I
am not aware there is anything under the sun, or that you could imagine or con-
ceive, that is so truly beautiful and elegant in its proportions or symmetry of style
as the shape or carriage of the Almond Tumbler.” Lovers of nature in her
unadorned beauty, on the other hand, view them with dislike. The author of
*“The Dovecote”’ says, ‘‘ The great wonderment about Tumblers is their form.
The whole thing, however, is very simple. The common Tumbler, au naturel,
has a compact little body, with a round head, a short beak, and neat little feet.
But this did not content the fanciers. By pairing together birds in which these
qualities were the most exaggerated, they got bodies still more compact, heads yet
rounder, beaks shorter, and feet neater. It was the breeder’s art carried to the
uttermost. As to the beaks, do what the fancier would, they still were not small
enough, and then the penknife was brought into use, to pare them down below the
standard. The young of the birds so operated on had not, perhaps, smaller beaks
than those originally possessed by their parents, any more than a wooden-legged
man is necessarily the father of a wooden-legged family ; but still they sold, and
that was enough. And by coupling the most monstrous individuals of a race, a
family of monsters are kept in existence for a time. Tumblers have been bred
with their beaks so small that they cannot feed their own young, and with their
frames so compact that they cannot fly to the top of their breeder’s bedstead.
They are called Tumblers only because if they could fly they would tumble. The

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THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER. ila

variation of the species Tumbler has been pushed to its utmost possible limits.
Were the limit exceeded, the bird could not be propagated, if it could exist at
all.”

The Reverend writer is, as usual, graphic, but not strictly accurate. The common
Tumbler is not, as he suggests, a bird aw naturel. It, like all other varieties, has
been obtained by selection and careful breeding from variations occurring in a
domestic state ; and it is only by carrying out to its extreme the same principle
of action that produced the common Tumbler, that the short-faced breed was
produced. Again, the Tumbler is not a species, but merely a variety derived, like
all other pigeons, from the single species, the Columba livia or wild Rock Dove.

Leaving the disputes between the fanciers and the naturalists respecting the
comparative merits of the artificial and natural form to be settled by the dispu-
tants themselves, we pass on to the consideration of the short-faced birds. These
are of yarious colours. Formerly, some very accurately marked short-faced blue
and silver Tumblers were not uncommon, but at present they are very rarely seen.
The short-faced baldheads appear equally scarce; they were formerly to be obtained
of all colours—blues, blacks, reds, yellows, &c., with all the characters of the
breed, viz.: the white feathers confined to the head and sharply separated from
the coloured feathers of the neck, or clean cut, in the language of the amateur;
a white or pearl eye, ten white flight-feathers in each wing, and white tail and

SHORT-FACED BALD-HEAD TUMBLER.

thighs. Attempts were made to breed Almond Tumblers with the bald or white
head, but the line of demarcation between the white and coloured plumage was
never well marked, and consequently the birds have gone out of repute.

The Beards, or Bearded Tumblers, are very pretty birds; they also are of various
colours—blues, blacks, reds, yellows, &e. Beards should have white flights
(though the whole of the ten primaries are seldom or never white, usually six
or seven only), white tail, thighs, and pearl eyes, and under the beak should be a

~.

112 PIGEONS.

streak of white, from whence they derive their name. In blue-beards, as in blue
bald-heads, the black bars on the wing and end of the tail should be present,
and as well defined and dark as possible. As Mr. Brent has justly observed, ‘‘The

THE SHORT-FACED BEARD TUMBLER.

Blue-bearded Tumblers are not now often seen of accurate markings, more
attention being paid to breed them delicate and short-faced than to maintain a clear
breast, clean thighs, flight and rimp, a fact which I much regret. A small delicate
bird looks well in a show-pen, but very few of them are strong enough to take a
lofty flight. Iam aware that the head and beak fanciers consider that everything
must give way, but those gentlemen that admire the Short-faced Tumblers will,
while they enjoy their fancy, allow others to enjoy theirs, and not exclude, as _
some seem to wish, the flying birds from all exhibitions, for birds with such short
beaks that they cannot rear their own young, or so delicate that they cannot be
trusted out, and certainly not fitted for lofty flights.”

Among the most valued of the Short-faced Tumblers are those termed Mottles,
or Mottled Tumblers. These have a dark ground, black, red, or yellow, and occa-
sionally dun, slightly mottled with white on the wings, and sometimes also on the
back. When Short-faced Mottles approach the standard of merit laid down by
the breeders, they are of very considerable value. The birds should have the
head, beak, eye, and carriage of the best-bred Almonds. The ground-colour of the
body should be uniform and sound, either a deep lustrous black, a bright red or
brilliant yellow, as the case may be. The tail and flight-feathers, like those of
the head and body, should be free from white, and the wing only mottled with
white ; though some amateurs desire to see a few white marks on the back
between the wings. It is hardly necessary to say that birds possessing all
these properties conjoined are yery difficult to breed, and their value is propor-
tionally high.

Leaving the Short-faced Tumblers of other colours, we now come to the con-
sideration of the most valued pets of the fanciers —the celebrated Almond

LBIGHTON, BROS.

BLACK MOTTLED TUMBLERS

.
'

THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER. 113

Tumblers. Many discussions have arisen as to the origin of this name. Moore,
the earliest writer who notices the breed, speaks of it as “ the Ermine Tumbler,
yulgarly called the Almond.” We cannot but think this a mistake, as the markings
on the bird show no resemblance whatever to what is known as ermine, either in
the animal so called, which is white and black, or in heraldry. Possibly the term
may have arisen from the comparison of the general ground-colour of the bird with
that of the shell of an almond; but even the author of the “ Treatise,” who gave
the first good description of the breed, says he is at a loss to explain the meaning
of the name.

In treating of this breed, we do so with some considerable anxiety, hardly
daring to hope that our statements will meet with general assent amongst
fanciers, who are divided amongst themselves as to what constitutes the greatest
merit in the breed; some estimating the closest approach in the form of the head
and beak to the ideal standard of perfection, as the highest merit, whilst others
think that the perfection of the singular feather is the more important desideratum.
Under these conflicting circumstances, we think it will be desirable to present
our readers with the opposite views, as stated by some of the most celebrated of
their respective champions. Mr. F. Esquilant, for a long period the Honorary
Secretary of the Philoperisteron Society, and well known as one of the most suc-
cessful breeders of Almonds, writes as follows :—

“The Almond Tumbler is, I believe, acknowledged to be the most artificial
and least understood of all the varieties of fancy pigeons. By the general
consent of fanciers, five properties are accorded to it, namely—1. Feather;
2. Carriage; 3. Eye; 4. Beak; 5. Head. ‘These I have arranged in what I
conceive to be their relative importance.

“1, FeatHer.—The first property, the colour and markings of the feather,
from which the bird derives its name, will, I think, be at once conceded as the

most difficult, not only to attain, but also to maintain.

‘In this property alone there are no fewer than five points indispensable,
firstly, a yellow ground on the whole body of the bird. The term ‘yellow’ I
use for want of any other name to apply to it; perhaps the term ‘ almond-
yellow’ would be its more correct denomination. There is much difference of
opinion on this most important feature. My view is, that the colour we have to
attain resembles that on the outside of the shell of the almond nut—the brighter
the better.

** This ground should be well broken or spangled throughout with black. The
whole of the feathers of the flight and tail should be, at their base, of the same
colour as the body feather, with a black or yellow quill, and broken at their ex-
tremities with a clear black and white. The feathers of the Almond should be
covered with a metallic lustre or gloss, similar to that seen on the hackle of the
bird; but this cannot be expected in so great a degree.

** This feather, so difficult to attain, should, I consider, when approximating to
the desired standard, rank as equal to three of the other properties in estimating

L

114 PIGEONS.

the value of the bird. Such a feather, in conjunction with the other four properties,
is to be obtained by judicious matching.

«9, Carrtacu.—This important feature is considered by many as distinct from
the shape of the bird. I shall treat them as one, considering that a bird of good
carriage cannot be a bad shape; and if of a bad shape, it is impossible for it to be
of a good carriage.

«The neck of the Almond should be short, and widening to its base, so as to
become, imperceptibly as it were, part of its body. The chest should be broad
and prominent; the legs short, and placed in the centre of the body; the bird in
its whole character presenting a series of curves flowing easily and gracefully one
into the other, so that it is not readily perceived where the one ends and the
other begins.

“The wings should droop on the ground, a position which adds much to their
beauty, as it displays the markings of the flight-feathers.

«3. Eve.—The eye should be large, circular, and prominent, placed in the
centre of the profile of the head, and not close to the top of it, as it appears in the
Carrier. Its pupils should be black, and the irides pearl-white—hence the denomi-
nation of pearl-eyed. I may remark that this property is one of the very earliest
that is lost, when breeding very high in feather, or where the birds are very closely
‘bred in,’ and require ‘ crossing.’

‘4, Buax.—tThe beak should be short, fine, and straight, similar to a grain of
the oat, cut across the centre and placed horizontally in front of the head. - In
colour it should be white, or nearly so. This beak, which I designate the corn-
beak, I consider preferable to the goldfinch beak, it not being so likely to shoot out
in length as the other, or become twisted and misshapen. In conjunction with
the beak (of which it is generally considered a part) is the wattle at its base; this,
while serving as a nostril, should be merely large enough to conceal the appearance
of the roots of the feathers immediately in front of the head; it should appear to
spring from the head, and be partly buried under the feathers, not standing out in
strong relief, as if challenging attention instead of having to be looked for to
be seen. :

**5, Heap.—I now come to that much-yaunted property—the head ; upon this I
have but little to observe. ;

“* Setting aside the remarks so frequently saluting you at the meetings of brother
fanciers, as—What a stop! What a breadth! Splendid front! &c. &e., I shall
describe it as perfectly cireular in form, planted firmly and shortly on the neck,
varying in size in the cock and hen, but attaining a circumference of three inches
and three-quarters in a well-proportioned cock bird.

“1 have thus endeavoured to give my idea of what the Almond Tumbler should
be, and what I hope to see it—not in isolated cases, but as a whole.

*“* When possessing the foregoing properties in a fair degree of perfection, it is
by the varied splendour of its plumage, the beauty of its carriage, the brightness of
its eye, the delicate fineness of its beak, and the uniqueness of its head, added to

THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER. 115

its activity and docility, one of the most, if not the most, fascinating of our fancy
pigeons.”

The late Mr. B. T. Brent, writing in the Poultry Chronicle, states :—

** The Almond Tumblers were obtained by careful breeding, selecting, and
erossing colours from the commoner kind of Tumblers, and after a long series of
years, by drafting and breeding in and in, as much as it was prudent, have they
been brought to the state of perfection in which they are now to be seen. I am
inclined to think the name of ‘ Almond’ originated in their ground-colour being
formerly that of the well-known ‘Almond nut,’ though they are now bred of a
much brighter colour. The colour of the Almond Tumbler is a mixture of
yellow, red, black, and white, well broken and intermixed. Their points of
excellence may be enumerated under the five following properties of head, beak,
eye, shape, and feather:—The head must be round, broad, and high, rising
abruptly from the beak, and the fuller and more projecting the forehead the more
itis valued. The beak should be:short, small, straight, and tapering, measuring,
from the eye to the end of the quick of the beak, from five-eighths to three-quarters
of an inch in length, the shorter the better; nor must the nostrils be large, but
only slightly developed. The eye should be prominent, round, bright, and of a
clear pearl colour, without streak or mud-marks, and also free from sere. In
shape, the neck should be short and thin, the head carried rather backwards, the
neck slightly bending, the chest full and well thrown out, the back short, the body
round and as small as possible, the flight and tail short, their feet small, and the
bird standing on its toes, the ball of the foot often slightly raised from the
ground. Feather is considered the last property; not but that good plumage adds
great beauty to the bird, and much enhances the value of an otherwise good
specimen. The more an Almond has of bright yellow, and the clearer and more
decided the black, so much the more is it admired. Yellow, black, and white are
the primary colours, and the more these are intermixed the more they are prized.
Blue is considered very objectionable. In and in breeding (that is coupling
relations) is of considerable use in reducing their size and making them fine and
delicate ; but caution is required not to carry this process too far, or they will
become so weakly and degenerate that scarcely any offspring will be raised—and
these few worthless. The finer and more delicate they are, the more they are
admired; consequently they exist in an artificial state. From their weakness, they
are rarely allowed to enjoy their liberty, though on account of their high breeding
and good living they breed freely, but are very apt to leave their young and go to
nest again before the squabs are capable of keeping themselves warm. ‘To pyre-
vent these dying, they are shifted to a pair of feeders that have hatched later, so
as to secure them move attention and a fresh supply of soft meat. These feeders
must, however, be small pigeons with small beaks, or the nurslings may be
injured, or have their tender beaks twisted or broken in feeding. I don’t know if
it has ever been tried, but faney the Collared Turtle-doves would make good nurses

116 ; PIGEONS.

for these tiny pets. If the young Tumblers are very fine, or the weather cold, it
may be necessary to shift them several times; thus, several pairs may be shifted

jn rotation, the Almonds themselves taking an elder pair of some of their com-
panions. Their loft should be kept scrupulously clean. They are fond of bathing;
their water must be kept clean and sweet, and their food be of the best quality.
Each pair should be provided with a separate breeding-pen, so constructed that it
can be closed at pleasure, either to keep in a troublesome gent, or to prevent others
annoying a weakly one. Earthen pans should be provided for nests, placed on a
shelf in the pen, and short straw or fine heath twigs for building materials. A
sreat deal of care and attention is necessary to insure success. No one will, there-
fore, wonder at the high prices paid for good birds.”

In quoting the several authorities on this highly valued breed, we must not omit
reference to the two distinct works which have been published on this favourite
variety.

The first was entitled ‘“‘ A New and Compleat Treatise on the Art of Breeding
and Managing the Almond Tumbler, ete. By an old Fancier and a Member of
the Columbarian Society, held at the Queen’s Head Tavern, Holborn. London,
Alex. Hogg & Co., 16, Paternoster Row.” 104 pages, Svo. There is no date on
the title-page, but the dedication to the gentlemen of the Columbarian Society is
dated ‘‘ London, March, 1802.” This book is very scarce and difficult to
obtain.

The second work was ‘‘ A Treatise on the Art of Breeding and Managing the
Almond Tumbler. By John Mathews Eaton, 1851.” This includes a very large
proportion of the work published in 1802, with many valuable and peculiarly
original remarks by Mr. Eaton, and was afterwards published as part of that
writer’s larger Treatise on Pigeons, 1858.

Tt is exceedingly interesting to trace the gradual establishment of a variety
which has been so recently produced as the Almond Tumbler. We have already
noted that Moore, writing in 1735, barely alluded to the breed. The author of
the ‘‘ Treatise’ of 1765 devoted a few pages to its consideration. Alluding to the
breed as being recently established, and not even then well understood, he also
describes the mode in which the variety was obtained by matching birds of dif-
ferent colours together, intermixing the feather, viz., blacks, black grizzles,
yellows, whites, duns, &e., and says Almonds are always attainable if you are
endowed with patience sufficient for the tedious process, which requires a length
of time.

The ‘ Old Fancier,” writing in 1802, gives the following as the characters of
the breed as then established :—

‘‘ FratHer.—The first thing that strikes the eye on looking at the Almond
Tumbler in the area is the feather ; or perhaps the shape may strike some, if that
should happen to be very good; but as I think feather ought to have the pre-
ference, I will take that first.

«© The eround of the feather should be, strictly speaking, yellow, but that, with

iy

THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER. 11%

submission, I think is not attainable; we must therefore be content with having
the ground of a bright almond colour (approaching as much as possible to yellow),
well spangled, and broken with black and white, particularly in the flight and tail;
and the more these feathers resemble the broken colours of the tulip, the nearer
they approach perfection.

“The hackle, or neck-feathers, should be bright, and well broken with the
same colours, and should resemble the delicate touches of the pencil of a fine
artist.

** Suape.—The bird should stand low, with a fine prominent and full, or, as the
fanciers term it, a square chest, which is thrown up considerably by the bird’s
elevating himself on tiptoe, and thereby depressing his tail, so that the point of
it touches the flooring of the area, pen, or whatever place he stands upon; the
neck should be short and thin, and curved under the throat, and thrown back. If
the bird is naturally of a good shape, it is more particularly conspicuous when he
is driving his hen to nest, and then he shows himself in his greatest beauty and.
to the best advantage. ’

“ Kye.—The next property which seems to demand our attention, without
taking the bird in hand, is the eye. The iris should be of a silvery white, or
pearl colour, all round the pupil, and the brighter and more silvery this is the
better, and should be fixed in the centre of the head; the outside or eyelid should
not be fleshy, but feathered close to the edge of the eye, which should be
prominent.

‘* Huap.—The next property is the head, which, although it should be very
good, does not strike a young fancier forcibly till he handles the bird. (Here I
must digress a little, which I trust the reader will pardon, as it is absolutely
necessary for him to know how to hold the bird, before he can examine its head,
beak, and eye. This is done by placing the bird in his left hand, putting its legs
between his first and second fingers; the flight and tail will by that means lie over
his forefinger; then put the thumb down on the lower part of the bird’s back, till
the point of the thumb comes in contact with the forefinger, which secures the
bird and prevents its struggling, and it may then be examined at pleasure, which
is to be done by laying hold of the throat gently with the thumb and forefinger of
the right hand, and turning the head which way the holder pleases, by which
means he will obtain a complete and distinct view of the head, beak, and eye of
the bird, in every direction.) To return to the head—this should be lofty and
round, and as near as may be semicircular, the eye directly in the centre; and to
add to the greater beauty and finish of the head, the feathers under the eye and
about the lower jaw should be full, and a little curved upwards, which is called
muffy. The feathers forming the front of the head should stop well, and not run
out in a point into the wattle on the beak.

** Beax.—I now come to the last, but by no means the least, beautiful property
—the beak. This should be very fine and pointed, and run in a straight line from
the head; it should not exceed seven-eighths of an inch from the point to the iris,

118 PIGEONS.

or inner circle of the eye. Before these birds were brought to the perfection
they now are, it was necessary to limit the length of the beak, which frequently
exceeded seven-eighths of an inch, but they are now so much within that length
that the rule is scarcely necessary. And in addition to this, the eye of a good
fancier is now so correct, and so much accustomed to see birds whose beaks are
scarce six-eighths, that he could tell with half an eye if it was more than the
rule allowed, without having recourse to a gauge or measure. The wart or wattle
on the beak should be fine, and as little of it as possible.

“*N.B.—The hen is by no means inferior to the cock in any of the above pro-
perties, except feather; and it is with these birds, as with most others, that the
male is generally more beautiful in this respect. Great allowances should there-
fore be made for the Almond hen in that particular property.”

Mr. J. M. Eaton, in his valuable work, adds the characters as insisted on at the
present day. Feather he regards as inferior in value to shape or carriage, and he
notices the fact that in many high-bred birds the primary or flight-feathers of the
wing are only nine instead of the normal number of ten. He is also enthusiastic
in praise of a good head, which he defines as being as broad, lofty, and round as
possible, with the front part overhanging, as it were, the beak, and constituting a
good stop, and not slanting into the beak. The beak itself, he states, should not
exceed five-eighths of an inch in length, measured from the iris to the end. It
will be gathered from these remarks that Mr. Eaton is what he himself would term
a “head and beak fancier,” as distinguished from those whom, like Mr. Esquilant
and the author of the ‘‘ New and Compleat Treatise on the Almond Tumbler,” he
would term ‘ feather fanciers.”

Having given the opinions of all the most celebrated authorities who have
written on this breed, we have now to speak of the variations which occur in the
plumage of Almond-bred birds. One of the most common varieties of plumage
is that termed ‘ kite-feathered.” Im the language of the Almond breeders, a
“Kite” is a black bird, having the inner webs of the quill-feathers passing into
red or yellow. Many of these birds have a very brilliant metallic lustre on their
plumage, and in the form of the head and beak are equal, or even superior, to the
best Almonds; a fact which was noticed even so long ago as 1765, the author
of the ‘“‘ Treatise” stating, ‘‘ I have observed that a black one bred from Almonds
generally runs better in the head and beak than the Almonds themselves, and
the flight and tail are oftentimes strongly tinged with yellow. Such a one matched
to an Almond is most likely to breed a good bird.”

Kites, though seldom regarded as exhibition birds, are exceedingly valuable as
breeding stock. If two Kites are matched together, they rarely produce any other
young except those of their own colour; but an Almond and a Kite will often
produce an Almond and a Kite in each nest.

Almond birds often throw young of other colours, as duns, reds, yellows, some-
times whole or self-colour, and at other times mottled or splashed irregularly, as in
what are termed Agates and Splashed birds. These, though not show birds, are

THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER. 119

most valuable as brood stock, if they possess the requisite properties of head, beak,
eye, and carriage.

Matching the birds properly is one of the most important points in breeding
Almonds, and the knowledge how to effect this is only to be acquired by long
experience. It is impossible to state in many cases what colours will be produced
by any particular pair, even when their origin can be traced through several
generations. The ‘‘ Old Fancier’’ gives the following very practical directions on
matching or pairing :—

‘Or Marcurye or Parrinc.—The middle or latter end of February, if the
weather is open, is the proper time for matching the birds, rather than a later
period, as they will at first lay thin-shelled eggs, match them as late as you please,
and the first or second round seldom produces anything, so that it is a saving of
time, and a means of getting the birds steady and in good breeding condition by
the time the weather has become a little warmer, after which all difficulty of that
sort is oyer, and they then go on kindly.

** Having got the loft and pens clean, and in good condition, and being
provided with nest-pans, hoppers, fountains, and all other requisites, the fancier
must proceed to match or pair his birds, which is unquestionably the greatest art
in the system of pigeon fancying, consequently considerable attention is now
necessary to be paid by him; and for his assistance and instruction I shall
endeayour to lay down a few rules, which ought invariably to be adhered to, if he
has choice enough in his loft to admit of them ; if not, it is much better to buy a
bird to match one that he cannot properly match from his own stud, rather than
put two birds together that are not a match, thereby strengthening the bad pro-
perties which it is his business to lessen, and if possible entirely to subdue.

«* The grand art of matching birds, in my opinion, is to endeavour to counteract
every bad property or imperfection in the birds that are to be put together, by
taking care that the bird intended for the mate of the one possesses the good
properties or perfections, in an eminent degree, which the other is deficient in; as,
for example, the cock bird shall have a brilliant feather and good head and beak,
but shall be deficient in the eye and shape, consequently, the hen must be par-
ticularly good in those properties in which he fails, viz., eye and shape; but if she
is good all the way through, the more desirable; and as no one eyer yet appre-
hended breeding too good a bird, I recommend putting birds of equal good
properties together, as much as possible, rather than birds whose properties must
be assisted by counteraction, but the strength of the loft will seldom admit of this,
in which case he has no alternative.

‘* Great care should be taken not to match birds too fine, as it is called, that is,
so that they do not throw a sufficient height of feather. If this is not guarded
against, he will produce none but light-grounded birds, which will take him a
great length of time to strengthen and get the better of, therefore good Kites are
necessary to maintain strength of feather; also good thorough-bred reds or yellow-
mottled birds are very proper for this purpose ; but I prefer a well-bred red or red-

120 PIGEONS.

mottled to a yellow, being of opinion that a red generally throws a brighter feather
than a yellow; however, this may be matter of opinion more than actual convic-
tion, and the young fancier will in due time be able to determine this point for
himself. In choosing Kites, I recommend particular attention to be paid to the
quality of the black; it should be of a glossy jet, richly stained with yellow
through the flight and tail, without the least shade of bloom or slate-colour
pervading any part of the bird, particularly the rump. The same rule should
be observed in the choice of reds and yellows, as to the ashy rump, &c.

“*Some fanciers are very partial to duns, but I confess I am no great advocate
for them in general. If the young fancier makes use of one, I advise him to be
satisfied that it is clear bred, that is, bred from two Almonds, and that they have
no ash or dun about their ramps, and no shade of bloom running over them; but
a well-bred dun is sometimes necessary to soften down a hard-feathered Almond,
and is frequently of great service in this particular.

“« Splashes, if well bred, are very useful, particularly if they are hens, as they
are easily matched and yery likely to break or spangle the feather, which is a
great perfection. It is no easy matter to lay down certain rules for matching
Splashes, or, indeed, any other coloured birds, for much must depend upon the
way in which they are bred; or else, generally speaking, a splashed cock may
be matched to a Kite, a red, a yellow, or a full-grounded Almond hen, and a
splashed hen to the like sort of cock birds, having an eye at the same time to
the points necessary to produce a good bird in other respects.”

«The birds being paired, the next care must be to make them well acquainted
with their respective pens, and for this purpose they should be penned up for a
few days, or longer if necessary, in the pens designed for them, during which
time they will match strong, and become well acquainted with their habitations.
The fancier should then begin by opening two of the pens, that are most remote
from each other, and the birds, finding no entrance to any other, will readily learn
to know the places they came out of. When these two pair are well acquainted
with their pens, they should be fastened up again, and two other pair let out,
remembering to let out such as are most distant from each other, by which means
they will be less liable to mistake each other’s home ; and so he must proceed, till
the whole are well acquainted with their respective abodes. Great care should be
taken to prevent a cock getting master of two pens, for if once he gets a habit
of going into another bird’s pen, be assured he will never rest till he has driven
that cock and hen from their house, and spoilt their eggs or killed their young
ones. When this is become very troublesome, the only remedy is to put him and
his hen into another room, for it is almost impossible to break him of this trick,
if once he gets master. Thus the advantage of dividing the loft is clearly shown,
for without this convenience he must be under the necessity of keeping that pair
of birds constantly penned up, which would be very prejudicial to their health,
and fill them with vermin. During this period, the young fancier must bestow a
little time in watching them, and putting them a few times into their own pens,

a a - ' J *

eters en satinitiat iia Payne

“soug ‘NOLHOITI

THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER. 121

if they are at a loss to find them. By attending to these rules, the birds will
soon become steady and settled. Particular care should also be taken always to
give the cock the same habitation he had last year; if not, he will get master of
two pens, and occasion the difticulty just mentioned. The same care is not
necessary with regard to the hens: they will always follow their cocks, when
thoroughly matched.

**Tn a week from pairing or matching, some of the hens will be near laying,
which will be plainly discovered by the anxiety of the cock in continually driving
his hen from place to place, till she goes on the nest; and the nearer she is to
laying, the greater is his anxiety. It is also discernible by the hen’s sitting on a
heap, with her feathers set up, as if she was cold and unwell, and by a great
protuberance on the rump, and a depression or hanging of the tail. When these
symptoms are perceived, care should be taken to make them a good nest of soft
straw, well rubbed with the hands (for they seldom make a proper one themselves).
Tf the cock should be very impetuous in driving his hen, the best way will be to
pen them till she has laid her first egg, or she may probably drop it on the floor,
from the constant worrying she sustains by the cock’s driving her. They may be
let out again when she has laid it, to stretch their wings, and penned up again on
the third day, when she will lay her second egg. They sometimes drop them the
day before the proper day for laying, and then they are without shell, and what are
called lush eggs. So that if the cock is too violent, it may be as well to keep
them penned up till the hen has safely deposited both her eggs. This should
also be done with all weakly hens, who are much more likely to drop their eggs
about the loft than lay them in the places provided for them.

“The hen mostly lays two eggs, missing one day between the first and second.
Sometimes, though rarely, she will lay three ; at others only one. When she lays
but one, I think it is a sign of weakness or great delicacy; but this seldom
happens except in the spring, in the first or second round. After having laid her
first egg, which is invariably between five and six o’clock in the afternoon, she and
the cock alternately stand over it till the second is laid, which is usually at one
o'clock or soon after, on the third day, when they commence incubation in the
following manner: as soon as the second egg is laid, the cock, who is generally
at hand waiting the event, sends the hen off, both for the purpose of recruiting
herself after the pain and fatigue of laying, and to take the proper refreshment
necessary to enable her to resume her sitting for the night, which she does
between four and five the same afternoon, and sits till about ten o’clock the
next day, when the cock relieves guard, and sits again till four in the after-
noon, and so alternately till the seventeenth day from the laying the last
egg, when the incubation is complete, and the eggs will be chipped, and in
general hatched in the course of that day, if they hatch at all; and this
regularity, and alternate relief, is maintained during the feeding as well as the
sitting.

‘Jt is also very common for them in the spring to lay thin-shelled eggs, which

M

129, PIGEONS.

are very liable to be broken by the pressure of sitting on, and frequently stick to
their breasts and prevent them sitting any longer; when this happens, their
breasts must be thoroughly cleansed from the adhesive quality of the broken egg,
and another egg given them immediately; and if the cock is put on to it, he
will in general sit very kindly, and the hen, coming to seek for him, and finding
him sitting, will take her turn, as if nothing had happened. At the expiration
of their time for sitting, they must be provided with a young one to feed off their
soft meat.

«‘The Almond Tumblers will, if in good health, breed from the time of pairing
them till the months of October or November, but I think they should be parted
in October, as soon as they can feed off the young ones they then have to bring
up; for the fancier will find great difficulty in raising any of them after this time,
as the weather gets very cold, and the nights long, so that they are frequently
deserted and left to the severity of the weather, not sufficiently fed, by which a
cold will come on, with a running at the nose, or roop, and baftle all the fancier’s
art to get the better of, and the bird will die. If he should happen to raise any
of this description, the chances are greatly against their surviving the winter, and
if they do, they will most likely be such weakly birds that the fancier will repent
having bestowed so much time and trouble upon them.

“On the seventeenth day from the hen’s having laid her last egg, and the
young ones begin to hatch, much attention is now necessary to be paid by him,
and a little judicious assistance is sometimes requisite to assist the young bird in
extricating itself from its prison-house, and particularly in the spring, when the
young ones, even in the shell, are more delicate and weakly than they are at a
later period of the season, and consequently less able to disengage themselves.
If an egg does not spring or chip by the time it ought—viz., in the course of the
seventeenth day—the fancier should hold it to his ear, and if the young one makes
a crackling kind of noise, and that pretty briskly, he may conclude it will soon
chip; when it has so chipped, if the young one should not proceed in its
endeayours to break the shell as much as the fancier thinks it ought to have done
in the time, and does not continue to make so brisk a noise, it is a sure sign that
the young one is weakly, and almost exhausted, and requires immediate assistance.
In that case, he should gently dent his thumb or finger-nail, or the head of a
pin, in a circle round the egg, in the same manner as if it had been done from
within by the beak of the young one itself, remembering to let in a little air,
which may be safely done at the part where the bird first springs the shell, that
being the part where its beak lies, and no blood will issue from it, by which means
it will be greatly assisted in extricating itself, and many a valuable bird may be
thus saved. Particular care should be taken not to pick a hole in any other part
of the shell than above mentioned, or make it bleed, as the least effusion of blood
will be fatal to the feetus; but if it has been moving about in the shell so long as
to have absorbed all the moisture or blood, and has, by its circuitous motion,
rolled up the little caul or membrane in which it is enveloped whilst in the egg,

THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER. 123

it may safely be set at liberty, taking care to expose it to the air as short a time
as possible. When it is disengaged from the shell, a portion of the yolk will be
seen attached to its navel, which will nourish it for a day or two, if the old ones
should not happen to feed it immediately; and this is by degrees absorbed or taken
up into the intestines of the young bird, by which time it will want feeding,
which must be attended to by the fancier. It is by the yolk’s being thus taken
into the abdomen of the fetus, that it is nourished during the latter stage of its
confinement in the egg. If the young one should be a long time disengaging
itself, after having chipped the shell, there will be less of the yolk to be seen,
from its having absorbed a part of it for its support; and it will be hatched
perfectly dry, and the navel will be well closed.

** The fancier should always mark the day of the month when the hen he her
last egg, in chalk or pencil, somewhere about the pen, that he may ascertain the
day on which she ought to hatch.

‘« Shifting is a matter that is essentially necessary to be attended to, in order
to raise a promising young bird. I have before hinted how early the old birds
begin to decline sitting on their young; this is more particularly the case with the
Almond Tumblers, who will rarely bring up their own young, except in the height
of summer, by reason of their quitting them sooner, to go to nest again. They
begin to get restless as early as the eighth day, and the ninth, or tenth, they will
be off the nest for an hour or more at a time, and get calling to nest again; by
which the young ones are left exposed to the air before they have a feather upon
them, and die of cold, with their crops full. To obviate this, he should shift
them under another pair that have not hatched so long, and kill the young ones
he takes away from such other pair: in doing which, he gets these shifted young
ones an additional supply of warmth from being sat on, and of soft meat, from
the fresh pair got haying hatched or fed so long, and consequently their soft meat
not being exhausted.

“Tt is better to get a pair or two of common Tumblers for feeders or nurses,
such as Baldheads or Beards; and by killing their young, which he will do with-
out reluctance, he may be certain of bringing up his young Almonds; and if he is
judicious, he may always, or for the most part, have a succession of feeders, by
taking away the hens of his feeders, and confining them awhile: and when any of
his best Almonds are within a day or two of laying, turn the feeder-hen to her
mate, and they will go to nest immediately, and lay in a week or less after the
others, by which means he will get a certain shift for his young Almonds, at’ the
distance of six, seven, or eight days, which is just the time the old ones begin to
desert them, and thus bring up a pair of good birds, which, without such feeders,
he probably would have lost. He should let the common birds feed their own
young a day or two after hatching, to bring on their soft meat.

*‘ Drafting the young ones into another loft is very desirable, provided the
fancier is not straitened for room. Ags soon as the young ones can feed them-

selyes, they should be taken into the loft provided for them, and have plenty of
m 2

124 PIGEONS.

eravel and mortar; and their area should be kept thoroughly clean, where they
will pick themselves and bask in the sun, and thrive prodigiously.

“‘Their food should be the best tares; or if sound beans could be procured
that are small enough, I should prefer them; but it will be better to let them
have both, as I do not think tares alone a wholesome diet, being apt to make
them scour.

“Tam a great advocate for parting the birds after the breeding season, having
found my account in it, and thence been thoroughly convinced of its beneficial
effects, great utility, and convenience ; and I shall endeavour to convince the young ~
fancier also of the propriety and advantage of this plan, by a few observations to
that point.

“Tn the first place, a great deal of plague and trouble is saved to the fancier,
by the impossibility of the birds continuing to go to nest, which they will do, if
not parted, in spite of all his efforts to prevent them; he is then under the
necessity of continuing them another round, as the fanciers term it (though he is
convinced of the impropriety of it, at that late season of the year), to the great
detriment of his hens, and without a chance of bringing up what they may happen
to hatch.

“And further, as few fanciers match their birds in the manner they were
matched the preceding season, from the number of young ones they may have
bred, which by the following season are become matchable, and occasion the
necessity of altering the old matches, and from other causes, the advantage of
parting the birds in the winter is here, I think, particularly conspicuous ; it will
enable him to cross-match all his birds without the least difficulty, as they will
cross-match ten times more readily when they have been asunder two or three
months, than when they have been kept together.

“When I have had occasion to cross-match two or three pair of birds in the
height of the breeding season, on account of their produce not pleasing me, I
have frequently had great difficulty in obtaining my point, from the strong recollec-
tion the birds have had of each other; and though I have at last succeeded, the
moment the hens have been turned into the loft they have flown to their former
pens and mates, and it was a considerable time before they were reconciled to
their new mates and abodes. To prevent this, the new-matched pair should be
fastened into their own pen, taking care that the cock has the same pen he had
before. This evil will be completely remedied by parting the loft, as the fanciers
may then put a pair or two of the cross-matched birds into the contrary side to
which they have been accustomed, and by this means avoid the intercourse that
must necessarily take place between the new-matched birds and their former
mates.

‘* Another thing is necessary to be attended to by the fancier, in cross-matching,
viz.—he should have two or three matching pens in some other part of his
house, if not too inconvenient, in order that the birds he is about to cross-match
may be out of the hearing of their former mates, and of the other birds in the loft,

THE SHORT-FACED TUMBLER. D5

which will greatly facilitate their speedy matching to their new mates. They will
frequently be a very long time in matching in the loft, where they can both see and
hear each other, and sometimes will not match at all.

‘Tf they continue obstinate, a handful of rape or hemp seed should be given
them occasionally; and if the cock is very violent, and fights his hen, an open
lath partition should be put across the pen, to separate them, so that they may
only see each other, and they will soon match by this method, which will be
ascertained by the hen’s sweeping her tail, nodding her head, &c., which is called
showing.”

These very practical directions from ‘‘ The Old Fancier”” on the management
of this most artificial and delicate breed, include all that need be said upon
the subject, with the exception of the treatment of their diseases ; but as their
disorders are similar to those affecting the other varieties, it will be more
desirable to consider them in the chapter specially relating to the diseases of
pigeons.

It may be of interest to state that Columbarian societies, for the encourage-
ment of this particular breed, have existed in London for above a hundred years,
and that the rules and standards, as laid down by them, still exist. Mr. Eaton
reprints the rules published, with an engraving, in 1764. They are as follow :—

b]

ORDINANCES ESTABLISHED BY THE COLUMBARIAN SOCIETY,
AT THE GLOBE TAVERN, FLEET STREET,

RESPECTING THE

PERFECTIONS OR IMPERFECTIONS OF ALMOND OR ERMIN TUMBLERS,
1764.

PERFECTIONS.
I. Feather.

Consists of three colours, viz., Black, White,
and Yellow, intermixed, or variously and
richly displayed. Ground, the best Yellow.
The Rump, Yellow and Spangled. Tail, the
most Yellow and striped.

Il. Head.

To be Round and Small. The Forehead,
High. The Beak, Short and Small. The
Eye, a bright pearl colour round the Pupil.

ILL. Shape.

A Small Body, Prominent Chest, and Good

Symetry.

IMPERFECTIONS
I. Feather.

Ash Colour, or Barr'd on the

Flight.

Blue,

II. Head.

Thin, Long Snouted. Beak, Long and
Thick. Eye, all Black or Red, or broken
colour.

III. Shape.

Long Body. Large, with Small Chest.

IMPERFECTIONS INADMISSIBLE AT A SHEW FOR THE PRIZE.

Blue Ermins, Ermins with entire blue tails, and Ash coloured Ermins.

In commenting on this table, Mr. Eaton remarks that, on looking at the por-
trait which accompanies the ordinances as a frontispiece, he thought it was the
same plate that accompanies the Treatise of 1635; but that careful examination
showed him there were slight differences.

Respecting the birds represented, he justly remarks that, as compared with

126 PIGEONS.

the Almonds of the present time, they have ‘‘ only neat heads, down beaks, not
straight, with long legs;” and he adds, ‘‘if the two engravings were faithful
likenesses of what the Ermines, or Almonds, were in 1764 or 1765, all I can
say, they were nothing to boast of.”

We have thus traced the gradual development of this most artificial breed,
from the first attempts of the fanciers of Moore’s time, 1785, through the
successive stages, as recorded in the Treatise of 1765, and that of 1802, to
Mr. Eaton’s work of 1851, and from thence down to the present time.

CHAPTER XII.
THE LOWTAN OR GROUND TUMBLERS OF INDIA.—HOUSE TUMBLERS, &c.

‘ Ge propensity to the performance of eccentric movements which distinguishes

the breeds known as Tumblers and Rollers, is carried to an extreme degree
in some varieties. There are breeds of pigeons that are, from this cause, quite
incapable of flight, rolling or tumbling over and over on the least attempt to
employ their wings. Such a condition obviously depends on some abnormal
development or undue irritability of the brain; but, as far as we are aware, no
anatomical investigation of the structure or condition of this organ has been made
in these birds, nor has the writer had any opportunities of making any such
investigation.

To these extreme varieties belong the breeds known as House Tumblers—so
named because they tumble in the house. From their excessive tumbling they
are not good flyers—not because they are unable to use their wings, for as young
birds they fly well; but as they attain maturity they tumble too much, and if
forced to fly are apt to be blown away. If they are suddenly caused to fly when
at rest, they will spring up, turn over once or twice, and settle again. Some of
these birds are quite incapable of flight from their constancy in tumbling; and
when this is done regularly, close to the ground, and with ease and command of
themselves, they are very highly valued.

House Tumblers should not be tumbled too much at a time, nor too often,
or they will acquire a dislike to it, and will endeavour to conceal themselves by
running into a corner on the owner going into the room where they are kept.

The late Mr. Brent, describing this breed and other extreme varieties, writes :—

** My House Tumblers, when they tumble to perfection, lose the power of flight,
for at every attempt to rise they turn over. They may be tossed in a handkerchief
held by the corners, and each time they feel the cloth descend they will turn over.
There are a few that really cannot fly for tumbling; but many can fly about from
house to house. Then I haye among my Rollers some that, if suddenly startled,
will roll along the ground like a hoop or wheel; but this display is not frequent,
and they always seem to get up very much astonished at their own performance.
I like to see a bird rise up a foot or fifteen inches, and, turning a clean somer-
sault, settle again on its feet without striking its head. I have a cock that does
this to perfection, and I consider him a very valuable pigeon.

*‘ Air Tumblers, too, I have that, in flying along, will turn over many times in

128 PIGEONS.

succession. This is done in a line right ahead, turning over clean once in every
five or six yards. I bred one white cock that turned forty-five times in a minute,
and would keep it up for several minutes in succession, but could not fly long at
a time; while other Rollers will spin in the air like a ball or a wheel, falling all
the time they roll; but such are very apt to injure, if not kill themselves, by
rolling to the ground or striking against some hard substance.

*‘To witness the performance of Air Tumblers in perfection, one must see
them on the wing, though, from their excessive tumbling, they do not fly much.
There is a difference in the performance of young ones, even from the best. breeds ;
now and then one will roll, but, as a rule, each tumble or turn over is done clear
and distinct, without dropping or falling from their onward course. Some that
do not tumble much will fly for an hour, and tumble very nicely by fits and
starts, from seven to twenty times in a minute; others continue to progress in
one continued string of somersaults, or as if they were tying knots in their line
of flight, and are speedily obliged to settle, good birds often turning over from
twenty-five to forty times in a minute. In colour mine are mostly reds, with
some white, red-mottled, and black-grizzles. I have also some whites with dark
eyes. The greatest number of somersaults I have ever known done was performed
by a cock of this last breed, which turned forty-five in a minute.

‘Tt will be unnecessary for me to state that these birds require more attention
than common sorts, as it is always unadvisable to let them out in stormy or
windy weather, as, from their continuous tumbling, they cannot fly long or battle
with the storm, consequently get blown away from their home.”

In commenting on this interesting communication from Mr. Brent, Mr. James
Paton, of Stewarton, N.B., from whom Mr. Brent originally obtained his birds,
writes respecting the number of times an Air Tumbler will turn, that forty-five
turns in a minute “is good, but not extra tumbling, as some of this sort can
turn sixty times in a minute, but cannot fly much longer than that time. I
had a hen,” continues Mr. Paton, “ that has turned over forty-seven times in
forty-five seconds. In order to make them tumble, it is best to take them the
distance they can fly from their loft and let them fly back to it.”

With regard to the colour of these birds, Mr. Paton states that it varies greatly,
as there are “‘ Reds, Blacks, Yellows, Blues, Kites, Agates, and Mottles.”

In respect to the hereditary transmission of this remarkable peculiarity, the
same breeder remarks :—‘‘ There is one thing that I must mention with regard
to the House Tumbler, namely, that it does not breed true. My experience of
them is that not more than one of six of their young will turn out to be house
tumbling birds, but those that do not do so sometimes produce the best birds.”

This reversion to the habits of the grand parents is a point of very great
interest when regarded from a physiological point of view.

The most extreme instance of these irregular movements occurs in the birds
termed Lowtans in India. Of these there have never been, as far as we are-aware,
any examples in England, where they are scarcely known even by name; and

THE LOWTAN OR GROUND TUMBLERS OF INDIA. 129

we have to express our obligations to two correspondents for the following graphic
accounts of these breeds. The first gentleman, writing from Madras, under the
nom de plume of ‘* Smooth-Bore,”’ states :—

**Tt may interest some of your readers to hear of a very peculiar pigeon, much
valued by the Mussulmans of this country. It is called Lotan in Hindustanee,
and its peculiarity consists in its tumbling on the ground instead of in the air.
When required to tumble, they are taken in the hand, the head slightly rubbed or
‘filiped’ with the finger, and then they are put on the ground, where they
continue to tumble until taken up. I have not seen them left on the ground until
their tumblings are completed, being invariably taken up after they have tumbled
about a dozen times. I should imagine they might injure or exhaust themselves if
left longer. The pigeons are always white, and although the wings are long and
pointed, they seem to haye but small powers of flight. It is only lately I have
heard of these pigeons, although seven years in India; but, on inquiry, they seem
to be not uncommon.”

In a subsequent letter our correspondent adds :—

““Two days ago I got a pair of Lowtans from Madras. They are pure white in
colour ; the cock is smaller than a common pigeon; the bill in front seven-eighths
of an inch long (the bill of a common white pigeon being only three-quarters of
an inch). The upper mandible appears to be more hooked at the extremity
than the same part in the common pigeon. The bill is of a very delicate, trans-
lucent-looking flesh colour. The eyes far back, round, and full. The head is
very long and flat in profile—in this, as well as I can remember, differing very
much from the ‘model tumbler.’ On the neck the feathers turn upwards,
forming a crest, which comes barely above the level of the top of the head: on
the lower part of the neck, from the point where the crest rises, the feathers turn
downwards and sideways for a short distance, so that there is a point on the neck
where the feathers turn in three directions. The legs are deep red; tarsus
naked on the back from the joint; middle toe one and seven-eighths inches
long, the same length as that of the common pigeon. The wings are of the same
length, comparatively, as those of a common pigeon; the cock carries his above the
tail. The tail is about as broad, and carried as I would expect in a common pigeon,
with a slight touch of a bad fantail. The neck and breast appear narrower and
less rounded than in the common pigeon. This may be more conspicuous from
the long head. What would be the hackle in a cock is a little rough all round the
front and sides of throat. The hen is much smaller than the cock; she
carries her wings below the tail, and her toes are slightly feathered. If I have
left anything of importance out in the above description, I shall be happy to
supply the information requested.

“None of my people, although I have several Mussulmans in my service, know
anything about these pigeons except the name. I therefore ordered somebody to
be brought to me who did. A Mussulman policeman was soon produced, and at
once recognized them as Lowtans. I told him to make them tumble. So, having

130 PIGEONS.

caught one, by placing his hand on the back, he put his first and second fingers
on either side of the neck, and shook the bird four or five times horizontally,
holding it in one hand only; he then put it on the ground, and it tumbled back-
wards so quickly that the eye could not follow it. After what I judged to be a
dozen tumbles, he took it up and breathed on its head (why, I do not know), and
put it on the ground, when it appeared as well as possible, and picked about.
The same process, with the same result, was gone through with the hen. The
birds, whilst tumbling, appeared as if in a fit and unable to control their motions.
I then asked the man why he did not tap them on the head, as I had before seen
done to Lowtans, and he said, ‘these pigeons were not high caste enough for
that.’ I made him try, however, but without any result.

““T have made a great many inquiries about the origin of the Lowtan. It
appears that Abool Furjool, Prime Minister of Achbar Khan, and author of
‘ Aneen Achbar,’ or ‘ Annals of Achbar,’ about the year 1596, wrote a treatise on
pigeons, of which birds his master, Achbar, was very fond. Darwin alludes to
this in his ‘ Origin of Species,’ but, singularly enough, does not say a word about
the Lowtan. However, Abool Furjool is said to give a full description of them in
his book, and says there are two sorts—first, ‘Kulmee Lowtan,’ or pigeons which,
when ‘ touched,’ tumble; and secondly, ‘ Sadhee Lowtan,’ or common Lowtan.

“‘T have been informed that all Lowtans would go on tumbling until they died,
and that they not unfrequently die whilst tumbling, although apparently taken
up in good time. The matter seems to me well worthy of being pursued, and
any new facts noted which would show how this very curious faculty has been
acquired, or whether it is only a disease which has become hereditary.

‘The pair I haye have had several pairs of young ones; the peculiarities of the
old birds, such as the slight ruff on the head, have been faithfully reproduced in
the young ones. The tumbling propensity is hereditary, as I tried the young
ones when fifty days old, and they tumbled just as the old ones do.

**T have not seen the Kulmee Lowtan, as all that were at Cuddapah were
purchased for some petty rajah, at 25 rupees (£2 10s.) per pair. The Kulmee
Lowtan tumbles on being slightly struck on the head with the finger. The Sadhee
Lowtans are pure white, with a small ruff of feathers turned forwards at the
crown and down the neck.

“T am afraid the word ‘Tumbler’ has led to a misapprehension; ‘ Roller’
would be more correct. Indeed, Lowtan is from the Hindustani ‘lotna,’ to roll
on the ground.

“On taking the bird in the hand, with the head between the first two fingers,
shaking the bird horizontally five or six times, and then putting it down, it rolls
backwards with outstretched wings, apparently in a fit, and goes on rolling in a
zigzag course as long as you leave it, all volition apparently suspended. The
natives say if you leave them they will roll until they die. I have never left them
long enough to prove if this is correct. ‘« SMOOTH-BORE.”

Another correspondent, who employs the nom de plume of ‘‘ Gunga Gee,”

THE LOWTAN OR GROUND TUMBLERS OF INDIA. 131

writing from Rohilcund, in the North West Provinces, gives a description of the
Lowtan from that part of India, which is also of much interest.

** Lowtans are not uncommon about here, and I have kept them for more
than two years.

“*T never heard of them in England; but I had concluded that they must be
known, at any rate by name.

** The Lowtan is a strong hardy pigeon, and rears its young well. I have
now some seven or eight pairs. All are pure white, and I believe white to be the
proper colour, though I hear that Lowtans of other colours are to be met with.
The Lowtan has a turncrown, and except that it is all white, I think it pretty
closely resembles the Nun in appearance: it has a dark eye. I write from recol-
lection, as I have not seen a Nun for years, and having now been away from my
station for a month, I have not looked at the Lowtans before writing.

‘The Lowtan is not a tumbler, and does not resemble the Tumbler in a
single point. It ought rather to be called a roller than a tumbler, as otherwise
it may be supposed to be a variety of the Tumbler. Roller is, too, a better
translation of the vernacular name, and gives a better idea of the Lowtan’s
motion. Lowtan is from ‘lotna,’ to roll, a word never used in describing the
motion of a Tumbler pigeon.

** The curious point about these pigeons is that they never roll of themselves,
and yet I do not think any Lowtan ever fails to roll on being shaken in the
proper way.

“* The bird is taken in one hand, the head coming up between the first and
second fingers, and is then moved from side to side rather quickly, by a motion
from the wrist. The bird is then placed on the ground, when it immediately
commences rolling over and over, apparently without any control over its move-
ments. On being taken up the bird quickly recovers.

“Tam sorry I cannot say how long a Lowtan will continue to roll, as I have
always taken them up before they stopped of themselves. I hardly ever make my
Lowtans roll, as it is not a pleasant sight, and when one has seen it once there is
no variety about it.

‘* Natives say that if allowed to roll too long the birds are likely to injure them-
selyes. Except when taken in the hand and shaken, Lowtans never roll, or show
any inclination for rolling, but fly about like other pigeons.

“Tam describing the common Lowtan, as I have never seen the other breed,
spoken of as the ‘ high caste’ Lowtan. I have, however, often heard of them,
and I expect to receive a pair in a few weeks. I hear that in colour and form
they exactly resemble the common breed, the only difference being that the
common Lowtan has to be shaken from side to side, while the other is said to
roll on the head being lightly touched. About here they are known as the
Choteen Lowtan, because they are said to roll on the turncrown (chotee) being
touched; the Choteen Lowtans are said sometimes to commence rolling on
accidentally knocking their heads against anything, but I hardly believe this.”

* January 26th, 1867. ‘¢ GuNGA JEE.”

132 PIGEONS.

‘« Since writing my last letter I have tried to procure some Kulmee Lowitans.
I was so often disappointed that I began to have doubts as to the existence of the
Kulmee Lowtan in this part of the world. I have, however, in the last week or
two procured four pigeons, all of which roll on the head being touched with the
forefinger. They are not all well bred, as I think three out of the four are
mongrels, though they all roll well.

“One is exactly like my other Lowtans in appearance, and I think this is
probably a Kulmee Lowtan. Another is exactly like my common Lowtans, except
that in colour it resembles a Turbit, being white with dark shoulders. This is the
only coloured Lowtan I have seen, and for this reason I think it probably cross-
bred. The other two are a pair of squeakers; they are white, but their turncrown
is not nearly as well developed as in the other Lowtans, and they have great long
legs feathered to the toes. I think these must be a cross between a Kulmee
Lowtan and a pigeon here called ‘Paeemoya’ (stocking-footed). I have tried all
these pigeons, and each rolls on the back of the head being struck with the fore-
finger. They were brought to me by a poultry-dealer, and I could not ascertain
anything as to their parentage.

“¢T had been told by natives that a Lowtan would continue to roll until it
died. I tried two a few mornings ago, and found that they soon stopped, quite
exhausted. They lay on their backs with the wings stretched out, not having
strength to turn over again. They were all right again in a minute or two.

“GuNGA JEE.”

We should imagine that this habit of rolling when shaken from side to side
would be easily acquired. It would be very interesting to ascertain whether or
not any of the common Rolling pigeons or the House or Air Tumblers would
execute this performance if treated in the same manner as that by which the
Indian Lowtans are made to roll along the ground.

These eccentric movements, which obviously depend on an extra irritability of
the nervous system, are not strictly confined to the breeds now under notice. The
tremulous motion in the neck of the Fantail is apparently of the same character,
and appears partially involuntary, being often carried to an extreme degree, and
continued for a considerable length of time, when the animal has been excited.

HEAD OF BARB.

CHAPTER XIII.
THE BARB.

HE Barb, or Barbary pigeon, is one of those varieties whose history can be
traced back for a considerable period: it was certainly well known in England
during the sixteenth century, for Shakspeare, in As You Like It, which was
entered at Stationers’ Hall in 1600, makes Rosalind, when disguised as a youth,
say, ‘I will be more jealous of thee than a Barbary cock-pigeon over his hen,”’—
Act iy. Scene 1. Our intercourse with the north of Africa was at that period not
unfrequent, and many of the domestic animals of the district had been imported
into this country. Shakspeare frequently alludes to Barbary horses; and in the
second part of King Henry IV., Act. ii. Scene 4, makes Falstaff say, ‘‘ He’s no
swaggerer, hostess; ...... he'll not swagger with a Barbary hen, if her
feathers turn back with any show of resistance.” This allusion was most
probably to a Frizzled fowl.

Willughby, in his “‘ Ornithology,” published in 1678 by the celebrated naturalist
John Ray, describes the Barbary pigeons. He says of them, “A broad circle of
naked tuberous white flesh compasses the eyes, as in the Carrier; the irides of the
eyes are white. My worthy friend Mr. Phillip Skippon, in a letter to me
concerning tame pigeons, writes that the eyes of this kind are red. Perchance
the colour may vary in several birds.”

The engraving in Willughby’s ‘Ornithology,’ which is given as that of a Barb,
represents an ordinary-looking pigeon, with a small eye-wattle and slight turn-
crown at the back of the head.

Moore, in his ‘‘ Columbarium,” calls this variety Columba Numidica, the Barb,
or Barbary pigeon, and describes it as follows :—

** This pigeon is in size somewhat larger than a Jacobine; it is called a Barb
for shortness, instead of the Barbary pigeon, being originally brought from that

134 PIGEONS.

country. It has a very short beak, like a bullfinch, with a very small wattle, and a
naked circle of tuberous red flesh round the eyes, whose irides are of a pearle
colour; the broader and redder the flesh is, the more the bird is valued, though
it is very narrow when the bird is young, and does not come to its full growth till
they are four years old. Some of them have a tuft of feathers on the hinder part
of the head, somewhat like a Finnikin, and others not.

““Mr. Willughby, in his description of this bird, is guilty of a very great
mistake, in imagining the tuberous flesh to be white in some birds of this kind,
which it never is, though it will grow pale when the bird is sick; but when it
recovers, always reassumes its wonted redness.

‘‘Their original colour is either black or dun, though there are Pieds of both
these feathers; but they are bred from the Barb and Mahomet, and are not so
much valued.”

The compiler of the Treatise of 1765 copies Moore in his account of the Barb
almost verbatim, and, as usual, without any acknowledgment, adding nothing of his
own except that some Barbs are splashed, and that he has seen one that was an
Almond.

Mr. Brent’s account of the origin of the breed is very loose: he says that he
has read that they are to be found wild in Barbary, and also that they are much
prized in India. The first statement is certainly destitute of the slightest
foundation, as the Barb is an artificial variation, existing only in a state of
domestication.

The Rey. E. S. Dixon merely repeats the account of previous authors.

For the following admirable account of the properties of the birds of this breed,
we are indebted to the kindness of Mr. P. Jones, one of the most enthusiastic
admirers and successful breeders of the variety. He writes as follows :—

‘* Without pretending to much knowledge of the ancient history of the Barb,
it may pretty confidently be affirmed that it has always held a high place
among fancy or toy pigeons; indeed, among the numerous varieties comprised in
the catalogue of toys, it is not assuming too much for the Barb to say that it
holds the very first rank in that very interesting group, and may fairly be classed
as next in importance to the high-caste Almonds, Carriers, and Pouters: and it
requires as much patience, as great an amount of skill and experience, or (what
after all may have more to do with the result than many breeders like to
acknowledge) as great a share of good luck, to produce a perfect pair of Barbs as it
does any of the highly-prized varieties just named; and for intrinsic value among
fanciers they are not far behind any others, as £10 and upwards is not an
unusual price to be obtained for a first-class bird.

““A few years ago, some very first-rate Barbs were imported, by one of the
principal metropolitan dealers, from the south of France, from some of the ports
on the coast of the Mediterranean, the progenitors of which had probably at some
time or other come from the opposite African shore—at least the belief prevails
that from thence came our first Barbs. From these imported kinds just spoken

THE BARB. 135

of may be traced the descent of most of the best birds at present in existence,
though it must be confessed that as a rule they do not appear to have been
much improyed by the English breeders, and a good leaven of newly imported
birds, with good first-class properties, would doubtless be welcomed by most of
our Barb breeders of the present time.

“Tn describing the properties of the Barb, .as recognized at the present day, one
of the first things to be determined is their size. In this respect I am aware that
considerable difference of opinion exists among breeders; but for my own part, I
must strongly maintain that Barbs should be small by comparison with the larger
breeds—by which I mean that Barbs of a small size, possessing equal properties
in other respects, are to be valued above larger birds. I am fully aware that
it is much easier to breed large coarse birds with many good properties, than
it is to produce small ones; and I believe that many breeders are fain to
accept the inevitable, and take ‘the good the gods provide,’ in lieu of that
which they would getif they could. Having said so much about size, it is desirable
to lay down a rule or standard, and I do not hesitate to say that a first-class cock
Barb should not weigh over 1 Ib., while one of 12 oz. is to be much preferred.
Hens ayerage from } oz. to 1 oz. tees than cocks.

«The principal properties or characteristics of the Barb are in the head, sane
shape and carriage are also very important items, and must on no account be lost
sight of; the flight-feathers are rather longer than in most other varieties, and
serye to carry off the somewhat bulky appearance of the body of the bird. With
regard to colour, Barbs are usually self coloured, and the prevailing hues are
black, white, yellow, red, and dun. Splashed and mottled birds are sometimes
produced, and may be useful for crossing, but as yet they have done nothing in the
show-pen. In value, I should estimate the colours in the following order :—
ist black; 2nd yellow; 8rd white; 4th red; and 5th dun.

** The beak in the Barb is short and thick, not shaped like that of the parrot,
but with the upper and lower mandibles meeting, as in the bullfinch—the thicker
the lower mandible the better. The beak should be furnished above and below
with a neatly shaped fine wattle, of a white or very pale colour. The iris of
the eye in the Barb should be white or pearl-coloured in all the dark-feathered
varieties, though many otherwise good birds have yellow or gravel eyes. The
eye-wattle is of a brilliant red or coral colour, and should be large and well
defined, standing out boldly from the cheeks and evenly distributed round the
eye; a deficiency of wattle at the back is the prevailing fault. The texture should
be fine and velvety. There should be no vacant space or distance between the
eye and beak-wattles: they should meet, but not be crowded together. The
skull is broad, square, and flat on the top; the profile, from top of skull, between
the eyes, to tip of beak, should be an unbroken line or curve, without break or
indentation at the insertion of the beak or its junction with the skull. The
chest is full, round, and prominent; the neck small at the intersection of the head,
gradually and gracefully swelling to the fully developed shoulders; and the bird

136 PIGEONS.

altogether plump and fleshy. Barbs are hardy birds, and good breeders when at
liberty, though apt to neglect their young at an early age when in confinement.
They do not care to fly much when at large; rarely leaving the roofs of houses or
making more than very short flights.

“The following weights and measurements of good birds of this breed are
taken from specimens in the writer’s possession :—

Cocx.—Weight, 113 0z.; length, 12} inches; length of beak, } inch 3 width of
skull, 1 inch ; eye wattle, Zths.

Hen.—Weight, 11 oz.; length, 12 inches; length of beak, ;% ths; width of
skull, Zths; eye-wattle, full 3 inch.

‘The properties of the Barbs may be thus summarized :—

Hrapv—tThe skull should be very broad and square, the face as short as possible.

Brax—The beak should be very short and thick, and pale in colour.

Eye—The iris of the eye should be of a pearl white.

Eye wattte—The wattle around the eye should be as large and round as possible
—of an even and regular shape and fine texture, free from projections
and spouts, and of a bright red or coral colour.

BEAK-WATTLE AND JEWiInc—The wattle should be large and white, and very fine
in texture.

Size—The weight of a Barb should not exceed one pound.

SHAPE AND CarriaGE—Barbs should be broad and full-chested, round and plump
in hand, with the neck moderate in length, and tapering rather suddenly
to the head. The carriage should be graceful and easy, with the head
well back, but not borne like that of an Almond Tumbler.

‘‘ White Barbs at present have only been seen with the dark or bull eye. But
there is a probability of the pearl eye being worked into them, which I think will
be a great improvement.

‘* With regard to breeding Barbs for colour, I have seldom found that, when
birds of one colour have been matched together, foul-feathered birds have resulted,
excepting occasionally in the case of reds, which, when matched together, have
sometimes produced young birds with one or two white feathers in the tail or on
top of the rump, and now and then a pure yellow. A black and a dun mated
together will most frequently produce blacks, though sometimes a young dun
will appear. Black and red do well together; I have bred some capital reds
from this cross. Two yellows mated together will, unless one or other of the
birds is very strong in colour, often throw birds which are pale or washy in the
flight-feathers. A red cock and yellow hen is a good cross for breeding yellows,
and a soft-coloured dun hen to a yellow cock is also likely to prove successful
in producing good yellows. I have a very excellent pair of good sound-coloured
young yellows, bred this season from an old white cock and yellow hen. I do
not, however, recommend this union of colours; indeed, on several occasions

BLUE OWLS.

LEIGHTON, EROS

BARBS.

bt bie Vr
hak CAN

THE BARB. 137

the only kinds I have got from white and yellow, or white and dun, have been
bad-coloured black birds, with dark india-rubber-looking beaks.

** When recommending the above modes of breeding for colour, it must not be
expected that the results will always be the same. Indeed, as a notable instance
of thé uncertainty of producing any given colour by matching together differently
coloured parents, I may state that last season, from a red cock and dun hen,
I produced and reared every known colour in Barbs, viz., two whites, two blacks,
one red, two yellows, and ene dun. The cock was from a very pure strain of
reds, which I have had for several years, and the hen from a yellow and dun.
From a splashed cock and yellow hen I have now a young bird as nearly blue
as possible. To sum up these remarks on breeding for colour, I may say
that, for breeding purposes at any rate, a good Barb, like a good horse, ‘is never
of a bad colour,’ and, with the exception of whites, I should have no hesitation
in putting together a pair of birds of any two colours provided they were a suitable
match in other properties.”

These valuable remarks of Mr. P, Jones so fully exhaust the subject, that there
remains but little to be added.

The engraving of the Barb in Willughby’s “Ornithology” represents a bird with
a turn-crown at the back of the head; many Barbs at the present time still
retain this peculiarity of plumage, but as a general rule they are much inferior to
the plain-headed birds, Nevertheless, we have seen some very good turned-crown
Barbs; but the present fashion is decidedly opposed to chignons—at least in this
variety of dove.

The old authors describe a breed known as the Mahomet, or Mawmet, but of
which little is known beyond the fact that it closely resembled the Barb, except
in colour.

The writers themselves did not agree as to its character. Willughby is the first
to allude to it, and he merely states, ‘‘ Mawmets, called as I take it from Mahomet,
perchance because brought out of Turkey, are notable for their great black eyes,
else like the Barbaries.”

Moore writes :—‘‘ This pigeon is no more in reality than a white Barb, which
makes the red tuberous flesh around the eyes look very beautiful.” He then
proceeds to give the legend that it was called the Mahomet because the author of
the Alkoran had taught a tame bird of this breed to feed out of his ear.

The writer of ‘‘ The Treatise” of 1765, gives us on this occasion, a paragraph
of original matter, and states :—

“‘T think Mr. Moore has extremely well accounted for its being so called;
but it is the opinion of many fanciers that the bird called a Mahomet is nearly a
cream-coloured, with bars across the wings as black as ebony, the feathers very
particular, being of two colours; the upper part or surface of them appearing of a
cream, and underneath a kind of sooty colour, nearly approaching to black; as are
likewise the flue-feathers, and even the skin, which I never observed in any other
pigeon but these; its size much like that of a Turbit, with a fine gullet, and in

N

138 PIGEONS.

lieu of a frill, the feathers rather appear like a seam: the head is short and
inclined to be thick; hath an orange eye, and a small naked circle of black flesh
round the same, and a beak resembling that of a bullfinch, with a small black
wattle upon it.”

From this very circumstantial account, it would appear that there really existed,
a hundred years since, a barb-like breed with black skin and wattles and dark
under-down to the white plumage. In these respects the birds would resemble
somewhat the black-skinned silky fowl. The proof of their continued existence
would be of great interest to those naturalists who have studied the varieties of
species, and the Editor would be most willing to reimburse any reasonable expense
his readers might incur in forwarding to him birds of this breed, should they
be sufficiently fortunate to meet with them in any-part of the world.

Mr. Brent, writing in the “‘ Poultry Chronicle,” Vol. II. page 202, says :—

“This is one of the varieties of Fancy Pigeons with which I have but a very
slight acquaintance, having only once seen'a pair at a London dealer’s, and
their appearance gave me the idea of a cross between an Owl and a Barb
pigeon; nevertheless, their seam and black wattle, sere and skin, I consider
sufficient distinctive peculiarities to give them a place among Fancy Pigeons as
a separate variety.”

We should be very doubtful whether the birds thus cursorily seen by Mr.
Brent possessed the black skin and wattle described by the older authors.
Certainly a cross between an Owl and a Barb would not give rise to such a
character.

Before concluding the history of the Barb, the Editor may state one fact for the
benefit of such of his readers as are Barb fanciers :—Some years since, he possessed
some yery superior birds of this variety; wishing to try some experiment in
increasing the size of the eye-wattle, he obtained one of the largest-eyed Carrier
hens ever seen,—her eye was so large, that when flattened out, a half-crown laid
upon it did not quite cover it. This hen was well known as being formerly the
property of the late Mr. Southwood, and as the parent of many of Mr. Hayne’s
best birds. She was mated to a very short-faced Barb cock, and reared three
birds one season—not one of which, strange to say, possessed an eye-wattle of
eyen moderate goodness: as far as the experiment was conducted, it was an
entire failure.

HEAD OF THE OWL.

CHAPTER XIV.
THE OWL.

NDER the title of the Owl—or, as old Moore Latinized the name, Columba
Bubo Nominata—a breed of fancy pigeons has been long known to English
fanciers. Moore’s description is very brief. He only states: ‘‘ This is in make
and shape like the former (the Turbit), except that the upper chap of its beak is
hooked over, like an owl’s, from whence it has its name; its plumage is always
entirely white, blue, or black.” The author of the Treatise of 1765 adds very
little to this. He states that, ‘‘The Owl is, according to Myr. Moore, a small
pigeon, very little larger than a Jacobine, which might be their size in his time,
but at present they are brought to such perfection, that they are hardly, if any-
thing, larger than a very small Tumbler.”
This statement of the writer is erroneous, for Mr. Moore says nothing whatever
of the size of the Owl, but makes the assertion quoted concerning the Turbit.
“Tits beak,” continues the writer in the Treatise, ‘is very short, and hooked
over at the end, like an owl’s, from whence it takes its name; the shorter it is the
better; it has a very round button head anda gravel eye. The feathers on the
breast open, and reflect both ways, expanding itself something like a rose, which
is called the purle by some, and by others the frill, and the more the bird has of
that the better, with a gullet reaching down from the beak to the frill. Its
plumage is always of one entire colour, as white, a fine sky-blue, black, and yellow,
&e., except some that are chequered. The blue ones should have black bars
across the wings; and the lighter they are in colour, particularly in the hackle,
the more they are valued.
“* These birds should have their breeding places made so that they may sit in
private, for they are very wild, like the Carrier, and apt to fly off their eggs if in
the least disturbed.”

140 PIGEONS.

The work ascribed to Girton merely gives the same facts as those of the Treatise,
condensed into a short paragraph. And the Rey. E. 8. Dixon, being unable to
see any distinction, except colour, between the Owls and the Turbits, described
the latter only, and hesitated to give the Owls any paragraph to themselves.

The only birds known as Owls until a very recent period, were birds of moderate
size, characterized by their short hooked beaks, round heads, with prominent eyes
and well-developed frill, or purle, on the breast. In colour they were generally
either blue or silver, though black, white, and yellow birds were not uncommon.
The blue birds were of a very peculiar hue, and had the neck feathers sprinkled
with a lighter colour, which gave them a very handsome appearance, and led to
the name of ‘‘ Powdered-blue Owls,” which was frequently applied to them. These
birds were active and rapid flyers, and amongst the most beautiful of the more
natural varieties.

Recently, a new variety has come upon the scene. At one of the shows held at
the Crystal Palace, some eight or ten years since, a pair of exquisitely beautiful
birds of a white colour, and very small in size, were shown in the variety class as
Booz pigeons, from Tunis. They were exhibited by Mr. Vernon Harcourt, the
gentleman who imported them into this country. The slightest inspection showed
them to be white Owls of the most diminutive size, and possessing the properties
or characters of the breed to a degree far surpassing the larger English specimens.

Strictly speaking, perhaps these birds should not have been noticed in the class
in which they were exhibited, as they ought to have been shown in the class for
white Owls; but no fancier could be found to object to the award of the first prize
which was bestowed on them by Messrs. Cottle and Bellamy. This was the first
introduction of African Owls into England; since that time numerous importations
of white, blue, and black specimens have taken place.

One great character of African Owls is extreme diminutiveness. A pair, though
in perfect health and good condition, will weigh less than one pound, first-class
birds being as small as to weigh only seven ounces each. The length of a very
good specimen-may be stated at eleven inches, measured from the tip of the beak
to the end of the tail, when the neck is extended; and the length of the beak,
measured in the usual manner from the front of the eye, is less than three-
quarters of an inch. The plumage is soft and delicate, the inner flight-feathers
being carried rather high on the back when the wing is closed. The rose or purle
on the breast should be regular and open, but the chief peculiarities are in the
head. This should be small and round, and should gradually merge, as it were,
into the short hooked beak. The eye should be very large, full, and expressive ;
the iris dark. In many of the imported specimens the head is flat at the top;
this gives a longer appearance to the beak, and detracts very much from the
beauty of the bird.

It is almost impossible to imagine any more beautiful birds than these exquisite
little toys; their small size, the beauty of their form, their exceeding gracefulness,
the purity of the colour in the white, and regularity of markings in the blue,

THE OWL. 141

render them most attractive; so that when they come into competition with the
old-fashioned larger English Owls, they never fail to secure the prizes. This,
perhaps, is a circumstance to be regretted, as the old powdered-blue and silver
Owls are birds of extreme beauty, and should not be suffered to pass away. But
whether distinct classes for English and foreign Owls are desirable or not is
a moot point with committees and exhibitors. But it appears that if separate
prizes for each were offered, the breeder of the English birds would improve them
by crossing with the African, and it would then be impossible to draw the line
between them.

These small African Owls breed freely, but, as might be expected from their
recent introduction from so warm a climate as the north of Africa, they are delicate
birds, and in winter suffer from the cold of our ungenial climate. It would be
interesting to know more respecting their history, but beyond the facts above stated
we can give no further information.

Following the plan laid down in the “‘ Standard of Excellence,” authorized by
the Poultry Club,* it has been suggested that the points of excellence in these
birds should be as follows, so as to keep the total to the same number—fifteen—
for all varieties of poultry and pigeons. The old number of five points for
each variety is too small, and too incapable of subdivision to be of service for all
varieties.

Head, 2; eye, 2; beak, 3; gullet, 2; colour, 2; size, 2; frill, 2—Total, 15.

Since the first introduction of these small foreign Owls, a variety with a singular
modification of plumage has been imported. In these birds the tail is dark, the
remainder of the plumage being perfectly white. It is doubtful whether this breed
has been established for any great length of time, as the birds do not always breed
true to markings, or even colour.

* The “Standard of Excellence in Exhibition Birds” is reprinted as an Appendix to the
Povttry Boor. By W.B. Tegetmeier. London: G. Routledge & Sons, 1867.

CHAPTER XV.
THE TURBIT.

HE Turbit is a variety closely resembling the Owl in many respects; it has,
however, been distinguished as a separate breed for many years. Willughby,
in his ‘ Ornithology,’’ 1678, writes as follows respecting this race :—

“‘Turbits, of the meaning and original of which name I must confess myself
to be ignorant, have a very short thick bill, like a bullfinch; the crown of
their head is flat and depressed; the feathers in the breast reflected both ways.
They are about the bigness of Jacobines, or a little bigger. I take these to be the
Candy or Indian Doves of Aldrovandus, the Low Dutch Cortbeke.”

Moore, in the “‘ Columbarium,” gives the following short account of the breed :-—

“The reason why this pigeon is named by the English I cannot by any means
account for; the Low Dutch call it cort-beke, or short-bill, upon account of the
shortness of its beak. It is a small pigeon, very little bigger than a Jacobine ; its
beak is very short, like a partridge, and the shorter the better; it has a round
button head, and the feathers on the breast open and reflect both ways, standing
out almost like fringe or the frill of a modern shirt; this is called the purle, and
the more of it the bird has, the more it is admired. As for the feather, their tail
and the back of the wings ought to be of one entire colour, as blue, black, red,
yellow, dun, and chequered; the flight-feathers and all the rest of the body should
be white. They are a very pretty light pigeon, and if used to fly when young,
some of them make very good flyers. I have seen a flight of them kept by one
Girton, that would mount almost as high as Tumblers. There are of this sort all
white, black, and blue, which by a mistake are often called and taken for Owls.”

This description by the compiler of the Treatise is almost literally the same as
that of Moore, but he adds that the Turbit should have a head “ with a gullet,”
and that in the red and yellow birds, the tails should not match the shoulders in
colour, but be white.

In the work nominally written by Girton, the account is again a close copy of
Moore; and it is interesting to note, that the flight of Turbits, which Moore,
writing in 1735, says “‘were kept by one Girton,” in Girton’s book, which was
certainly published between sixty and seventy years after the date of Moore, is

THE TURBIT. 143

thus alluded to : ‘‘ A veteran fancier of some note has informed us that he trained
a flight of these birds, which for their lofty soaring seemed to dispute the palm
with his Tumblers.”

Eaton adds nothing of his own on the birds of this breed. The late Mr. Brent,
in his communication to the defunct ‘‘ Poultry Chronicle,” gives a good account of
this yariety, which he had ample opportunities of seeing during his residence in
Germany, where they are favourites. His account is as follows :—

‘“* The Germans call them ‘ Moven-Tauben,’ under which name both the Turbit
and Owl pigeons are included. The Turbit is separately known as ‘ Schildchen,’
or § Lutticher-Schildchen,’ or ‘ Brief-trager,’ which means the little shield of Liége,
or Liége Letter-carrier, which latter designation is equally applicable to the Owl
pigeon. AsTI did not meet with any of this variety in France, I do not know
their French name.

“The Turbits are a yery pretty variety of fancy pigeons ; they are small plump
compact-made birds, of rounded form and engaging appearance; their beaks are
short and thick, their eyes large and prominent, of a very dark brown or black
colour; their heads broad and rather angular: they are usually smooth-crowned,
though some are point-headed, and others have tolerable hoods; beneath the beak
the skin is slightly extended, and a little resembling the dewlap of the. bull,
taking off the abrupt or angular junction between the beak and the neck, this is
called the gullet ; on the lower part of the neck and crop a seam of feathers stands
up and turns various ways—this is called the purle, and the more the bird has of
it the better; their feet are clean, and the tail is carried rather elevated. Their
plumage is a beautiful white, relieved by dark wing shoulders, of various colours,
from which they are called blue-shouldered or black-shouldered Turbits, as the
colour indicates. To be perfect in colour, the whole of that part of the wing
should be coloured, without any white feathers, including the epaulet or scapular
feathers; the flight-feathers of the wings and the whole of the other parts being
an unspotted white.

**The old fanciers admired the black, blue, and dun-shouldered Turbits most,
when they had tails of the same colour as their shoulders; but such birds are now
rarely seen, though some fanciers prize them highly, on account of their great
scarcity, the other colours being invariably found to have white tails, which are
now more general with all. Canterbury was, a few years back, noted for its
Turbit pigeons; they were bred there in the highest perfection; the colours of
their shoulders are various, as yellow, red, copper, black, chequered, blue, silver,
mealy, and dun. They are good flyers, light and active, as may be supposed from
their German name of Liége postmen. I have flown a few with my Tumblers,
with which they would soar: they are very good breeders and nurses, if not bred
too high, which, however, is often the case, as smallness is considered a great
beauty. Some eminent writers on natural history consider this variety as one of
our purest races of pigeons.”’

The occurrence of dark-tailed birds amongst the Owls has already been

144 PIGEONS,

described. This variation occasionally takes place amongst the Turbits also,
though at the present time they are generally bred with white tails.

The Turbit, as represented in the engraving in the Treatise, is plain headed;
at the present date these birds are seldom if ever seen, preference being given to
a point of feathers at the back, or to such an amount of turn-crown as forms a
shell. It is almost needless to say, that to be successful at an exhibition, the
pair of birds must match in the head as well as in colour of shoulder.

The general character and properties of the breed have been so fully described
by the authors quoted, that it is unnecessary to go into further detail, One
very pretty variety of the breed has, however, escaped the notice of former writers :
it is that in which the black bars of the blue-shouldered bird are superseded by
white bars.. We have had some exceedingly delicate and beautiful birds of this
yariety, which, like most white-barred breeds, are, we believe, of German origin.

One other point requires notice in reference to this breed. Temminck, in his
“‘Histoire Naturelle Générale des Pigeons,” published at Amsterdam in 1818, gives
a description of the Turbit or ‘‘ Pigeon a Cravate,” Vol. I., page 198, in which he
expresses his belief that the Turbit is not derived from the Rock dove; this
opinion being founded on the excessively short, thick, and hard beak, and on the
supposed sterility of the Turbit when mated with the Rock dove, or breeds closely
resembling that wild race. We mention this opinion merely to state that it is
based on imperfect evidence. The shortness of the beak is no mark of specific
difference, and the Turbit is perfectly fertile when mated with any and every other
variety of pigeon. The opinion is so destitute of any foundation, that it would
hardly be worth contradicting, were it not that it has found its way into books and
been accepted as a fact,

In our experiments on flying pigeons, we have tested the homing powers of
both Turbits and Owls, The former we have lost within half a mile of their
home, whereas the stout blue English Owls, if well trained, make excellent
homing birds.

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HEAD OF JACOBINI.

CHAPTER XVI.
THE JACOBINE.

| ee Jacobine pigeon is one of the oldest breeds of which we have any special

record. The striking character of its plumage attracted the notice of the
old artists and naturalists, and consequently it is frequently to be seen figured in
the engravings of some two hundred years since. Willughby, in his “ Orni-
thology,” published in 1678, gives a drawing of a short-beaked Jacobine with a
fair-sized hood and long narrow chain, the feet being rather heavily feathered, and
he furnishes us with the following account of the breed :—

«* Jacobines are called by the Low Dutch, Cappers, because in the hinder part of
the head, or nape of the neck, certain feathers reflected upward encompass the
head behind, almost after the fashion of a monk’s hood, when he puts it back to
uncover his head. These are called Cyprus pigeons by Aldrovand, and some of
them are rough-footed. Aldrovandus hath set forth three or four either species
or accidental varieties of this kind. Their bill is short; the irides of their eyes
of a pearl colour, and the head (as Mr. Cope told us) in all white.”

The next author who describes them is Moore, who, in his ‘‘ Columbarium,”
gives separate paragraphs descriptive of the ‘‘accidental varieties” alluded to
by Aldrovandus and Willughhy. Respecting the Jacobine, Moore writes as

follows :—

146 : PIGEONS.

“The Jacobine, or as it is vulgarly called for shortness, the Jack, is, if true,
the smallest of all pigeons, and the smaller still the better. It has a range of
feathers inverted quite over the hinder part of the head, and reaching down on
each side of the neck to the shoulders of the wings, which forms a kind of a
fryer’s hood; from hence this pigeon has its name Jacobine, because the fathers
of that order all wear hoods to cover their bald crowns; hence the upper part of
this range of feathers is called the hood, and the more compact these feathers are,
and the closer to the head, so much the more this bird is esteemed. The lower
part of this range of feathers is called by us the chain, but the Dutch call it the
cravat ; the feathers of this chain ought to be long and close, so that if you strain
the neck a little, by taking hold of the bill, the two sides will lap over each other
in some of the best; but there are but very few now to be found in England
compleat.

“The Jacobine ought to have a very short bill, the shorter the better, and a
clean pearle eye. As for the feather, there are reds, yellows, blues, blacks, and
mottles; but be the feather what it will, they ought to have a clean white head,
white flight, and white tail. Of these pigeons some are feather-legged and footed,
others are not, and both sorts are equally esteemed, according to the various ineli-
nation of different fanciers.”’

Under the title of the Capuchine, Moore alludes to a breed which is evidently
nothing more than an inferior or cross-bred Jacobine. He says :—

“This pigeon is in shape and make very like the Jacobine, and has its
name, like the former, from another set of hooded ecclesiastics. It is some-
thing larger in body than the Jack, its beak longer; it has a tolerable hood, but
no chain; it is in feather and other properties the same. Some will assert it to
be a distinct species, but I am more inclinable to imagine it to be only a bastard
breed from a Jacobine and another pigeon; however, thus far I am sure, that a
Jack and another will breed a bird so like it, as will puzzle the authors of this
assertion to distinguish it from what they call their separate species.”

Moore also describes, under the name of the Ruff, a larger and coarser breed,
of which he states :—

“This pigeon is larger than the true original Jacobine, though in shape and
make much the same. It haga longer beak, the irides of the eyes in some are
of a pearl colour, in others of a gravel colour; the feathers of its hood and
chain are much longer, though the chain does not come down so low to the
shoulders of the wings, neither are they near so compact and close as the others,
but are apt to blow about with every blast of wind, fall more backward off the
head, and lie in a rough confused manner, whence the pigeon has its name. The
strain of Jacobines has been much vitiated by matching them to this pigeon, in
order to improve their chain by the length of the Ruff’s feathers, but instead of
this, the Jack is bred larger, longer beaked, looser in its hood and chain, and in
short, worsted in all its original properties,”

THE JACOBINE. 147

The compiler of the Treatise of 17 65, writing of the Jacobine, borrows, as usual,
irom Moore, without acknowledging the obligation, and adds the following :—

“ The Jacobine, or as it is more commonly called for shortness, the Jack, is a
remarkably pleasing bird; but it is difficult to obtain any that are really good,
the breed of them haying suffered much, in my opinion, in general, by a
wrong method of propagating them, viz., that of intermixing the breed of the
Ruff with them, in order to improve their chain by lengthening the feathers
thereof, whereby the chain is considerably detrimented, by being looser and not
so closely connected as it otherwise would have been, had the Jack and the Ruff
been entirely kept separate. It has likewise caused the Jack to be bred larger, a
longer beak, and looser in its hood than it was originally ; for the true Jack is a
small bird, very little larger than a Tumbler, and the smaller it is the better.

‘*The pigeon dealers have a method of coaxing the hood and chain of this bird
(as the term is), which they perform by clipping the feathers at the back part of the
head and neck, and continually stroking the hood and chain forwards, which makes
them advance further than they otherwise would; and sometimes they cut a piece
of skin out between the throat and the chest, and sew it up again, by which means
the chain is drawn closer. It should have a very small head, with a quick rise,
&e., and spindle beak, the shorter the better, like that of a Tumbler, and a pearl
eye.”

The late Mr. B, T, Brent, who, from his long residence in Germany, was well
acquainted with the varieties reared in that country, gave avery good description
of the Jacobine and its allied varieties in the Poultry Chronicle. He states :—

“The common Jacobine pigeons are well known on the Continent; the Germans
call them ‘ Zopf, ‘Perucken,’ or ‘Schleier-Tauben,’ as also ‘ Kapuziner.’
The French know them by the name of ‘ Pigeon Capucin.’ They should have a
rather short stout beak anda pearl eye; the feathers at the back of the head and ,
sides of the neck are reversed in their position, and form a compact hood and
chain, reaching down to the bend of the wings; the more even and closer setting
they are, the more is the breed esteemed. The hood and chain constitute the chief
characteristics of the breed, and give the bird an interesting appearance, forming a
frill round the head, in resemblance of Queen Bess. At the lower part of the
chain the feathers turn out all round and expose a centre spot of white down.
Their colour is usually red or black, bald-headed, that is, with a red or black
body, the head, tail, flight, rump, thighs, and vent white; and to be perfect there
should be no intermixture of colours, as dark feathers where they should be light,
or vice versd, which would be considered a blemish, as also a bull (i,e. black) eye ;
there are also yellow and blue baldheaded Jacks, and some that are mottled on
the wings, and I once saw a dun baldheaded Jack. Quite white aro not un-
common, and the Germans haye some quite black; they are mostly clean-legged,
but some are feather-footed. ;

“The various names of this kind of pigeon, as ‘Jacobin,’ ‘ Nonnain,’
‘Kapuziner, &c., are traceable to the resemblance of the white head of ths

0 3

148 PIGEONS.

bird enveloped in the dark hood, to the shaven crown of those ecclesiastics
partially covered by the cowl. The high-bred Jacks are tender, and not the
best of nurses, consequently the young should be raised under other sorts,
like many other of the different kinds of Fancy Pigeons; their greater value being
ample remuneration for the extra trouble. The commoner sorts are very fair
breeders, but not being good flyers, are not adapted to procure their living abroad,
nor are they suited to contend for food among the other inhabitants of the poultry
yard, as, from the hood and chain obstructing the backward vision, they are
frequently pounced upon unawares by any malicious enemy. ‘The Fancy demand
pearl eyes in white, as well as Jacks of any other colour. The so-called Jacobines
of the present time are comparatively but degenerate examples of the beautiful
short-faced Jacks of former writers; and if any one wishes to excel in the reproduc-
tion of exquisite Jacobines, they must, by careful matching and in-and-in breeding,
reduce the best of the present Jacks to the former standard of excellence ; a small
pigeon, short beak, and close compact hood, with a chain reaching to the shoulders
(perhaps a slight admixture with a clean-marked short-faced Baldheaded Tumbler,
if judiciously used, would be advantageous in this matter); but as the in-and-in
breeding, if carried to any extent, will weaken the birds and reduce their prolific-
ness, the advantage derived must be in the enhanced value of the produce.”

Mr. Esquilant, the Secretary of the Philoperisteron Society, has long been a very
great admirer and successful breeder of this very beautiful variety. He has most
kindly favoured us with the following notes on the characters of the breed, as
existing at present :—

“The Jacobine pigeon—really good specimens of which are now so scarce—has
always, from its exceeding elegance, been a favourite of mine; it is therefore
with much regret I have observed, during the last ten years, that it has been so
much neglected.

““The most important points and properties of the Jacobine I consider to be
the hood, the mane, and the chain.

“The hood consists of a number of closely-arranged inverted feathers, of the
same colour as the body and shoulders of the bird, and perfectly free from white ;
these spring from the upper part of the back of the neck of the bird, and should
appear almost as if glued down to the top of the head. These feathers are con-
tinued down the front of the sides of the neck, forming the chain, and the lower
they reach and the closer they come together on the front of the neck and breast,
the more valuable the bird; a good test of this important property is to slightly
stretch the neck of the bird, when in good specimens the feathers, being slightly
curled, will lap over each other in front.

** The mane, which is in reality a most important feature in this bird, seems to
be almost lost sight of, and has degenerated, in most specimens, into a succession
of frills. I cannot better describe a perfect mane as it should be in the Jacobine,
than by designating it a ‘hog-mane.’

‘By the radiation of the feathers from a central point on the side of the neck,

THE JACOBINE. 149

so as to form the hood, the chain, and the mane, a fourth property—the rose—is
produced. This, if well developed, is a point of great beauty ; its degree of per-
fection always corresponds to that of the three preceding properties.

“The Jacobine should have a clean white head, the white being sharply defined
or closely cut, and there should not be any white whatever under the beak. The
rump, tail, and flight should be perfectly white, but I do not agree with those
fanciers who consider the bird should be clean or white-thighed, as when it is so it
carries too much of the Baldhead Tumbler in its appearance. The Jacobine should
have a bright pearl eye set in a neat finely-shaped head; a fine white beak, with
small wattle. It should be a small pigeon, free from coarseness; the weight of a
good pair not exceeding twenty-four ounces. The wing should droop slightly, not
sufficiently so to drag on the ground, but only to give it the low carriage peculiar
to this elegant variety.’

Formerly, many of the best birds were feather-footed, but at the present time the
standard of the English fanciers imperatively demands that they should be “clean-
legged,” or free from feathers on both feet and legs. On the Continent feather-
footed Jacobines are still esteemed, and they are sometimes shown with tufts over
the beaks like the Trumpeter; and entirely black and other self-coloured varieties
are also reared.

SIDE VIEW OF FANTAIL.

CHAPTER XVII.
THE FANTAIL.

ae are a very ancient variety ; they were alluded to by Aldrovandus, and
described by Willughby under the name of Broad-tailed Shakers, because, as
he states, ‘‘they do almost constantly shake, or wag their heads and necks up and
down ; Broad-tailed, from the great number of feathers they have in their tails ;
they say, not fewer than twenty-six. When they walk up and down, they do for
the most part hold their tails erect, like a hen or turkey-cock. These also vary
much in colour.” G

Moore also terms this variety the Broad-tailed Shaker, and states :—‘ This
pigeon has a beautiful long thin neck, which bends like the neck of a swan,
leaning towards the back; it has a frequent tremulous motion, or shaking in
the neck, especially when salacious, which is the reason why they are called
Shakers. It has a full breast, a very short back, and a tail consisting of a
great number of feathers, seldom less than four-and-twenty, which it spreads in a
very elegant manner, like the tail of a turkey-cock, and throws it up so much that
the head and tail frequently meet.

“They are called by some Fantails, and I once saw one that had six-and-thirty
feathers in its tail; but when they have so many feathers it is apt to make them
lop their tails, and not let them meet with their head, which is a very great
fault.

«« They are most commonly all white, though TI have seen both black, blue, red,
and yellow-pieds, but the white ones have generally the best carriage in their tail

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and head; there are two sorts of these Broad-tailed Shakers, the one haying a
neck much longer and more slender than the other, but the longest neck is the
most beautiful and the most esteemed.”

The same author also describes an inferior variety under the name of the
Narrow-iailed Shaker. He states :—

“ This pigeon is reckoned by some a distinct species, though I am apt to believe
it is only a bastard breed between the foregoing and some other bird. Its neck is
shorter and thicker, its back longer, the feathers of its tail are not so much spread
out, but fall, as it were, double, lying over one another, and the tail generally lops
very much.”

The author of the Treatise copies Moore respecting these varieties, without
adding anything of importance, unless it be the statement that he had seen an
Almond Narrow-tailed Shaker—a colour which, we may remark, would very readily
be obtained by crossing a full-tailed bird with an Almond Tumbler.

Temminck gives a longer description than usual of this breed—which he terms
the Peacock pigeon. He writes :—

** The Pigeon Paon, or Peacock pigeon, is so named because it has the faculty
of erecting and displaying its tail nearly in the same way in which the peacock
raises and expands his dorsal feathers. This race might also be called Pigeons
Dindons, or Turkey pigeons, their caudal feathers being also placed on an erector
muscle, capable of contraction and extension at pleasure. When they raise their
tail they bring it forward, as they at the same time draw back the head, it touches
the tail; and when the bird wishes to look behind itself, it passes its head between
the interval of the two planes which compose the tail. They usually tremble
during the whole time of this operation, and their body then seems to be agitated
by the violent contraction of the muscles. It is generally while making love that
they thus display their tail; but they also set themselves off in this way at other
times.

«These pigeons are not much sought by amateurs; they seldom quit the pre-
cincts of their aviary; apparently the fear of being carried away by the wind
(which, acting forcibly upon their broad tail, would infallibly upset them) is the
reason why they do not venture far from their domicile, nor undertake long journeys.
Lastly, these pigeons, which cannot by their own powers travel far, have been trans-
ported to a great distance by man; perhaps, even, they are not natives of our
climate, for many doubts arise against their specific identity with the wild Rock
dove. Striking characters, such as the number of tail-feathers, do not permit us
to consider the wild Rock dove ag the type of the Fantail pigeons.

«The Fantails are furnished with a considerable number of caudal plumes; the
greater part of indigenous and exotic species of pigeons have generally only twelve
tail-feathers, more or less. The majority of the Fantails have thirty-two, and
eyen thirty-four, but such are rare.

“The Shakers, and those which have the tail only partially elevated, are origin-
ally of this race.”

152 PIGEONS.

The conclusions at which Temminck arrived respecting the specific differences
between the Fantail and the wild Rock dove were founded on an imperfect know-
ledge of the subject, and are not accepted by modern naturalists.

The author of ‘“‘The Dovecote and the Aviary,” in his facile and pleasant
manner, plays, as usual, round about his subject, without giving us any new or
even accurate information respecting it. He states :—

‘‘Fantails are by no means the miserable deeraded monsters that many writers
would induce us to believe them to be. They may be, and often are, closely kept
in cages, or dealers’ pens, till they are cramped and out of health. The most
robust wild pigeon would become so under the same circumstances. But if fairly
used, they are respectably vigorous. It is a mistake to suppose that they are
deficient in power of flight, unless their muscles have been enfeebled by long incar-
ceration. Their tail is not so much in their way, and therefore not so unnatural
(if hard names be allowed to have any force) as the train of the peacock. It is
true, the tail of the Fantail consists, or ought to consist, of thirty-six feathers—
three times the number which most other pigeons can boast of; but it is an excel-
lent aérial rudder, notwithstanding.

** When Fantails breed with other pigeons, in the offspring sometimes the fan tail
entirely disappears, sometimes a half fan tail remains; and I am cognizant of a
case where, by coupling a true Fantail with such a bird as the last mentioned, the
pure race was re-established. It is probable (but I am not able to state it) that in
this case the true Fantail was a male, and the half-bred of male Fantail parentage.
In cross-bred pigeons, as far as my own observations have gone, the male influence
is nearly paramount. Similar facts have also occurred in the much larger experi-
ence of the London Zoological Society, as I am assured by Mr. James Hunt, their
intelligent head keeper. Results with the same tendency have proceeded from
crosses in other genera, as is instanced in Lord Derby’s wonderful experiment with
the common Colchicus and versicolor pheasants, as detailed in the December num-
ber of the Quarterly Review for 1850, by which it appears that a solitary male bird
may prove competent to introduce his species to Great Britain, by a temporary
alliance with a female quite an alien to his own blood. In a letter from Mr.
Edward Blythe, dated Calcutta, October 8, 1850, he kindly informs me, ‘A native
friend of mine has this season bred two fine Hybrids between the male Pavo
muticus and the common peahen, apparently a male and a female. They take
much after the papa, and the male should be a splendid bird when he gets his full
plumage.’ The same is the rule with many quadrupeds. Mules are not greatly
in favour with ladies and gentlemen in England, and therefore the less is known
about them by educated people; but the humbler class of horse and donkey
dealers will tell at once, by the ears and hoofs, as well as by the temper and dispo-
sition, whether any mule, offered for sale, had a mare or a donkey for its mamma.
The mule children of the latter animal are much more valuable, as they exhibit
not only the form, but the docility of the horse rather than of the ass.

“ Fantails are mostly of a pure snowy white, which, with their peculiar carriage,

THE FANTAIL. 153

gives them some resemblance to miniature swans. Rarely, they are quite black ;
occasionally, they are seen white, with slate-coloured patches on the shoulders, liko
Turbits. A singular habit is the trembling motion of the throat, which seems to
be caused by excitement in the bird. The same action is observed in the Runts, in
a less degree. The iris of the Fantail is of a dark hazel, the pupil black, which
gives to the eye a fulness of expression quite different to what is seen in most
other birds. I mention this, because Colonel Sykes, in the ‘‘ Transactions of the
Zoological Society,” makes the colour of the iris an important guide in determin-
ing the affinities or dissimilarities of species, believing it occasionally to manifest
even generic distinctions. Now amongst Fancy pigeons the iris varies greatly, and
is thought of much consequence, as is known to every amateur. The cere, at the
base of the Fantail’s bill, looks as if covered with a white powder.”

In this short extract there are at least three important errors. Respecting the
use of the tail as a medium for directing the bird during its flight, it will be found,
by referring to the article on the mechanism of flight in Chapter I., that the tail
is never employed for that purpose. The statements respecting the relative value
of Mules and Hinnys are entirely opposed to the facts of the case; and the value
of the colour of the iris as a distinguishing mark between different species is not
acknowledged by either fanciers or naturalists.

Leaving the previous authors who have written on this breed, we may consider
the bird as it exists at the present time.

It appears tolerably certain that Fantails originated in the peninsula of
Hindostan. Pigeons have always been great favourites with the inhabitants of
many parts of India—not only the princes and the ladies of the court, but with
the common people also. Even within the last few years many very superior
specimens of the Fantail have been brought to England from India. These
recently imported specimens usually differ from the English-bred birds by the
possession of a slight tuft at the back of the head, resembling that of a Turbit
with a pointed crown; and although in the number of the tail feathers they are
often superior to birds of the English breed, they are destitute of that elegant,
swan-like carriage of the neck, that adds so much grace to our native birds. At
their first importation some of our judges refused to award prizes to these tufted.
birds; but at present they hold their own in competition, and take their fair share
of the prizes.

Mr. Harrison Weir states :—‘‘I believe it is only the coarser birds of India that
have the tufts. Mine were very elegant. Not all the Indian birds have tufts, as
I imported several without, with heads and necks of fine quality. Some were
a blue of peculiarly rich colour. Nor do I consider the Indians always superior in
tail to the English breed, having had pure English quite as fine as any foreign.
The birds with turn-crowns generally lose two points in competition—the head
and neck being usually coarse and thick, and the English birds being of better
carriage.”

The principal property in the Fantail is the extraordinary development of the

154 PIGEONS.

quill feathers of the tail, and the mode in which the tail itself is carried. The
normal number of feathers in the tail of all the varieties of pigeons is twelve;
in the Fantail the number not unfrequently approaches forty, and even as many
as forty-two have been known.

In order to constitute a good Fantail, however, the tail must be carried over the
back, being brought well forward. If the tail is carried horizontally backwards,
the beauty of the bird is entirely lost; on the other hand, it should not be thrown
forward so far as to rest upon the body ; nor should the head be passed backwards
between the feathers of the tail. If the tail is well carried, the fuller the better ;
but in a show-pen a well-carried tail of twenty-eight to thirty feathers is always

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FRONT VIEW OF FANTAIL.

more effective than a badly-carried one of thirty-eight or forty. The best show-
birds will be found to have about twenty-eight feathers in the tail.

The tail of the Fantail is often compared with that of the peacock ; -but in fact
it differs from it most essentially. In the latter bird it is the tail-coverts or lower
back feathers that are raised and constitute the gaudy appendage of the bird; the
true tail-quills, which are few in number, are short and stout, and merely serve
as strong props to support the train, when raised. In the Fantail pigeon, how-
ever, it is the quills of the tail which are erected.

One curious result follows from the multiplication of the quills—namely, the
total obliteration of the uropygium, or oil-gland of the tail, with the contents
of which birds are generally supposed to oil their feathers. There is another
singular effect of this abnormal multiplication of the feathers—the central
feather of the tail is frequently double, two shafts, each having a vane on both
sides, rising out of one quill.

The neck of the Fantail should be long, slender near the head, and curved in

THE FANTAIL. 155

a graceful swan-like manner. A thickly-feathered neck—such ag is found in
the tufted Indian birds—is a great drawback to their elegance. The neck ig
constantly moved in a peculiarly tremulous manner, which gave rise to the old
name of ‘‘ Broad-tailed Shakers,” formerly bestowed on the breed.

In size, the Fantail should be small and petite..

The colour varies greatly; whites are the most frequent, but very good blacks
and blues are not uncommon. Mr. H. Weir states, ‘There are blacks and blues
quite as good as any whites. One of the best Fantail hens I ever saw was a
black.” By crossing, various colours may be produced. We have possessed some
good reds with white tails, and others with slatey tails. Mr. H. Weir states

BACK VIEW OF FANTAIL.

that he has heard of some in India that are white with blue heads. There is no
doubt but that some very pretty varieties would reward the fancier who would
devote afew years to raising new colours in this breed, as by crossing a very
heavily-tailed Fantail with a bird of the desired colour and markings, and care-
fully selecting the offspring for brood stock, there would be no difficulty in
breeding Fantails with any marking that might be desired.

The Germans have self or whole coloured Fantails of the following. varieties,
namely, black, blue, red, yellow, as well as white. They also possess parti-
coloured birds, as white with black shoulders and tails; but these birds fail to come
up to the English standard of excellence in shape and carriage.

A statement is made in some of the works on pigeons that the Fantail is
generally incapable of breeding with the Barb, or that the offspring of such a
union, if produced, is perfectly sterile. Such a statement has not the slightest
foundation in fact. Mr. C. Darwin, in the passage we have quoted in our Third
chapter (page 29), describes such a cross; and in the course of some physiological

156 PIGEONS.

experiments, we had occasion to mate together several pairs of white Fantails
and black Barbs; they bred freely, and the young, when mated together, bred
with equal fertility. It may be stated that the colour of the produce of these
crosses generally was influenced most strongly by the male bird: a white Fantail
cock with black Barb hen gave us birds purely white. On the other hand, black
Barb cocks with white Fantail hens always produced broods with more or less
colour, varying from pure black or dark-pied birds to such as were slatey in
colour; and the mongrels when mated followed the same rule.

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CHAPTER XVIII.
THE TRUMPETER AND THE LAUGHER.

HE earliest notice that we can discover of the Trumpeter is that of Moore,

who states :—

«The Trumpeter is a bird much about the size of a Laugher, and very runt-
ishly made ; they are generally pearl-eyed, black-mottled, very feather-footed and
legged, turn-crowned, like the Nun, and sometimes like the Finikin, but much
larger, which I take to be the better sort, as being more melodious; but the best
characteristic to know them, is a tuft of feathers growing at the root of the beak,
and the larger this tuft is, the more they are esteemed. The reason of their
name, is from their imitating the sound of a trumpet after playing; though I
once inquired of a German, who brought pigeons over to sell here, the reason of
their being so called, and as he told me, he believed, was that they were first
brought to Holland by a drummer or trumpeter, and so were called Trumpeters
from him. Credat Judeus Appela, let who will swallow this gudgeon.

“The more salacious they are, the more they will trumpet; for which reason,
if you haye a mind to be often entertained with their melody, you must give them
good store of hemp seed; otherwise they will seldom trumpet much, except in
spring, when they are naturally more salacious than usual.”

The Treatise adds nothing to this account, but the copper-plate engraving is
worthy of notice, as showing the character of the breed at the date of its publica-
tion, a hundred years since. The figure represents a bird of large size, with black
flight and tail-feathers, the rest of the body white, excepting about thirty large
black spots on the side. It has a slight tuft or rose, and a small recurved turned
crown ; the legs are feathered, but the feet are bare.

Girton and Dixon add nothing of importance, but Mr. Brent gives us some
useful information respecting the Continental varieties of the breed. He states:—

“This variety of the domestic pigeon came, I believe, originally from Egypt
and Arabia; they are distinguished from all others by the prolonged and gurgling
coo, from which they derive their name of Trumpeter. In Germany they are
called ‘Trommel Tauben,’ and in France ‘Pigeon Tambour,’ or ‘ Glougou,’
names all expressive of their peculiar note, which is sustained frequently for
several minutes, and somewhat resembles the distant rumbling of a drum, or
the gurgling of water; the voice sounds like a combination of the word
* Coo-c00-co00-00-c00,’ rapidly repeated in a deep tone, interrupted by an occasional

158 PIGEONS.

inspiratory ‘Ah!’ Some are, however, more rapid and tremulous in their voice
than others. Some naturalists consider them a very pure race, because if at all
crossed they lose this distinctive coo. In addition to their coo, they have a
peculiar tuft or turn of the feathers over the beak, which spreads in the form of
2 pink, and the finer and more evenly this spreads, the more they are admired.
They are usually turn-crowned, but sometimes only point-headed ; they are well-
booted, or, as the Shanghae fanciers style it, ‘ Vulture-hocked,’ and their feet
are covered with very long feathers; the length of these feathers is also considered
a great point; they are stout thick-set birds, what the fanciers call ‘runtish’
made, of good size, and excellent breeders, but should be kept clean and dry.
The long feathers on their feet often incommode their walking on rough ground.
Their prevailing plumage is quite white, and of the white there seems to be two
varieties, the one rather smaller, with white beak and dark eyes, heavily feathered
and excellent vocalists ; the other rather larger, with slightly tinged beak, a pearl
eye, and better turn over the beak and back of the head. This last, I fancy, is not
quite so musical, though generally more esteemed ; of the former variety I had
some excellent birds bred from stock imported from Egypt, and though they were
not quite so handsome as some, I never had but one other that could equal them
in trumpeting a prolonged finale. The fancy plumage is the black-mottle ; these,
to be perfect, should have the twelve tail-feathers, and the ten flight-feathers in
each wing, perfectly black, the rest of the body being white, regularly mottled
with black feathers; the eyes should be of a clear pearl colour, the turn of
feathers over the beak and at the back of the head well developed, and the feet
well feathered. There are also blacks, blues, and reds. The Germans have some
they call ‘Bastard-Trommel Tauben,’ which are beautifully marked, but which
rarely trumpet well, if at all; the German fanciers generally think more of
feather than of the other properties, which will account for the numerous varieties
of toys which they cultivate. These cross-bred Trumpeters are variously marked,
as reds or yellows, with clean white shoulders, also white birds with dark shoulders,
like our Turbits, as black, blue, red, or yellow-shouldered, the two former some-
times having white wing-bars ; some of these cross-bred birds have no turn-crown,
and others have neither turns and yet trumpet very well; these have various pro-
vincial names, as ‘rauchfuszige,’ ‘latschige,’ ‘strausz,’ ‘Russische,’ or ‘Alten-
burgische,’ i.e, rough-footed, slippered, tufted, Russian or Altenburg pigeous.”
For the following account of this breed, good specimens of which are highly
esteemed, we have to express our obligations to Mr. P. Jones, formerly one of the
most successful breeders and exhibitors of this variety. He states :—
“Trumpeters should certainly hold a high position among Toys, in my esti-
mation ranking at least next to Jacobines in the number and importance of the
properties required to constitute a perfect bird,
“The properties of the Trumpeter are very numerous, and may be classed
thus :—Crown or Shell, Rose, Feet, Colour, Size, Shape, Carriage, and Trumpeting,
The crown or shell should be perfectly even and well developed, standing

THE TRUMPETER AND THE LAUGHER, 159

up boldly at the back of the head, extending widely and down the cheeks on
each side.

«* The rose should be large and well defined, the feathers spreading in a rose or
circular form from a point at the junction of the upper mandible of the beak with
the skull; it should lie nearly flat, and in good specimens is sufficiently large to
partially obstruct the vision, In some exceptional cases the rose is as large as an
old five-shilling piece.

“The feet should be extravagantly feathered, the feathers spreading well out-
wards from each toe, in first-class birds the longest of these feathers are from
four to five inches in length; a good strong quill is desirable. The legs are rather
yulture-hocked.

‘The prevailing colours in Trumpeters are black, white, yellow, and also black
motiles, the latter, when all other points are equal, having the preference, it being a
difficult matter to produce a pair of well-mottled birds, most of the so-called
mottles having a great preponderance of white, splashed with a few black feathers.
A good pair of mottles should approach as nearly es possible to the recognized
marking of the short-faced motiled Tumbler. Reds and duns are also occasionally
met with.

‘* Much diversity of opinion prevails among fanciers as to the size of -Trumpeters,
but, as a rule, large birds are preferred,—a good-sized bird would weigh over a
pound,

“The carriage of the Trumpeter is somewhat runtish and squat; the legs
being very short, as compared with those of many other varieties.

** The trumpeting is a peculiarity possessed by this breed, and consists in a
prolongation of the ordinary coo of the male pigeon; in some cases good birds,
when nesting, will continue to trumpet without intermission for several minutes.

** Trumpeters are very tame and familiar in their habits, and free from shyness ;
they are fair breeders and nurses, though from the feathering of the feet liable to
break their eggs in the nest; consequently they should be provided with large-sized
nest-pans, such as have been recommended for Pouters and the other large breeds.
It is hardly necessary to add, that the extreme amount of feather on feet neces-
sitates the most careful cleanliness in their management.”

Under the title of ‘The Laugher,’’ Moore describes a variety that, like the
Trumpeter, has a very peculiar voice. He says :—

“This pigeon is about the size of a middling Runt, and much of the same
make, and I am informed has a very bright pearl eye, almost white; as for its
feather, it is red mottled ; and some tell me they have seen blues. They are said
to come from the Holy Land near Jerusalem. When a cock plays to his hen he
has a hoarse coo, not unlike the gurgling of a bottle of water, when poured out,
and then makes a noise which very much imitates a soft laughter, and from
thence this bird has its name.”

Some few years since, several of these pigeons were imported into England from
Arabia, and some of them ‘passed into our possession, In form they were the

160 PIGEONS.

shape of the ordinary dove-house pigeon, offering no distinctive peculiarities
whatever; their colours were various,—some were blue, others slaty, some were
irregularly mottled, whilst others were self-coloured, as red or white. Their voice
was very remarkable, being far more irregular and varied than that of the
Trumpeter, and so strikingly peculiar, that no'person unacquainted with the sound
and not seeing the bird, could have imagined it to have emanated from a pigeon.
As these birds offered no structural peculiarities that would render them valuable
as show birds, they were not much sought after, and we do not know whether the
breed has been maintained in its purity even since the date of its last intro-
duction.

os hie ay - z = e.

Fae = =F : sais ae : : =

ra

“

NUNS

LEIGHTON, BRUTHERS

SWALLOWS.

CHAPTER XIX.
NUNS, HELMETS, AND SPOTS.

HE Nun is an old and well-known variety, originally described by Moore as—
«A bird somewhat larger than a Jacobine ; her plumage is very particular, and
she seems entirely to take her name from it, her being as it were covered with a
veil. Her body is all white ; her head, tail, and six of her flight feathers ought to
be entirely black, red, and yellow; and whatever feathers vary from this are said
to be foul, though the best of them all will sometimes apt to breed a few foul
feathers, and those that are but little so, though not so much valued, will often
breed as clean-feathered birds as those that are not. A Nun ought likewise to be
pearle-eyed, and to haye a white hood or tuft of feathers on the hinder part of the
head, which the larger it is, adds a considerable beauty to the bird.”

The copyists of Moore, the compilers of the Treatise and of Girton’s work, add
nothing of any great value to this account. In the Treatise it is stated :—

“The Nun is a bird that attracts the eye greatly, from the contrast in her plu-
mage, which is very particular. Namely, if her head be black, her tail and flight
should be black likewise ; if her head be red, then her tail and flight should be
red; or if her head be yellow, her tail and flight should be also yellow; and are
accordingly called either red-headed Nuns, yellow-headed Nuns, &e. Should a
black-headed Nun have a white or any other coloured feather in her head, except
black, she would be called foul-headed ; or a white feather in her flight, she would
be called foul-flighted, &c., and the same rule stands good in the red-headed or
yellow-headed Nuns.”

Mr. Brent, who was very partial to this pretty breed, writes as follows :—

‘<Of all the toy pigeons the Nun is perhaps the best known and most cultivated
in England. It is much admired for its pretty appearance and the contrast of its
colours ; it is with me a very favourite pet, from the fact of its having been the
very first I had to call my own; nevertheless, I regret to see it take precedence, as
it sometimes does at our shows, of such birds as Jacobines, Turbits, or Barbs,
which have many properties, while the pretty Nun is truly a toy, having but one
property, namely, feather. The Nuns are about the size of common dove-house
pigeons, but stouter made, and rather more elegantly shaped ; the beaks are long
and doye-shaped ; the eyes should be pearl-coloured, though occasionally gravel,
but a black eye is a great fault. They are merry, active, and good breeders; they
are clean-footed, and being sharp flyers, are capable of finding a part of their food

Xs

162 PIGEONS.

in the fields. Their plumage is beautifully white, the extremities only being
coloured ; the crown of the head, face, and a small portion of the upper part of the
throat is dark, and at the back of the head is a nice white turned crown, which
gives the bird the appearance of wearing a dark veil and white hood, from which
circumstance it derives the name of Nun. The twelve tail feathers, and a few of
the tail-coverts, as also from seven to ten flight feathers in each pinion are dark of
the same colour as the head, either black, blue, red, or yellow ; and they are
designated black-headed or yellow-headed Nuns, as the case may be: but black-
headed Nuns are by far the most common ; the body should be perfectly white, any
dark or ‘foul’ feathers among the white, or white where they should be black,
are fatal blemishes ; the hood, too, should be perfectly white, so as to contrast well
with the dark visage, and not lined with dark feathers, as is sometimes the case.
The German Nuns differ from the English in haying white flights, and are there
called ‘Bard Tauben,’ or Beard pigeons.”

The Rey. E. 8. Dixon substantially repeats Moore’s account of the birds of this
breed, but adds the following paragraph :—

«<The most beautiful specimens,’ says Temminck, ‘are those which are black,
but have the quill feathers and the head white; they are called Nonnains-Maurins.’
But the most usual sort—and exceedingly pretty birds they are—are what Buffon
styles ‘coquille hollandais,’ or Dutch shell pigeons, ‘because they have, at the
back of their head, reversed feathers, which form a sort of shell. They are also of
short stature. They have the head black, the tip (the whole?) of the tail and the
ends of the wings (quill feathers) also black, and all the rest of the body white.
This black-headed variety so strongly resembles the Tern (hirondelle de mer) that
some persons have given it that name.’”’

We have quoted this in order to note the errors it contains, which if uncontra-
dicted might lead to misconception. Temminck does not allude to the variety
known as Nuns, but under the title of ‘‘ Pigeon Nonnain” describes the Jacobine ;
and the passage which Mr. Dixon quotes is applicable to black Jacobines, and
not to Nuns.

Buffon is also in error in stating that the name of Tern, or Sea-swallow, -has
been given to the Nun, it having been bestowed on a very distinct variety.

Nuns usually constitute a favourite class at the pigeon shows, but from the
tendency of the black and white feathers to intermix at the turn-crown, they are
generally subject to a certain amount of manipulation before exhibition, which
is alluded to in the following communication on this breed, which we have been
favoured with by the Rey. A. G. Brooke, one of the most ardent admirers and
successful breeders of this variety :—

*«¢ An uncommonly well-trimmed class of Nuns,’ used generally to greet my ears
at various shows, and, to be candid, as far as mine were concerned, I could but
plead guilty to the fact that trimmed they were. How to breed them for exhibi-
tion free from foul feathers was a puzzletome. Having, however, a great partiality
for Nuns, about four years ago, as a last resort, from observation rather than from

NUNS, HELMETS, AND SPOTS. 163

information received, in order to keep the breed as pure as possible, I disposed of
all my other varieties of pigeons, and left a pair of black-headed Nuns the sole
occupants of my pigeon-house. Remarkably content and happy they were, and at
first bred me mostly foul-feathered birds, but I have gone on breeding in-and-in, and
am able to report decided progress, the Nuns I have bred this year being better in
their hoods, and far freer from foul feathers than any I have had before; in fact,
my nunnery can now boast of Nuns ‘Superior.’ I have bred almost all my prize
birds from a cock with seven black flights in each wing, and a very good hen, but
was unable to exhibit her, as she had seven black flights in one wing, and only five
in the other. She has bred me twenty-three birds in two years and a half, and
only one pair have been, like herself, short in the number of the dark flight feathers.
My prize Nuns at Birmingham, in 1865, were bred by her during that year, and
they had six flights in each wing, which I believe to be the correct number. Tho
Nuns I won with at Birmingham in 1866, were likewise her progeny; but I have
the majority of my birds with more than six dark flights ; still, in my opinion, six
denote perfection. These flights in the wing, together with the tail, should be jet
black; the hood white and full; the eye, though dark at first, becomes pearl
with age.

‘*Cleanliness is very essential to them ; mine have a bath twice a week, constructed
of a good-sized earthen pan, placed inside a larger tin one, which receives the
greater part of the water splashed over, and thereby the floor of the pigeon-house
is kept comparatively dry. After the young ones are hatched, I have their nest-
pans changed frequently ; thus they are kept sweet and clean and free from para-
sites. The water in their fountains is changed every morning, and the fountains
well rinsed out. Their food consists all the year round of white peas and small
round Indian corn mixed together, of which they always have a plentiful supply in
a pan on the floor ; by this means the young ones are never at a loss for food, and
arrive sooner at maturity. In one of my prize pens this year, the hen was only
three months old. They are particularly fond of rock salt, a lump of which is
likewise kept in a pan on the floor. I occasionally give them a grass sod, which
they much enjoy, especially when the grass is in seed. My Nuns being always
confined to the house, I have the floor covered with dry earth, mixed with coarse
gritty sand; this is frequently swept from the floor, and fresh dry earth sub-
stituted. I attribute the excellent state of health which my birds have always
enjoyed mainly to cleanliness.

«T have often tried to obtain either really good yellow-headed or red-headed
Nuns, but in vain; the reds I am afraid are an extinct race. So much more
success than I ever anticipated has attended my keeping my Nuns by themselves,
and allowing them to mate as they choose, that I can only advise other amaterws
to adopt the same method, where it is practicable.”

We believe that very good red and yellow-headed Nuns are still to be obtained
on the Continent, but it is a long time since any good birds of these colours have
been exhibited in England.

164 PIGEONS.

Closely allied to the Nun, but differing from it in the absence of the shell or
turn-crown, is the breed known under the title of Helmets.

Helmets were, as far as we are aware, first described by Moore, who states :—

“This pigeon is much about the size of a Nun, or somewhat bigger. The
head, tail, and flight-feathers of the wings are always of one colour, as black,
red, yellow; and I have been informed there are some blue, and all the
rest of the body whité, so that the chief difference between them and the Nun
is, that they have no hood on the hinder part of the head, and are generally
gravel-eyed.

“They are called Helmets from their heads being covered with a plumage

HEAD OF HELMET.

which is distinct in colour from the body, and appears somewhat like a helmet to
cover the head.”

Neither the compiler of the Treatise nor the author of the ‘“Dovecote” furnish
any further information on the breed. Mr. Brent, however, writing in the Poultry
Chronicle, stated :—

‘This toy, like the preceding, is evidently descended from a German race,
namely, the ‘ Kappen,’ or ‘ Platten-Tummler,’ or ‘ Burzel taube;’ but, like the
foregoing, their Tumbler properties have been disregarded, and the birds are
rarely much thought of, though their pretty appearance ought to bring them some
admirers. The upper mandible is dark, the lower light; the top of the head is
coloured, either red or yellow, in a line from the beak through the eye, which
gives the appearance of the bird’s wearing a cap or helmet, whence the name;
the tail also coloured the same as the head, and in those that have feathers on the
feet they are likewise coloured: the whole of the remainder of the plumage is
spotless white.

‘The old-fashioned Helmet pigeon, with dark flights, as described by Mr.
Moore, 1735, I have never seen.”

NUNS, HELMETS, AND SPOTS. 165

As show birds, Helmets must be very correctly marked. Their only properties
are those of colour and accuracy of marking: wanting these, they are no better
than mere doye-house pigeons.

The Spot is a very old though now rather scarce variety. Willughby mentions
it in the following terms :—‘‘ Spots, because they have each in their forehead,
above their bill, a spot. Their tail is of the same colour with the spot, the rest of
the body being white.”

Moore writes :—

‘‘ This pigeon is about the size of a small Runt, and was first transmitted to
us from Holland, but from whence the original of this breed came I cannot as yet
learn; they have a spot upon their heads, just above their beak, and from thence
take their name; the feathers of the tail are of the same colour with the spot, and
the rest of their body is all white. The spot and tail in some of these pigeons is
black, in others red, in others yellow; and I have been informed that there are
some blue; they look pretty when they spread their tail and fly, and always breed
their young ones of the same colour.”

Mr. Brent writes :—

‘They were frequently to be met with a few years back, but now seem to be
getting scarce. They have a coloured spot on the head, over the beak, and the tail
is also of the same colour, either black, blue, red, or yellow; the whole of the
rest of the plumage is white. They are clean-footed, and occasionally turned-
crowned; the upper mandible should be dark and the lower light; they are the
size.of the common dove-house pigeons. They are active and field well, and are
reported always to breed their young ones of the same colour. Their German
name is ‘ Bless’ (Spot), or ‘ Masken-Tauben’ (masked pigeons).”

Both Spots and Helmets, though very pretty birds, have so few properties that
they are not as highly esteemed as the other more artificial varieties, and but few
fanciers breed them to any great extent.

In Germany there is a variety which is unknown in England. It may be
described as a Spot with the colours reversed, viz., the body is dark, the spot on
the forehead white. Mr. Brent has described this variety as follows :—

‘* This variety is very scarce in England, but common in Germany, where they
are known as ‘Die Weiszblessige Taube,’ White Spotted Pigeon, or ‘ Weisz-
masken Taube,’ White Masked Pigeon. They are rather smaller and lighter made
than the common dove-house pigeons, also quicker and more active, and take
willingly to the fields to cater for themselves; they are smooth-headed, and gene-
rally slightly feathered on the feet; the upper mandible is white, the lower dark ;
on the head, directly over the beak, is an oval white spot; the tail also is white,
the rest of the body being coloured, so that they are exactly opposite to the Spot
pigeons last described ; some few, however, have white wing bars.

** Herr Gottlob Neumeister enumerates five sub-varieties as follows :—

‘1, The Black—white spot, with and without white wing bars, and occasionally
with white spangled shoulders. E

166 PIGEONS.

«2, The Blue—white spot, with the same markings as above.

“*3. The Red—white spot, of a fine copper-brown red, without wing bars.

“4, The Yellow—white spot, their colour brown yellow; they also have no
wing bars.

“©5. The Copper-shouldered—white spots, their ground colour is dark slaty-
black, the neck changes to shining olive-green, the shoulders of the wings are
deep copper-red, and the under parts of the body light ash grey.”

CHAPTER XX.
THE ARCHANGEL.

| pigeon was not known to the older fanciers: the author of ‘‘ The Dovecot

and the Aviary” states, that at the date of the publication of his work in
1851, it had not been mentioned in any treatise previously published. The
history of its introduction and the description of its characteristic properties are
more correctly given in the following valuable account, by Mr. S. Betty, the
honorary secretary of the National Columbarian Society, than by any other writer.

Mr Betty states :—

«The Archangel is one of the few artificial or fancy breeds which, without any
change of form or structure from that of the wild species, commends itself to the
critical fancier by the extreme beauty and the novelty of its colouring, and taxes
his skill to the utmost to preserve its peculiar characteristics.

‘The introduction of the Archangel into England has been of comparatively
recent date, consequently no account of it appears in any of the older treatises.
Dixon, in his ‘ Dovecot and Aviary,’ devotes a chapter to it, but his description is
yery inaccurate, and he confesses to being ignorant of the date of its introduction.
{ have, therefore, much pleasure in publishing the following statement, which I
receiyed from the well-known fancier Mr. Frank Redmond, formerly of the Swiss
Cottage, St. John’s-wood. Mr. Redmond informs me that he was in Ghent, in
1839, and whilst there was selecting some pigeons for the late Sir John Seabright,
when he saw this breed for the first time, and was informed that it had been
recently introduced from Russia. With some difficulty he procured a pair, and
this breed, from its novelty and beauty of plumage, remained high in favour with
Sir John, at whose death the Archangels became distributed, the greater number
passing into the possession of the late Earl of Derby; so that Dixon says he first
saw the bird at Knowsley. JI am not aware that, even at the present time, any
fancier possesses a large stud of Archangels, and I am inclined to think the bird
has deteriorated in our hands through in-and-in breeding.

“The chief points or properties in the Archangel are: colour, tuft, and
carriage.

** Conour.—The colouring is both rich and unique. The head and neck-hackle
should, after the first moult, be of a deep and brilliant copper-red, changing into
dark bronze; the wings and back of a deep black, shining with a brilliant bur-
nished metallic lustre, and reflecting the richest iridescent hues of blue and

168 PIGEONS.

green. There is no other variety of domestic pigeon which, in metallic brillianey
of plumage, even approaches that of the Archangel, whose colours recall to mind
the glossy brightness of the Indian pheasants rather than the more sober tints
generally found on the ordinary Columbine birds. The flight feathers are of a
dusky black. The tail, I am informed by their original importer, was black
throughout, but we find it now of a dull blue at the base, with a black bar at its
termination. A few years since yellow-necked birds were much esteemed, and no
doubt that colour would give a value to this variety in the fancy; but I have
found that with the yellow-neck comes more conspicuously the blue-tail; and
these lighter birds are apt to be deficient in the brilliant metallic lustre that is
the great and distinguishing beauty of the breed. The eye should be of a bright,
golden, orange-red. Some good birds are pearl-eyed, and although that colour
does not accord so well with the general brilliancy of colouring that ought to
characterize the birds of this breed, I am not prepared to reckon it as a defect.
The feet, which are small, should be of a bright deep red.

“‘Turt.—The tuft is formed at the junction of the feathers of the skull with
those of the neck; the feathers of which it is composed should not be sufliciently
long to overlap, and they should end in a finely-drawn point at the back of the
head. Any approach to a broad shell-tuft, resembling that of the Trumpeter, is to
be regarded as a great defect ; and as such a character is apt to be inherited, an
untufted bird would be far preferable for stock purposes to one with a shell-crown.

“‘Carriace.—The Archangel should have a smart carriage, standing well upon
its thighs, the head well up, the shoulders close set, the girth narrow.

“ For public judging, the numeral value of points may be thus distributed :
colour 8, tuft 4, shape and carriage 3—total, 15.

“Though comparatively few good birds are now to be seen, nevertheless Arch-
angels are reasserting their place in public estimation. They are much sought
after, and very liberal prizes are now offered for them at the Birmingham and
other shows. Archangels are prolific, and make good nurses; and although
among the produce there may be some that are valueless, the greater number bred
will be generally gratifying to their owners.

“‘ A large flight of these pigeons, such as I recollect seeing at the Swiss Cottage,
was avery pleasing sight. They have much in common with the Rock dove,
particularly in size, shape of body and beak, and quick darting flight; as they
walked daintily in the court-yard with the sun beaming on their lustrous feathers,
they gave one the idea of their being the most gorgeous of their race. No court
milliner could have clad them in more resplendent colours ; no coiffeur could have
been more exact to a hair in arranging their toupée; no bottier could have
encased their legs and feet in brighter scarlet morocco; and all their attire was so
brilliantly harmonized that they seemed better adapted to suit the gorgeous beauty
of an oriental court than the pale colouring of our colder clime.”

It is difficult to account for the English name of Archangel. A correspondent
informs us that he sent expressly to Archangel for these birds, but they were

~

THE ARCHANGEL. 169

unknown in that locality. Mr. Brent has sent us the following information on
the subject of their original locality, and the varieties of the breed as recognized
in Germany :—

“Tt was in 1842 or 1843 that I first saw this variety of pigeon at Coblentz on
the Rhine. I brought a pair home with me, but the hen died. Mr. Furer, in his
excellent description of this breed in the ‘ Pigeon and Poultry Newspaper’ of
April, 1858, published in Berlin, says this pigeon is a native of Illyria, and that it
is common in Upper Bavaria and the Tyrol, where they are kept as dovehouse
pigeons, and gain their own living in the fields ; and that it is only within the last
forty or fifty years that it has been known in Germany, in which country it is called
the Illyrian or Bullfinch pigeon. Mr. F. mentions several varieties, besides the
red and black, and yellow and blue; as, for instance, ‘ those having white flights,
either with or without a white spot on the forehead; but those with a clean white
head and flights are most highly prized.’ Then there is a pigeon of exactly the
same form, carriage, and marking as the common Archangel—that is, the white
Archangel, or, as it is called in Germany, the coloured breast pigeon; but it is
yery different in colour; the head, neck, and breast are of one colour, either yellow,
red, black, or blue, and very glossy; the rest of the plumage being a beautiful
white. The English name of Archangel is a puzzle to me, for they certainly did
not come originally from the north.”

CHAPTER XXI.
GERMAN TOYS.

NDER the name of German Toys we may include a very large number of
different varieties, characterized almost entirely by mere variations in the
colour and disposition of the feathers. The majority of these birds closely
resemble the wild blue dove in form and in arrangement of plumage, though some
are characterized by feathered feet, others by turned crowns and tufts over the
upper mandible, and some combine all these peculiarities.

Im colour of plumage and markings they are infinite, and it is hopeless to
attempt to describe all the variations that occur. Many of them are accidental in
their occurrence, and a pair produced by crossing other breeds are designated
by a new and fanciful name, and attract notice for a time; but as they often fail
to produce young resembling the parents, they disappear, to give place to new
varieties. Those breeds, however, that have been longest established, and in
which the process of the artificial selection of brood stock has been carried on for
a longer series of generations, breed fairly true to colour and markings, and thus
such varieties as Swallows, Runts, Brunswicks, &c., have become firmly estab-
lished and are constantly to be seen at our shows.

The satisfactory arrangement of these birds is not an easy or eyen a possible
task, as the varieties merge so readily into one another. By far the best descrip-
tions of them that have ever appeared in England were written by the late Mr.
B. P. Brent in the ‘‘ Field” newspaper and in the defunct ‘‘ Poultry Chronicle,”
which was published in 1854-5, and to which we are indebted for muclr of our
information on the subject.

We may first commence with a description of the spangled varieties. It is well
known to all pigeon fanciers that the black marks on the wing coverts, which by
their junction produce the upper of the two black bars, so characteristic of the
Rock dove, are apt to extend irreeularly over the wing, and to produce that marking
known as chequered. When these marks are regularly dispersed they form a series
of spangles, the colours of which may be so varied as to give rise to a very pleasing
pattern.

This spangling may be combined with any other colours in the plumage, and an
indefinite number of varieties may result from the union. Mr. Brent says :—

«« The Suabian Spangled pigeons, or, as they are called in Germany, Schwaben
Tauben, are, I consider, the prettiest variety of Toys. They are doubtless the

GERMAN TOYS. 171

origin of all those pretty spangled Toys occasionally seen in England and known
by various names, as Porcelains, Hyacinths, Ermines, «ec.

“The Suabian pigeons are about the size of Nuns in shape and make, and
much resemble the Dovehouse pigeon in their manners, have generally a turned
crown, gravel eye, and clean feet. They are rather shy, sharp flyers, and easily
learn to find their food in the fields, as indeed is the case with nearly all the
varieties of Toys, unless incapacitated for walking on the ploughed land by the long
feathers on the feet ; and consequently they are well adapted for country amateurs,
while the fancy pigeons generally require to be house-fed, and therefore belong
more particularly to the town fanciers.

“The chief, if not the only property of the Suabian pigeon, consists in its
beautiful spangled plumage, the ground colour of which resembles that of a dark
chequered Dovecot pigeon; the feathers on the head and neck are tipped with
cream-colour, or a soft whitish stone-colour; the tail is a dark slaty-colour, barred
with black near the extremity; the flight feathers are of the same hue, but they
have a small whitish spot at the extremity of each, like the white spots on the
pinion of a Goldfinch; the secondary wing feathers, as also the primary covert
feathers of the same, haye a large whitish spot on their outer web, which causes
the wings to have two white bars, a feature much prized on the Continent by
amateurs, when introduced into the colouring of any of the darker Toys, and one
of very rare occurrence in any English pigeons. The whole of the lesser covert
feathers of the wing shoulders, and the black or scapular feathers, have the white
spots on both of the webs, which, when large, cause the feathers to appear almost
all whitish with grey down, a black shaft, and a small triangular bluish or slaty
spot at the extremity, resembling ermine marks in heraldry. Thus at a little
distance the general plumage of the bird seems of a soft creamy white, slightly
speckled with dark, but on closer inspection it is very beautifully and regularly
marked—the whitish over-colour on the lower part of the neck across the crop
gives place to a crescent-shaped band of an orange-brown shade: the rump and
hinder parts are slaty-grey. In the young birds these white markings are of
brownish or brindled colour, known to the fancy as ‘ kite’ or ‘hawked,’ but this
colour only remains so long as they maintain their nest-feathers, and they lose it
with them and attain the creamy white shade at their first moult.

“Tf these pigeons are bred to a darker shade, either by crossing with a black
pigeon or selecting the darkest for two or more generations, they present a
very pretty appearance, becoming almost black, with two white bars across the
wings, and the shoulders spangled (not ‘ mottled’) with white pearl-like spots.

‘* The Germans have also what they call a Red Suab, or Roth Schwaben, the
ground-colour of which is a brown-red; but the whitish spangling is not so clear
on their shoulders, having a very faint pinkish tint, and being slightly marbled
with red. The few I have seen of this variety had white upper mandibles, and also
the crown of the head white, and a black iris. ;

«‘ The French have several sub-varieties, more or less spangled, some on a black

Q 2

172 PIGEONS.

ground, others on a clear blue, which are very pretty ; some of them are spangled
with buff, fawn, or red-brown, instead of the creamy white; some of the French
birds are much larger than the German, and seem as if they had been crossed with
other large birds.”

Under the title of Hyacinths, Victorias, Porcelains, &c., large spangled varieties
are often shown ; some of these haye evidently been crossed with the short-legged
Continental Pouter, as they inflate their crops to some slight extent when flying.

Another group of German Toys well known at our shows is that of which the
Priest, Brunswick, and Letz Pigeons may be taken as the representatives. The
Priests are of various colours, with broad turn-crowns, white heads, white wing
bars, and sometimes a white bar across the tail. Neumeister, a well-known Ger-
man writer on pigeons, enumerates the following varieties :—

“Ist. The Black Priest pigeon; both with and without the white wing bars,
and occasionally with the spangled shoulders of the Suabian pigeon cross. 2nd.
The Blue Priest pigeon, with either black or white wing bars; also occasionally
spangled like the foregoing. 8rd. The Brown-red Priest pigeon ; these rarely have
the white wing bars, but when they do, the flight and tail are usually strawberry-
coloured. The chief point is to have them of an uniform dark brown-red.
4th. The Yellow Priest pigeon: has markings similar to the red, and is equally
rare with white wing bars. 5th. The Wild Blue Priest pigeon; their colour is
a light or mealy blue, with the white head, like all the others, but without any
other mark whatever, not even the black wing bars so common to blue pigeons
These are, however, not very plentiful.”

Under the absurd title of Blue Brunswicks a variety is often shown, in which
the flight feathers, wing bars, and head are white, the rest of the plumage being
blue.

Under the name of Letz pigeons a similar variety was shown a few years since.
The body was entirely white; the head was ornamented with a good sized
turned crown, and the feet were well feathered. The shoulder only was coloured,
the wing bars being white.

Ice pigeons, as they are called, have recently been much shown; they may
be described as being generally silver or pale-blue in colour, of the ordinary doyve-
house form, with white wing bars, and with or without chequered wings, having
the feet more or less feathered.

The Swallow is a variety that sometimes has a class awarded it at our pigeon
shows. Mr. Brent was a great admirer of this very pretty breed, and we willingly
take his description as the best that has been published :-—

“This beautiful variety of Toy pigeon is called by the French Hirondelle de
mer, and by the Germans Die See Schwalben Taube, or for shortness simply
Schwalben Tauben, which literally means Swallow pigeon ; but as they derive their
name from their marking, which resembles that of a small kind of seagull, called
a Tern, though known to the French and Germans as a Sea Swallow, it follows
that the name Swallow pigeons, as commonly applied to them in this country, is

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BLUE BRUNSWICKS.

LELONTON, BROS.

GERMAN TOYS. 173

inappropriate, and that the proper English name would be Tern or Gull pigeoon.
The Germans also designate them Feen Tauben (Fairy pigeons) and Nurnberger,
or Farben Flugeliche.

** Of all the Toy pigeons (I mean those I have classed as such, in distinction
‘from the fancy pigeons, which haye many properties) these are, with the exception
of the Suabian Spangled pigeons, the most worthy of the fancier’s notice, their
decided and beautiful marking, and the contrast of their colour, placing them in
character above the general run of Toys. They are good breeders, about the size
of the Dovehouse pigeon, and are equally light and active in their movements,
though the feather-footed varieties, which are most esteemed on the Continent, are
not well adapted to provide their own living, owing to their short and heavily:
feathered feet. There are of this sort of pigeon both turned-crowned and smooth-
headed, as well as clean-footed and shod; their necks are short; their heads,
breasts, and backs broad; their ground plumage is white; their marking consists
of the scalp, wings, and the slippers in those that are shod being coloured, which
in the blue variety resembles the partition of colour in the Tern, the bird before
mentioned, from which they derive their name.

** Their points of marking are as follows:—First the head; the upper mandible
should be dark and the lower light; the scalp or top of the head in a line from the
corners of the mouth across the eye, evenly marked, passing round to the back of
the head dark, but in those that are turned-crowned the hood must be perfectly
white. Secondly, the wings of these should be wholly coloured without any white
feathers, but the epaulets or scapular feathers, which lie on the back, at the
junction of the wings to the body, should be quite white, and as they overlay a part
of the wing when closed, it necessarily appears narrow, which is considered a par-
ticular point. Thirdly, the feet, if shod, should be thickly covered with coloured
feathers from the heel or hock-joint to the toes; but the boots, or as Cochin
fanciers would style it, the vulture hock, must be white.

‘* Herr Gottlob Neumeister, of Weimar, enumerates five sub-varieties, as
follows :—

** 1. The Black Tern pigeon, in which the markings are of a beautiful velvety
black. 2. The Blue Tern pigeon, the markings of which are clear blue, with
regular narrow black bars on the wings, the flight feathers being dark slate-
coloured. 3. The Red Tern pigeon, the colourings of a fine dark brown-red.
4. The Yellow Tern pigeon: the markings are either bright yellow or buff. 5.
The Light Blue Tern pigeon: they are light blue on the coloured parts and
have no wing bars; their pinions are slate-coloured. All the above varieties are
frequently to be met with with white wing bars, but they are not generally so
accurately marked, still more rarely have such fine shell-turned hoods. In addition
to the above, I have seen some with dove-coloured markings; also of a kind of
layender colour, and mealies. This sort of pigeon is becoming somewhat plentiful:
in this country, though they are of but recent introduction, and they are now
frequently exhibited at our shows.

174 PIGEONS.

« According to M. Boitard and M. Corbie, the hooded varieties are considered
distinct from the smooth-headed in France, and known by a different name, or at
least they are the high fancy of the breed, and are bred with much care and
of a small size.”

Magpies are another variety of German Toys that are well known in England.
In appearance they offer very striking contrasts of colour; the wings, lower part
of the breast, and thighs being perfectly white, whilst the remainder of the
plumage is coloured. The great beauty of birds of this breed depends on the
purity and richness of their colours and the accuracy of their markings ; the line
of separation between the coloured and white portions of the plumage must be
sharply and accurately marked. If the white and coloured feathers intermix,
such birds are valueless as show birds, and not to be depended on for stock.

Magpies are of various colours, as black, red, yellow, and blue.

Among the other German Toys less frequently seen in this country are the
Starlings, Shields, Swiss, and Mooned pigeons.

The Starlings are dark-coloured birds, white-barred, with a speckled, crescent-
shaped band across the crop.

The Shields are so termed from bearing on their wings a coloured mark like
a shield, on a white ground.

The Swiss and Mooned pigeons have a crescent-shaped coloured mark on the
breast.

As we have before stated, the number of these Toys is almost infinite; and
by mating together different varieties, new breeds are constantly produced.

Amongst the German birds we should not omit to notice the very pretty feather-
footed Flying Tumblers so common on the Continent. They are not what English
fanciers would call short-faced; but they are exceedingly pretty lively little birds.
They are of all colours; but usually more or less speckled or mottled.

Among the most remarkable birds that we have seen on the Continent are those
Imown as ‘‘ Long-winged pigeons.” In colour the specimens we have seen have
been bronzed, somewhat like the colour of an Archangel pigeon; but their striking
peculiarity is the extreme length of the flight-feathers of the wings, which
extend beyond those of the tail. Of the power of flight possessed by these birds
we know nothing, our acquaintance with them being limited to a few pairs
confined in ayiaries. They would form a very striking and novel addition to
the yarieties known in this country.

MAGPIES.

LEIGHTON, BROS.

ICE PIGEONS.

CHAPTER XXII.
THE FINNIKIN, SMITER, AND TURNER.

la are several breeds described by Moore and the older writers which are

no longer recognized as distinct varieties; some of these have been already
alluded to in the course of this work, such as the Uploper, the Mahomet, and
those that appear to be closely related to existing breeds. Others, such as the
Finnikin, the Smiter, and the Turner, remain to be mentioned. We will quote
the older authors on the subject, as it is desirable to put on record the existence
of these lost breeds. Of the Finnikin, Moore states :—

*‘ This pigeon is in make and shape very like a common Runt, and much about
the same size. The crown of its head is turned much after the manner ofa
snake’s head; it is gravel-eyed and has a tuft of feathers on the hinder part of
the crown, which runs down its back not unlike a horse’s main. It is clean-footed
and legged and always black, and blue pied. When it is salacious, it rises over
its hen and turns round three or four times, flapping its wings, then reverses and
turns as many the other way. Were a gentleman in the country to stock a dove-
house with this sort of pigeons, their whimsical cestures might engage the country
people to imagine he kept an enchanted castle. Some people disapprove of this
sort of pigeons as apt to vitiate their other strains by making a hen squat by these
antic gestures; but in fact they are no more dangerous that way than any other
breed when salacious.”

Respecting the Turner, Moore writes :—

** This pigeon is in many respects like the Finnikin, except that when it is
salacious and plays to the female it turns only one way, whereas the other turns
both; it has no tuft on the hinder part of the head, neither is it snake-headed.”

In the work ascribed to Girton, the variety termed the Smiter is described.
The writer says :—

“This pigeon, in shape, make, and diversity of plumage, nearly resembles the
_ Tumbler, the size excepted, it being a much larger bird. The Smiter is supposed
to be the same species that the Dutch call the Drager; when it flies it has a pecu-
liar tremulous motion with its wings, and commonly rises in a circular manner;
the male, for the generality, flying much higher than the female, and though it »
does not tumble it has a particular manner of falling and flabbing its wings, with
which it makes so louda noise as to be heard at a great distance, which is fre-
quently the cause of its shattering or breaking its quill-feathers.”

176 PIGEONS.

These birds were also alluded to by Willughby, in the passage quoted at
page 55.

Writing of these varieties, Mr. Brent says :— 3

“‘T have seen some pigeons of this sort in Germany, where they are called
‘Ring-Schlagen Tauben,’ i.e., Ring-beating pigeons; and, apart from their
strange movements and actions, I could see nothing else in them different to other
common kinds. They are considered very productive, but I am not aware that
any are now to be found in England.

“*The Smiter is described by M. Boitard and M. Corbie, French writers, as
follows:—‘ They are a little stouter than the Tumblers, have a small cere round
the eyes, which are black; the feet are feathered. Whatever the size of the place
in which they are, they rise to the top, and come down again in circles, turning
first one way and then the other, and they turn round in flying even in their
dovecots ; but they are quarrelsome and jealous. In plumage (they say) they are
grey, with black marks on the wings, red, or pearly white, with a pure white horse-
shoe mark on the back. They frequently break some of their wing feathers by
the violence of their movements, which seem to resemble convulsions; and they
are generally very productive.’ ”’

CHAPTER XXIII.
THE LACE, OR SILKY, AND FRILLBACK PIGEONS.

HESE two breeds are characterized more strongly by the remarkable character

of the plumage than by any singularities of form or colour. Such varieties

have been known for a long period of time; for Aldrovandus figures a Columba

crispis pennis, but gives no description of the bird. Moore, in his ‘“‘ Columbarium,”

omits to notice either breed. Both, however, are described by the compiler of the

Treatise of 1765, who also supplies an engraving of the Lace variety, of which he
writes :—

“‘This bird is, I believe, originally bred in Holland, where, I am informed,
there are large numbers of them; though not one that I know of to be seen in
England at present. It is a size rather less than a common Runt, and like it in
shape and make; though I once saw a Shaker of this kind. -Their colour is
white, and they are valued on account of their scarcity and the peculiarity of their
feathers, the fibres or webs of which appear disunited from each other throughout
the whole plumage, and not in the least connected, as is common with all other
pigeons where they form a smooth close feather.”

The writer then refers to the cut, which represents a pigeon of the ordinary
form, with feathers with disunited webs, and a well-turned crown at the back of
the head.

Mr. Brent states :—

*‘ This curious variety of domestic pigeon is very scarce; their chief peculiarity
consists in the webs of their feathers being disunited, like the plumage of the
Silky fowls, and from which cause their powers of flight are much curtailed.
The few that I have seen have always been white, and had much the appearance
of half-bred Fantails; and I have read that in both France and Holland Fantails
are to be met with, with this beautiful lacy or silky plumage.”

The Lace pigeon, as described by the author of the Treatise, appears to be
almost, if not quite, unknown in England at the present time. There have, how-
ever, been several examples of very good laced Fantails imported from the Conti-
nent, and exhibited at various shows during the last few years. The majority of
them were white, but some have had a portion of the plumage black in colour.

“The Frillback,” writes the compiler of the Treatise, ‘‘is something less in
size than a Dragoon, and in shape like the common Runt; their colour generally
(if not always) white; and what is chiefly remarkable in them is the turn of their

178 PIGEONS.

feathers, which appear as if every one distinctly had been raised at the extremity
with a small round-pointed instrument, in such a manner as to form a small
cayity in each of them.”

Mr. Brent was well acquainted with this breed on the Continent, for he
states :— é

“‘ This curious variety of fancy pigeon is very rare in England, though they are
more frequently to be met with in Saxony. They are about the size and make
of a dovehouse pigeon, with a turned crown; the plumage is white, and the
eyes should be gravelly-red ; their chief peculiarity consists in the feathers,
each of which is raised at the extremity, so as to form asmall conical hollow,
which gives the plumage the appearance of having been goffered or raised by
a fine pair of curling-tongs. They are light and quick in their flight, but are
easily tamed.”

There is no doubt that these two singular variations of plumage might, with
care in the breeding and careful selection, be engrafted on any variety. We have
seen some very good Dragons which were fairly frilled on the back; and at the
Continental shows, blue and other coloured Frillbacks not unfrequently make
their appearance.

Beyond the singularity in the feathers, Frillbacks offer no peculiarity, nor do
they require any special management distinct from that of other breeds.

LEIGHTON, BROS,

RUNTS.

‘a onar eoraie ang AO) i HRA

CHAPTER XXIV.
THE RUNT.

HE title of Runts is given by the English fanciers to any very large variety of

pigeon. It has been in use since the time of Willughby, who states :—

“The greater tame pigeon, called in Italian Tronfo and Asturnellato; in
English, a Runt; a name (as I suppose) corrupted from the Italian Tvronfo:
though, to say the truth, what this Italian word T7ronfo signifies, and consequently
why this kind of pigeon is so called, Iam altogether ignorant. Some call them
Columbe Russice, Russia Pigeons ; whether because they are brought to us out of
Russia, or from some agreement of the names Runt and Russia, I know not. These
seem to be the Campania pigeons of Pliny. They vary much in colour, as most
other domestic birds; wherefore it is to no purpose to describe them by their
colours.

** Perchance these may be the same with those which, Aldrovandus tells us, are
called by his countrymen Colombe sotto banche, that is, pigeons under forms or
benches, from their place; of various colours, and bigger than the common wild
pigeons inhabiting dovecotes.”

Moore, in his ‘‘ Columbarium,” describes several varieties of Runts, as the
Leghorn, Spanish, Friesland, and Roman. His directions are not very definite;
nevertheless, as the author of the oldest English work on the subject, his remarks
are worth reproducing. He writes as follows :—

** The Leghorn Runt is a stately large pigeon, seven inches or better in the legs,
close feathered and fast fleshed, extremely broad-chested and very short in the
back; he carries his tail when he walks somewhat turned up like a duck, but when
he plays, he tucks it down. His neck is longer than any other pigeon, which he
carries bending like a goose or aswan. He is goose-headed, and his eye lies hollow
in his head, with a thin skin round it, much like the Dutch Tumbler, but broader;
his beak is very short for so large a bird, with a small wattle on it, and the upper
chap a little bending over the under.

** They are a very tender bird, and great care ought to be taken of their young
ones. Iwas offered seventeen shillings for a single cock, and Sir Dolbey Thomas
would have given me a guinea and a half for the same bird. There are few true
original ones of this breed in England ; and, if matched to a Spanish Runt, they
will breed a very large pigeon, closer in flesh and feather than the Spanish Runt,
and will breed much faster. I have killed of their young ones, which when on the

180 PIGEONS.

spit were full as large as middling spring fowls: where note that these, and all
other Runts, increase in their bulk till they are three or four years old.

‘* As to their feather, they are various, but the best that I have seen were either
black or red mottled.

“« There is a vast difference in these birds; and I have seen very bad ones that
have been brought from Leghorn, little better than a common Runt. However,
this is the genuine true description of the Leghorn Runt, which is more valued
than any other sort of Runts.

“This pigeon was originally bred either at Piss in the Duke of Tuscany’s
dominions, or at Pisze in Peloponnesus, and from thence brought to Leghorn, and
so transmitted to us; but I rather judge the latter, because it answers the descrip-
tion of the pigeon which Willughby, in his ‘ Ornithology,’ calls Columba Turcica
sew Persiea, the Turkish or Persian pigeon.

“The Spanish Runt, as may readily be perceived by its name, comes originally
from Spain, and is the longest bodied of all pigeons; I have seen them three-and-
twenty inches long, from the apex of the beak to the extremity of the tail. They
are thick and short-legged, loose-feathered and loose-fleshed, and don’t walk erect
as the Leghorn Runt does.

“There are of all feathers in this kind of bird, but, being short-legged, are
apt to sit too heavy upon their eggs, and by that means break them, to prevent
which inconvenience the best way is to put chalk eggs under them, and set their
eggs under a pair of smaller Runts, or Powting Horsemen, which are more kindly
breeders, not forgetting to give your Spanish Runts a pair of young ones at the
time when they ought to hatch, that they may feed of their soft meat, which they
always prepare against that time.

“‘T have seen a pigeon very much resembling the Spanish Runt, with longer
legs, but I rather take these Runts to come from Mexico, Peru, or some other
parts of the Spanish West Indies.

“The Friesland Runt comes from Friesland, and is one of the larger sort of
middle-sized Runts ; its feathers stand all reverted, and I cannot see for what it
can be admired except for its ugliness.

“* There are other sorts of Runts, as the Roman Runt, which is so big and heavy
it can hardly fly; and the Smyrna Runt, which is middle-sized and feather-footed.
T have seen the feathers growing on the outside of each foot, that they look as if
they carried wings on their feet. I have measured some of these feathers which
have been four inches and a half long. These birds are very apt to drag their
eggs and young ones out of the nest, if not kept clean and dry. To these we may
add the common Runt, which are kept purely for the dish, and generally in locker-
holes or inn-yards, or other places, and are well known to everybody; they are
good feeders, and therefore good nurses, for any of the more curious sorts of
pigeons.”

The compilers of the ‘‘ Treatise” of 1765, and of Girton, repeat the statements
of Moore without any addition of importance.

THE RUNT. aifSiil

The distinction between these different kinds of Runts is not accurately marked
at the present time, whatever might have been the case when Moore wrote. At
the shows held a few years since at the Crystal Palace, prizes were offered for both
Spanish and Leghorn Runts; but birds similar in character were shown in
both classes, consequently at no other poultry show has it been attempted to
maintain the distinction.

Large varieties of pigeons have always been bred along the shores of the Medi-
terranean, and fair specimens are not unfrequently brought to England by the
sailors. The size of these birds has long been a subject of notoriety. The Rev.
E.S. Dixon, in his ‘“‘ Doyecote and Aviary,” quotes a letter from Mr. Edward
Browne to Mr. Crayen, written in 1664, in which the writer states :—

“Wee came home by the island of Nisida, some two miles in compasse, belong-
ing to one gentleman, who in it keeps all creatures tame by force, haueing no way
to get from him, in sight of Caprea, once the delight of Tiberius, and so under
the mountain Pausilippo again, with torches in our hands, it being night before
wee could reach it, which wee passed safely; the better by reason that the holy
virgin is gouuernesse of this cauern, and hath a chappell dedicated to her in the
middle of it. By this time you must coniecture wee had a good stomach to our
supper, which wee made of pigeons, the best heare without controuersy in the
world, as big as pullets.”’

Mr. Dixon did not appear ever to have seen any really good specimens of the
breed, for he gives the weight of two pairs in his possession as two pounds seven
ounces and three pounds seven ounces, respectively, and writes of their ponderous
character. Runts have been exhibited of very much greater weight. Four pounds
fifteen ounces have been reached by the birds in a show-pen, and as these must
necessarily have lost somewhat from the excitement of their journey to the show, &c.,
we may take five pounds as the weight of a first-rate pair. At the present time,
Runts not weighing more than four pounds a pair have no chance whatever of
winning in a strong competition.

Runts vary considerably in form and colour. One of the largest birds we ever
remember to have seen was the cock belonging to Mr. Butt which is alluded to at
page 32. It was a mottled bird, with a turned crown and hog mane, and strongly
resembles Moore’s description of the Finnikin, a breed no longer recognized as
distinct from other varieties. The record of the exact weight of this bird was not
kept, but the size of the stuffed specimen now in our possession far surpasses
that of any other pigeon we have ever seen.

Under the French title of Bagadais, the German of Bagadotten, and the English
of Scanderoons, a very large, long-legeed, long-necked, close-feathered variety of
pigeon is much yalued on the Continent. Scanderoons have small eye and beak-
wattles, and are remarkable for the extreme length of their beaks. In some birds
these are straight, in others much curved. In their size, length of limbs, and
closeness of feathering, they strongly remind the observer of Malay fowls, and are
amongst the most striking of all the varieties of pigeons. We have not seen a

182 PIGEONS.

good pen at the English shows for some years. The colour is often irregularly
and boldly pied with black or blue and white.

The Runts shown at the present time are mostly blue or silver with dark bars
on the wings and white rumps, like the wild blue Rock dove. From their great
weight they do not fly well, and consequently are best kept in a room on the
ground. They are fair sitters and nurses, if allowed room to fiy a little, but in
close confinement are unprolific.

One great drawback to letting them fly at-large is the difficulty of keeping the
young out of the way of cats.

In rearing they require no special care. Where large size is required, it is
better only to rear one young one in each nest, giving the other to some strong
vigorous foster parents. In feeding for weight, maize should form a good propor-
tion of their food, and they soon learn greatly to relish oatmeal mixed stiffly into a
paste with water. The great weights to which we have alluded cannot be gained
without close attention to their dietary.

CHAPTER XXV.
THE LAWS RELATING TO PIGEONS.

Noe laws relating to the protection of pigeons in dovecotes have been
enacted from time to time. At the present period, according to Oke’s
** Handy Book of the Game and Fishery Laws,” 1863,

‘Tt is larceny at common law (i. ¢., simple larceny, punishable on indictment)
to take house doves or pigeons, being fit for food, when reclaimed and reduced
into possession, as in a dovecote, or shut up in their boxes every night; and,
indeed, also when tamed, although unconfined, with free access at their pleasure
to the open air (Reg. v. Cheaffer, 2 Den. C. C. 361; 21 L. J. (N. 8.) M. C. 48;
15 J. P. 301; Roscoe’s Ev. in Cr. Cas., 5th ed., p. 601; Arch. Cr. Pl., by
Welsby, 15th ed., p. 276). If the dove or pigeon is not reclaimed, so as to be
capable of a felonious taking, then this section will operate; but if the pigeon be
quite fere nature, it is not property, and not within this section or the common
law. Ina recent case (Taylor v. Newman, 32 L. J., N.8., M. C. 186; 8 Law
T., N. S., 424; 27 J. P. 502), however, it has been held that this section does
not apply where a party, under a claim of right, and after notice to the owner that
he would do so, killed a pigeon belonging to a neighbour which was doing mischief
upon his own land. In Scotland, the taking of pigeons is theft, and such a
defence would not avail the offender (Irvine, G. L.19). In Jreland, it is also
an offence punishable summarily by 10 Will. 3, ¢. 8, s. 8.”

The case of Taylor vy. Newman, quoted above, is the most recent decision of a
superior court respecting the killing of pigeons under circumstances that do not
amount to larceny; we therefore think it desirable to give a detailed report of the

case :—
COURT OF QUEEN’S BENCH,
May 30, 1863.
(Sittings in Banco, before the Lornp Curer Justicz, Mr. Justice Buacksury, and Mr. Justice MELLon).
Taytor v. NEWMAN.

Tuts case raised the curious and novel question whether a man can be convicted summarily
and criminally for shooting a tame pigeon, damage feasant. The appellant had been convicted
by justices in Sussex of “ unlawfully and wilfully killing a pigeon belonging to the prosecutor.”
He had suffered some annoyance and damage from the depredations of the prosecutor's pigeons,
and gave him notice that he should shoot them if he found them again upon his land; and the
next time he saw them there he fired at them, and when they rose and were flying away fired
again, killing one of them, for which he was conyicted under one of the Criminal Law Consoli-
dation Acts, the 24 & 25 Vict. c. 96, s. 23, which enacts that—

“Whosoever shall unlawfully and wilfully kill, wound, or take any house-dove or pigeon
under such circumstances as shall not amount to larceny at common law, shall, on conviction

184 PIGEONS.

before a justice of the peace, forfeit and pay over and above the value of the bird any sum not
exceeding £2.” *

Mr. G. Francis argued that the conviction was right. The killing of the pigeon was unlawful.
There was certainly an old case in the time of James I., in which one judge said that if
pigeons ate the corn the owner of the land might kill them; but it was added that he might not
take them by any means prohibited by law. And there was an ancient statute prior to that
case, and a later statute of the 2nd Geo. III. making the shooting of a house-pigeon unlawful.

Mr. Justice Mellor: Surely that Act only applies to malicious or wanton killing; not to lalling
by a farmer on his own land.

Mr. Francis submitted that it was a positive prohibition of shooting house-pigeons or doves,
and the act itself being unlawful, the giving of the notice did not make it lawful. The owner
of the land had his civil remedy, but he must not take the law into his own hands.

Mr. Justice Blackburn: He may take the pigeon damage feasant, if he can get at it. (A laugh).

Mr. Justice Mellor asked if it could really be contended that it was a criminal and punishable
act for a farmer to shoot a pigeon while eating his corn ?

Mr. Francis said he could no more shoot a pigeon than he could a pig. He must take it if he
could, or sue for the damage. A pigeon was a tame animal, and had the animus revertendt.
Besides, here the pigeon was going off as fast as it could. (A laugh).

Mr. Justice Mellor: The animus revertendi was shown ‘strongly enough, no doubt (a laugh) ;
but he might return.

Mr. Justice Blackburn: The object of killing him was to prevent his return.

Mr. Francis urged that even in the case of a dog actually following a hare, it was not lawful to
shoot him unless it was necessary to save the hare. So of a dog following a deer.

Mr. Hannen argued against the conviction that the statute only applied to criminal shooting,
and must be construed with reference to the law of larceny. It was larceny to take a pigeon out
of the dovecote, but if out of the cote it would be otherwise, and so if a man shot it, but was
not able to get hold of it. It was to such cases the statute applied; that is, to cases in which
there was a criminal animus or intention which fell short, by some accident, of the actual com-
pletion of the offence. In the case in the time of James I., Mr. Justice Dodridge said, “If
pigeons come upon my land I may kill them, and the owner has not any remedy, provided they
be not taken by any means prohibited by statute,” though it was true that the Chief Justice was
of a different opinion, and held that, as tame pigeons were domestic, and had the animus rever-
tendi, they ought not to be killed; but he added, “for the killing of them an action lies ;” so that
clearly, at common law, it was only a civil wrong. There was no mens rea in this case, no
element of guilt; there was the mere erroneous assertion of a civil right. The appellant had not
fallen into so serious an error as the Lord Chancellor, who distrained ducks, damage feasant, on
one of his islets on the Thames, but unfortunately ate the eggs they laid while in his custody.
and so was ‘“‘cast” for the eggs, though he justified distraining the ducks.t (Much laughter.)
It was admitted that the pigeon might be distrained, but who could put “salt upon his tail?”
(Laughter.) It was idle to talk of distraining a bird. In the case of pigs or dogs, they could be
got hold of and distrained, but it was otherwise of a pigeon, and there was no practical remedy
but to shoot it. In 1824, a great case came before this Court about rooks, in which it was laid
down that a man on his own land might kill birds or beasts (not game) fer@ nature, such as
rabbits, pigeons, or rooks. In “the Queen v. Cridland,” a case in this court in the time of Lord
Campbell (7 Ellis and Blackburn’s Reports, 871), it was laid down as the general rule of law
that, as a bond fide claim of right, justices could not convict summarily. Now, in this case, it
was obvious, from the notice, that the appellant was under the impression that he had a right
to kill the pigeon, to prevent its eating his corn or coming upon his land.

The Court said they were of opinion that the appellant ought not to have been convicted. It
appeared to have been deemed doubtful whether pigeons were subjects of property ; and though
it was now settled that if tame, and reclaimed, they were so, yet still, as the farmer had acted
under the honest persuasion that he had a right to shoot the pigeons in order to protect his
crops, the conviction was improper, however he might be liable to an action. There might,
certainly, be cases in which the killing of a pigeon might be properly the subject of a conviction,
as a wilful and wanton act. But in this case it was not so, and the magistrates ought not to
have convicted. The judgment, therefore, was that the conviction should be quashed.

* This clause is taken from the 7 and 8 Geo. IV. ¢. 29, s. 33, and extended to Ireland.
+ The statement that the Lord Chancellor was “cast” for the eggs was afterwards contra-
dicted.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE DISEASES OF PIGEONS.

N consequence of the artificial conditions under which domesticated pigeons are

reared and nurtured, they are liable to a variety of diseases which appear to
be unknown to the birds in their natural state.

Several of these are described, the older Treatises and the most empirical
modes of treatment recommended for their care.

Dr. Chapuis, in his valuable work ‘‘Le Pigeon Voyageur Belge,” has given
far more rational descriptions of the diseases of these birds than had been pre-
viously published. His remarks, however, apply chiefly to the homing birds that
are reared in such immense numbers in Belgium, and consequently he omits
noting some of the diseases affecting the more artificial varieties cultivated in this
country.

The causes of nearly all the diseases affecting pigeons are the unnatural
conditions under which they are maintained. If the birds are kept in localities
where they can be permitted to fly at large, housed in well-sheltered lofts that are
frequently cleaned, and are supplied with a sufficient amount of wholesome food,
and a constant supply of clean water, disease will be almost, if not entirely,
unknown amongst them. But if overcrowded and confined in dirty lofts, the
atmosphere of which is charged with the exhalations from the dung of the
birds, more especially if fed from the floor, where the food becomes contaminated
with the dung, and supplied with water that. is fouled by the same cause, the
birds become unhealthy and subject to scrofulous and other diseases that are
unknown when they are maintained in more natural and healthy conditions.

The most frequent of these diseases are known to English fanciers under the
names of roup, canker, wing disease, staggers, purging, and fallen gizzard.

Tt will, however, be more advantageous to consider these diseases in a some-
what more methodical manner, as several are really but different manifestations
of the same disease. :

ScRoFULA in pigeons, as in the human subject, makes itself manifest in several
apparently distinct diseases. It is produced in birds by similar causes to those that
develop it in man, namely, bad food, foul water, overcrowded unhealthy dwelling-
places, and deficiency of fresh air and exercise.

Wing disease is one of the most common forms in which scrofula oceurs ; it
consists essentially in a deposit of cheesy scrofulous matter in and around the
joints, the elbow joint (C. Figures I. II. and IV., pages 4 and 7) being the one

R

186 PIGEONS.

most frequently affected, apparently from the circumstance of its being largely
extended in flight. In the early stages, wing disease may be cured by the appli-
cation of tincture of iodine, which causes the absorption of scrofulous deposit,
attention being paid to the general health of the bird; but, in advanced cases,
recovery is hopeless. In many cases of partial recovery from this disease a
stiff joint remains, and the bird is incapable of flight. A cock bird with such a
deposit is perfectly useless, but a hen may still be bred from; although, unless
her characteristics are of unusual excellence, we should strongly advise her
destruction, scrofula in all its forms being one of the most hereditary of
diseases.

Scrofula often occurs in the liver and other organs in the form of white
tubercles. In these cases the birds lose flesh and are said to ‘go light.” The
only effectual treatment is that extension of the cervical vertebrae which is
commonly known as “ wringing their necks.”

Roupr is a disease affecting the mucous membranes lining the mouth, nostrils,
and air-passages, and often extending up the tear-ducts into the eyes. It is a low
form of inflammatory action, resembling a severe cold or influenza. In bad cases it
becomes purulent, matter is formed in the eyes and nose, an offensive discharge
takes place, and in this condition there can be no doubt that the disease is
contagious; the affected bird in drinking contaminates the water, and so affects
those who drink after it. Roup may originate at any time by exposure to cold and
wet, either in the loft, or at an exhibition or railway station ; consequently valuable
and delicate birds should always be sent to shows in hampers, the sides of which
are lined with canvas.

Warmth alone will not unfrequently restore those birds that are but slightly
affected. In more advanced cases we have found copaiba balsam, which has an
almost specific effect on mucous membranes, very advantageous: The most ready
way of administering itis to procure some of the gelatinous capsules containing the
drug, and give one at night to the affected bird. In severer cases, where the
discharge is offensive and purulent, a few drops of a lotion made of five grains of
nitrate of silver (lunar caustic) in an ounce of rain or distilled water may be
applied to the eye; but it should be remembered that this stains the skin of the
fingers or any animal substance with which it comes in contact. During roup
the birds should be kept very warm and well nourished with stimulating food,

}

such as hemp-seed.

Sore Eves (Conjunctivitis) is particularly common in carriers and barbs, owing
to the great development of wattle around the eye and the tendency that old birds
have to the formation of spouts by the turning out of the lower lid. The lotion of
lunar caustie is very effectual in these cases, or, if preferred, a very small
fragment of an ointment composed of five or even ten grains of lunar caustic to
an ounce of unsalted lard may be employed. The spouts, as they are termed,
may be removed by being cut from below upwards with a pair of very sharp
scissors.

THE DISEASES OF PIGEONS. 187

CANKER is a peculiar growth that takes place from the mucous membrane lining
the mouth and throat. Sometimes it forms in large masses, that require to be
dissected away carefully. It is a troublesome disease to cure; but the application
of powdered burnt alum, or a solid point of lunar caustic, after the removal of the
white diseased growth, is often effectual in removing the complaint.

PUSTULES containing matter are said to be of common occurrence in the lofts
in Belgium; but we have never been troubled with them in our own cotes.

Vrruin.—Pigeons are infested with numerous parasites. Four distinct species
of lice are found upon them, the most common, and by far the most remarkable,
being the Lipeuwrus baculus, the feather-louse of fanciers. This, in the living bird,

FEATHER LOUSE OF PIGEON (Lipeurus baculus) MAGNIFIED.

a Antenna of Male. 0 Antenna of Female.}

is generally found between the vanes or fibres of the feathers, for which habitation
its peculiarly elongated form particularly adapts it. Its body is dull yellow, its head
and chest being bright chestnut. The male and the female may be distinguished
by the form of their feelers, those of the male only being hooked. After death,
the feather-louse collects on the feathers on the head and neck, where it is some-
times found in large numbers. Pigeon fanciers do not regard it as injurious; but
it must derive its sustenance from the body of the bird. There is also a small
mite, a species of Acarus, that during summer, in overcrowded dirty lofts, appears
to annoy the birds to a very great extent, infesting the cracks in the nests,
walls, and perches in countless thousands. A large tick, a species of Ixodes, as
large as a tare when full grown, is sometimes found on the birds. Its size is so
great that it may be observed through the feathers; and, lastly, a peculiar flea,
the Pulex columbe, is often found in dirty lofts.

Cleanliness is the great preventive of these pests. The lice and mites may be
destroyed by dusting sulphur under the feathers, or the Persian insect powder
may be used inthe same manner. A little paraffin oil, or, still better, the more
volatile spirits known as vegetable or mineral turpentine, poured on the perches,
soon expels them; and, in very bad cases, a single drop may be placed in the
feathers of the bird.

188 PIGEONS.

Several diseases of the digestive organs occur in the different varieties. Pouters
are apt at times to overgorge themselves with dry food, which, swelling in the crop,
forms an impacted mass that, if not removed, causes the death of the bird. The
old method of treatment was to endeavour to soften the mass by pouring some
water into the crop, and then to put the bird into the leg of a stocking, so as
to prevent the weight of the food in the crop hanging down—and suspend it
until the loosened mass had passed into the gizzard and been digested. In
intractable cases, the only mode is to cut into the crop with a sharp penknife, and
to remove the hardened mass. This operation is not attended with any danger to
the bird if skilfally performed.

Scovurtne, or DiarrHa@a, is not uncommon in delicate birds not flown, or in
those fed on bad food. When arising from the latter cause, the remedy is
obvious. In delicate birds it may often be checked by a little astringent, such as
a grain of green vitriol or sulphate of iron; or, if all the birds are affected, a
sufficient amount of sulphate of iron may be added to the drinking water, to give
it a decidedly inky taste.

Fatien Gizzarp.—In some birds the muscular system is so impaired by want
of exercise, &c., that the weight of the internal organs presses the body down in
front of the vent. The term “gizzard fallen,” &c., is often used to designate
such cases. As far as we are aware, they admit of no remedy, and the birds
suffering are useless as stock.

Vertico.—Highly-fed pigeons are subject to some diseases of the nervous
system, manifesting themselves in vertigo or giddiness, staggers, and unnatural
twisting of the head. Constrained abstinence from food for two or three days,
and very moderate feeding subsequently, are the most likely remedies to prove

effectual.

Air Tumblers .
Almonds

Antwerps
Archangels

Area, construction of

Argyll, Duke of, on the flight of birds

Atavism
Austrian Pouter

Bagadotten

Bald Heads

Barbs

Beards

Bec-Anglais

Blue-backed dove

Blue rock dove

Blyth, on varieties of i Mirena
Booz pigeons

Brunnen Pouter

Capuchine
Carrier, the English .
Cats, how to destroy.
Collared dove .
Colour, breeding for
Columba <enas.

>, aftinis.

»> gymmnocyclos

5, intermedia .

aspeltyiaer.

3, Jleuconota .
», palumbus .
5) Tisoria

>, Tupestris

5, schimperi .
>, turretum
turtur. .
Coluniba, British species of

Columbarian Society, ordinances mepeatting the

Almond Tumbler .

.

13, 15

Cropper . 0 o :
Cumulet . . .
Cushat . : 0

D.
Darwin, on origin of varieties .

Digestive organs in pigeons
Diseases of pigeons .
Dovecotes

Dove-house pigeon
Dragons .

English Pouter
Ermines

Fantail . .
Finnikin 3
Frillback

Food of pigeons

a,

Gizzard a
Graham, Mr. H., on ithe race deve
Ground Tumblers

I.

Helmets .

High-flyers

Homing Birds .

Horseman

House Tumblers

Hunter, on soft food. .
Huxley, on the origin of varieties
Hyacinths

India, wild pigeon of 6 .
Isabels . 2 2 ;

Jacobine . * ° ° .

PAGE

° . . 146

190

L.
Lace pigeons. . ° . . .
Laughers 5 5 O . . °
Laws relating to pigeons . 5 : 5
Lowtans . b 5 O
M.
Macgillivray, on the rock dove .
Magpies .
Mahomets
Matching-cage .
Mawmets a q
Mooned pigeons 5

Mortar . : c
Muscles of wing

N.

National Columbarian Society on the carrier
Nest-boxes

Nest-pans
Nuns

0.
Owls

P.

Parisian Pouter :
Pigeons, general character of
Pigeon-houses .
Pigeon-lofts
Pigeon race, account of
Pigeon voyageurs
Pigmy Pouters .
Porcelains
Pouter, Austrian

», Brunnen

», English

>, Parisian

», Pigmy
Pouting Horseman

Priests
Proventriculus

Q.

Quest . O . - : 5 :
R.

Ring dove c ' : 0 O

Rocx dove A 3 5 ; O

Ruff q : 3 . . 5

Runts . 0 5 : A A

INDEX.
s. ;
PAGE PAGE
177 | Salt ‘ e . . . - 48
159 | Suabians.- . - 170
183 | Scanderoons ; 181
127 | Shaker, broad-tailed 150
>» narrow-tailed 2 a 5 ltt
Shakspeare on Barbary pigeous . 5 : 5 (BB
Shields P : 174
ue Silky pigeon 177
4) Skinnum 81
187 Smerles . 3 82
46) Smiter . 6 175
187 | «Soft food”. 10
174 | gnots 165
48 | Starling . 174
| Sternum of pigeon dd
Stock dove 13
Swallows. 172
P 78 Swiss . . ° 174
43
45 mm
161 | Tail, use in flight 0 o - 8
Terns 172
Trumpeter : 157
139 Tumblers, Almond . 113
* 3 Bald-headed 111
Hp Bearded . 111
7 Common . 102
50 90 Mottled . 112
3 oD Short-faced 110
39 | Turbit 142
3g | Turner . : 5 175
9g | Turtledove . . 13
83
val U.
171 | Uploper . ° ° . : : : Ss BD
71
Pe v.
49
50 | Varieties of pigeons, origin of . 6 0 Zo
71 | Vermin of pigeons 187
79 | Victorias. : 0 WP
172 | Volants . 9 . 85, 108
9
We
Willughby, on Pouters 48
13 | Wing, muscles of : 7
Wing, structure of . 4
Wood pigeon . o 13
5 als} =
13, 15 i
146 | Young of pigeons 10
179 | Young, nourishment of 5 il

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ISTICS.
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IV.—Tur Horses oF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.
V.—Evropean ContIneNTAL HorssEs.
VI.—Tue Enciish THorovucHBreD Horse.
VII.—HaA.F-Breps, Coss, AnD Pontzs.
VIII.—AcricutturaL AND Dray Horszs.
IX.—On tHE Locomotive AcTIOoN IN THE VARIOUS
Paczs.

X.—Tar Princretes oF BREEDING APPLICABLE TO
THE HorsE.

XI.—Tue Broop Mare AnD HER Foau.

XII.—Tae BREAKING OF THE COLT.
XIII.—Sraszes.
XIV.—Sraste MANAGEMENT.
XV.—SrasLrE MANAGEMENT, CONTINUED.
XVI.—Roine anp Drivine.
XVII.—CuasstricaTIoN oF THE VaRtous ORGANS AND
PHysIoLOGY OF THE SKELETON.
XVIII.—Descrietive ANATOMY oF THE SEVERAL Bones.
XIX.—Or tHe Jornts, AND THE TISSUES ENTERING
INTO THEIR COMPOSITION.

Cuap. XX.—Tuae Moscurar System.

XXI.—TueE THoractc ORGANS AND THEIR APPENDAGES.
XXII.—Tue AppomInaL AND Penvic VISCERA.
XXilI.—Tae Nervous System.

XXIV.—Sprcrat ORGANS.

XXV.—Tue Diseases axp Insurtes or Bone,

XXVI.—Insury anp DiskAszs oF THE Jornts, Musctzs,
AND TENDONS.

XXVII.—DiseAses oF THE THORACIC ORGANS AND THEIR
APPENDAGES.

XXVIII. —Diseaszs oF THE ABDOMINAL VISCERA AND THEIR
APPENDAGES.

XXIX.—Diseases oF THE Nervous System.

XXX.-—Diseases anD InguRiEs oF CERTAIN SPECIAL
ORGANS.

XXXI.—ConstirvtionaL DisEAsEs.
XXXII.—OprERAtIonS.
XXXIII.—Twe Action oF MEDICINES, AND THE FoRMS IN
WHICH THEY ARE PRESCRIBED.
XXXIV.—List or VETERINARY DRUGS, WITH THEIR ACTION
AnD Doszs.

Apprenprx.—On tHE Law or SounDNESS, AND ON THE PUR-

CHASE AND Sate oF Horsss.

LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.

Woodfall and Kinder, Printers, Milford Lane, Strand, London, W.C.

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