J 58 DOMESTIC PIGEONS : Chap. V 



Elliot are white, slightly feathered on the feet, with the feathers 

 on the head reversed ; and they are rather smaller than the rock or 

 dovecot pigeon. The beak is proportionally only slightly shorter 

 and rather thinner than in the rock-pigeon. These birds when 

 gently shaken and placed on the ground immediately begin tumbling 

 head over heels, and they continue thus to tumble until taken up 

 and soothed, — the ceremony being generally to blow in their faces, 

 as in recovering a person from a state of hypnotism or mesmerism. 

 It is asserted that they will continue to roll over till they die, if not 

 taken up. There is abundant evidence with respect to these remark- 

 able peculiarities; but what makes the case the more worthy of 

 attention is, that the habit has been inherited since before the year 

 1600, for the breed is distinctly described in the ' Ayeen Akbery.' u 

 Mr. Evans kept a pair in London, imported by Captain Vigne ; and 

 he assures me that he has seen them tumble in the air, as well as in 

 the manner above described on the ground. Sir W. Elliot, however, 

 writes to me from Madras, that he is informed that they tumble 

 exclusively on the ground, or at a very small height above it. He 

 also mentions birds of another sub-variety, called the Kalmi Lotan, 

 which begin to roll over if only touched on the neck with a rod or 

 wand. 



Sub-rwe III. Common English Twubleis. — These birds have 

 exactly the same habits as the Persian Tumbler, but tumble better. 

 The English bird is rather smaller than the Persian, and the beak 

 is plainly shorter. Compared with the rock-pigeon, and propor- 

 tionally with the size of body, the beak is from T5 to nearly '2 of 

 an inch shorter, but it is not thinner. There are several varieties 

 of the common Tumbler, namely, Baldheads, Beards, and Dutch 

 Pollers. I have kept the latter alive ; they have differently shaped 

 heads, longer necks, and are feather- footed. They tumble to an 

 extraordinary degree ; as Mr. Brent remarks, 16 " Every few seconds 

 " over they go ; one, two, or three summersaults at a time. Here 

 " and there a bird gives a very quick and rapid spin, revolving like 

 " a wheel, though they sometimes lose their balance, and make a 

 " rather ungraceful fall, in which they occasionally hurt themselves 

 " by striking some object." From Madras I have received several 

 specimens of the common Tumbler of India, differing slightly from 

 each other in the length of their beaks. Mr. Brent sent me a dead 

 specimen of a " House-tumbler, v l7 which is a Scotch variety, not 



15 English translation, by F. Glad- seen at any of the Calcutta bird- 

 win, 4th edition, vol. i. The habit dealers." 



of the Lotan is also described in the 16 ' Journal of Horticulture,' Oct. 



Persian treatise before alluded to, 22, 1861, p. 76. 



published about 100 years ago : at this 17 See the account of the House- 

 date the Lotans were generally white tumblers kept at Glasgow, in the ' Cot- 

 and crested as at present. Mr. Blyth tage Gardener,' 1858, p. 285. Also 

 describes these birds in ' Annals and Mr. Brent's paper, ' Journal of Horti- 

 Mag. of Nat. Hist.,' vol. xiv., 1847, culture,' 1861, p. 76. 

 p. 104; he says that they "may be 



