JOUENAL OF HOETICDLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



tliey have brought-up five young ones all n ith black bars. — Fkank 

 Gkauam, Biricnlieacl. 



TUMBLER PIGEONS. 



I HAVE been a Tumbler fancier for a considerable number of 

 years, and that in a doyble sense, as I can scarcely say whether 

 I admire most the beauties of head, beak, shape, and carriage 

 in the high-class Short-faced variety, or the wonderful perform- 

 ances of its somewhat less beautiful relation, which, for the 

 sake of distinction and for want of a better name, I shall call 

 the tumbling Tumbler. 



As I have always been of opinion that it was impossible to 

 obtain the very desirable end of combining in the very highest 

 degree the properties of these two separate though closely allied 

 breeds, I have followed out my particular hobby in a manner 

 which seemed to me the closest possible approach to it — viz., 

 keeping for beauty the highest class of Short-faced Almonds 

 which do not tumble, and the young of which cannot be reared 

 without feeders of some other breed ; and for this pui*pose my 

 love for tumbling birds caused me to keep birds in which this 

 property has been developed not only to the highest known, but 

 I may safely say to the highest possible degi"ee. I read all the 

 letters which appeared in the Journal on the subject of tumbling 

 birds about two years ago, and, as far as my memory serves me, 

 I do not think even the name of the breed was once mentioned 

 by any of your correspondents ; yet I am certain their influence 

 in improving the quaUty of the tumbling birds aU over the 

 country must have been very gi'eat indeed, as I know that a 

 very considerable number of them went even into Birmingham, 

 which I understand claims to be the head-ciuarters for tumblini^ 

 liir-ds. The breed I allude to is that of the Scotch House Tum- 

 bler; and as at the time when I commenced to keep Pigeons 

 my accommodation was such that I could not possibly fly any 

 of my birds, I was in a manner compelled to select this breed in 

 order to gratify my taste for performing birds, as I knew of no 

 other that would tumble when not allowed their liberty. Many 

 of them have also the advantage for feeders of Short-faces of 

 teing small and neat, and generally do their work of rearing 

 young admirably. 



Feeling such an amount of interest in these birds, I read with 

 considerable interest " WiLTSHmE Eectoe's " account of his 

 visit to Mr. Hardy's stud of birds, and my object in now 

 writing to you is to ask him to give fuller particulars of what 

 be really saw, as my first impression after reading his letter was 

 that I had been pursuing my fancy on a wrong system altogether, 

 as I might have had tumbling Short-faced birds long ago, and 

 these possibly of a high class. On after-refiection, however, I 

 am not quite so sure of this, and perhaps the Rector, who is 

 always obliging, will give information on the following points 

 through your columns. Perhaps the information may already 

 lave been given in Mr. Hardy's own letters, but I have no't 

 them beside me now, and, besides, the Rector's well-known sig- 

 natm-e gives a weight to his communications which no private 

 individual's possesses. In the first place, do Mr. Hardy's birds 

 possess the properties of the Short-faced Tumbler in such a high 

 degree that they would stand any chance of -wiuning a prize at 

 iiny show where first-rate Short-faced Tumblers were exhibited ? 

 If he thinks they would stand a fair chance anyone knows what 

 the length of the beak from the front of the eyeball to the point 

 will be ; but if not, i^-ill he be good enough to state what their 

 -measurement is '? There being not more than three-sixteenths 

 of an inch between Short-faced birds and birds having not the 

 •slightest claim to the title, it will be necessarj- to be exact. 

 "What can they do in tumbling ? The Rector has only given us 

 generalities on this point, but I think the best test of the quali- 

 ties of flying birds, such as the Almond he alludes to, is the 

 moment hand of his watch. Could it do one hundred tumbles 

 in two minutes, a number I counted one Air Tumbler do a few 

 mornings ago, or even two hundred in four minutes and a half, 

 which the same bird did during the same flight, its average rate 

 being not less than forty a-minute ? -Were any of the Kites he 

 aUudes to good enough to tumble so close to the floor that they 

 ■barely cleared their head, yet clever enough to land always on 

 their feet, although not able to fly up to a nest if it were even 

 a couple of feet from the grourd ? These are things which the 

 birds sent by Mr. Paton, of Stewarton, to the late Mr. B. P Brent 

 did, and what birds in the writer's possession can now do • and 

 as I am an advocate for fanciers to breed for extremes I am pre- 

 pared to go on as I am doing until I find that some one has 

 ■either bred Short-faces possessing the tumbhng property as 

 good in other points as ai-e now to be got without possessing it, 

 «r that tumbhng birds have been bred of as high quality as what 

 I have mentioned, and shorter in the face and rounder in the 

 head than the Scotch House and Air Tumbler, which I am 

 under the impression, has not yet been accomplished ' 



As to Almonds tumbUng, I have heard Mr. Paton of Stew- 

 arton, say that fifteen years ago he walked ten miles to see a 

 - i"™, i'^'" "^^ "'■*'^ ^eaid of tumble, and this was as good an Air 

 lumbleras he ever saw (which was saying a gi-eat deal), and 

 nlso as fine an Almond colour as coidd be desii-ed, but he did 



not say it was Short-faced, and tumbling birds of the colour are 

 certainly in this country bj- no means scarce. Until lately Mr. 

 Paton possessed a Short-faced Almond cock of the very highest 

 class, proved by his progeny having taken many prizes all over 

 Scotland, and this bird backed regularly bat never went over.— 

 Scotch Thistle. 



[I am always experimenting with some variety or other of 

 Pigeon, and this year happen to be doing exactly what you are 

 doing. My loft, unfortunately a small one, is di-vided by wire ; 

 on one side are High-fljing Tumblers, on the other Short-faced 

 birds of splendid striiins. The enjoyment of having both 

 classes of Tumblers before the eye at one time, and yet in 

 separate groups, is very great. I have the delicate beauties — 

 Almonds, Kites, and Mottles close to me, and the bolder class, 

 yet very beautiful, also near, for how dapper, trim, and dainty- 

 shaped is even a common Tumbler ! One rrde is to apply to every 

 birdadmittedamongthe High-flying Tumblers — hemust tumble, 

 or he shall forfeit his place in my loft. I divide Tumblers into 

 three classes — tumbUng Pigeons, High-flj'ing Tumblers, and 

 Short-faced Tumblers. The first are the Rollers, which depart 

 widely from the Pigeon form, and whose tumbling being so ex- 

 cessive becomes rolling. These have their admirers, but I am 

 not one of them. I have had them, but did not like them. 



The second class I hold to be Tumblers proper. They ought to 

 be neatljT shaped, pearl-eyed, fly high, tumble quickly, and not 

 fall far fi-om the flight. Such 1 possessed when a boy thirty or 

 more years ago, as a young man when in Scotland more than 

 twenty years ago, and have had specimens at times during the 

 whole of my residence in Wilts. Usually I have found Black 

 Baldheads the best ; they are the best I have now, then some 

 few Red birds (especially when in Scotland), and occasionally a 

 Buff bird. I am sorry to say I find it difficult to get up a flight, 

 all tumbling as they ought, and should be pleased to help and 

 be helped by other fanciers. 



The third class of Tumblers are the Short-faces. Most 

 beautiful, indeed, they are, but birds to be admired near; and 

 they are from delicacy more bii-ds of the aviary than of the air. 

 But whether Almonds, Mottles, Beards, or Balds, their great 

 beauty is undoubted, and their place among vaneties "among 

 the very first." "Scotch Thistle" mentions the Houte 

 Tumblers ; these I am familiar with, having seen them and their 

 performances in the lofts of mj- friend, Mr. Huie, of Glasgow. 

 Of their usefidness in crossing I do not doubt, but I require in 

 a High-flying Tumbler something different from what is to my 

 mind the diseased tumbling of the Roller or the Scotch House 

 Tumblers : hence I am afraid I differ widely from " Scotch 

 Thistle." I regard them as curious certainly, but not pleasing ; 

 but each man to his taste. The aerial, high-flying, moderately- 

 tumbling Tumbler for me. What a creature of the air he is ; 

 how he enjoys himself ; how frolicsome his tumbling is ; his is 

 fun and skill, not a helpless roll down ; and if dark-bodied and 

 white-winged, W'hat a fine contrast of feathers he presents to 

 the blue sky above him. 



In regard to what I saw at Mr. Hardy's, I beg to state that 

 the Almond cock who tumbles so well is a thoroughly good 

 Short-faced bird, well made, and of good rich feathering. The 

 Kites which tumble, three or four in number, are also good 

 birds of their class apart from their tumbling. In regard " to 

 what they can do in tumbling," they tumble well, according to 

 my ideas, but not like Rollers. The eye is my guide, according 

 to my notion of what is right in tumbling, not the watch. I ask 

 only for a quick clean tumble, and not a roll. Mr. Hardy told 

 me he had great difliculty in procuring these birds, and their 

 number is very few in his stud, and they cost him much 

 money. I should say, therefore, that the Short-faced Tumbler 

 that tumbles is a very rare bird, and the further, within limits, 

 you get from the Short-faced birds, the more the chance of their 

 tumbling ; in fact, it was always so, the Dutch Tumblers of a 

 hundred years ago were what Rollers are now. Now, the better- 

 shaped the bird the less likely is he to tumble. Still there are 

 birds that please the eye as to shape, and yet fulfil the require- 

 ments of a Tumbler when fl.ying. I have recently got back a 

 strain of Black Baldheads which I had seven or eight years ago, 

 and the hens tumble equally well with the cocks. 'They were 

 originally from an old flying-fancier, some years since dead. 



I would say in conclusion that " Scotch Thistle," according 

 to his taste, has been and is proceeding in a right course, and 

 from thirty-four years' experience as a fancier I believe that a 

 good Short-faced bird to tumble is an extraordinary exception. 



H " Scotch Thistle " has a copy of old Girton, which, being 

 commonly met with, he probably has, he will find the two classes 

 of Tumblers as accurately described as if WTritten of yesterday. 

 — Wiltshire Eector.] 



The R.tBBiTS at Thorne. — We must congratulate the ener- 

 getic Committee upon the satisfactory advance made this year 

 in their prize list. Six distinct classes are given, and two cups 

 also, each of two guineas' value. The Lops are divided into 

 two classes, bucks and does, and to the best of these one cup is 

 to be awarded. There are classes for Angora, Himalayan, 



