March 17, 1B70. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



215 



The average time of flying is from half to three-quarters of an 

 honr ; an hour is considered a good fly. They should keep well 

 together, and not swing round, but fly steadily right and left, 

 turning occasionally, at which time every bird should either 

 roll or mad-tumble, and that in such a manner that when the 

 kit is well round there should be no stragglers, bat all compact 

 and steady again. 



One remarkable circumstance I have noticed is that all good 

 kits usually turn to the right, seeming to avoid turning to the 

 left as much as possible, which turns, however, when they do 

 take place, are generally the best as regards the working of the 

 birds ; for if there are any good birds among them they are 

 Bore to tumble well then — in fact they seem as if they could not 

 help it, and on that account try to avoid turning in that direc- 

 tion. It is strange, but such is the case. 



In regard to the statements that have appeared in your 

 columns of kits flying regularly sis or seven hours, all I can 

 say is, that when such do happen it is always to the sorrow 

 and loss of the owners. Such flights are what are termed in 

 Birmingham " flyaways ; " and one a-year is quite enough for 

 any fancier who possesses a valuable flight ; after such a flight 

 the majority of the birds seldom, if ever, make their appear- 

 ance home again. As an instance of this, I may mention that 

 the two gentlemen to whom I alluded at the commencement of 

 this communication, stated that their flights about four o'clock 

 in the afternoon of February 26th both joined and flew till no 

 one knew what time, as they were up at dusk, and the conse- 

 quence was the old fancier whom I have mentioned was thirty- 

 one short, and the other seventeen, and the former would not 

 have taken £20 for his birds. The two or three that came 

 back came in daring the following two days, the others have 

 never been heard of since. Perhaps they are the sort some of 

 your correspondents possess, and are having their fly out still. 

 During the last Birmingham Poultry Show I took three London 

 fanciers (two of them the best, or at any rate two of the best, of 

 our officiating fancy Pigeon judges) to witness the performances 

 of this very flight, and all expressed themselves highly gratified 

 with their visit, although it was a very unfavourable day to see 

 the birds at their best, a very high wind prevailing. They were 

 also very much struck with the owner of the birds, who is what 

 is now-a-days a rare specimen of a thorough-going old fancier. 

 I have no doubt that when the gentlemen alluded to see this 

 they will feel genuine regret that so good and pretty a flight 

 should have been so dispersed. However, I have no doubt 

 another equally good will soon replace them, such a misfor- 

 tune being nothing new to him, as he has plenty of stock birds 

 left, and has always bred his own flights, being very chary of 

 admitting a strange strain amongst them. 



Mr. Hardy states that " mad Tumblers " obtain their name 

 inconsequence of their tumbling " so much and so carelessly." 

 A mad Tumbler Bhould not tumble carelessly, or he would be 

 very soon discarded from a good kit. These birds should only 

 tumble at the tarn of the flight, when their performances 

 should be as quick and neat as possible. Most of them can 

 short-roll also — that is for a yard or so. As a rule they form 

 the majority of the flights, and it is their performances altogether 

 that lend the greatest effect to the turns of the flight. 



And now I must draw my remarks to a conclusion, although I 

 could say much more on this interesting topic, both in regard 

 to breeding and management. I should just like, however, 

 briefly to allude to one or two more of Mr. Hardy's remarks. 



First, as to keeping the birds " as thin as possible." Birds 

 regularly flown do not want keeping thin, their exercise will 

 keep them in proper condition ; besides, if they are stinted in 

 food they cannot fly, and disease will very soon break out in the 

 loft. They must have plenty of food to keep up their strength, 

 or if they go from home at all in a wind, or " fly away," they 

 have not strength to return. He recommends feeding them on 

 malting barley. Such a thing was never heard of or done here. 

 They should be fed on good sound, old, small grey peas — no food 

 is better for them — and for a change give a handful of good old 

 English wheat occasionally. The be3t way is to feed them till 

 they drink, and give no more, and always to fly them with their 

 crops empty, or the food in them is apt to choke them when 

 rolling, and cause them to roll down. Most of the Birmingham 

 birds are fed on peas and Indian corn, mixed and separate, but 

 the best fanciers here discard the latter. 



Breeding commences in March, and terminates at the end of 

 July as a rule ; for birds bred after that date cannot moult out 

 before winter, and are sure to be lost from want of stamina. 



Mr. Hardy says, birds being too fat is the cause of their roll- 

 ing down and killing themselves. Birds too fat will not fly ; birds 



regularly flown will not become fat. Sometimes birds bump 

 themselves against the chimneys, or on the slates from rolling 

 whilst too low, that is not rolling down ; but when they come 

 down from a good height, as I have had them do at three or 

 four months old — which is caused by being too high bred — 

 they are seldom, if they do not kill themselves, fit to fly again. 

 If they come once in that way they generally repeat it every 

 time they are flown, so that it is downright cruelty to fly them. 

 — H. T., Birmingham. 



[Pray detail the desirable mode of breeding and management 

 more fully. — Eds.] 



The Short-faced, round-headed, little flying Tumbler having 

 been neglected so long, the breed has become almost extinot. 

 The fashionable prize Short-faced Tumblers of the present day 

 are useless for any amusement in flying, being bred so deli- 

 cately that they are not able to feed their own young ones, 

 and so weakly that they oould hardly fly to the top of their 

 owner's bedstead if required. Still I am happy to say there 

 are a few. 



In choosing these birds I wonld recommend either Blacks or 

 Reds, or Black or Red Mottles ; let them be as small as possible 

 — plump, round, little birds with broad chests, and the shorter 

 the wing the better. Do not purchase any without seeing them 

 fly and tumble quickly and sharply ; birds that clap their winga 

 and sail either before or after tumbling should be rejected, as 

 they will draw down your other birds however high these 

 may be. No doubt many gentlemen complain of their birds 

 being brief on the wing and unwilling to mount ; I have 

 never had any such difficulty, although I have often been at a 

 loss for a method of getting them down when they have 

 ascended so high as to go out of sight. Be satisfied if your 

 Tumblers will fly an hour, it is quite long enough till yon 

 know your breed of birds thoroughly. 



If they are kept on good heavy barley they will always fly 

 steadily and well, if you have fine weather and a cloudless sky. 

 Their food can be changed to Indian corn, or beans, or peas. 

 They require to be kept very clean, their pen Bcraped out every 

 other day, and fresh sand scattered on it. During the breeding 

 season they require plenty of old mortar. A good substitute is 

 half a pail of sand, half a pail of stonemason's dast, and about 

 1 lb. of salt, mixed together and made into a paste with water ; 

 let it 6tand to dry, and when you require it break it into pieces, 

 and your birds will eat it up ravenously. 



I have always found the Black or Red Mottles the best flyers 

 and tumblers ; some prefer the various-coloured Baldheads. 

 They are usually coarser birds, and do not look so small and 

 compact when flying. Some of your readers will, no doubt, 

 exclaim, Where can I get these little Tumblers ? I do not 

 know. About three years ago I commenced collecting them, 

 and paid one or two visits weekly to the numerous Pigeon 

 shops in and about London. Out of nearly two hundred which 

 I have purchased I have only had the good fortune to meet 

 with six or seven that come up to my standard in flying high 

 and tumbling quickly and sharply. 



The method I adopt with fresh birds is this :— I keep them 

 two or three days without food, giving them water, and then 

 let them out with my old birds. I have not lost more than a 

 dozen out of the large number tried. If the Pigeon-keeper do 

 not like to adopt the low-diet system, the same object can be 

 achieved by tying the six flight-feathers of one wing twice with 

 thin string. 



Fanciers must not expect to raise a flight of these birds in a 

 month, it requires time. Having started two or three gentle- 

 men with the breed, I always advise them to be patient. Any 

 person living near a high building, such as St. Paul's Cathedral, 

 or any place where he cannot start them from, I would advise to 

 immediately remove to a more convenient situation. — G. 

 Hardy, 10, Fulham Road, London. 



THE DRAGOON PIGEON. 

 Is it asking too great a favour on behalf of brother fanciers 

 and myself that you will publish a drawing and description of 

 what a Dragoon should be ? I have turned my attention of 

 late to the breeding of these birds, hoping to be able to com- 

 pete successfully with other breeders, but judges and others 

 differ so in opinion as to what a Dragoon is, that I am almost 

 disheartened, and feel inclined to give up the task as hopeless. 

 For instance, I Bent birds which took the first prize at one 

 show, to another (within a week of each other), and they were 



