November 1:), 18CC. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



379 



sometimes, at four guineas a-pair. Still this was little- to the 

 sale of Powters, which was important enough to bo inserted iu 

 the " Gentleman's Magat ine " of January 1761, when one pair 

 sold for sixteen guineas, another for thirteen, to be resold by 

 private contract for actually thirty-six guineas ! Still it must 

 be confessed, judging from the engraving of the Almond 

 Tumbler in '■ The Treatise" and in Girton, and judging, too, 

 that no nurses tor its young are mentioned as being needed, 

 and that " if supplied with meat, water, and a little ch an 

 straw, it gave no further trouble" — the very reverse of what 

 is now true— compared with what it became afterwards it was 

 but a coarse bird. It was, however, a favourite, and was be- 

 coming gradually more refined in look and feather, especially 

 as "A society had been formed for the encouragement of the 

 breed, and improving its beauties." 



And now, I think, is the right place to ask how it was that 

 this little Pigeon gained such a hold on the regard of fanciers, 

 why it had become so valued, and, consequently, so valuable, 

 and why it is now a great favourite, and as expensive as ever? 

 I answer it rose into favour first, probably, because it could be 

 so much more easily kept in London (and London is the seat 

 of the fancy), and 'we must bear in mind that Loudon after 

 the middle of the last century was rapidly becoming a larger 

 city and more densely crowded. The Almond Tumbler wants 

 no wing room, as does the Powter ; it does not need to be let 

 out to rly ; a little warm attic is its best home, so it cannot be 

 trapped by dishonest persons. It is a stnall bird, little more 

 than a cage bird — the very bird to make a pet of. Theu its 

 colour and shape please the eye when it is near at hand ; also 

 its large capabilities of improvement — at first these must have 

 been very great]; further, the variety of feather which it will 

 throw, many nestlings being absolute surprises, and the pains 

 and care which it takes to rear good. Then we may add the 

 pleasure of competition, the social meetings of the members of 

 the Columbariau Society, where all present could join in the 

 conversation and enjoy it. It is the bird for the man "in 

 crowded cities pent." It is just fit, too, to be a lady's or in- j 

 valid's pet. Sailors, we are told, make pets of the large Runts 

 they keep on board ship. Ladies and gentlemen suitably make t 

 pets of Almond and other high-class Tumblers ; indeed the Al- 

 mond and its congeners are beautiful and elegantly-shaped birds. 

 It is clear that during the last quarter of the eighteenth 

 century the Almond had improved greatly, and the elegant 

 little black and yellow Mottles had begun to be mentioned and ; 

 made prize birds of ; and so at length it happened that this 

 century had only just begun when a special and an expensive 

 book was published relating to this variety of Pigeon only, a 

 book of which it was the sole subject. This book was called [ 

 "A new and Compleat Treatise on the art of breeding and 

 managing the Almond Tumbler, &c. Printed for the Author , 

 by W. Williams, No. 35, Chancery Lane, London. Price 5s. 

 1802." The name of the author is not given ; but Mr. J. M. . 

 Eaton, himself a Londoner and an old Pigeon fancier, states 

 that it was written by " — Windus, Esq., Solicitor, Southamp- 

 ton Buildings, Holbom." As the book wa3 evidently written 

 by a man of education, and 1802 is not so very long since, and 

 an author in a peculiar line is easily traced — indeed Mr. Eaton 

 may have met Mr. Windus at the Columbarian — I have no 

 hesitation in attaching the name of Windus to the publication. 

 This treatise on the Almond Tumbler reached a second 

 edition in 1804 : this is surprising when we consider the price, 

 but it proves that the bird of which it treated was kept by a 

 great many persons of means. Moore published his " Colum- 

 barium " at only Is., yet the issue was small, it met with little 

 sale, and no second edition was called for. After 1804 the 

 wants of the fanciers were, I imagine, supplied. My copy, that 

 of the edition of 1802, belonged to a titled member of one of 

 our oldest Cornish families. It is a well-printed book, and 

 contains 104 pages. There is this peculiar honour attached to 

 Windus, that he. like John Moore, wrote an original work. 

 What Moore's book was to fancy Pigeons in general, that of 

 Windus was to the Almond Tumbler. He says in his dedica- 

 tion, " To the Gentlemen of the Columbarian," " As the 

 amusement of keeping and breeding the Almond Tumbler is 

 now become very general, and a society of great respectability 

 is formed for encouraging the breed, and improving its 

 beauties, and as no treatise on these birds only that I am 

 aware of, is or ever was written, tci. ;" and as this is said to 

 those who would be sure to have known the existence of such 

 book, and could and would have contradicted him, we may con- 

 clude he was an original in this species of literature. 



There is a pleasant modesty about Windus. Thus he says, 



page 7 of his dedication, " It is only by a natural taste for, a 

 long acquaintance with, and a thorough knowledge "f these 

 birds, that the eye is brought to discover those beauti. ; which 

 escape the notice of an indifferent beholder. It may also be 

 advanced that this i; a study of no great utility; this I readily 

 admit, and treat it accordingly, as a mere amusement or fancy. 

 Hut that it is a rational amusement las everything eon 

 with natural history must be), no one can deny." Windus 

 writes with' a thorough and most minute mastery of his sub- 

 ject, also plainly, and with perspicuity of expression ; while 

 the arrangement of hie matter i; wmtii. of a lawyer. As a 

 guide to the young Almond fancier of that day it was admir- 

 able, nay, it is a good guide now. Mr. Eaton borrowed the 

 whole plan of Windus when he wrote his "Treatise on Hie Art 

 of Breeding and Managing the Almond Tumbler, 1851," and 

 transferred more than sixty of its pages, printing them usually 

 verbatim from this book of 1802. Indeed Mr. Ealon could not 

 well have done better, though perhaps he ought to have called 

 his work " A third edition of Windus, with additions, bringing 

 the subject down to the present time." The additions are for 

 the most part excellent, and show the result of years of careful 

 watching as regards the habits of the Almond Tumbler. 



Windus first gives us the five standard properties of the 

 bird — feather, shape, eye, head, and beak, placing the bird and 

 its' perfections well and distinctly before the reader. Now and 

 then he describes very neatly, as when he says, " 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 " — the latter expression is perfect. And 

 then showing how carefully he had watched the various move- 

 ments of the bird, he adds, " If the cock is naturally of a 

 good shape, it is more particularly conspicuous when he is 

 driving his hen to nest, for then he shows himself in his 

 greatest beauty, and to the best advantage." After a careful 

 description of the bird he passes on to " The Loft," " Match- 

 ing and Pairing," "Penning," "Nests," "Laying," &c , 

 showing the most accurate knowledge ; he even gives " Marks 

 by which to ascertain the colours of young birds in the nest.'' 

 Particulars of food and drink, means of keeping the birds in 

 health, parting them after the breeding season, their diseases, 

 tea., are fully noticed ; indeed, whatever is wanted to be known 

 may be learned, and then he ends his well-WTitten, well-arranged, 

 and most practical book with a number of " Miscellaneous 

 Observations." He appeals to the portrait of the Almond 

 Tumbler which forms the frontispiece (a picture by the way 

 which shows a marvellous advance in the breed and beauty of 

 the bird since the days of Girton), saying, " Although the 

 portrait was taken from life, yet it must be acknowledged that 

 it is an embellished and a partial one, and those imperfections 

 which the original possessed, intentionally remedied, for the 

 purpose of forming some criterion for the young fancier to 

 look up to in breeding his birds. It is in this, as in every- 

 thing else in nature, that perfection is scarcely ever to be 

 obtained, therefore the nearer you approach to what is con-' 

 sidered and laid down by fanciers as perfection in these birds, 

 the nearer you will approach the appearance represented in 

 the frontispiece, taking it for granted that I am right in such 

 representation. So far, therefore, the representation will be 

 some guide. The bird is coloured in water-colour for the 

 purpose of giving as good a representation of the feather of 

 the bird as it will admit of; but as it is done upon an en- 

 graving, which must necessarily give it an additional flatness, 

 it is impossible to preserve that fine glossy appearance, or 

 show the colour of the feathers to such perfection as might be 

 done if the paper would admit of oil colouring." 



It should be noticed that this model bird differs from the 

 model bird of the present day in its being somewhat stouter, 

 and in its flight feathers not being drawn drooping below the 

 tail. It is beautiful, but the fancy has advanced, in colour at 

 least, since 1802. Mr. Windus then concludes with a few 

 modest yet manly words about his work, and, as a postscript, 

 gives an account of the proceedings of the Columbarian 

 Society. 



I have now passed in review all the English works (so far as 

 I know), of an older date, and traced Pigeon lore, ami marked 

 the advance of the fancy from 1735 to 1802. — Wiltshire 

 Rector. 



KekdAI Port.Tr.Y Snow. — The entries for this Exhibition 

 close on the 7th of January. The highest prizes, except for 

 local exhibitors, are 30s., but there are twelve cups, varying in 

 value from five to two guineas. 



