266 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDBNER. 



[ April 1, 1875. 



that " Dragoons are a distinct breed — as distinct as the Short- 

 faced Tumbler is from the Runt," and that " a Dragoon should 

 be a large bird, even larger than a Carrier ;" in utter ignorance 

 that Moore in 1735 wrote, " The Dragoon is absolutely and with- 

 out dispute a bastard strain, being bred originally from a Horse- 

 man and a Tumbler," and " the Horseman," from which it is 

 bred, he says, " is smaller than the Carrier." Much more so, of 

 course, is the Dragoon, which point, however, is settled by 

 Girton, who wrote, " The Dragoon is a lighter and smaller- 

 made Pigeon than the Horseman." I could quote more mistakes 

 from this said " pert and perky letter," but I have (luoted 

 enough to show that ignorance ought never to set up as teacher ; 

 indeed, ignorance as to what a Dragoon is according to the 

 great authority ia the foundation on one side of the whole dis- 

 cussion. Now, in Mr. Lyell I have one who poBsesaes, reads, 

 and respects Pigeon authorities as much I do myself. We can, 

 then, discuss the nature of the Owl on the proper basis of 

 rightful authority. 



Mr. Lyell correctly states that in the Treatise of 1765 it is 

 written, " The Owl is, according to Mr. Moore, a small Pigeon, 

 very little larger than a .Jacobin;" but, unfortunately, Moore 

 states nothing of the kind. This mistake of the author of the 

 Treatise is pointed out by Mr. Tegetmeier {vide " Pigeons," 

 page 139), who, after quoting the words of the Treatise about 

 the Owl, writes, " 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." 



Moore was undoubtedly a good fancier and correct writer, and 

 his work was original. He was a scholar, and a friend of Pope 

 the poet, but he died soon after he published his book ; and 

 after thinking much on the subject I have come to this conclu- 

 sion concerning both the author of the Treatise and Girton — 

 viz., that they were simply a couple of bookseOers' hacks. The 

 former quotes Moore throughout without acknowledgement, 

 which is the conduct of a dishonest man; and Girton, also 

 known as Thompson, most amusingly transposes the sentences 

 in order to avoid being the same. Sometimes the beginning ia 

 put at the end, and the varieties do not follow in the same order. 

 The cards are cleverly shuiBed, but, as a rule, they are the same 

 cards. A bookseller in those days found there was a demand 

 for a work on fancy Pigeons ; they got hold of Moore's book, 

 got a competent writer, and he got hints from some fanciers 

 and some pictures, and redressed old iloore, and, as a rule, the 

 whole was done wonderfully well, but as to the size of the Owl 

 a mistake was made. 



The English Owls have always been moderately-sized Pigeona, 

 as Turbits have been and are, and as Jacobina have been and 

 are ; for though the Jocobin has been written of as one of the 

 smallest Pigeons, it never was — it only, according to fancy rule, 

 ought to be. The Owl has always been a flying Pigeon, and 

 many Antwerps used to show a bit of the Owl frill. This, I 

 think, is conclusive about its size, for no very small Pigeon can 

 fly much, it ia too weak. English breeders of African Owls 

 have spoken of them to me as "sort of greenhouse birds." In 

 a warmer country no doubt they would feel more at home in the 

 air and on wing, so I am not surprised at their doing well in 

 India. 



Next about the term " degenerate " as applied to the African 

 Owl, to which " Bubo " objects. I mean it in the aame sense 

 as a Short-faced Tumbler is degenerate — namely, "having de- 

 clined from its natural growth " or become smaller, as the 

 French soldier of to-day is smaller than the soldier under the 

 first Napoleon. I did not mean " degenerate " as a term of 

 reproach, but as meaning smaller and feebler. No one can ad- 

 mire the Foreign Owl more than I do, and I agree with "Bdbo " 

 thoroughly that the best colour is white ; it is a fairy-like little 

 Pigeon, and white just suits it. 



Then comes the question, How about the two varieties ? 'Well, 

 I would say they are simply the production of two climates ; the 

 Foreign of the warm climate, the English of our colder climate. 

 That ia how I would account for the difference. I believe im- 

 ported Barbs are smaller than those Engliah-bred, and which 

 are naturally bred in England, I mean not bred in-and-in. 



The analogy between the English and Foreign Trumpeter 

 hardly, I think, holds good, as the Foreign bird is the larger and 

 finer, coming (climate again making the diiiference I imagine) 

 from a colder country. Unfortunately the Foreign Trumpeters 

 will not breed in England, while fortunately the African Owl 

 will. 



I think I have now noticed every point mentioned by Mr. 

 Lyell and "Bubo," and I am truly glad that two educated and 

 intelligent writers, learned also in the old books, and respecting 

 their authority, have come to the front, and I welcome them 

 heartily, and hope their pens will not be idle. We want such 

 writers, and not writers of " pert and perky " letters, who are 

 Pigeon-ignorant save in what some judge they approve likes. 



Mentioning judges, I hope all the newer onea will read the 

 old books, or they will lack knowledge they ought to poasess, 

 for the Pigeon fancy ia no new thing, but at least one hundred 

 and fifty years old, or indeed much older. 



Reverting once more to the Owl, I hope English and African 

 Owls will both be bred and prizes offered for each as they now 

 are. A mixture of the two birds, to my eye, spoils both. — 

 WiLTsHiiiE Rector. 



N.B. — Looking at my copy of Girton I see it is called "The 

 New and Complete Pigeon Fancyer." How unprincipled those 

 eighteenth-century writers were ! for the book is simply what 

 might have been correctly termed " A Third Edition of Moore's." 

 No doubt the writer of the Treatise and Girton both had prac- 

 tical fanciers to tell them much. Girton also gave (copied, no 

 doubt) the natural history of the Pigeon, but with blunders. 

 The two books were made to order for publishers, and on the 

 whole they are well done ; but there was no original writer 

 between Moore and Windus of the Almond Tumbler. Hence 

 I am only surprised that Girton made so few mistakes, but one 

 he did make in regard to the Owl, as I have shown, and then 

 built up an argument upon his mistake. — W. R. 



CANAEY-BBEEDING CAGES. 



SiMPj.iciTY of construction in cages for this purpose is one of 

 their chief recommendations. Decorative and emblematic design 

 so frequently witnessed are generally the productions of mis- 

 taken but ingenious persons, who have little practical experience 

 and still less compassionate regard for the comfort of their birds. 

 Yet good birds demand good cages, for they are worthy of being 

 displayed to the greatest advantage. The old breeders of the 

 Canary distinguished as " The London Fancy " seem to have been 

 a very painstaking class. Whatever objections may be raised 

 to many of their arrangements, nothing can be said against their 

 excellent breeding and flight cages. They have appreciated the 

 importance of cleanliness, comfort, and the general healthful- 

 ness of these constructions, no doubt prompted by the difficul- 

 ties encountered in breeding this remarkable but delicate bird. 

 Such cages have been in use for thirty years, and after an armual 

 cleaning are in every respect equal to new. 



They are generally made of mahogany, and are known as 

 " box cagea," rendered very convenient by the front part being 

 wirework, and this removeable. Such cages are so constructed 

 that the feeding cage for weaning young birds can be placed in- 

 side or hung on at the doorway, a system to be highly com- 

 mended in preference to double or compartment cages, as there 

 are better facilities of thoroughly cleaning than can be where 

 two or more cages are combined ; and if they are sufficiently 

 large, which adds bub slightly to their expense, they can be 

 readily converted into flight cages for moulting and storage 

 during the winter season, a convenience for which many breeders 

 will be thankful. 



Mahogany is decidedly the most lasting and solid wood for 

 making cagea, but it has two drawbacks to its general adoption 

 for this purpose — great weight, and expense. It fortunately 

 happens that their requirements can be supplied equally well, 

 and where hanging cages are employed even with advantage, by 

 using American pine ; this wood, if well selected, free from knots 

 and cracks, and with the work neatly fitted, and every joint 

 well glued and nailed, makes excellent cages. The glue should 

 be used freely, so that every joint be completely closed by it, for 

 wherever interstices exist you may expect, even with the 

 greatest precaution, a colony of red mites. 



Any close-grained well-seasoned wood may be employed, but 

 the pine has advantages not posseased by other kinds, andwheii 

 neatly stained and varnished can be made very effective. Ma- 

 hogany may be employed for the removeable parts, because it is 

 stronger and can be kept thinner and lighter for appearance. 



The only ornament necessary is that the front edges of the 

 body of the cage be atop-chamfered. The stop-chamfering may 

 be cut in with black which adds greatly to the appearance. Should 

 the cages be bought in the white — that is, without any colouring 

 inside or out — you can finish them to your own taste as follows : — 

 Carefully remove any roughness, then rub over with fine cabinet- 

 makers' glass paper, and size the inside and out with two coata 

 of paper size, not too strong ; when dry again rub lightly down 

 with the glass paper, and then give the inside a coating of the 

 following paint : — 



Oxide of zinc, which may be purchased at any chemist's if not 

 obtainable at an oil and colourman's, rubbed up well into a very 

 stiff paste with a small quantity of copal varnish, and thinned 

 down to the consistency of ordinary paint with turpentine ; this 

 may be conveniently done on a large dish or stone slab with a 

 thin table knife. This paint dries very quickly, and if too much 

 varnish has not been used gives a very desirable appearance 

 with two or three coats. It may be tinted with a small quantity 

 of oil blue or other colour according to taste. Before laying on 

 the last coat stop all joints and cracks with glazier's putty. 'This 

 paint will not be found injurious to birds if allowed to dry for 

 two or three days before using the cages, and they can be fre- 

 quently washed without re-whitening. 



'The outside, except where mahogany has been used (which is 

 preferably French-polished), can be stained any light tint and 

 varnished with the following: — Half a pound of shellac dissolved 



