88 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( Julj 23, 1874. 



Norwich.— 1. W. Smith, Birmingham. 2, W. Cle^g. r'fr, J. Benn, Bramley. 

 Bklgun.— 3/(irfe«d.— 1, G. Gott. Shipley. 2, P. Horn, Fareley. 

 LizAKD —I, D. lUicffworth, Hersfonh. 

 MuLEB. — 1. D. Illioeworth. 



SELuyo Class —Price nat to exceed lis. Gd. witk Ca<?f .— 1, P. Horn. 2 and 3 

 W. Smith, he, W. Clegg. 



PAttROTS.— Grej/.— 1, W. Clegg. Any other variety —I, J. Booth, Armley. 2, 

 G. LoDgbottom. 



RABBITS. 



Lop-eared.— 1, G. S. Barton, Beeston Hill, 2, J. Blakey, DrifBeld. 3, J. M. 

 Minder, Wakedeld. vhc, 3. Bowman. York: T. Myton, York {2). tic, F. 

 Baoka, London ; G. S. Barton ; J. Ajmstrone, Leeds ; J. M. Mander. 



SilverGret —1 and 3, R. H. Glew. Wakefield. 2, S. Ball, Bradford. lic.Q. 

 C. Hattun. Bradford: T H. Dowa, Boston. 



Himalayan.— 1, B. Newsome, Holbeck- 2. J. Firth, Bramley. s, H. White, 

 Rochdale, rkc, A. Atkinson, Haddersfield. he, S. L. Firth. Bramley; B. 

 Newaome. 



ASGORA.— 1. A. Atkinson. 2. G. C. Hntton. 3, S. Ball. Bradford, vhe, J. 

 White, Bramley. he. J. White: T. Gamer, c. G S. Barton. 



ANY OTHER Variety.— 1, T. Gamer. 2, T. H. Dows. 3. M. Marsland. Goole ; 

 G. P. & R. Hackett, London, lie, H. E. Gilbert, Rugby, c, R. Land, York; 

 T. H. Dews. 



Any VARrETY.—l, T. Myton. 2, G. C. Button. 3, T. H. Dowa, ufti:, F.Banks 

 T. Myton. he, J. Armstrong. 



Mr. Hutton, of Padsey, was the Judge. 



THE FANTAIL. 



The Fantail is one of the most attractive of the fancy varieties 

 of Pigeons. In fact, it is almost as well entitled to the eog- 

 nomea of high fancy as the Pouter, it being as difficult to pro- 

 dace a fine tail and style as a large crop and size. Some writer 

 detractingly says, " Fantails were intended to be trifled over 

 by women and children." He certainly could have had no ex- 

 perience in breeding them. It has been one of my favourite 

 varieties from my earliest Pigeon-fancying, and a few years ago 

 I discarded all others for the sole purpose of experimenting 

 upon the development of a strain of certain colours. Few 

 persons know what a fine bird is ; they have become so used to 

 the ordinary shovel-tails, that they are to a measure correct in 

 the idea that the Fans are of but little importance. 



The demand for fine birds is, however, increasing, and the dull, 

 vacuous bird, with its bedraggled look, will ultiaiately disappear 

 before the improvement in good taste. While nothing can be 

 more common and ugly than an ordinary Fantail, so there can 

 be nothing more striking in the Pigeon realm than a small, 

 stylish, high-bred bird. There are several classes of Fantails 

 and fanciers. In the first place, there is as much difference 

 between two of the strains as there is between the strains of 

 Tumblers : one strain being large and coarse, with immense 

 tails ; the other, small, refined, and exceedingly stylish. The 

 English partake of the first, the Scotch of the latter charac- 

 teristics, though in both countries there are individuals who 

 may have preferences for certain of these points. There are 

 also other distinctions beside large and small. The birds may 

 be long- necked or short-necked; the first are the so-called 

 Calcutta Fans, the latter the German variety. Then there are 

 the pointed and the plain-headed. Of these, the pointed are 

 most popular in America, and the smooth heads in England. 



Thus we see there are two strains, large and small, and each 

 of these may be subdivided into long and short-necked birds, 

 with or without points in the heads, with large tails and mo- 

 derate style, or with grand style and moderate tails. 



Ab so much is possible, what is preferable ? Many of the 

 most successful breeders pay all attention to the tails, and we 

 see dozens of birds " bowed down beneath the weight of woes," 

 caused by a heavy tail overtopping them, and bearing their 

 breasts towards the earth, like a boat too heavy forward ; or else 

 the taU is carried backwards at an angle of 45', and the bird 

 loses what style it might have by trying to balance itself upon its 

 feet. Other and equally successful breeders go for style, and 

 sacrifice all else for that. These seem to be the two extremes, 

 and our preference is for the latter. Style, by all means ; with- 

 out it the tail is nothing to speak of, though every Fantail must, 

 as a matter of course, have at least twenty feathers in the tail. 



Those fanciers who like large tails are not content with less 

 than thirty, and with some thirty-six is the minimum. We 

 have seen a few birds with over forty feathers, and have heard 

 of and read of fifty and fifty-six being counted; and though we 

 have no reason to doubt the report, and deem the thing possible, 

 yet we were not present at the numbering, and, under some cir- 

 cnmstances, seeing is believing. 



Probably if we had seen we might have learned something, as 

 we did from the fellow who always beat us 3 or 4 inches in the 

 measurement of Pouters. We never could imagine how he did 

 it, until we saw him carefully draw the tape from the point of the 

 beak along the breastbone, and so between the legs to the tip of 

 the tail. We outblew him afterward. With birds of the finest 

 style there are seldom more than thirty feathers in the tail. 

 That number makes a tail of good size and weight, and is easily 

 carried. 



The feathers are of two varieties — long and narrow, and short 

 and wide. The longest belong generally to the long-necked 

 birds, the broadest to the short thick ones. The short and 

 bioad make the best tails, as there is more probibiUly of their 



being well spread, and the birds to which they belong are 

 mostly short-backed specimens. 



The feathers of the tail, no matter how many in number, 

 must form about seven-eighths of a circle, and must be so ar- 

 ranged that when the tail is cut off it will lie flat upon the table, 

 preserving its circle without being weighted down. The under 

 tail coverts must be smooth, even, and perfectly straight in 

 position, looking like a leaf placed upon the posterior surface of 

 the fan. The carriage of the fan is of the highest importance, 

 and it should be carried so that the tips of the middle feathers 

 will be directly over the centre of the feet, and touching the 

 head. The fan must not deviate from a right line either towarda 

 the right or left, as the slightest lopping is detrimental. 



The feathers, above twenty, are set in a double row — that is, 

 it takes about twenty to form a circle, the feathers being a little 

 closer together towards the middle of the tail ; after that the 

 extra number go to form the second row. Sometimes a third 

 row is also intimated. 



When the birds are bug-infested, the tail feathers are broketi 

 down, or caused to look rigged, by the birds picking themselves. 

 A description of the style is very hard to put on paper ; there is 

 so much goes to make it up, and there is a vitality about it that 

 dies beneath the point of the pen. To be stylish, the bird musU 

 be small ; that is imperative. To be large, in proportion to the 

 average size of anything, is to be gross ; and in nothing is this 

 more applicable than amoag Pigeons, especially among Fantails ; 

 therefore, it must be soitill as the Almond Tumbler, if possible, 

 and then it outstyles that variety. If it is large it is common, 

 thereby vulgar; but small and stylish, it is a gem, and fit for 

 " women," as the diamond is amoug stones. 



The preferable neck is long and graceful, curved as the letter 

 S reversed. It must ascend from a full, round breast, as sym- 

 metrically as the Swan's, and it must be continually in motion.. 

 The head is the head of a Dove, with the eye of Venus, for 

 there is an expression about the eye of a Fan that is not ob- 

 servable in the eyes of any of the others ; we presume, on 

 acconnt of the incessant motion of the neck, which has obtainedl 

 for the variety the name of Shaker. 



The neck, surmounted by the head, inclines backward, rest- 

 ing against the anterior surface of the tail, or rather just touch- 

 ing it ; for if it presses too hard it passes between the feathers, 

 and it becomes a deformity. The incessant shaking is a traiS 

 produced by cultivation; it is necessary to good style, and be- 

 comes extravagant in well-bred birds when driving to nest. The 

 large-tailed birds do not have it to a great degree, nor do ths 

 short-necked German cast of birds ; many of the shovel-tails do 

 not have it at all, and when they do it is a burlesque upon good 

 behaviour. 



A good idea of what the relative positions of neck, tail, and 

 body should be may be gained by drawing a triangle, the base 

 of which will represent the body of the bird, and the two sides 

 the neck and tail, meeting at the apex. The wings are carried! 

 close to the side, the tips meeting behind, beneath the tail, just 

 touching the floor ; the feet, coral- red ; the eyes, hazel in white 

 birds, pearl in the coloured. The back is an item that must 

 not be neglected ; the shorter it is the better, and the more 

 likelihood of the carriage being fine. 



The standard colour is white, a pure white with purplish 

 lustre about the neck when shaking in the sunlight. We have 

 spent a number of years in experimenting upon the colours of 

 Fantails, and have bred them of all colours, shades, and com- 

 binations. Much can be done with a little care ; by forming an 

 indea in one's mind and breeding to it, any composition can be 

 fixed. Thus we have bred black birds with white tails, and 

 white birds with black tails, white birds with red tails, saddle- 

 backs, magpied, &c. ; but such birds never equalled in style the 

 pure white. We have seen, and at times have owned some of 

 the solid colours that were equal to the best whites, but they 

 have been very few in number, and are very hard to obtain, 

 especially yellows and blues. 



One of the prettiest combinations of colours we have ever seec 

 was in a bred bird from black-tailed stock ; it was a pure whiSe 

 with undertail covert deep black. 

 When we were breeding Fantails our standard was as follows - 



1. Stvle: nervous; bird always on tip-toe; continuous shak- 

 ing of the neck. 



2. Size : small. 

 Tail : Feathers evenly and broadly spread ; well carried. 

 Back : short. 

 Feet : coral red. 



Eye : hazel in white ; pearl in colours. 

 Neck : long. 



Head : plain. 

 Colour: white. 



This is an epitome of the points we kept in view. The number 

 of feathers in the tail was a matter of indifference, some of oar 

 best birds having but twenty-six and eight. Many were point- 

 healeil, though the plain were preferred by ourselves; the 

 maj 'ritv of observers, however, ailmire the points. 

 A pair of 30 called Calcutta Fans were once sent us. We 



