89 PIGEONS OF COLOUR. 



as the Schwalbentaube, and in France as the Hirondelle, 

 has its name from its resemblance in marking to the 

 tern, or sea swallow. The variety usually found in this 

 country came originally from Germany, where it is known 

 as the Niirnberg type, and is marked like the illus- 

 tration. The Swallow has a long, slender beak, the upper 

 mandible of which is coloured in accordance with the mark- 

 ing. The forehead rises rather abruptly, the head is flat, 

 and coloured above an imaginary line running from the 

 corners of the mouth through the eyes. The hood, which 

 should be extensive and of a cupped shell form, should be 

 all white, and not lined with coloured feathers, or the bird 

 will lose in value. The eye has a dark hazel iris, and, when 

 the markings are of rich colour, as they often are, the eye 

 cere and corners of the mouth are bright red. The neck 

 is slender and short, the breast broad, the body broad and 

 flat, and the legs short. The wings and flights are coloured, 

 but the scapular and back feathers must be all white, 

 forming a heart-shaped figure on the back, the marking here 

 being the reverse of the Magpie Pigeon. The legs and feet 

 should be heavily hocked and booted, the heavier the better, 

 as this adds to the appearance, and is in keeping with the 

 shape of this variety. The hock feathers must be white, but 

 all feathers below the hocks, on the legs and feet, must be 

 coloured. The general appearance of the Swallow is that of 

 a thickset, broad, low-standing pigeon. The common varietj' 

 figured by Boitard and Corbie has no hood. The yellow- 

 marked ones, according to them, are called HirondeUes Siam, 

 while the HirondeUes Fauve EtinceU, or S^Darkling Fawn- 

 coloured Swallow, is described as follows : " This charming 

 bird is extremely rare in France ; it can hardly be got 

 except in Germany, where it is not common ; its mantle is 

 fawn-coloured, agreeably scintillated with black or red." 

 This would appear to be an almond-feathered variety. The 

 colours of the Swallow are generally good, and sometimes 



