171 THE FANTAIL. 



round, as on a pivot. There seems to be some invisible 

 influence trying to drag it off the ground, to counteract which 

 requires all the power of gravitation. Resting only on the 

 tips of its front toes, the hind ones are quite off the ground. 

 The shoulders are carried close to the body, and the flights 

 are often to be seen dragging on the ground. When a 

 good one wants to fly, it turns its tail in the direction 

 of the place it wishes to reach, when, after several feints, it 

 makes a dash, turning rapidly in its flight. "With all their 

 extraordinary carriage, these birds are not bad fliers. Unlike 

 other pigeons, they contract instead of spreading their tails 

 in flight. 



Tail. — The tail feathers of the Fantail ought to be both 

 longer and broader than in other pigeons of similar size. These 

 feathers do not generally shed their fibres freely when growing, 

 and, unless some attention is paid to this, by carefully scraping 

 off the husk or skin as they grow, they will often reach their 

 entire length without opening out, and become rotten. A little 

 care will obviate this. Malformed tail feathers are common 

 in Fantails. These are usually two separate, incomplete 

 feathers, growing from one quill, often at right angles to 

 each other, spoiling the appearance of the tail. The tail 

 feathers ought to be frizzed at their ends and edges for 

 about half their length from their extremities; not, however, 

 like the feathers of the Lace Pigeon, but ten or twelve of the 

 fibres may adhere together, and be divided from another set. 

 Fantails with as many as forty-two tail feathers have been 

 noticed. I never counted more than thirty-six. The number 

 is not of so much consequence as the shape of the tail. It 

 ought to form as complete a circle as possible, the opening 

 at the bottom being something like a fourth part of the circle, 

 or even less. Through this opening the flights should project, 

 and not cross at their points. The perfect tail is quite flat, 

 and, when viewed in profile, perpendicular. It ought not to 

 incline forward, which is worse than being a little arched or 



