172 FANCY PIGEONS. 



inclining backward. I have never seen the perfect tail on a 

 really first-class Shaker, though I have seen it on a bird of 

 no merit otherwise. The difficulty is to produce carriage 

 and tail combined, and the nearest to it is, of course, the 

 best. While some persons even prefer an arched tail on a 

 Shaker, they have not indicated how much or how little 

 arch they want. Surely the perfectly flat, fan- shaped tail 

 is what is wanted, and what has been seen, though not with 

 all else perfect. My own illustration is not that of a 

 quite flat-tailed bird, and is, so far, not that of a perfect 

 specimen. 



Feather. — I have referred to whole-feathered Fantails, such 

 as white, black, blue, silver, red, and yellow, and to Turbit- 

 marked, or Saddle-backed ones. The latter ought to have the 

 wings, including the scapular feathers, coloured, the flight 

 feathers and all else white. They have been seen very cor- 

 rectly marked, though generally mottled on the head and neck, 

 and otherwise foul, and such have often red or yellow irides. 

 The eyes may be either hazel or gravel- coloured in a Saddle- 

 back, but not broken. Yellow eyes would be difficult to breed, 

 and would be so far an additional property. Whole-feathered 

 yellow Fantails come from Germany, I understand, but are 

 not of good quality. The Germans have, also, coloured birds 

 with white tails, and reversely marked ones, as well as Saddle- 

 backs, which are all described and illustrated by Neumeister. 

 At a show held in Copenhagen, early in 1885, Saddle-backed 

 Fantails, of various colours, were exhibited. I think much 

 of my old paintings of almonds and a yellow Saddle-back, 

 evidently portraits, as they show me that such birds formerly 

 existed. 



Boitard and Corbie, in writing of the Fantail, say : "It is all 

 white, or white with the head and tail black; they are also 

 found with the shoulders {manteau) and tail affected with all 

 the colours common to pigeons." Saddle-backs are preferred 

 with only coloured wings ; but I have seen them with the tail 



