232 FANCY PIGEONS. 



as apart from small Croppers, are not now found entirely 

 barelegged, the least amount of leg covering seen showing 

 about half the leg bare, or with short feathers on the out- 

 sides of the limbs and on the toes. This is how the portrait 

 of a Pouter is represented in the Treatise of 1765, which 

 shows the gradual improvement in this respect from Moore's 

 time. Pouters are now found from half leg-feathered to 

 rough-limbed, some of the latter having coarse hock feathers 

 reaching to the ground, and toe feathers over 6in. long. Such 

 leg- feathering quite impedes graceful movement; but as it 

 often comes in birds otherwise excellent, these are bred with 

 others under-feathered in limb. In matching stocking-legged 

 birds together, the produce is rather inclined to come bare- 

 legged, and it is annoying to find what are otherwise the 

 best young birds so. Rough limbs have, and, it is likely, 

 always will have, a place in every loft. As a matter of in- 

 dividual taste I dislike them very much, and greatly prefer 

 thin-limbed birds, as they are much handsomer, more grace- 

 ful, and have greater freedom in movement. It will be seen 

 what a heavy tax on the Pouter breeder this matter of leg- 

 feathering is of itself. All else may be about right, but it is 

 three to one against the limbs being properly feathered. 



Length of feather, or, the length from the point of the 

 beak to the end of the tail, is next to be considered in the 

 shape of the Pouter. This is ascertained by holding the bird 

 in the left hand ; then, by placing the index finger of the right 

 hand under his beak, and the thumb at the back of his head, 

 he can be stretched out to his natural length, and measured 

 against a marked board as before. In this way some birds 

 measure 20in., which is a good length. I once saw one 21in. 

 full, but he had one feather in his tail an inch longer than 

 the others, and which was, consequently, of no value, but 

 rather a fault. I have often measured two Pouters and found 

 them the same length, though the flights and tail of one 

 were a full inch longer than those of the other. The birds 



