258 FANCY PIGEONS. 



fanciers here would be into any foreign language — that, were 

 it not for the illustrations in their book, it would be quite 

 impossible to form any correct idea of the appearance of the 

 birds described by them as follows : 



The largest French Pouters are known as Pigeons 

 Grosses-gorges, or Pigeons Boulans, and are represented as 

 large, thick-bodied, short and barelegged, clumsy, Runtish- 

 looking birds. They appear to be both self-coloured and 

 pied. The latter have white flights, and are white in front 

 of the crop, so far approximating in the disposition of their 

 marking to the English Pouter and Norwich Cropper, which, 

 doubtless, have some remote connection with them. The crop 

 is well-developed. 



Boitard and Corbie allow that the English Pouter attains 

 a greater size than the French. I made an attempt, some 

 time ago, to obtain from France some blood-red Pouters 

 of this variety, but my correspondent searched for them in 

 vain. The Gi'osse-gorge Bleu, with white crop and flights, 

 is, it is said, much spread over Picardy, where it is greatly 

 esteemed. Every separate colour seems to constitute a distinct 

 variety with these writers, hence, nearly twenty kinds are 

 classified ; but, except that some are entirely barelegged, while 

 others are somewhat feather-legged, I can find no mention of 

 any difference in form between the various breeds. On page 28 

 of Brent's pigeon book is an exact copy of Boitard and Corbie's 

 Pigeon Grosse-gorge Maurin a Bavette, but entitled by him the 

 " Old German Pouter." 



Lille Pouters {Pigeons Lillois) are thus described : " This 

 race of superb pigeons belongs to the Pouter division, since, 

 like the preceding, they have the power of inflating the throat, 

 but in a lesser degree. The crop in the Boulans is always of a 

 spherical form, instead of which these have it in the form of 

 a long pear, of which the thinnest part is below, and the 

 largest part under the beak. These pigeons take their name 

 from the town of Lille, where they are much bred and esteemed. 



