320 FANCY PIGEONS. 



is difficult enough to breed, and, if the majority of birds 

 seen at shows were penned unweeded, they would be found 

 very mismarked. Foul feathers in the neck and breast are 

 very prevalent ; but as it is easy to remove many such with- 

 out the possibility of detection, many fanciers who admire the 

 Mottle prefer rather to spend their time over pigeons not 

 so easily manufactured for the show-pen. 



The Baldhead Tumbler Pigeon. 



When Moore, in his description of the Tumbler, said, " This 

 Pigeon aifords a very great Yariety of Colours in its Plumage, 

 as blacks, blues, whites, reds, yellows. Duns, Silvers, and, in 

 short, a pleasant mixture of all these Colours with the 

 white," it is probable that he included Baldheads and Beards 

 as "pleasant mixtures." We are, however, indebted to the 

 author of the Treatise of 1765 for the first account of these 

 favourite varieties of the Tumbler, and his description of them, 

 which is one of the original pieces in his book, is as follows : 

 ^' The Bald-pated Tumblers, which are of various colours in 

 their body, as blacks, blues, &c., with a clean white head, a 

 pearl eye, white flight, and white tail, are esteemed good flyers, 

 and are very pretty, even when flying in the air, for the 

 contrast of the feather appears at that distance when the 

 weather is clear and fine ; but the blue ones are reputed to rise 

 higher than any other colour. There are also some called blue 

 or black-bearded — that is, either of those colours having a long 

 white spot from the under jaw and cheek, a little way down the 

 throat, and regularly shaped, which has a pretty effect as an 

 ornament ; and if they run clean in the flight and tail, as 

 before mentioned in the Bald-pated ones, they are accounted 

 handsome." 



Baldheads are found in black, blue, silver, red, and yellow, 

 and in off colours, as chequers and mealies. The correct 

 marking is as follows : Both mandibles should be white ; 

 and the whole head, above a line running about iin. under 



