350 FANCY PIGEONS. 



sionally witli tlie Almond." The illustration of tlie Mottle 

 accompanying tliese remarks represents a long-legged, common- 

 looking type of Tumbler, with a black flight and tail, and 

 "white body, over which are dotted about thirty-four well- 

 separated black feathers. I scarcely think it represents the 

 author's intentions, as he expressly says, "a black ground, 

 the body mottled with white." The Mottle may, however, be 

 said to have been then in its infancy, and a standard more 

 difficult of attainment would soon be aimed at. The present 

 standard is the same as that mentioned for the Mottled flying 

 Tumbler, viz., a self-coloured pigeon with a rose pinion of 

 single, well-separated white feathers on the shoulder, either 

 with or without the Y-shaped handkerchief back, but with it 

 for choice. This standard of feather, accompanying good Short- 

 face properties of head, beak, eye, and carriage, makes up 

 one of the most difficult standards in fancy pigeons to breed 

 at all good. When a fancier with such experience of Short- 

 faced Tumblers as Mr. Fulton, has said that he has only 

 seen a few pairs of Mottles that could even be trimmed into 

 something like perfection, and that the nearest approach to 

 a perfect bird he ever knew of had to be weeded on both 

 breast and shoulders, it will be seen how much remains to 

 be done for the Short-faced Mottle. Whoever follows after 

 this fancy, then, has not only to contend against made heads, 

 as in the Almond, but also against trimming ; and so he sets 

 himself a difficult task. Perhaps there have been but few 

 Xiong-faced Mottles ever produced perfectly marked; but there 

 are certain inherent faults of marking in the Short-faced 

 Mottle, as it exists, which make it harder to produce than the 

 Long-faced. There still exists, however, what may be called 

 the remnants of a good strain of black Mottles, in which the 

 ground colour is good, but which are much inclined to a 

 blaze of white on the forehead, and to orange instead of 

 white eyes. Both are great faults, and a white-eyed bird 

 has only to be seen by the side of a yellow or orange-eyed 



