356 FANCY PIGEONS. 



times, the telegraph has superseded them in Europe as swift 

 can'iers of news, railways have afforded such facile means 

 of training them, that probably at no other period of the 

 world's history have such immense numbers of these birds 

 been kept, by sweepstakes and others fliers, as at the present 

 time. 



The pigeons formerly used in this country as messengers 

 were mainly of Carrier descent, such as Horsemen, Dragoons, 

 Skinnums, and Long-faced Beards. All such have been for 

 long known amongst us as Homing Pigeons, and are so re- 

 fen'ed to by Moore in his "Columbarium," where, at page 

 5, in describing the construction of the " Trap, or Airy," he 

 says : " Others build them very wide and lofty, designing 

 them to give Room and Air to Pigeons of the homing Sort." 

 Again, at page 32, under the Horseman : " This Practice is 

 of admirable Service to 'em, when they come to be train'd 

 for the homing Part " ; and elsewhere, when writing of the 

 " Powting Horseman." 



The Skinnum Pigeon. 



The Horseman and Dragoon have been already described, 

 and the Skinnum, probably named from the somewhat 

 skinny appearance of its eye wattles, is merely some mixture 

 of the Dragoon and Tumbler varieties. For short distances 

 the Skinnum is capable of quick work. 



The London Beard Pigeon. 



The Long-faced, or London Beard, is a pigeon of respect- 

 able homing powers, having in recent years done as much 

 as 100 miles, when carefully trained. These bold, intelligent- 

 looking pigeons, are found chiefly in black, blue, silver, and 

 dun, as well as in chequers of these colours. They ought to 

 be marked exactly the same as the English Beard Tumbler. 

 They vary in type, some having a considerable amount of 

 eye wattle, denoting Dragoon blood; but the correct type is 



