668 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



are quite hardy, are quiet in disposition, and not addicted to extensive wanderings when well 

 cared for at home. 



Trumpeters. The note from which the Trumpeter derives its name is a kind of 

 prolonged coo, somewhat resembling the sound of a trumpet in the distance; this is one of 

 the essential characteristics of the bird, but the power of voice and frequency of this vocal 

 exercise varies with different birds. There are several varieties, black, white, red mottled, 

 black mottled, etc. They are beautiful and showy birds, having what is known as a crest or 

 rose formed of feathers that protrudes in front of the head, and much resembles a rose in 

 full bloom, the feathers forming the petals. When fully developed or developed in perfec 

 tion, this rose hides the eyes of the bird, from a front view, and shows only the tip of the 

 bill. A crown of feathers extends from ear to ear, turning upwards, which somewhat 

 resembles a hood. The legs and feet are profusely feathered. 



Priests. There are four or more varieties of these birds, blue, black, red, and yellow 

 being the most common. The head extending from a little below the bill is white, while the 

 feathers at the base are turned up the same as in all crested pigeons, the remaining part of 

 the plumage being red or black, etc., as the case may be. 



TlirMts. The colored varieties of Turbits are numerous, comprising black, red, 

 yellow, blue, silver, dun checkered, blue with white bars, creamy, etc. Each of these 

 colors is also bred as tail and wing Turbits, four styles of heads being recognized, viz., shell, 

 point, peaked, and plain head, thus making the Turbit family a very extensive one. The 

 peak crest is perhaps the most fashionable, and the hardest to get in perfection, yet the shell, 

 point, and plain breeds are more common, and may be regarded as equally beautiful. &quot; A 

 shell crown should be of a perfect segment of a circle of upturned, inverted feathers, spring 

 ing from the base of the skull below the ears, rising well up to a sharp, even line; clear and 

 regular, and of about one inch in length. In all other respects, shell-crowned Turbits possess 

 the same general properties, though the point crest is preferred.&quot; The color of the plumage 

 in wing Turbits is represented by the color of the shoulder, the remainder of the plumage 

 being pure white, while tail Turbits should have the tail correspond in color with the shoulder 

 marking. 



Jacobins. The Jacobin pigeon derives its name from a French order of monks that 

 wore hoods to cover their bald crowns. It has a range or ruff of feathers inverted around 

 the neck from the wing buts, and extending up over the head in the form of a hood. The 

 more compact and close-fitting the hood is, the more they are prized by fanciers. They are 

 bred in plumage of red, yellow, black, blue, and white, and are quite common. 



Failtails. These beautiful birds have been bred very extensively in the past, and 

 are at present great favorites, they being one of the most desirable of the fancy breeds. As 

 the name indicates, they derive their appellation from the size and form of the tail, and the 

 quivering or trembling of their necks. One strain of Fantails is quite large and erect, with 

 very large tails, another is smaller and more stylish in form. They also vary in form, some 

 birds having quite long necks, others being quite short-necked. The latter is the German 

 variety. The pure white variety is the most common, although there are also the blue, silver, 

 black, yellow, saddle backs, and frizzled. The yellow and blue varieties are quite rare. 

 There is also the pure white with a slight purplish glimmer about the neck, which is very 

 conspicuous when the bird is in the sunlight; there are occasionally seen black birds with a 

 white tail, and white with black tails; but the pure white are the most beautiful. They 

 cannot fly well, and stay about the yards and dove-cote more than any other breed. 



