PIGEON 



PIGMENTS 



173 



the l>lne rock, and is specially characterised by 

 having an alinormal development of the beak and 

 eye wattles, the former of which is like a round 

 fleshy ball pierced by the beak. Dragon. Of a 

 similar type, rather lighter in body, and with less 

 heavy wattles. Barb. A heavy-wattled pigeon ; 

 but in this case the eye-wattle is the chief point, 

 and it is bred so that the head has the appearance 

 of a bobbin or reel. These three varieties make 

 up the Wattled Pigeons; and they are all very 

 valuable when bred to perfection. Pouters. The 

 Pouting Pigeon is equally high class, the name 

 arising from the great development of the crop, 

 which has a globular form, and stands out from 

 the neck. Of these the best known is the 

 English Pouter; and there is also the Norwich 

 Cropper ; the former a large bird, and the latter a 

 smaller one. The smallest of this family is the 

 diminutive Pigmy Pigeon. In these the head, 

 which is at the lack of the crop, is often almost 

 buried by it. Jacobin. A breed in which the head 

 and neck feathers are largely developed, the former 

 in the shape of a hood, so that the head is often 

 buried within it, and the latter falling on to the 

 shoulders, leaving a round space between, known 

 as the rose. Fantatl. In this the characteristic 

 which gives the variety its name is that the tail- 

 feathers spread themselves out transversely to the 

 body in the shape of a fan, and in good specimens 

 evenly so. The head is thrown back, often touch- 

 ing the tail, with a nervous motion, the l>ody 

 poised on short legs, and the bird looking as if it 

 were falling backwards. Tumblers. In these the 

 name is derived from the tumbling or turning 

 motion when flying in the air, and good well-trained 

 birds have been known to remain on the wing for 

 many hours without cessation. They are divided 

 into two sections viz. Flying Tumblers i.e. those 

 which are bred for this quality, and Fancy Tumblers, 

 in which the propensity is lost or suspended through 

 disuse. A very valuable breed is the Short and 

 Long Faced Tumbler, of which there are several 

 varieties, notably the Almond, so called from its 

 rich coloured plumage. The Nun and the Magpie 

 are supposed to l>e descended from the same family. 

 Allied to the flying tumblers are the Hollers and 

 the Tipplers. FrtUed Pigeons. These include a 

 very large variety, the greater portion of which 

 originated in the Orient. They are thus called 

 because the throat or chest is decorated with a frill 

 of curled feathers, more or less i>erfect. Some have 

 in addition a crest on the head, and there is 

 an almost endless variety of colour and of mark- 

 ings, the richest those known as Oriental Frills 

 l>eing of much later introduction than the Owls and 

 Tnrbits. One, the White African Owl, is the 

 smallest of all domestic pigeons, and comes from 

 Tunis. Antieerpi. A very massive-built bird in 

 which there is a considerable admixture of homer 

 hliMxl. Of the other prominent varieties the homer 

 has already been referred to ; the Russian Trumpeter 

 has a large crest and very profuse leg-feathering ; 

 the Hunt is the largest of all pigeons, and on the 

 continent of Kit rope is extensively bred for the 

 table. Tin- system of exhibitions w'hich has grown 

 up of late years lion done much to stimulate the 

 breeding of fancy pigeons, and very high prices 

 ;re paid for the best specimens. On numerous 

 occasions 100 has been given for a single pigeon, 

 an<l t."><i is quite a common price. 



For the keeping of pigeons different forms of 

 houses may l>e adopted. When they are permitted 

 to tly alxuit they may have either small cotes for, 

 say, four pairs, "mounted on tall poles and these 

 can lie made very attractive or they may be 

 accommodated in 'larger houses. Fancy pigeons 

 are usually restrained by what are called flights or 

 aviaries, which consist of a large space attach. .! t. 



the house, the sides and top made of wire-netting, 

 so that the birds cannot get away. It would be 

 too great a risk to permit valuable birds to fly. 

 Whether in confinement or at liberty each pair of 

 pigeons must be supplied with a nest of their own, 

 which is better if double, as often they are sitting 

 on eggs and feeding young pigeons at the same 

 time. In the nest-boxes pans are placed of the 

 usual construction for this purpose. Pigeons are 

 prolific breeders, and will lay several nests during 

 the year, each time a couple of eggs. The male 

 and female, if permitted to do so, continue faithful 

 to each other from year to year, a circumstance 

 noted by Pliny and others of the ancients. 



See DOVECOT, and books on pigeons and pigeon -keeping 

 by Tegetmeier ( 1868 ), Piper ( 1871 ), Foulton ( 1876 >, Brent 

 (1878), Wright (1879), Lucas (1886), Ure (2d ed. 1889), 

 Lyell (1889), and the present writer (1891 ). 



Pigeon-shooting. In the days of the Red 

 House, at Battersea, the members met four times 

 a week in their enclosure on the banks of the 

 Thames for the purpose of pigeon -shooting. The 

 traps mostly in use at that time weVe what were 

 known as ' H ' and 'T.' Betting was frequently 

 heavy when men like Lord Huntingfield, Lord 

 Winchelsea, Lord Kennedy, Sir Richard Sutton, 

 Sir Charles Kent, Captain Ross, and Mr George 

 Osbaldeston were present. Captain Ross in 1828 

 killed at 30 yards rise, from five traps, seventy-six 

 birds out of eighty ; three of the other four settled 

 on the fence, and the fourth bird was hard hit, 

 although the shooter's first barrel missed fire. The 

 shooter handled a 12-bore gun by William Moore, 

 charge of powder and shot unlimited. Captain Ross 

 won the Ited House Club Cup, value 200 guineas, 

 both in 1828 and 1829 ; and in 1841, in a match at 

 Edinburgh with Lord Macdonald, he at 35 yards 

 rise killed fifty-two birds out of fifty-three. When 

 the Red House Club was closed in 1850, trap- 

 shooting was for some years out of fashion, until 

 it occurred to Mr Frank Heathcote that a system 

 of handicapping might be advantageously adopted 

 in order to place good ami bad shooters on some- 

 thing like an equality. Many successful meetings 

 were now held under Mr Heathcote's management 

 at the Old Homsey Wood House, until the ground 

 was wanted for building and other purposes. Mr 

 Heathcote in 1867 rented for 700 a year the 

 Hurlingham estate at Fulham (q.v.); and a club 

 being formed, the property was subsequently 

 purchased for 20,000. After the appointment 

 of Captain the Hon. D. J. Monson to the post 

 of manager, the club flourished to such an extent 

 that for several years prior to 1891 it bad its 

 full complement of 1500 members, under the 

 presidency of the Prince of Wales. As regards 

 the shooting members there are not more than 200, 

 and fully half of these never fire at a pigeon. 

 This can easily be accounted for, as a gentle- 

 man can get himself elected almost immediately 

 as a shooting member, whereas in the ordinary 

 ballot for members he might have to wait two 

 or three years. In 1891 over 200 candidates 

 were down for election. The entrance-fee is 15 

 guineas, with an annual subscription of r> guineas. 

 The polo-ground is the l>est in the country, and 

 during the height of the London season it is 

 nothing unusual to see three or four thousand 

 of the elite of London society in the park and 

 grounds. 



Pigeon-English. See CHINA, Vol. III. p. 195. 



Pigments used in artistic work vary much in 

 permanence ; not a few of the pictures painted by 

 distinguished artists during the 18th and the first 

 half of the 19th century are already more or less 

 failed by the action of light or otherwise injured 

 by impurities in the atmosphere of rooms. It is 



