326 PIGEONS. 



is shaped like that of a goose, it is hollow-eyed, and round the eye is 

 a circle of thin skin ; its beak is very short, with a small wattle over 

 the nostrils, and the upper chap projects a little beyond the under; 

 when walking it raises its tail up like a duck. The birds of this 

 species are much more hardy than some fanciers imagine, and breed 

 pretty well; but as they make very indifferent nurses, they should not 

 be trusted to bring up their own young ones ; their eggs must therefore 

 be shifted under a dragoon, or some other tender niirse, taking care 

 to give them a young bird of some other variety to attend to, in 

 order to take off their soft food. Their plumage is usually of a 

 grizzled colour, ermined round the neck ; but the birds most prized 

 and none of them are beauties are those which are either red, white, 

 or black mottled. The Leghorn variety is of greater value than any 

 other kind of runt, and by judicious crossing with the Spanish breed 

 a breed may be obtained of large size. Spanish runts are short, 

 thick-legged, flabby-fleshed, loose- feathered birds, having very long 

 bodies ; their plumage cannot be criticised by rule, as it is particu- 

 larly various; the best, however, are said to be those which are 

 either of a blood red, or mottled tint. 



THE FRILL- BACK 



is remarkable only for the peculiar curl of its feathers, which are so 

 turned at the end as to make a little hollow in each of them ; it re- 

 sembles the runt in shape, but is smaller than that bird; its plumage 

 is pure white. 



THE CARRIER. 



The carrier is somewhat larger than 

 most of the common pigeons ; its feathers 

 lie very close and smooth, and its neck 

 is long and straight. From the lower 

 part of the head to the middle of the 

 upper chap, there is a lump of white, 

 naked, fungous -looking flesh, which is 

 denominated the wattle; this in good 

 birds is met by two small swellings of 

 similar flesh, which rise on each side of 

 the under chap, and if this flesh is of 

 blackish colour, the bird is considered 

 very valuable. The circle round the 

 black pupil of the eye is usually of a brick- dust red colour; but if it 

 is of a brilliant red tint, it- adds considerably to the value of the bird ; 

 this circle is surrounded by another of naked fungous flesh, gene- 

 rally about the breadth of a shilling, but when of greater breadth 

 the more it is admired. When the incrusted flesh round the eye is 

 very thick and broad, it shows that the pigeon will prove a good 

 breeder, and one that will rear fine young ones. The properties 

 attributed to the carrier, and prized by the fanciers are, three in the 

 head, three in the eye, three in the wattle, and three in the beak. 

 The properties of the head consist in its being flat, long, and straight; 



