92 PIGEONS. 



two pair of dragoons to tend and feed them ; but care must be 

 taken that the dragoons are kept in a loft separate from the 

 pouters, as otherwise, a cross breed would probably be the 

 result, and the stock become degenerate. 



Pouting horsemen are not so much in repute as formerly, 

 the ** almond tumblers " having almost superseded them. 



THE DRAGOON, OR DRAGON. 



Dragons are bred between a tumbler and a horseman ; and 

 by frequently crossing them with the horseman, they acquire 

 much strength and swiftness. They are exceedingly good 

 breeders and kind nurses, and are, therefore, often kept as 

 feeders for rearing young Leghorn " runts," pouters, &c. 



The dragon is somewhat lighter and smaller than the horse- 

 man ; and one of its chief beauties consists in the straightness 

 of the top of its skull with that of its beak, which, according to 

 the rules of the fancy, should form almost a horizontal line. 

 These birds should be flown and trained while young, in the 

 same way as the horsemen, which they arc considered to 

 surpass in swiftness, in short flights of from ten to twenty 

 miles ; but in longer distances, if the horsemen be well bred, 

 they will far outstrip the dragoon.- 



THE JACOBIN. 



This pigeon, often called a " Jack," is, when perfect in its 

 properties, extremely rare. The real Jacobin is a very small 

 bird, and the smaller it is, the more valuable ; it has on the 



