240 ON THE REARING AND MANAGEMENT 



with the common poultry, and some who breed domestic 

 fowls, on a large scale, may perhaps find it worth while 

 to add the pigeon to their number. 



" The variety of pigeon most suitable for the common 

 pigeon-house, is the grey pigeon, inclining to ash colour 

 and black; which generally shows fruitfulness by the 

 redness of the eyes and feet, and by the ring of gold 

 colour which is about the neck. 



u The varieties of the fancy breeders are numerous, 

 and distinguished by a variety of different names, as 

 carriers, croppers, powters, horsemen, runts, jacobines, 

 turbits, helmets, nuns, tumblers, barbs, petits, owls, 

 spots, trumpeters, shakers, turners, finikins, &c. From 

 these, when differently paired, are bred bastard pigeons ; 

 thus from the cropper or powter, and the carrier, is 

 bred the powting horsemen ; from the tumbler and the 

 horsemen, dragoons, &c. 



" In the selection of pigeons for the stocking of a 

 new cote, care must be taken to procure those of a very 

 young sort, called squeakers, which being confined to 

 their future place of residence, and well fed for a few 

 days, will not be inclined to wander away, while it 

 will be found next to impossible to domesticate old 

 birds to any other locality than their own. 



" Pigeons sometimes lose themselves, even in the 



