290 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



zvJiite dragon, for instance, and the vioiidaiii angles, make a somersault, sometimes two, and 

 pigeon, of a light blue powdered with a white soar again, describing curves and circles in the 

 tint of marvelous beaut)-, making the tip of each air ; then suddenly they drop to earth in almost 

 feather look as though it were touched 

 with hoarfrost. The eyes of this breed 

 are dark brown, the shade of which varies, 

 as in all pigeons, according to the darker 

 or lighter tint of the body feathers. 

 The cream color of the spectacled 

 pigeon is also very beautiful. This 



bird usually has a dark brown design 

 on its breast resembling a pair of 

 spectacles. A like design appears 

 on the /(?/•/■ pigeon, called also the 

 Cob nig pigeon. The Polish pigeon is 

 usually black, though some are blue o 

 speckled. The sta rling-necked 

 pigeons are much in demand in 

 Germany, where they have smo(jth 

 shining heads, while English 

 breeders prefer them with tufts 

 or hoods. They are dark blue 

 bordering on black, with a metal- 

 lic luster and a white half-moon 

 upon the breast. The capuchin 

 pigeon has a white hood and tail, 

 and as he is also supplied with 

 a species of dark tuft on his forehead (some- 

 times two) he presents a very singular appear- 

 ance. The jiiagtiie pigeons also have white 

 hoods and wings ; so have the swallow pigeons, 

 which bear not the slightest resem- 

 blance to swallows, and come in all 

 possible colors. The masked pigeon 

 is white with a colored face and tai 

 likewise the Nuremberg variety. 



All the species we have now named 

 are subdivided into others too numer- 

 ous to mention here. Agreeable va- 

 rieties are the Russian drum pigeon. 

 which does not coo, but gives vent to 

 humor in sounds resembling the roll 

 of a drum, and the Dutch tumbler 

 pigeon of the Netherlands. It is 

 curious to see how the latter perform 

 their aerial gymnastics. Thev fly to 

 great heights with the rapidity of 

 an arrow ; then thev turn at right 



a straight line, stop short, hover awhile on their 

 outstretched wings, and begin the 'play again. 

 Nothing is more diverting than to watch a 

 covey of these tumblers in the azure air; 

 nc\er do they weary of the game, which they 

 often keep up for hours. As for their 

 color, it varies so much that our limited 

 space will not allow us to say any- 

 thing ahdut it. The distinction 

 between tumblers with long 

 beaks and those with short 

 beaks explains itself ; but 

 these divisions are 

 divided again, the first 

 into wliite-winged, 

 white-bearded, 

 mag]iie, striped, 

 H a n (1 V e r i a n, 

 antl \'iennese 

 tumblers ; the 

 second into 

 German, Eng- 

 lish, almond- 

 colored, Little 

 Nun, and Jacobin tumblers, so that a volume 

 would be needed for this race alone. 



The turbit, or frilled, pigeons, of various 

 colors, are known by many names the world 

 over. They are not large, but are \'ery active 



heads are rather angu- 

 the breast are frizzed 

 their name. They 

 red at exhibitions, 

 species, also in de- 

 :hibitions, is the pea- 

 ui-tailed, pigeon ; its 

 colors are white, 

 or black, and the 

 lef breeds are the 

 English, Scotch, Ger- 

 man, and French, 

 all of which carry 

 their tails spread 

 out like fans or the 

 The M.\gpie Pigeon tails of peacocks. 



The Tumbler Pigeon, Old Dutch Breed 



nee 



