106 FANCY PIGEONS. 



legs and feet are either quite smooth or slightly feathered; 

 its irides are dark hazel. Being unable to fly, it must be 

 kept in confinement, and under special conditions. However 

 interesting as an object of curiosity, it presents little varia- 

 tion in its form or feather, and, consequently, will always be 

 rather uncommon. It has the power of somewhat repro- 

 ducing its peculiarity when crossed with other pigeons, and 

 the French have a half-bred looking Fantail, called the Pigeon 

 Trembleur Paon de Soie, from which the Scotch Lace Fantail, 

 to be afterwards noticed, has been perfected. 



The Frizzled, Frillback, and Lace Pigeons, are examples of 

 natural sports perfected by selection. If lost, breeders could 

 not recover them, but would have to wait till Nature pro- 

 vided them with a new beginning on which to work. As 

 they exist, they can be kept up, in a fair degree of quality, 

 with but little trouble as compared to many kinds that are 

 called mere feather varieties, fine specimens of which are 

 consequently much more valuable than they are. If fancy 

 pigeons were separate creations, and not descended from a 

 common origin, I wonder how the Lace Pigeon existed till 

 taken in charge by pigeon fanciers. 



The A/lane Pigeon. 



The Mane, or Curly Moor Head Pigeon (die Mdhnentaube 

 oder Krausige Mohrerikopf], is said by Neumeister to be 

 probably the Latz Pigeon perfected by long breeding. From 

 his description of it they appear to have much in common. 

 It is rather larger than the field pigeon, broader-breasted, 

 and more thickset in make. It is said to be found chiefly 

 in Thuringia and the Saxon Erz mountains, and gene- 

 rally with black markings. " Its rather thick, strong beak, 

 is polished black, its eye large, and brown in the iris. The 

 thighs, legs, and feet are heavily feathered, the claws white. 

 The ground colour is white, except, as in the Latz, the head, 

 front, and sides of neck and breast, which are black ; the tail, 



