168 FANCY PIGEONS. 



latter could never breed while I had it, but when it became 

 three or four years of age it began to breed. It was then 

 in the possession of a fancier named Mure, or Muir, in 

 Glasgow, to whom I sold it, and I believe its descendants 

 are still to the fore in the "West of Scotland. The reason 

 the coloured-sided birds became so scarce about Dundee was, 

 that pure white ones became the fashion. To obtain these, 

 crossing with whites was resorted to, but splashed and 

 saddle-marked ones long continued, and still continue, to 

 come, even when breeding whites together, on account of the 

 coloured strain there is in them. As far as I ever saw, the 

 Dundee Saddle-backs were seldom marked quite so accurately 

 as a Turbit, but had generally more or less coloured feathers 

 in the head, neck, and breast, and sometimes in the tail. 

 The few good ones still in existence are marked more 

 or less in the same way, though they do not appear so at 

 shows. Careful breeding would, however, do much to rectify 

 this, if even only a few persevering fanciers were to turn 

 their thoughts to the breed. I know one or two who are 

 directing their attention to Saddle-backs, and hope they will 

 be successful. 



There is no doubt in my mind that the bird or birds 

 which originated the Dundee breed of Fantails came from 

 India, because I had one of the same style in Calcutta. It 

 was a red Saddle-back cock, the exact counterpart of the 

 one I sold to the Glasgow fancier some twenty-five years ago. 

 I bought it in the Tiretta Bazaar, Calcutta, about 1870, and 

 it was the only one of the wonderful Shaking breed I ever 

 saw there. Not following up its history at the time, I never 

 learned where it came from; but, on my return to this 

 country, I wrote to a friend in India, who could procure me 

 similar birds if they were to be got, and he told me they 

 were very scarce, but that he knew of them. He died shortly 

 afterwards, however, and I have not been able to learn more 

 about them. The bird in question lived but a short time. 



