230 FANCY PIGEONS. 



visited the lofts of more than thirty Scotch and English Pouter 

 breeders, and all the really 7in.-limbed Pouters I saw on my 

 journey could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Since 

 then, however, a great improvement has been made in this 

 respect, and birds measuring 7in., and even 7f in. in limb, have 

 been bred. It is usual, either intentionally, or from ignorance 

 of how to measure, to overstate the length of limb in Pouters 

 about a quarter of an inch; but this extra quarter sometimes 

 makes a great difference in the value of a bird. A fancier 

 once wrote me that he required his cock Pouters to be 7in. in 

 limb, and his hens 6f in. ; but when I visited him, he could 

 not show me a bird out of thirty measuring so much. Some 

 birds wear down their toe nails very much; in others, living 

 under the same conditions, the nails grow out extra long. 

 Neither form is fairly to be taken into account in measuring 

 the limb ; the length of an average toe nail may only be included ; 

 but neither form affects the height of a pigeon. The 

 difference in length of limb between the cock and hen Pouter 

 is about iin., so that 6fin. in a hen is as good as 7in. in 

 a cock. I measure the limb of a Pouter on a marked board 

 projecting from the wall, placing the nail of the index finger 

 of my left hand in the joint of the left thigh of the bird, 

 and bringing it exactly to the corner of the board; then, 

 stretching out the limb with my right hand, I can find the 

 exact length to ^th of an inch. Others who measure with- 

 out assistance, hold the pigeon by the back in the left hand, 

 place the point of the index finger of the right hand on the 

 joint of the thigh, and then, bringing the limb down the 

 palm of the hand, ascertain the length from the natural 

 marks on their palm. This is a true way to measure if one 

 remembers what signifies such and such lengths on his hand, 

 but not otherwise, as I have often found. Of more importance, 

 however, than actual measurement of limbs, is their position 

 in the body, and their shape. They ought to be placed far 

 back, so that there remains a good length of body between 



