250 FANCY PIGEONS. 



till lie pitches. A Cropper ought not to fly far nor long at 

 a time. He may go twice or thrice round his house in a 

 wide circle, then pitch, play up to his hen, and fly off again. 

 The period during which they fly best is the week or ten 

 days before the hen lays, when their courting is going on; but, 

 even when sitting or feeding young ones, each will fly well alone, 

 though not in such good style as during the time mentioned. A 

 good way to gain the flight of Croppers is to let out a lot of 

 odd cocks and one proud hen, when good sport may be had. 



There is certainly nothing in the whole pigeon fancy from 

 which greater pleasure can be derived than a flight of well- 

 trained Norwich Croppers. Beautiful in shape and feather, 

 grand fliers, ever dashing about with spirit, both in the loft 

 and out of it, in them the owner possesses a source of in- 

 exhaustible amusement. I have always kept the noble and 

 majestic Pouter, which everyone will allow is one of the 

 choicest pigeons in the fancy; but he generally wants the 

 spirit and life of the active, merry Cropper. The Pouter can 

 certainly fly, after a fashion, and if flown from his squeaker- 

 hood is fairly able to take care of himself when allowed 

 liberty; but the choicest large birds cannot be said to be at 

 home in the air, which the Cropper is, to a much greater 

 extent than most pigeons. 



The remarks on Pouters by Dixon, in his " Dovecote and 

 Aviary," apply solely to the Norwich Cropper, as can be seen 

 from his allusions to its flight, colour, &c. His illustration 

 of it represents a barelegged blue Cropper, and is, perhaps, 

 the best and most life-like picture of a pigeon in his book. 

 I observe from the preface, that he was living at Norwich 

 when the work was issued. He says, at page 122 : " The 

 flight, also, of the Cropper is stately and dignified in its way. 

 The inflated crop is not generally collapsed by the exertion, 

 but is seen to move slowly forward through the air, like a 

 large permanent soap-bubble with a body and wings attached 

 to it. The bird is fond of clapping his wings loudly at first 



