329 THE TUMBLER. 



"The Ancient is found in black, red, and yellow colours, 

 with white i.e., marked like the Magpie with the additional 

 white mark on the breast, like the English Pouter. In blue 

 they are very scarce, and never particularly good. It is a 

 remarkable fact that these pigeons produce self-coloured 

 specimens in all these colours, as well as pure whites. If 

 a pure white Ancient be paired to a whole black, red, or yellow, 

 the coloured one ought always to have six or eight white 

 flight feathers in each wing ; they then often produce the best 

 specimens of Magpie colour. This is a singular characteristic 

 of the breed, and is probably peculiar to it alone. 



" There are also extant some with long beaks viz., the 

 Flugtaube in all the four prime colours, both self-coloured 

 and Magpie-marked. The difference between these and the 

 former kind is about the same as that between the Short 

 and Long-faced Tumblers." 



The Vienna Gansel, This breed, as represented by Priitz, 

 greatly resembles the Ancient in style of head and beak, ap- 

 pearing, from its broad, ribbed-up forehead, thick beak, and 

 rather broad, red wattle, to be descended from the Barb. It is 

 smooth-legged and Magpie-marked; but the head and upper 

 neck are white, the white coming down in front, and forming 

 a deep bib. The Gansel exists in black, red, yellow, blue, 

 and silver. 



The foregoing descriptions do not exhaust the Continental 

 breeds of Tumblers. There are an immense number of local 

 varieties spread over middle Europe. It is the custom in 

 some places to castrate these birds, probably with the inten- 

 tion of making them better flyers, for the purpose of training 

 the young birds in their flight. 



