336 FANCY PIGEONS. 



"KB. An ermine Tumbler never conies to the full Beauty 

 of its Feather, till it has twice molted off, and when it 

 grows very old will decline, till it runs away to a down-right 

 Mottle or other Colour." 



The Almond Tumbler was, therefore, very much valued 

 when the three colours ran through the nights and tail, as 

 early as 1735; and a standard had by that time been esta- 

 blished for it in regard to feather. But it seems unlikely, if 

 it was then anything else than an almond-feathered common 

 Tumbler, that Moore would have omitted to describe its. 

 peculiarities of head, beak, and carriage. It seems probable, 

 therefore, that at this date it had not altered much in size 

 and shape from the common Tumbler, seeing that Moore 

 describes it as a variety of that breed. 



Thirty years afterwards the Almond Tumbler had made 

 great progress in London, for it is described by the author 

 of the Treatise of 1765 at length, and as then distinct in 

 character from the common Tumblers. It was then "a very 

 small Pigeon, with a short body, short legs, a full chest, a 

 thin neck, a very short and spindle beak, and a round 

 button head, and the iris of the eye a bright pearl colour." 

 But the illustration which accompanies this description is 

 disappointing, as it represents a pigeon of a much commoner 

 type, compared to the modern Short-faced Tumbler, than some 

 of the author's other illustrations are, compared to their 

 modern representatives. The author had, however, become 

 enamoured of the Almond, and considered that the title of 

 the King of Pigeons, conferred by former fanciers on the 

 Carrier, might, with greater propriety, be conferred on the 

 new favourite. Some of the reasons he gives for this opinion 

 are its exceeding beauty and diversity of plumage, its in- 

 creasing value twenty guineas having been paid for five pairs, 

 and those not of the best and the ease with which it could 

 be bred, compared with the Pouter and Carrier. Then, after 

 dilating, through four pages of his work, on the difficulties of 



