CHAPTER VII. 



The Father of Pigeon-Fanciers. 



By the death of Tegetmeier, who was universally 

 recognised as a leading authority on pigeon 

 breeding and racing, a gap was caused in con- 

 nection with the sport and industry which it is 

 impossible to fill. While others have done much 

 for the breed and the sport, the pigeon-fanciers 

 of to-day owe him a debt of gratitude it will 

 never be possible to repay for his arduous efforts 

 for the popularisation of the sport in its early 

 days — for in his early days it was regarded as 

 a rather low and vulgar pursuit. It was, as we 

 have seen, the first " passion " of his life, and 

 his first pigeon race is so graphically described 

 in the article in the Savage Club Papers (1867), 

 that it is impossible to do better than reprint 

 his own account of it. He begins by describing 

 the construction of his aviary, already referred 

 to, and goes on as follows : — 



" The birds kept by the class of pigeon-fanciers 

 with whom I had become connected were those 

 employed in flying-matches ; and I need hardly 

 state that ere long my great ambition was to 

 become the winner of a pigeon race. To attain 

 this end, my young birds, as soon as they were 

 old enough, were entered in a match at a neigh- 

 bouring public-house. The birds taking part in 



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