Arnaux 
loiterers was a big, lubberly Blue Pigeon. The 
man in the loft at the time called: ‘“ Here 
comes that old sap-headed Blue that Jakey was 
betting on. I did n’t suppose he would come 
back, and I did n’t care, neither, for it ’s my 
belief he has a streak of Pouter.” 
The Big Blue, also called “ Corner-box ”’ from 
the nest where he was hatched, had shown re- 
markable vigor from the first. Though all 
were about the same age, he had grown faster, 
was bigger, and incidentally handsomer, though 
the fanciers cared little for that. He seemed 
fully aware of his importance, and early showed 
a disposition to bully his smaller cousins. His 
owner prophesied great things of him, but Billy, 
the stable-man, had grave doubts over the length 
of his neck, the bigness of his crop, his carriage, 
and his over-size. “A bird can’t make time 
pushing a bag of wind ahead of him. Them 
long legs is dead weight, an’ a neck like that 
ain’t got no gimp in it,” Billy would grunt dis- 
paragingly as he cleaned out the loft of a 
morning. 
78 
