200 FAX-TAILS AXD CARRIERS. 



the fashion of a monk's liood, when he puts it back to un- 

 cover his head." Jacobins, like tumblers, are of all colours, 

 and shades of colours ; but it seems to be a sine qud non 

 that the head, tail, and flight feathers should be white. 



In the Fan-tails the tail-feathers are increased to twenty- 

 four or thirty-six ; that is, to twice or thrice their natural 

 number. "When they walk up and do^vll they do, for 

 the most part, hold their tail erect like a hen or turkey- 

 cock," and so as to form a kind of expanded fan. Their 

 points of perfection are thus enumerated : a neck tapering, 

 and so long that at times the bird's head will nestle among 

 the tail-feathers ; a full prominent breast, and a tail always 

 erect, not numbering less than twenty-four feathers, or 

 more than thirty-six, — if it does, the weight of the tail, we 

 ure told, will cause it to droop, and thus will considerably 

 injure the beauty of the bird. 



The Carriers are large birds, with large feet and elon- 

 gated bill, and are distinguished by the considerable devel- 

 opment of the naked skin at the base of the bill, forming 

 a large warty wattle. They are interesting birds from the 

 historical and poetical associations which attach to them. 

 From a very ancient time they have been employed as 

 messengers, though now outstripped by the flash which 

 speeds silently and unseen along the electric wire. We 

 know that they were employed at the great Olympic games 

 to make known the names of the successful competitors to 

 far-ofi" districts ; and they were used for the same purpose 

 at our English races down to a very recent period. Quaint 

 Thomas Fuller tells us, in his "History of the Holy Wars," 

 that when the Crusaders were encamped before Jerusalem, 



