BY WILLIAM G. BARTON. 73 



do not. In fact, tumblers may be divided into two classes : 

 the Flying Tumblers, prized for their aerial performing, 

 and Short-faced Tumblers, which are bred solely for 

 certain peculiarities of appearance, without regard to their 

 manner of flight. Tumbling, strictly speaking, is the 

 turning of one or more complete backward somersaults 

 during flight, so rapidly as not to impede progress, and 

 often during an upward course. Good birds will tumble 

 thirty or forty times a minute, and go over so quickly as to 

 escape the notice of a person not used to watching them. 

 The better spirits they are in, the more they tumble, 

 appearing to take great pleasure in the act. But it is also 

 true that among those called " House Tumblers," which 

 tumble in the loft and are seldom let out, some individuals 

 tumble if they rise a foot from the floor, and seem to dread 

 the action ; while occasionally an out-of-door tumbler 

 loses control of himself and falls to the grouud. But 

 the term tumbling does not mean falling, though some 

 poor performers, especially young birds, do drop for some 

 distance instead of going over. There is, however, a 

 variety among tumblers called "Rollers," which drop 

 through the air while rolling rapidly over and over. 

 Collections or "kits " of flying tumblers are carefully trained 

 to fly high in a compact flock. There is no more beautiful 

 sight than a flock of these birds dashing off a roof, tumb- 

 ling, rolling, and circling about higher and higher until 

 almost or quite lost to sight. These flocks are often 

 started off by flag waving, and called down by a whistle. 

 They will remain aloft for hours, for seven hours even, 

 never going out of sight, unless upward. 



The Short-faced Tumblers are bred very small and 

 plump, with a round head, and an exceedingly short beak. 

 They are of very many colors, and among them are the 

 Baldheads with a white head, and the Beards with a white 



