120 POWTERS. [CHAP. iv. 



purposes. They are nothing new in the Pigeon world. 

 Willughby describes them. " Helmets. In these the 

 head, tail, and quill feathers of the wings are always of 

 one colour, sometimes white, sometimes black, red, yel- 

 low, or blue ; the rest of the body of another, different 

 from that, whatever it be. These are also called Helmet 

 by the Low Dutch, as Aldrovandw writes from the 

 relalation of the fore-mentioned Dutchman"* Aldro- 

 vand's own description is so nearly the same as this, 

 that it is unnecessary to quote it. To this race are to be 

 referred the Magpies, Spots, Swallows, &c. of the dealers. 

 In all these the form, size and powers of the bird remain 

 the same; there are certain variations of colour only, 

 which follow a definite rule in all the sub-races, the 

 leading principle being that the head exhibits a marked 

 contrast to the body. In none of these are the colours 

 shaded or blended into each other, as is the case with 

 the Archangel Pigeon ; but, in all, the line of demar- 

 cation is as sharp as the junction of the white and the 

 chestnut in a piebald Horse. Buffon mentions them. 

 "II y en a qu'on appelle aussi (besides the Nuns) 

 Pigeons hirondelles. C'est a cette variete qu'il faut 

 rapporter le pigeon cuirasse de Jonston et de Wil- 



POWTERS appear to us to be the most isolated of the 

 domestic Pigeons ; they bear little resemblance to any 

 of the other kinds, and it is difficult to say to which 

 breed they are most nearly related. If, as some writers 

 have held, the inflation of the crop is the peculiar dis- 

 tinction of the Pigeon, Powters ought to stand at the 

 head of the whole family of ColumUda. Provincially 



* Treatise, p. 182. 



t Columba galeata. Av. p. 63. 



