95 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



t August S, 1871. 



always has been a diversity of thought on all subject", and it 

 is well, too, that eneh exists ; and were it not that Mr. Harrison 

 Weir is looked upon as an authority on Pigeons he might still 

 enjoy undisturbed his own views of a perfect Owl, aud we 

 would have simply requested fanciers to read our article on the 

 Owl and Mr. Weir's remarks, and then draw their own con- 

 clusions. Bat as Mr. Weir is not only an accomplished artist, 

 but an eminent judge of Pigeons, we ctnnot let his adverse 

 opinions pass unnoticed. To do so might appear to some 

 fanciers as equivalent to our conversion to his peculiar views, 

 and might influence would-be fanciers in their search for choice 

 birds of this variety. We will, therefore, again direct their 

 attention to onr article on the Owl (see vol. xx., page 429). and 

 also to Mr. Weir's contrary opinions (see July 6th, pages 17 and 

 18), taking a few extracts from each to show in what respects 

 the Birmingham Columbarian Society and Mr. Weir differ as 

 to the qualities of a standard Osl Pigeon. 



Oar views are : — '* From near the end of the lower beak 

 should fall in nearly a straight line a loosely-hanging feather- 

 covered skin or dewlap, terminating at its lower extremity in 

 the gullet, from which should protrude evenly on either side 

 a large and full-feathered frill or ruffle. This ornamental 

 frontispiece should extend low down the breast, and finish off 

 in a sort of rose or radiation of feathers. &c." To the above 

 quotation Mr. Weir objects by saying, "The Owl ought not to 

 have what is termed the gullet, nor a frill, but the head set 

 on an evenly-rounded neck with no frill, but a circular patch of 

 feathers on the breast that is called the rose." Thus it will 

 be seen that we want rose, frill, dewlap, and guUef, whilst Mr. 

 Weir is content with the rose, or patch of feathers as he terms 

 it, and adds that the points above enumerated by us belong to 

 the Tarbit. 



Let us see what "The Treatise," published in 1765, says — 

 " The feathers on the breast open and reflect both ways, ex- 

 panding something like a rose, which is called the purl 

 by some, and by others the frill, and the more the bird has 

 of that the better, with a gullet reaching down from 'he 

 beak to the frill." Mr. B. P. Brent says (page 53), " The 

 gullet of the Owl should be well developed, frill rose-shaped." 

 And, again, we find in the old work on Pigeons, above alluded 

 to, the following description of the Turbit, which the author 

 says, " should have a round button head, with a gullet ; and 

 the feathers on the breast (like that of the Owl) open and 

 reflect both ways, standing out almost like a fringe, or the frill 

 of a shirt, and the bird is valued in proportion to the goodness 

 of the frill or purl ;" and apart from antiquated notions whether 

 for or against our views, Mr. Weir has himself pourtrayed a 

 pair of Owls, and the head study of another, in all of which 

 the " dewlap " is conspicuous. We have also in support of 

 our views most modern fanciers, and many veteran Pigeon 

 keepers, many ancient records, and Nature herself for our 

 guide, the study of which shows clearly that the Owl Pigeon 

 has dewlap, gullet, frill, and rose. These birds are no strangers 

 to us, no new variety, or obscure breed recently brought to 

 light ; they are an ancient race, and are also by nature frilled 

 birds from neck to breast ; and whatever strange twists and 

 twirls such feathers Eometimes take upwards, downwards, in- 

 wards, outwards, a stndy of this variety, as nestlings in pin- 

 feather, will reveal clearly the course such feathers are in- 

 tended to take, and will be more convincing to those who are 

 inclined to be captions than an exhaustive volume on the 

 subject. 



We admire the rose on the breast of the Owl greatly, and 

 consider such point indispensable, but for a perfect specimen we 

 must have also a frill in continuation from the top of the rofe, 

 also gullet and dewlap, without which auch birds are imperfect 

 developments of the Ijreed, and however much we may admire 

 theru as eccentricities, we do not think well to extol their 

 merits as perfect birds. Pigeons of the Owl type possessing 

 roBe_ only are rarely to be found ; they are, indeed, isolated 

 Epeoimens, freaks of Nature springing from the parent stock, 

 and as such they should be regarded, and not held up as 

 possessing the fundamental qualities of the breed. They should 

 have their place with us, and command our admiration too; 

 but such singular specimens must and should give place to 

 those of higher merit of the true type such as we have de- 

 scribed. 



Mr. H. Weir says we (the Birmingham Columbarian Sneietj) 

 do not seem to know much about the Powdered Blue specimens, 

 and kindly volunteers a little enlightenment e," to the origin of 

 the Powdered Blue variety and its name. Mr. Weir says, " This 

 breed was produced by the late Mr. Matthew Wicking and 



myself many years ago (at least neither of us ever saw any 

 until we bred them), and they were got from a Light Blue and 

 ft Mealy, and selected and bred on. We called them Powdered 

 Blues, because the necks of the birds being of a bright blue, 

 and the tips of the hackle feathers nearly white, it gave them 

 a powdered look ; hence the term Powdered Blue." That Mr. 

 Weir may have bred the lighter-coloured or Powdered Bine 

 Owls as he describes — viz , from Light Blues and Mealies, wa 

 do not doubt — indeed we know they are thus produced ; we 

 only wonder that Mr. Weir should take credit to himself and 

 the late Mr. Wicking as the originators of this breed. It is 

 true he has qualified such observation by the following adden- 

 dum — " At least neither of us ever saw any until we bred thtm.'" 

 Were there no enterprising and experimenting breeders prior 

 to the nineteenth century who tried the amalgamation of Bines, 

 Mealies, and Silvers ? Did not chance ever bring them together 

 and produce the same effect ? Let us refer back just a hundred 

 years and see what Mayor says. " The Blue ones," he writes, 

 " should have black bars cross the wings, and the lighter they 

 are in colour, particularly in the hackle, the more they are 

 valued." And we find also in Mr. Tegetmeier's work on Pigeons^ 

 in speaking of the Owl he says, " It is to be regretted that the 

 old Powdered Blue and Silver Owls, being of extreme beauty, 

 should be allowed to pass away." 



We must leave our readers to form their own opinions as ta 

 the originators of this breed ; but we would simply say. Ask 

 any old fancier if he knows what Silveryhackled Blue Owls 

 are and how long he has known of them, and he may perhaps 

 have a long yarn to spin in praise of the beauties his great- 

 grandfather had of that variety. We will not dispute the right 

 or title as co-sponsor which Mr. Weir claims, in conjunction 

 with the late Mr. Wicking. at the re-christening of the variety 

 now known as Powdered Blue, for probably Mr. Weir did thus 

 name them. This, although not of material importance, is 

 news to us, and for such enlightenment we desire to express 

 our thanks; in other respects we remain unmoved. Our views 

 of an Owl of standard merit are unaltered; and, should such 

 be necessary, we are prepared to give modern authority, ancient 

 record, or ocular demonstration, in substantiation of the opini- 

 ons we have promulgated. — The Birmingham CoLUiiEiKiAN 



SOCIEIT. 



I KEAD with interest the remarks on the properties of the 

 Owl Pigeon by one to whom every true fancier is indebted for 

 his services at the most important shows, and for his pencil 

 productions ; but allow me to ask him, Mr. Harrison Weir, on 

 what ground was based the decision at the Crystal Palace? I 

 have good reasons to suppose, only on the appearance of their 

 best specimens, which by the trial they have undergone in 

 order to be produced, " very finely powdered " and " forcing," 

 or from being rather too weakly and close bred, have lost their 

 most important property, the full frill, and not by a reference 

 to the original breed and country, and their first breeders — the 

 venerable Turks — who claim the honours of producing both the 

 Owl and the Turbit, besides other rare beauties. What would 

 the Almond breeders in England say, if some of the fanciers 

 here breeding the Almonds, which I have imported into this 

 country, should breed differently to what they should be bred, 

 and establish to their own taste an improved standard ? 



The most venerable fancier I have known here (twenty years 

 I ago, then quite shaky, but still, to my delight, not more shaky 

 now), who from boyhood inherited from his yet-and-for-ever 

 venerated father, the most beautiful of Toy Pigeons, when I 

 translated to him Mr. Harrison Weir's remarks on the Owl, 

 most comically came out with a proverb, which exactly trans- 

 lated means, " Come my grandfather to show you your father's 

 inheritance." In my twenty-five years' experience of the fancy, 

 and in my travels, I have discovered that we are indebted to 

 the Mahomedans for the best of our Toy Pigeons, but especially 

 for the Owls and Turbits. This granted — and there is not the 

 least doubt — I beg to give the original standard of the two 

 breeds. 



With the exception of markings and caps they should be one 

 and the same breed, and I believe had Mr. Weir seen perfect 

 Turbits, as he has the perfect Owls occasionally met with 

 in England, he would alter his views. But unfortunately a 

 perfect-shaped Turbit does not yet exist in England ; you only 

 meet the rather thin-beaked, not short enough, narrow-headed, 

 mousey-shaped bird ; while the head of a Turbit, according to 

 the original producers of the breed, should be, with the ex- 

 ception of the cap, as beautiful as that of the Owl, and you may 

 well imagine the beanty of a Tarbit with snoh a head ; and as 



