knowing the immense pains, and the delight his uncle took in them (although a novice 

 himself.) I will simply put the question to the experienced Carrier Fancier, How 

 many years he will give me before this remarkably fine strain of Carriers degenerate 

 into the original Horseman ? You may put a question, and ask me whether they would 

 degenerate more, by lowering from the Horseman to the Dragon ? — to which I should 

 certainly answer No ; believing the Horseman to be the original bird, and would not 

 sink below its nature. Again, to try to prove niy assertion, I believe the Carrier bred 

 up to the standard, was, and is bred up by the most experienced Fanciers, from obser- 

 vation and reflection, and a thorough knowledge of these birds ; nevertheless, he has 

 to exercise all he knows, by counteraction and art, assisted by nature, who sports and 

 freaks at times, and produces a wonderful -and extraordinary Carrier; Now, having 

 this Carrier, and selecting the best Carrier from your aviary or loft, I simply put the 

 question to experienced Carrier Fanciers, (it is useless to put it to any one else ; you 

 might as well put it to Aldgate pump). Can you depend upon their young being extraordi- 

 nary Carrier birds, as they are called ? Who, from their experience, would answer 

 No ! there being such a tendency in these high bred birds to degenerate and throw 

 back ; and this is the cause why a good Fancier would rather have the cast-oflEs of a 

 good strain, than an apparent good bird that he knew nothing about. It frequently 

 happens that Fanciers are very strong and well up with these birds, and would not take 

 twenty guineas a pair for them, and -have not parted with their best birds; and if 

 you ask them how they are going along, or with what succces they have met dur- 

 ing the breeding season, the answer is, " Very bad, and not bred a bird." -The mean- 

 ing is, not worthy to be mentioned, owing to the tendency there is to degenerate. It 

 is equally as easy, if not more so, to breed the Carrier up from the Horseman, as to 

 breed your short-faced Tumblers for the five properties, from the, rough long-faced 

 common flying Tumblers, having such a tendency to degenerate. Again, the same 

 takes place with regard to' the English Pouter, when bred up to the highest pitch, there 

 being such a tendency to-degenerate. 



(Eaton.)— The Hofseman has been a very useful bird among Fanciers (which no one can 

 deny) has aided and assisted the Faincier in bringing to perfection more Pigeons than any 

 other. — The English Pouter or Cropper, see paragraph 161 ; the Pouting; Horseman, 

 l)aragraph 182 ; and the Dragon, paragraph 156, and what I have beon contending for, 

 the Carrier, paragraph 124, The experienced Fancier would be able to discover the 

 original bird, the Horseman ; not the Horseman bred up to the highest possible pitch, 

 fi-om the selection of the two best Horseman in the aviary or loft. Nature aiding and 

 assisting by giving a little one in ; and an accidental hit would produce an extraordi- 

 nary bird, then it would be called a Carrier, although the same bird bred from Horse- 

 man ; neither the hybrid Dragon, first, second, or third breed, for the oftener they are 

 bred over to the Horseman the stouter they become ; but there appears something so 

 particular in the character of the original Horseman, its broad head, its short thick 

 neck, and its dumpiness, as compared to the Carrier. If we were at a Horseman or 

 Carrier show — please yourself " with which name" — for, as I said elsewhere. What is 

 there in a name ? — mark the remarks you would hear ; it is possible some would say, I 

 do not know when I have seen a better show of stout birds, take them aU for all. You 

 would find a difference of opinion, some saying I should choose that black cock if it 

 were a little narrower in the head, or more snake-headed, with a little hollow or dent in 

 the middle, for we are inclined to think it is rather barrel-headed ; others would say, 

 give me the dun hen, provided it was longer and thinner in the neck, not so short and 

 thick, but more swan-necked ; others might say, that is the bird for me, provided it 

 possessed more carriage, and was not so spindle-beaked, which proves the difficulty of 

 breeding out the properties of the original marked Horseman ; and it is truly astonishing 

 to think what beautiful birds they are, when you come to consider with what difficul- 

 ties the Fancier is beset, in producing the Carrier with all its elegancies, and maintain- 

 ing the five properties, as laid down for the standard by the Gentlemen of the Carrier 

 Fancy, viz., — beak, wattle, head, eye, shape, all combined in a single bird, and coming 

 from the original bird, the Horseman. 



(Eaton) . — Imagine to yourself two Fanciers, one styling himself a Horseman Fan- 

 cier, and the other styling himself a Carrier Fancier, having contended for a long time 

 as to whether the Horseman or the Carrier is the original bird — both arguing all they 

 know as regards these birds, which is not a little, being two good Fanciers — but they 



