U6 



pounds for ; moreover, it sUenceg the inexperienced Fancier, who shows for the five 

 properties — his bird possessing shape and feather. The inexperienced Fancier, from 

 the general appearance of his bird, supposes he has won, but the judges inform him he 

 has lost, upon head, beak, and eye, he is satisfied ; taking the general appearance of a 

 bird, and not having a standard, is a very childish affair, and produces ill will. It is 

 useless for judges to inform gentlemen they have lost, and that is all they wiU say ; it 

 is better to have a standard, and point out the properties on which they lost, which 

 would give satisfaction ; besides, there are Fanciers (after the decision of the judges) 

 are equal as good judges, if not superior in judgment, for it often happens that the 

 judges do not keep birds ; at all events, they have no right to have any birds contend- 

 ing for the prizes. If there is not any standard, and you take the general appearance 

 of the bird, you might as well have yotmg ladies from boarding-schools, forjudges, who 

 would look out birds and call them very pretty. 



(Eaton.) — ^The first time I had the honor of attending the Columbarian Society, held 

 at the Gray's Inn Coffee-house, London, when the Almond Tumbler that took first prize 

 was shewn me, I expressed my surprise, (being a young head and beak fancier) ; French 

 Stevens, Esq., an extraordinary Fancier, made it clear to me, when he stated it was the 

 only bird in the pen that came up to the standard — Feather, which I will give you, viz. 

 three colours — black, white, and yellow, in the nine first feathers of each wing, and twelve 

 in the tail ; see J. M. Eaton's Almond Tumbler, Paragraphs 413 to 416 on Feather. The 

 Columbarian Society takes notice only of the Almond Tumbler, and very judiciously 

 have their first prize (Feather), to prevent Fanciers running from Feather. If, on 

 the contrary, there had been three Almonds, all standard birds, then the Umpires would 

 have awarded the prize to the bird that obtained three properties out of the five, viz. 

 Feather, Shape, Head, Beak, Eye. It sometimes happens that the first prize is not 

 awarded, owing to a standard bird (Feather) not being exhibited. 



(Eaton.) — This late celebrated Society had another standard for Almond Tumblers, 

 for the bu-d that takes most properties out of the five, namely, Head, Beak, Eye, Shape, 

 and Feather, this bird is, generally, the Lion of their Anniversary. It so happened, 

 the bird which was a standard feather and took the first prize, came into the possession 

 of a friend of mine. I could have had the bird but would not, being a short-faced head 

 and beak Fancier, and the bird possessing only one property out of five, which was 

 feather. How different was the case with regard to the bird that was the Lion of the 

 Day, which was shewn for the five properties ! I could have wished to have bought 

 that bird, but I knew it wotJd have offered an insult to the G-entlemen forming that 

 Society, although they have a rule privately among themselves, any member of the 

 Society has the privilege of putting up any bird in the pen to auction, the owner of the 

 bird has one bid and no more ; if the owner of the bird is satisfied with the highest bid, 

 the bird is sold ; on the contrary, if the owner puts a higher price on the bird, which 

 often gives a fresh fillip, competion begins again, and whoever is the highest bidder 

 obtains the bird : the bird I am writing of was sold for many guineas, I know the 



gentleman who purchased it. It was so as regards a pen of Bantams, H , Esq. 



put on them £50, Sir John Sebright offered £50 Is, and claimed them. 



(Eaton,) — Why I should have VT-itten so much about the standard, I am at a loss 

 to know, unless it is to throw out a gentle hint to judges, who have a standard to test 

 the birds by— to act strictly up to the standard as laid down, not forgetting themselves, 

 and taking the general appearance of the bird, or to those Fanciers who appoint judge 

 to award prizes where no standard is laid down; taking the general appearance of the 

 bird, which is sure to give dissatisfaction. In a former part I mentioned very learned 

 men, NaturaHsts, could write and edify the general reading of mHiions ; I now infonn 

 you, they could not write to satisfy a few Gentlemen Pigeon Fanciers, unless they were 

 Pigeon Fanciers themselves ; Naturalists did write upon Pigeons. Did they please Mr. 

 MooEE ? Certainly not. If we knew his private thoughts, for aught we know, in his 

 estinaation instead of being Naturalists, he may have set them down as naturals, for 

 writing on a subject they did not understand. Looking over some Works pub- 

 hshed since Mr. Moore's day, were it possible to have shewn Mr. Mooee some of 

 coloured engravings of Pigeons, to have asked him what birds they were, he, no doubt, 

 would have answered he thought they belonged to the eagle, or vulture specie, being so 

 WQ]Jke Pigeons. He expresses his surprise and amazement at the indolence of all our 

 Ornithologists ; he had examined most of •the writers on the subject, and finding in 

 them no account at all, or else a very imperfect and superficial one, (for want of a due 



