83 



yellow ground, the Lody mottled with white, and a yellow flight and tail. Either of 

 these two last mentioned fancies are extremely useful (provided they answer in their 

 other properties) to intermix occasionally with the Almond. 



(Eaton, 196.) — I am not aware that I can better guide you to what a mottle should 

 be, whether black, yellow, or red, than refer to the Engraving of the Mottled Tumbler 

 that will accompany this Work. I am sensible the Engraving cannot show black, yel- 

 low and red on the same plate, otherwise it would require three engravings. I am 

 rather surprised Mr. Mayor did not mention the red mottles ; they are equally as 

 beautiful as the black or yellow mottle, and infinitely more scarce. I have seen some 

 dun mottles very pretty, they are generally bred from black mottles ; provided you are 

 Bure of their pedigree they are equally as safe to match to black mottles, as the black 

 mottles, but not to show for a prize. The engraved mottle wiU convey to you how 

 sound the body, flight and tail feathers ought to be, and how it ought to be mottled, 

 provided you do not already know it. In fact, a thorough sound mottle, of whatever 

 coloured feather, should be a thorough sound whole feather, body, flight, and tail, with 

 the exception of the pinion on the wing. The rose pinion is the handsomest, with or 

 without the handkerchief back ; these feathers should be white. Moore does not men- 

 tion this Pigeon. Whether in Moore or Mayor's time they had the handkerchief 

 back, as is now understood by the Fanciers of the present day ; whether they had or 

 not, one thing I know, there is not any mention of it by MooRE, Mayor, Girtin, or 

 or any other writer upon the black, yellow, or red mottle ; I wish you to understand, 

 once for all, that a mottle is a mottle provided its colour be sound black, yellow, red, 

 or any other colour. I can very well recollect the time when I insisted upon the mottle 

 of whatever colour, to have no other feather in it but about nine or ten white feathers 

 in the shoulder of the wing, to form the rose pinion, as it is called, being the most ele- 

 gant of all pinions. Some worthy old Fanciers greatly contend for the handkerchief 

 back, as a relief to the mottled Tumbler, by having the back a little way down mottled 

 ■with white feathers, experiencing the difference between breeding the bird for feather 

 and that of giving an artist instruction in painting a portrait, in which you can have 

 nine, ten, or eleven white feathers placed in the portrait just where you please. It is 

 otherwise with regard to breeding a mottle for feather, for the white feathers may come 

 where you do not want them, and then you call it spot-rumped or glazed-faced. Talk's 

 cheap and costs nothing ; I am aware in five minutes' talk you can breed prettier marked 

 birds than in seven years' practice. You may ask me whether I consider it a Hit or 

 Miss ? Luck's all ; to which I distinctly answer, — No. On the contrary, great 

 judgment is required, and a knowledge of how yom- birds were bred as regards 

 matching. 



(Eaton, 196.) — Mayor in his Work has what he calls a black mottled Tumbler. 

 It has black flight and tail, white bodied, with about thirty or forty black feathers, 

 spotted or dotted over the white body, (like the old-fashioned spotted carriage dogs). 

 These mottles are called by the Gentlemen of the Fancy Gay Mottles. 



BLUE TUMBLEE. 



(Eaton, 196 B.) — I cannot by any possibility let the opportunity pass without noticing 

 the observations and great admiration the venerable and much respected old Fanciers 

 bestow upon the amazingly pretty little compact sky or powder blue, whole feather, 

 with its black bars, black as ebony ; the short-faced head and beak, with its other pro- 

 perties — ** The pretty little blue Tumbler." Whenever they have the opportunity to 

 see one, I have almost fancied they would have gone into fits, in observing a good 

 one with its five splendid properties — head, beak, eye, carriage or shape, and feather. 

 It appeared to me almost to make them boys again, or to remind them of times gone 

 by, although now they singf experimentally, and with feeling, " John Anderson, my 

 Joe," One thing I am quite certain of ; it has as great or greater effect upon them 

 "as jfoing to the miH to be ground young again." Unfortunatly, it is seldom you 

 have the opportunity to see one ; they are very scarce at this time, 1858. It is an ex- 

 ceedingly pretty little Tumbler Pigeon. 



BALDHEAD. 



(Mayor, 196 C, p. 74.). — The bald-pated Tumblers, which are of various colours 

 in their body, as blacks, blues, &c., with a clean white head, a pearl eye, white flight, 

 F2 



