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enquired of a German, who brought Pigeons over to sell here, the reason 

 of their being so called, and as he told me, he believed, was that they 

 were first brought to Holland by a drummer or trumpeter, and so were 

 called Trumpeters from him. Credat Judseus Appela, let who will swal-^ 

 low this gudgeon. 



(210. Brent.) — This variety of the domestic Pigeon came, I believe, originally from 

 Egypt and Arabia ; they are distinguished from all others by the prolonged and gur- 

 gling coo, from which they derive their name of Trumpeter. In Germany they are 

 called "Trommel Tauben," and in France " Pigeon Tambour, or *' Glougou," names 

 all expressive of their peculiar note, which is sustained frequently for several minutes, 

 and somewhat resembles the distant rumbling of a drum, or the gurgling of water ; 

 the voice sounds hke a combination of the word " Coo-coo-coo -oo-coo," rapidly repeated 

 in a deep tone, interrupted by an occasional inspiratory "Ah !" Some are, however, 

 more rapid and tremulous in their voice than others. Some nattiralists consider them 

 a very pure race, because if at all crossed they lose this distinctive coo. In addition to 

 their coo, they have a peculiar tuft or turn of the feathers over the beak, which 

 spreads in the form of a pink, and the finer and more evenly this spreads, the more 

 they are admired. They are usually turn-crowned, but sometimes only point-headed ; 

 they are well booted, or, as the Shanghae Fanciers style it, " Yvilture-hocked," and 

 their feet are covered with very long feathers ; the length of these feathers is also 

 considered a great point ; they are stout thick-set birds, what the Fanciers call "runtish" 

 made, of good size, and excellent breeders, but should be kept clean and dry. The 

 long feathers on their feet often incommode their walking on rough grovmd. Their 

 prevailing plumage is quite white, and of the white there seems to be two varieties, the 

 one rather smaller, with white beak and dark eyes, heavily feathered and excellent 

 vocalists ; the other rather larger, with slightly tinged beak, a pearl eye, and better 

 turn over the beak and back of the head ; this last, I fancy, is not quite so musical, 

 though generally more esteemed ; of the former variety I had some excellent birds 

 bred from stock imported from Egypt, and though they were not quite so hand- 

 some as some, I never had but one other that could equal them in trumpeting a pro- 

 longed finale. The fancy plumage is the black mottle ; these, to be perfect, should 

 have the twelve tail feathers, and the ten flight feathers in each wing, perfectly black, 

 the rest of the body being white, regularly mottled with black featlaers ; the eyes 

 should be of a clear pearl colour, the turn of feathers over the beak and at the back 

 of the head well developed, and the feet well feathered. There are also blacks, 

 blues, and reds. The Germans have some they call " Bastard-Trommel Tauben," 

 which are beautifully marked, but which rarely trumpeet well, if at all ; the German Fan- 

 ciers generally think more of feather than of the other properties, which will account for 

 the mmierous varieties of toys which they cultivate. These cross-bred Trumpeters are 

 variously marked, as reds or yellows, with clean white shoulders, also white birds with 

 dark shoulders, like our Turbits, as black, blue, red, or yellow shouldered, the two for- 

 mer sometimes having white wing bars ; some of these cross-bred birds have no turn 

 crown, and others have neither turns and yet trumpet very well ; these have various 

 provincial names, as "rauchfuszige," "■ latschige," "strausz," "Pussische," or "Alten- 

 Ijurgische," i.e. rough-footed, slippered, tufted, Pussian or Altenburg Pigeons. 



(210. Eaton.) — Some Fanciers greatly admire this bird ; I confess that I have seen 

 some that are to be admired ; the best I have ever seen are the black mottled ones, as 

 they are called ; they are differently marked in the body to a black mottled Tum- 

 bler. I think they might with equal propriety be called Black and White Mottle 

 Trumpeters, being so gay in their body feathers, having as many white feathers in 

 their body as black. The white Trumpeter is not so much admired as the mottled, 

 ior want of variety in the feather, and so easy to breed ; but where Fanciers want to 

 breed to a particular feather, at the same time maintaining all the other grand proper- 

 ties, they experience the difficulty ; the fact is, London Fanciers do not admire the 

 white whole feathered Pigeons from their want of variety ; besides the impossibility to 

 keep them clean in London ; it is otherwise in the coiintry ; although the London Fan- 

 ciers do admire a perfect white short-faced Tumbler with a beautiful pearl eye, whenever 

 they can see one. It appears, 123 years ago, when Moore wrote his book, there 



