94 



211.- — The more salacious they are, the more they will trumpet ; for 

 which reason, if you have a mind to be often entertained with their me- 

 lody, you must give them good store of hemp seed ; otherwise they will 

 seldom trumpet much, except in Spring, when they are naturally more 

 salacious than usual. 



COLUMBA CYPRTA CUCULLATA. 

 The Jacohi7ie Pigeon. 



212. — The Jacobine, or as it is vulgarly called for shortness, the Jack, 

 is, if true, the smallest of all Pigeons, and the smaller still the better ; 

 It has a range of feathers inverted quite over the hinder part of the head, 

 and reaching down on each side of the neck to the shoulders of the wings, 

 which forms a kind of a fryer's hood ; from hence this Pigeon has its 

 name Jacobine, because the fathers of that order all wear hoods to cover 

 their bald crowns ; hence the upper part of this range of feathers is called 

 the hood, and the more compact these feathers are, and the closer to the 

 head, so much the more this bird is esteemed : The lower part of this range 

 of feathers is called by us, the chain, but the Dutch call it the cravat, the 

 feathers of this chain ought to be long and close, so that if you strain the 

 neck a little, by taking hold of the bill, the two sides will lap over each 

 other in some of the best ; but there are but very few now to be found in 

 England compleat. (*) 



were gudgeons in the world ; since then the flats have become more fashionable. 

 Where a prize is awarded to the best four pens of different varieties, with the excep- 

 tion of Tumblers, Carriers, and Pouters, I do not find fault when the Trumpeter is 

 put in as one of the varieties, owing to the difficulty to breed a good one, compared to 

 the breeding of a Turbit, although a very pretty bird, and infinitely before a FantaU, 

 unless it has beautiful lace feathers. 



(• 212. Matoe, p. 114.) — The breed of them having suffered much, in my opinion, 

 in general, by a wrong method of propagating them, viz., that of intermixing the 

 breed of the Ruff with them, in order to improve their chain by lengthening the 

 feathers thereof, whereby the chain is considerably detrimented, by being looser and 

 not so closely connected as it otherwise would have been, had the Jack and the Ruff 

 been entirely kept separate. It has likewise caused the Jack to be bred larger, a longer 

 beak and looser in its hood than it was originally ; for the true Jack is a small 

 bird, very little larger than a Tmnbler, and the smaller it is the better. 



(212. Matok, p. 115.) — The Pigeon dealers have a method of coaxing the hood and 

 chain of this bird (as the term is), which they perform by clipping the feathers at 

 the back part of the head and neck, and continually stroking the hood and chain 

 forwards, which makes them advance further than they otherwise would ; and 

 sometimes they cut a piece of skin out between the throat and the chest, and sew 

 it up again, by which means the chain is drawn closer. It should have a very 

 small rise, &c. 



(212. Eaton.) — Writing on the Jacobine, Moore says, if true, it is the smallest 

 of aU Pigeons. I have not any doubt but the Jack was an exceeding pretty Pigeon 

 when MOOEE wrote his Work, 123 years ago. You at times see a pretty pair of 

 these birds by comparison with others that are called Jacobines (but neither more 

 nor less than Capuchines or rough Ruffs). One thing is quite certain, the Jacobine 

 has greatly degenerated, or the incomparable Tumbler, possessing the five properties, 

 very much improved ; 'tis certain one or the other. If you refer to Mayok's Work, 

 you will observe a beautiful print or hkeness of a Jacobine, very likely what it was at 



