JI2 



by and bye, to an excellent account given by Mr. Brent of upwaroa of twenty Native 

 Doves and Foreign Pigeons, with other interesting matter connected with Pigeons, 

 for which I feel grateful to him, at the same time I believe it will interest and delight 

 you. 



THE ANTWERP. 



(256. Eaton.) — With regard to the Antwerp, I am bound to give you all the informa- 

 tion I possess, however little that may be ; I believe very little was known in England 

 until the great match, when Mr. Francis Eedman, of the Borough, but now of the 

 Swiss Cottage, Regent's Park, an acknowledged good Fancier, who tossed (as it is 

 called by Fanciers) from off London Bridge one himdred and ten of these birds (Ant- 

 werps), about one hundred reached home. There is not a doubt all of these birds had 

 been severely trained by the Dutch fishormen, who bring their cargoes of fish, &c., to 

 Billingsgate Market, who are in the habit of practising these sharp Autwerps. I 

 believe if all their sharp birds (that is the proper name) were practised and sold to 

 Fanciers, nine out of ten would return to their homes. Mr. Giles having returned from 

 Antwerp, brought a lot of these Pigeons. I was the first that saw the Pigeons ; they 

 looked as though they could eat me. I picked fifteen out of the lot ; one was a very 

 strong, beautiful white Owl, who unfortunately got out of the pen and went through a 

 pane of glass like a brick-bat. I informed Giles of it : his answer was, it would not 

 stop till it reached Antwerp. I believe it, and so would you if you had seen how it 

 took the pane of glass ; the other fourteen Antwerps I kept in the loft and trap ; these 

 wUd devils (if I may be permitted to use such a term), for six weeks, whenever I went 

 up into the loft, were always in the trap, appearing as looking out for a chance, pro- 

 viding opportunity would favour them. Whenever I went up into the loft where these 

 birds were, they came about my eyes like brick-bats ; I often put on my spectacles for 

 preservation, for fear of their cutting my eyes out of my head. I had enough of 

 these birds confined, therefore I was determined they should fly. I went to work, as I 

 supposed very cunning ; ordered ample food and water to be placed in the loft, that 

 would supply them the next day ; my boy and self agreeing at dark to let down the 

 traps, and not go to see till candle light next night. These Antwerp birds did fly with 

 a vengeance ; for at caudle light next evening, when we came to look for the Antwerps, 

 there were two stopped ; I presume they were the most foolish. For instance, one of 

 the lot of the celebrated match that were thrown up at London Bridge was caught in 

 Kent-street, Borough. I am willing, if possible, to give you some little account of this 

 useful bird. I went to Mr. Giles, who informed me a particular old acquaintance of 

 his, a Yorkshireman, who went to Antwerp, married there, and kept an hotel ; that he 

 became an enthusiastic Pigeon Flyer, had a place as long as a short street "Whenever 

 Giles was at Antwerp he put up this hotel, and ascertained the way they obtained the 

 Antwerp or sharp bird, was from the cross of their Owl and our English Dragon ; there 

 are other ways of breeding sharp or cunning birds, and that is by crossing the long- 

 faced and long-flighted Beard over to the English Dragon, and their young over to the 

 Owl. The Antwerp bird is such a marked bird ; the more ugly it is the better they 

 perform their work — that is, of Flying ; they have a high head (not like the Carrier), 

 at the same time mousey, with a down beak, like a man with a Boman nose ; they are 

 various colours. Some few of the Antwerps have a pure and clear white eye, not sur- 

 passed by any Pigeon we have. The Flying Fanciers of Antwerp care not a straw 

 what colour the bird is, provided it will do execution in flying ; it is their opinion that 

 the gravel-coloured-eye bird will perform more execution than the beautiful clear white 

 eye, which some of these birds have : there is an erroneous notion with some Fanciers, 

 who assert it is not an Antwerp unless it has a pearl eye. I have no doubt you have 

 heard that, on the Continent, the people take as deep interest in their extraordinary 

 Flying Matches as people in this country take in horse racing. I have read of Pigeons 

 doing two thousand miles ; I do not beUeve all I read. When I first came into the 

 Fancy, and looking out for short-faced birds, being at the late Mr. Attwood's, he in 

 conversation with some of the Flying Fanciers, stated that Beards of five-eighths, was 

 quite long enough to do Dover to London. I was pleased to hear this remark ; I 

 thought I had dropped into the right shop, should obtain some short-faced half-inch 

 Almonds. I asked him if he had got some short-faced Almonds, he said could I not 

 see them ; I answered. No ; I came out of the shop as I went in. A friend of mine 



