THE VARIOUS BREEDS 55 



'" Pigeon Fancy " dates back some eighty 

 years in this country, and in that time an im- 

 mense amount of money has been invested in 

 perfecting the fancy and toy breeds which are 

 scattered broadcast over the land. Large sums 

 have been paid for African owls, pouters, and 

 racing homers. 



THE POUTER 



The pouter in appearance Is farther away 

 from the parent stock (rock pigeon) than any 

 of the other varieties, yet by nature he has all 

 the characteristics. He is purely a fancy pig- 

 eon and easily stands at the head of what 

 breeding can accomplish. No bird has been 

 bred showing such a divergence from the orig- 

 inal type as the pouter, and therefore no bird 

 shows the amount of breeding which he does. 

 His distinct points are an extraordinary length 

 of limb, wonderful crop, great length of 

 feather, thin girth, and lightness in hand — no 

 highly bred pouter carries much flesh. His 

 legs should be closely covered with short, 

 soft feathers, which gradually increase in size 

 and quill to the toes where they spread upon 

 the ground at right angles with the foot. He 

 Is gentle In disposition and easily tamed. It is 



