The Feather's Practical Pigeon Book 



such a thing. A bird that can get up three feet is not 

 an inside bird, he is only a "corny." To Mr. WilHam 

 Fable (now dead some eighteen months) belongs som-e 

 of the credit of style, head, and beak-qualities, rich and 

 uniform coloring combined with the main characteris- 

 tics, and some I take to myself. You remember yourself 

 the famous, pure-wliite, pearl-eyed birds I used to have, 

 and sold as high as $ioo per pair. 



Such, undoubtedly, is the history of the origin of this 

 interesting and amusing little pigeon, and confirms my 

 convictions that Philadelphia was where they origi- 

 nated. Here they have always had admirers and been 

 carefully bred, and to-day probably there are more In- 

 side Tumblers to be found than any other single place 

 in America. 



The fancier who may be unable to keep pigeons be- 

 cause he can not allow them to fly, can find an immense 

 amount of pleasure, comfort, and profit in breeding 

 these little pets. An unused, well-lighted room in the 

 house, or a neat little house in the yard, could be ar- 

 ranged to accommodate six to ten pairs. Here they can 

 be treated the same as other pigeons, as far as feeding, 

 watering, and other care is concerned, and they wi'l 

 pair and breed, producing, if well-managed, from four 

 to six pairs each in a season. Their colors are not as 

 various as that of flying Tumblers, and are chiefly con- 

 fined to Mottles, Grizzles, and solid colors. The habit 

 of tumbling varies in different specimens, some rising 

 to the height of three or four feet before making a 

 somersault, others can not rise from the floor on ac- 

 count of their tumbling. These last are more of cur- 

 iosities, but do not give as much satisfaction according 

 to my idea, as those that rise three or four feet and then 

 make two complete somersaults before striking the floor. 



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