The Literature. 



The first English writer I know of, who alludes in any particular way 

 to fancy pigeons, is Francis Willughby, whose "Ornithology," edited 

 by John Bay, was published in London, first in Latin, in 1676, and 

 afterwards in English, 1678, in folio. I have had both editions, which, 

 as regards pigeon matters, are similar ; but the latter has some 

 additional plates of bird-catching and chapters on song birds. Two of 

 the seventy eight plates of birds are of domestic pigeons, and very 

 crude they are — " A cropper dove, a carrier, a jacobine, a broad-tailed 

 shaker," &c.; all seem but half bred, and could scarcely represent the 

 birds described in the test, such as " we saw in the King's Aviary in St. 

 James's Park, and at Mr. Cope's, an embroiderer, in Jewin-street, 

 London." WiUughby, in English, is worth about 30g. 



The earliest known English book on fancy pigeons, written by an 

 experienced pigeon fancier, is "Columbarium, or the Pigeon House, 

 being an Litroduction to a Natural History of Tame Pigeons, 

 by John Moore. London : printed for J. Wilford, behind the Chapter 

 House in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1735." This book is so scarce that it 

 is something for a pigeon fancier to say he has seen it. I should suppose 

 that only a very limited number of copies were printed, probably for 

 distribution among the author's friends. Mr. Moore was an apothecary 

 "at the Pestle and Mortar in Lawrence Pouutney'a-lane, the first great 

 gates on the left hand from Cannon-street, who formerly lived at the Pestle 

 and Mortar in Abohureh-lane." He was the proprietor and inventor of a 

 vermifuge, and Pope alludes to the same in some verses he addressed to 

 him, which may be found in his works. These verses of Pope's were first 

 brought to the notice of the present generation of pigeon fanciers by the 

 Eev. Alex. Headley, Eector of Hardenhuish, Wilts, well known under 

 the nom cJe pZame of " The Wiltshire Eector" of the /owrmaZ of Horti- 

 culture, in that paper, on October 9th, 1866. The "Columbarium" is 

 mentioned in Lowndes' " Bibliographer's Manual," as published at 8s., 

 or perhaps as worth that price when he published his manual, but I have 

 seen the notice of it in the Gentleman' s Magazine for February, 1735, 

 among the lately published books, " price one sidlling." Moore only lived 

 a short time after this, his death being mentioned in the Qetitleman' s 

 Magazine of 1737, page 252, as follows .— " April 12. Mr. John 

 Moore, of Abchuroh-lane, the noted worm doctor. He will now shortly 

 verify Mr. Pope's witty observations, viz. ; 



