14 Fancy Pigeons. 



will bo observed that the almond here carries his wing:s below his tail, 

 and I think it is copied from the " Sporting Ma^^azine,' ' above referred to. 

 In the '■' Gentleman's Jlagazine," of 1792, at page 1152, is a notice of 

 the marriage of Mr. Windns, and in the same volume are some interesting 

 particulars regarding another gentleman of the same name, possibly his 

 relative. 



After this time there was no original matter on the subject of fancy 

 pigeons published in this country till 1851. Besides the books I have 

 mentioned, several with such titles as "The Sporting Dictionary," 

 " Dictionary of Country Affairs," " Complete Sportsman," &o., came out 

 from time to time from the year 1700, giving, but always at secondhand, 

 short descriptions of fancy pigeons. I have seen many of these, but for 

 anything they contain on the subject ^in hand they are scarely woi-th a 

 place in a pigeon fancier's library. One small book on " Bees, Pigeons, 

 Eabbits, and Canary Birds," by Peter BosweU, was published about 

 forty years ago. 



In 1851 appeared the " Dovecote and Aviary," by the Eev. E. S. Dixon, 

 who had published "Ornamental and Domestic Poultry" in 1850. 

 The "Dovecote and Aviary" is a duodecimo, published by John 

 Murray; but copies with a different title page, bearing the name 'W. S. 

 Orr and Co., who seem to have acquired the remainders, are also to be 

 met with. Mr. Dixon was a scholar of great research, but more of a 

 general naturalist than particular pigeon fancier. The illustrations are 

 cither by an artist who did not understand fancy pigeons, or he had the 

 merest wasters to copy from. Still, the book has a charm of its own, 

 and should be on the shelves of all literary pigeon fanciers. An 

 abridgment of the dovecote part of it, embracing, in addition, fancy 

 rabbits, was published in 1851,, under the title of "Pigeons and Rab- 

 bits," by E. Sebastian Delamer, a name said to have been assumed by 

 the author when residing on the sea coast. It is illustrated by Mr. 

 Harrison Weir, Init the ' ' portraitures ' ' are not what would be considered 

 up to the mark in thes? exacting days. This book must have had a great 

 sale, for it can yet be seen on almost any bookstall all over the country ; but 

 when such passages as the following are to be found in it, it can scarcely 

 bo called a good guide for the learner :--" Those tumblers which are self- 

 coloured or whole-coloured, i.e., all black or all cinnamon coloured, in 

 various shades, or all cream colour, are called kites ;" and, again, under 



