yS Fancv Pigeons. 



species, or races, of pigeons were trained to flig:lLt by the Modenese 

 triganicri, tliat is to say, the tnrchetfiy timpani, and zinganini ; the first 

 is distinguished by its very short beak, eyes excessively large and 

 prominent, surrounded by a red circle, and it came originally from 

 Turkey." Evidently the barb. "The second has the head and breast 

 yellowish, and the wings and tail black ; it is very much used in Austria, 

 especially at Vienna, though originally coming also from Turkey." 

 This can only apply to the archangel, though not a quite correct 

 description of it. Professor Bonizzi, in his work on the triganini, after 

 quoting the above, says : "The timpani are no other than the gimpel 

 described by Noumeister." Malmusi continues: "The zinganini are of 

 one sole colour throughout, whatever it may be, and are distinguished by 

 a white spot between the wings, which extends over the back and some- 

 times even to the neck. This race ceased to exist in Modena some 

 years ago, and there is a tradition that it was introduced by the gipsies 

 of Hungary in the fifteenth century ; thus these birds were called zingarini 

 or zinganini." 



Having now traced the archangel as far as Turkey, we shall next find 

 it in the Orient itself. When in Calcutta, in 1869, I heard of the arrival 

 there of a pigeon fancier from the north west provinces, with a large 

 assortment of pigeons for sale. I found among them two pairs of 

 archangels that were acquired by a friend of mine, in whose place 

 I saw them often afterwards. This may not be conclusive evidence 

 that thoy are an Inditin breed, as they might have originated in Europe 

 and been carried East ; but I am inclined to believe that the archangel 

 is at least an Asiatic production, cither Persian or Indian. 



The archangel is about the size of the common field pigeon, and of 

 the same typo in formation. Its beak should be of a dark flesh tint, 

 brown at the tip, and free of hard blue or black colour, straight and 

 rather long. The head is long or snaky, and the eye should be of 

 a vivid orange colour surrounded by a narrow flesh-coloured cere or 

 wattle. Though there are plain headed and shell crested, or, at least 

 partially shell crested birds among the breed, the correct style of head is 

 to be peak crested, and so good in the peak are some archangels that 

 they leave nothing to be desired in this respect. The feathers at the 

 back of the head should all draw to a point, ending in a finely pointed 

 crest, and the higher this peak reaches the better. I consider it is 



