The Fire. 83 



■eye, yellow iria. This charming Tariety, of medium size, produces well, 

 and merits, by all accounts, the care of amateurs. 



"Pigeon Miroitii Jaane. — This pretty bird only differs from the preceding 

 by the ground of its plumage, which is yellow ; moreover, it is miroite 

 the same on the flight and tail feathers. It has the same fecundity. 



"Pigeon Petit Miroiti. — Similar to the preceding but much smaller, 

 about the size of the rook pigeon. This charming bird is a good 

 breeder." 



Brent says the word miroite is difficult to translate. He was informed 

 that it meant composed of three colours, of which two were blended in 

 one. A French gentleman has informed me that miroiti5 means flashing, 

 e.g., the neck of the blue rock pigeon is said to be miroite. This 

 variety may therefore take its name from its great metallic lustre, or 

 it may be a technical name derived from the blending of the colours in 

 its tail and flight feathers. The miroite pigeons may be had in Paris. 

 I was recently offered some by the Parisian dealer, M. Vallee. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



THE FIRE PIGEON. 



Die feaeHauhe, or the fire pigeon, is a variety I have never seen. I can 

 find no notice of it iu any other work than Neumeister'a, whose descrip- 

 tion is as follows : — " It reminds one very strikingly of a strong tumbler, 

 and is of the size of the medium field pigeon. The head is unhooded, 

 the feet smooth, the colour of the whole plumage black with an extremely 

 bright copper red sheen. This metaUic lustre is with the fire pigeon 

 more intense than with any other species of pigeon, and not only on the 

 neck, but spread over the whole body, with the exception of the flights 

 and tail. In the sunshine this pigeon reflects so splendidly that it 

 actually irradiates and then looks ahnost copper red. It is exceedingly 

 rare, and seldom or never comes into the market." 



As the archangel itself is not excepted in the above description, the 



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