The Antwerp Cari'ier. 139 



published, as I do not pretend to have studied the subject otherwise than 

 in a general and but slightly experimental way. 



The pigeons formerly used in this country as messengers were mainly 

 of carrier descent, such as horsemen, dragoons, skinnums — the cross of 

 the first two "with tumblers — and long-faced beards, which no doubt were 

 merely beard-marked skinnums, and bred in the same way, but for mark- 

 ing especially. All such have been for long known amongst us as homing 

 pigeons, and were so referred to by Moore in his "Columbarium," where, 

 at page 5, in describing the oonatruotion of the " Trap or Airy,' ' he says : 

 ' ■' Others build them very wide and lofty, designing them to give Koom 

 and Air to Pigeons of the homing Sort." Again, at page 32, under the 

 Horseman, "Tlus Practice is of admirable Service to 'em, when they come 

 to be train'd for the homing Part " ; and elsewhere, when writing of the 

 " Powting Horseman." 



On the Contiuent the pigeon now chiefly used for match flying is the 

 Antwerp carrier, or Belgian voyageur, which has been bred from a judi- 

 cious mixture of several long and high fljdng varieties. The first of these, 

 a pigeon that can itself do long distances, is the smerle of Liege, which is 

 quoted in Mr. Tegetmeier's book as capable, when matured, of doing 500 

 miles in twelve hours, in fine weather. The smerle is the opposite in 

 appearance of the dragoon type, being arched and broad in skull, with a 

 short thick beak, and with evident appearance of owl descent, some of 

 them even showing the frilled breast. The next is the continental 

 cumulet, a pigeon noted for the length of time it can keep on the wing. 

 I have seen it mentioned that these pigeons have flown as long as thirteen 

 hours at a stretch, the distance covered during that time being probably 

 several hundred miles. They are of various colours, but blacks and reds, 

 with white tails or white flights, or with both, are known as varieties, 

 while pure whites, ticked with red on the head and neck, are also a well- 

 known race, distinguished in France as the Pigeon volant cou-rouge. The 

 cumulet is much alike in size and shape to the common clean legged 

 flying tumbler. It is rather longer in beak ; it has a pure white iris, 

 which is larger than usual in pigeons, the pupQ being small and con- 

 tracted. The third ingredient of the composite bird, now known as the 

 Antwerp carrier, is the English dragoon, known in Belgium as the Bee- 

 Anglais ; and the fusion of these three varieties has taken place during 

 the present century, and a race of pigeons has been established, remark- 



