i62 Fancy Pigeons. 



Stralsund, the Hallerstadt, the Vienna Gamscl, the Dutch Fliichter 

 (among' which are the so-called chimney sweepers), the Hanoverian (solo- 

 flier), and the Brunswick white-pointed beard tumblers, which latter, 

 castrated, occur frequently as flying pigeons, and have proved excellent 

 as such. The castration must not take place too prematurely." 



I suppose castrating tumblers is quite unknown in this country. A bird 

 treated in this way will, of course, always be of service for the training of 

 the young birds, having no parental duties to perform, and this ia no 

 doubt the purpose in view. It was something new to me to read the 

 above, as I had never known of this practice in all my experience before. 



Besides all these, Herr Priitz, in his "Die Arten der Haustaube," 

 describes still another tumbler, as follows : " As exceedingly interesting 

 we mention here the brander, one of the few three-coloured pigeons. The 

 whole body is copper brown, only at the ends of the wings and the tail 

 the original black colour appears. Where the copper brown has remained 

 rather dark on the body, the black colour likewise is more predominant on 

 the ends of the wings and tail, videlicet, both then appear more black 

 than brown. The legs are smooth, the eyes pearl-coloured. The brander 

 is principally bred in Copenhagen, formerly in great numbers in Eostock, 

 and is very much to be recommended as a flying pigeon." This is a literal 

 translation, but it is not clear to me, from it, how the brander is a three- 

 coloured pigeon. Copper brown, with more or less black on the flights 

 and tail, seems to indicate two distinct colours only. 



There is no great variety of the tumbler race mentioned by Boitard and 

 Corbie. "While the British and German names for these birds are alike, 

 the French call the common tumbler, Pigeon Cidhutant Fanto'mime, 

 " because that also by their fantastical movements they imitate in some 

 manner the grotesque gestures and leaps of certain mountebanks." They 

 af&rm that " in ISl 7 the English bought in France all that they could 

 find for sale." They describe a variety called the Cnlhutant Savoyard, 

 which is similar to the common kind in form, but which has a plumage 

 *' streaked, or rather daubed over, with white, grey, fawn, and black." 

 This seems to be a light almond or almond splash. 



A distinct variety of the tumbler has been lately introduced into this 

 country from Turkey by Mr. H. P. Caridia, of Birmingham, under the 

 name of the Turkish or oriental roller. Besides being said to possess all 

 the qualities of a first-rate flier and performer, it is of an original forma- 



