The Short-faced Blue Tumbler. lyy 



black wholefeathers o£ the same strain. As the mottles were quite free 

 of blaze on the forehead, I managed to keep it out of the great proportion 

 of the produce ; but the orange eye, which one of the whole feathers had, 

 was difficult to alter, the best marked young ones generally coming with 

 it. I found that a bird which had any white on it as a nestUng became too 

 gay when it moulted off, and that when a bird moulted something like 

 what a mottle ought to be, it came out of the nest all black. There was, 

 therefore, no distinguishing between what were to become fair mottles or 

 remain wholefeathers till after the first moult. Dun mottles are occasion- 

 ally bred from blacks, and they are useful for breeding back to blacks, 

 but dun being an oif-oolour, few care for them. 



Eed and yeUow mottles would each be more difficult to keep good in 

 colour than blacks ; but I am not aware that any long standing strain 

 of either is in existence. In almond breeding, both red and yellow agates 

 are often produced well marked to the mottle standard. These, however, 

 have generally a weak, washed-out colour in flight and tail feathers, and 

 white rumps as well ; but it is from the judicious breeding of such with 

 red and yellow wholefeathers and agate wholefeathers, that a strain of 

 red and yellow mottles might be produced. Such red and yellow mottles 

 aa were in existence when the fancy for them was at its best, were doubt- 

 less produced in this way. 



Considering the difficulty there is in producing short-faced mottles, and 

 remembering the fact that none have ever been seen naturally perfect iu 

 marking, it is a question if the standard of feather for them is not too 

 high. A standard that would allow of white feathers on the head, neck, 

 breast, wings, and back ; but retaining the entirely dark flights, tail, rump, 

 and under body, would be a pleasing one. There would also be great 

 difficulty in keeping the white feathers separate, as they are always 

 inclined to run together. 



The Blue. 



There is another whole-feathered short-faced tumbler now seldom seen 

 — viz., the blue. It was formerly bred to great perfection in London. 

 Baton, who has a picture of one in his treatise of 1858, says : "I cannot 

 by any possibility let the opportunity pass, without noticing the observa- 

 tions and great admiration the venerable and mueh-respected old Fanciers 

 bestow upon the amazingly pretty Uttle compact sky or powder blue 

 whole-feather, with its black bars, black aa ebony ; the short-faced head 



