192 Fancy Pigeons. 



breed while I had it, but when it became three or fonr years of age it 

 began to breed. It waa then in the possession of a fancier named Mure, 

 in Glasgow, and I believe its descendants are still to the fore in the 

 west of Scotland. The reason the colonred-aided birds became so scarce 

 abont Dundee was, that pure white ones became the fashion. To obtain 

 these, crossing with whites was resorted to, but splashed and saddle 

 marked ones continued for long, and still continue to come, even when 

 breeding whites together, on account of the coloured strain there is in 

 them. As far as I ever saw, the Dundee saddle-backs were seldom 

 marked quite so accurately as a turbit, but had generally more or less 

 coloured feathers in the head, neck, and breast, and sometimes in the 

 tail. And the few good ones stUl in existence are marked more or less 

 in the same way, though they do not appear so at shows. Careful 

 breeding would, however, do much to rectify this, if even only a few 

 persevering fanciers were to turn their thoughts to the breed. I know 

 one or two who are directing their attention to saddle-backs, and hope 

 they will be successful. 



There is no doubt in my mind that the bird or birds which made the 

 Dundee breed of fantails, came from India, because I had one of the 

 same style in Calcutta. It was a red saddle-back cock, and the exact 

 counterpart of the one I sold to the Glasgow fancier some twenty years 

 ago. I bought it in the Tiretta Bazaar, Calcutta, about ten years since, 

 and it was the only one of the wonderful shaking breed I over saw there. 

 Not following up its history at the time, I never learned where it came 

 from ; but on my return to this country I wrote to a friend in India who 

 could procure me similar birds if they were to be got, and he told me they 

 were very scarce, but that he knew of them. He died shortly after- 

 wards, however, and I have not been able to learn more about them. 

 The bird in question lived but a short time. It was not clean oat, but 

 had a mottled neck and breast, like the old Dundee birds. 



Twenty years ago, when shows began to get common in this country, 

 white fantails of a large size, with little action, loose in feather, and 

 with immense tails, which were sometimes carried right over their backs, 

 concealing them entirely, were often exhibited. Scotch fanciers, whose 

 ideas of a fantail were aU towards high style of carriage, could not 

 endure these non-shakers, which, though called English fantails, were, I 

 believe, if the truth were told, nothing but imported Calcutta birds or 



