The Turbit Pigeon. 229 



and breaking up of colour, as in the Smyrna satinettes and Triganioa 

 pigeons, they do not fill the eye like black, red, and yellow, when these are 

 in perfection. 



There are also pure white turbits, inasmuch as such are occasionally 

 produced by way of albinism from coloured shouldered birds. They 

 might as well be called crested owls, unless they are of the decided 

 frog-headed formation, which no owl ought to be. It is a manifest 

 mistake, however, to allow them to compete with coloured shouldered 

 birds, whether frog or owl headed. The best so- called white turbits I 

 have ever seen were very thick-headed, down-faced ones, of the owl type, 

 vrith broad shell crests. 



Although I have advocated round or owl headed turbits, very few such 

 exist, and when a good one does appear it is generally howled down by 

 certain people as not a real turbit. This is because the great majority 

 of turbits are flat headed, and such would lose value were round heads to 

 be generally recognised. What a good many wish recognised as the 

 turbit standard is the following : A forehead something like that in my 

 illustration, but not rising so high, and running almost in a straight line 

 from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the peak, and bevelled off 

 over the eyes, which should be placed higher in the head than I have 

 shown. There is no doubt this style is very pretty, but there is little 

 difficulty in perpetuating it compared to the other. Many of Mr. Eoper's 

 strain are of this kind, though both his blacks and reds descend, I believe, 

 from round headed turbiteena. 



