Turkish Fyilled Pigeons. 231 



recently established. I am not aware who gave the first three their 

 names ; but Mr. Ludlow, of Birmingham, has said he named the last two. 

 The differences between the five kinds consist in colour and marking, in 

 plain or crested heads, and in smooth or feathered legs and feet. They 

 vary a little in size, but for the most part are larger than British turbits. 

 They are generally excellent in carriage, sometimes very round in head, 

 full in gullet, and short and thick in beak, which is generally well boxed 

 and not over-lapping at the point. From a side view their heads are 

 sometimes well arched ; but they are often deficient in great breadth of 

 skull and forehead, and, leaving size out of the question, are seldom or 

 never up to the standard of the best Tunisian owls in head properties. 

 When crested, the correct standard for all the varieties is a needle-pointed 

 peak, standing as hi^h as possible ; not springing from a mane, as in the 

 turbit, however, but divided from the feathers at the back of the neck by 

 a notch. The peak is sometimes seen very good on these pigeons, though 

 lopsided and half shell crests are common enough. Mr. H. P. Caridia, of 

 Birmingham, considers that "no maned bird can possess a close-fitting 

 well-pointed crest," in which opinion he is certainly mistaken. When 

 feathered on the legs, the correct style is what is sometimes called grouse- 

 legged or stocking-legged, that is, with legs and feet completely covered 

 with rather short feathers, so as to show no bare skin. The feathers 

 on the legs should be long enough to stand out somewhat at the 

 sides of the feet, but the toes ought to be covered with very short 

 feathers. 



The great majority of the coloured-shouldered white-bodied varieties 

 are very foul on thighs and underbody. It appears from what Mr. 

 Caridia has written that no attention is paid to this in the East, and that 

 they are allowed to be foul thighed. I have never, however, seen him 

 point out definitely how the colour must be disposed on the underbody, 

 nor can I believe, were competition to arise in Turkey, as it exists here, 

 that foul underbody would he any longer recognised there. With a 

 standard of only seven white flight feathers, and foul thighs allowed, as 

 he says is the case in Turkey, foul wing butts are no difficulty whatever. 

 The Triganica magpie has coloured flights in addition to all the marking 

 of the vizor and domino. Foul underbody is not allowed in Triganicas, 

 according to the Italian writers, and I have both seen and bred them 

 without a foul feather underneath. I think, therefore, that it only 



