Foreign Wattled Pigeons. 271 



are broad, the lege long and large, and they are the moat powerful of all 

 pigeona I have met with. They are heavy, clumsy birds, and appear to 

 liave great difficulty in rising ; but I have found the young, if kept in 

 exercise, and not allowed to get too fat, to be very swift, and excellent 

 homing birds. In the air they reminded me of wild ducks, owing to their 

 scanty plumage and angular form. Many points of the body are left 

 bare, as the front of the neck and the shoulders of the wings, exposing 

 a red skin. Mine were very good breeders, though they are not generally 

 considered so. Their plumage is usually white, black, blue, or pied." 

 It is worth notice that Brent found these pigeons excellent homing birds. 



''^'Pigeon Bagadais petit Batave. — It resembles in general form the 

 •Great Batavian, but it differs in its size, being much less. It produces 

 advantageously.' ' 



" Pigeon Bagadais Batave 8oie (lace feathered). — A new variety, quite 

 as rare as singular. It resembles the preceding (petit Batave) in size 

 and general form ; but the fibres of its feathers are long and silky, and 

 do not adhere together, which prevents it from flying. This bird, which 

 is not in commerce, no doubt only multiplies in the hands of amateurs, 

 who only consider it an object of curiosity." 



I am not aware if this variety still exists, but the fact of a lace- 

 feathered Bagdad having existed, shows that such a natural variation in 

 feathering might occur in any breed. 



'' Pigeons Turcs. — These superb birds make the natural link between 

 the Bagdads and runts. They have, like the first, a large beak and 

 eye-wattle, the latter red in colour, and are of large size ; but they come 

 nearer to the runts by their thighs, legs, and neck being shorter, and 

 by their long wings." They are described as of various colours, and 

 both crested and plain headed. I believe most of the fancy runts, such 

 as the one I made my drawing from, have the blood of these Turcs, as 

 they have more beak and eye-wattle than the common blue and silver 

 runts. Brent has reproduced the portrait of a pigeon Tare, on page 20 

 of his book. 



Coming next to the German varieties of the carrier family, as described 

 by Nenmeister, there are the following : 



Die Kunschnibelige Bagdette, or Tilrhischetauhe (short-beaked Bagdad 

 or Turkish pigeon), illustrated on plate 14 of his work on pigeons, and 

 represented as both crested and plain headed, self-coloured black, red. 



