The English Pouter. 279 



I bought from the late Mr. Montgomery, of Belfast, whose Btook was 

 founded chiefly on Scotch blood. 



It has been usual to write of the English pouter as having five pro. 

 parties, viz., crop, length of limb, length of feather, alenderness of girth, 

 and feather. Authorities are divided on the respective value of these 

 properties and on which is the most valuable. It is no use, however, to 

 argue over this, as a pouter must be fairly well up in all points to have 

 any chance of winning at a good show, the bird which fails conspicuously 

 in one of them having little chance in keen competition. In describing 

 the pouterl shall restrict its properties to four, viz., size, shape, carriage, 

 and feather. 



Si«e. — The pouter must be a very large pigeon, very tall and up- 

 standing, the larger the better. It will be found in breeding that 

 the great difficulty is to get it of gigantic proportions, combined with 

 quality in shape, feather, and carriage. Undersized pouters, otherwise 

 very good, are common enough, but as soon as a certain size is reached 

 there is not only a very great difficulty in rearing it, but it almost 

 invariably fails in shape and carriage. It is true that the pouter has 

 not, in late years, reached the value of the carrier ; but this is owing to 

 the fact that, at present, it is not so extensively fancied, and not that 

 it is easier to breed. According to what was once told me by Mr. 

 FultoB, whose knowledge of, and experience with carriers is not exceeded 

 by that of any man, six carriers can be bred for one pouter, of the same 

 degrees of quality, according to their respective standards. After size 

 and shape are got, the difficulty of producing good colour and the intricate 

 marking at once decimates the number fit for exhibition. Those whose 

 experience in breeding pigeons has been confined to self-coloured varieties, 

 such as carriers and barbs, know nothing of the difficulty there is in 

 producing colour and marking, combined with size and shape, in the 

 pouter. I believe it was formerly the most valuable variety. Moore 

 says, " I have known eight guineas refused for a single Pigeon of this 

 breed," and the author of the Treatise of 1765 quotes a sale of pouters 

 by auction, two pairs of which realised ,£13 6s. and .£16 16s. respectively. 

 He says two pairs from the same sale were afterwards sold for thirty 

 six guineas by private contract. I believe ^660 is the highest price which 

 has been paid for a pouter in late years. 



Shape. — My drawing of a pouter represents the shape or outline of a 



