The English Pouter. 283 



finger of the right hand under his beak, and the thumb at the back of his 

 head, he can be stretched out to his natural length and measured against 

 a marked board as before. In this way some birds measure 20in., which 

 is a good length. I once saw one 21in. full, but he had one three-leaved 

 feather in his tail which was an inch longer than the other feathers, and 

 which was accordingly of no value, but rather a fault. I have often 

 measured two pouters and found them the same length, though the flights 

 and tail of one of them were a full inch longer than those of the other. The 

 birds were differently formed, one making up in neck what he lost in 

 feather. I think this is where the carrier cross is proved, in greater 

 length of neck, enabling the bird to stand higher, and giving room for 

 greater developement of crop. Short-necked birds, whose length depends 

 on flights and taU, have little style, and can never have flne carriage. 

 Mere length, from beak to taU, should never have been made a property 

 in the pouter. This has caused much mischief to the bird, by making 

 those who do not understand the design of its origioators go no further 

 than the nearest tape line or 2ft. rule when judging them. A pouter may 

 be too long as well as too short. What he ought to be depends entirely 

 on the set and apparent length of his limbs. There are three too long for 

 every one too short. A pouter which has Tin. limbs, of the proper 

 shape and rightly placed, and which has a good long neck, can afford to 

 measure ISJin. from point of beak to tip of tail, and no more. A bird 

 measuring 20in., however long in neck, requires limbs TJ-in. long, of the 

 very best description, to enable him to stand properly. 



The next excellence in shape of a pouter, supposing him to be standing 

 in position in a show-pen or on the ground, is to be hollow-backed, the 

 opposite of which, being hog-backed, is a most serious defect. His wings 

 must be carried close to his body, and well up, so as to show his breast 

 and belly in profile, as I have delineated. Drooping wings, which con- 

 ceal this outKne, are very faulty, and generally hereditary. His flights 

 must always be carried over his tail, and reach nearly to the end of it. 

 They ought to be broad and not narrow. The tail should be carried 

 very near the ground, but not touching it. It ought never to be carried 

 high, which is a great, though common fault. Almost all the best 

 pouters I ever saw were split-tailed, i.e., the tail in two equal divisions, 

 more noticeable when the bird is in the hand than when at liberty. 

 Some of the beat old fanciers look upon the split-taQ as a mark of high 



