The English Pouter. 289 



ably, in my experience, hens. It is many years since I heard of a silver 

 cock. The wing-bara and neck of a silver onght to be of a clear bright 

 golden dun, and not as black as possible, which would be a departure 

 from the correct colour, and too near an approach to blue. The wing- 

 coverts should be of a creamy dun, and only dark enough to show up the 

 rose-pinion. The tail is of a medium shade of dun, barred with the same 

 colour as that of the wing-bars. The yellow-mealy ought to have bright 

 yellow neck and wing-bars ; but the wing-coverts in this colour are never 

 so decided in colour as to show the rose-pinion without the closest exami- 

 nation. The tail is so light as to appear white. They are usually hens. 

 The four solid colours, black, dun, red, and yellow, have, therefore, their 

 corresponding barred colours, all of which are very beautiful when good, 

 but in the present state of the fancy, I question if there is a sufficiency of 

 breeders to give them the attention they require. In crossing the barred 

 with the solid colours, chequers are produced, which are of great service 

 in breeding back to the barred, but detrimental to the solid colours, which 

 they tend to spoil, which is weU known to those who understand breeding 

 for colour. 



To give a pouter every chance in competition at a show, it must 

 be carefully tamed and rendered familiar by systematic training. The 

 difficulties which beset the pouter fancier on this account are very 

 graphically described by Eaton, in a note where he compares the ever 

 merry Norwich cropper with the frequently sulky and phlegmatic pouter, 

 which I may give afterwards. Temper and disposition are very variable 

 in pouters, many of the best obstinately refusing to show off what good 

 shape they possess, when penned up. To send the average pouter direct 

 to a show from his loft or aviary, where he has been so far at liberty, 

 without preliminary training, is to lose half the chance he may have of 

 winning. The greater part of the life of some birds, even in the breeding 

 season, is spent closely penned up ; but most fanciers have neither 

 accommodation nor inclination to keep them in this way, and only 

 commence to train them after their breeding time. Every bird which is 

 intended to be shown must, therefore, be penned up separately, the cocks 

 out of sight of the hens, and by always talking to them, by using such 

 expressions as ' ' hip, hip, hoo-a, hoo-a, ' ' and at the same time snapping 

 the fingers, a good tempered pigeon soon becomes very tame, and shows up 

 whenever called upon. A proud hen that will stand quietly on the hand 



