294 Fancy Pigeons. 



a different carriage from the pouter, feathered legs give it a chimsy 

 appearance, which is a settled question among many of those who keep 

 them. The legs ought to be placed in the body as in the pouter, com- 

 pared with which the cropper ig straighter in limb, not inclining so much 

 at the hocks. Slenderness of girth, or of waist as it is termed, is, of 

 course, an admirable property in the cropper, and beat seen in young 

 birds, for they naturally tliii'ken as they increase in age. 



Regarding length of limb and feather in croppers, I give the following 

 measurements of my own birds, some of which were bred in Norfolk 

 and the adjoining counties, and the others by myself. Ten cocks average 

 Si'hin. in limb, and 15in. in feather ; they vary from ST^iin. to Sjin. in 

 limb, and from 14Hn. to IS^in. in feather. Nine hens average Sinin. in 

 limb, and 14jiu. in feather ; they vary from Sin, to .Sijin. in limb, and 

 from 14in. to 15in. in feather. There is, therefore, nothing like 

 the variation in length of limb and feather among them that 

 there is in pouters. Their average length of limb, in propor- 

 tion to their average length of feather, is also equal to what is only 

 rarely attained in pouters, which proves them to be more easily bred 

 good in shape than pouters. This is, indeed, the case, and many perfect 

 models in shape may be found among them, which of course makes them 

 very much less valuable. A good cropper should feel no heavier in the 

 hand than an average sized common flying tumbler. They vary a little 

 in size, like every other variety. 



Carriage. — The cropper has the most upright carriage of any variety 

 of pouting pigeon I know of. They occasionally overcharge their crop 

 with wind when young, but generally soon grow out of this habit. 

 Slack-winded birds are almost unknown among them. So long as they 

 keep in health they remain in show, and in this respect present the 

 greatest contrast to large pouters. For the most part they walk perfectly 

 upright, their wings being carried tightly to their sides, and their flights 

 never crossed at the points. They are, however, inclined to carry their 

 wings rather low, thereby not showing so much of their belly and thighs 

 in profile as is desirable. The flights ought not to reach to the end of the 

 tail by nearly an inch, long flighted birds being bad fliers. It is notice- 

 able that the beat flying varieties, such as blue rocks, tumblers, 

 dragoons, Antwerps, triganicas, and croppers, are all rather short in 

 flights, long wings being impedimental to pigeons in their flight, whatever 



