The Norwich Cropper. 295 



they may be to some other kinds of birds. The tail of the cropper is 

 carried aa shown in the drawing, and seldom any higher. In stretohingr it- 

 self to its utmost height it often walks only on its front toes, the back ones 

 being off the ground, or just touching it, resembling in this respect the 

 uploper, regarding which, Moore says, " that when moving you may put 

 anything under the Ball of its Foot." Its style of movement so far 

 resembles the pouters ; but it is allowable for the cropper to spring off 

 the ground when playing to another pigeon, and this it often does in leaps 

 of three or four feet across the floor, opening its wings on its way, and 

 quickly closing them as it alights. This leaping, which is so ungainly 

 in the pouter, is executed with such expertness by the cropper that it is 

 pleasant to see them perform it. 



Feather. — The cropper is found in eight principal pied colours, all of 

 which are admired, because they are all beautiful. Four of these are 

 solid colours, and the others are their corresponding barred colours. 

 Some of them being known, in the cropper fancy, by different names 

 i rom what is usual, the following is the Norwich and general nomen- 

 clatures : 



English Poxttee. Norwich Ceoppeh. 



Black. Black. 



Red. Cinnamon. 



Yellow. Yellow. 



Dun. Mouse. 



Blue. Blue. 



Mealy. I>im. 



Yellow-Mealy. Cream. 



Silver. Cloth. 



Black, owing to the practice of breeding the best flying birds together, 

 regardless of their colour, is seldom seen very glossy in croppers. Some 

 of the best shaped and marked birds I have seen were of this colour. 

 Blauk pieds are often quite free of objectionable leg feathering, and 

 generally very good fliers. Cinnamons (reds) and yellows are scarce and 

 diifioult to get. I have seen and had well marked and fairly coloured 

 birds of both. They are generally somewhat feathered-legged, which 

 makes them valuable to breeders of stocking-legged pied pigmy 

 pouters. Mouse-coloured croppers {i.e. dun, as in carriers) are not 

 common. I was told that the late Mr. Perry, of Yarmouth, had a good 

 bird of this colour, and as I bred one myself from the bird which for- 

 merly belonged to him, it may have been a descendant of the one he had. 



