The Norwich Cropper. 297 



bib, causing the ugly swallow throat, is very common ; so is the blaze 

 face, or snip on the forehead. A flesh-coloured beak usually accompanies 

 a large snip ; they are then said to be pink-nosed. The whole front of 

 the crop is often white, and ring-necks are sometimes found. The rose- 

 pinion is, however, occasionally seen beautifully defined, but a wing 

 free of any white is more seldom seen than a bishop wing. A good 

 flying bird, however ill marked, is bred from, because perfect flight is not 

 easily got, and so bad marking is perpetuated. 



Flight. — The cropper is the merriest and liveliest, and can be made the 

 tamest and most familiar, of all pigeons. In the loft, or out of it, he is 

 always on the move, and so long as he remains in health he keeps in 

 show. The rules for good flying are as follow : A good bird should 

 spring up from his trap like an acrobat from a spring board, and go off in 

 ■a circle, loudly clapping his wings, so that he can be heard from afar. 

 His tail must be carried spread out like a fan, but depressed in the 

 middle, so that it has the shape of a eooop. A well spread scoop tail is 

 valuable, because rare to get. Extra tail feathers are often found in 

 croppers, some having fourteen or more. A well-earned taU is aH the 

 better to have these extra feathers. Like other breeds in which more 

 than twelve tail primaries are often seen, croppers generally want the 

 oil gland on the rump. A good cropper must have a rocking action in 

 his flight, his head and taD going up and down like the movement of 

 ^ rocking horse. Then, as soon as he gets enough way on his flight, 

 he must stop using his wings, and raising them, so that they nearly 

 touch at the points, saU motionless through the air, and the longer 

 he can so saU the more valuable he is. A good bird wOl saU along for 

 fifty yards, gradually lowering as he goes ; then, again using his wings 

 with loud claps, he will rise aa much as he has fallen, and go on alter- 

 nately in this way till he pitches. A cropper ought not to fly far nor 

 long at a time. He may go twice or thrice round his house in a wide circle, 

 then pitch, play up to his hen, and fly oS again. The time they fly best 

 is the week or ten days before the hen lays, when their courting is going 

 on ; but even when sitting or feeding young ones each wUl fly weU alone, 

 though not in such good style as during the time mentioned. A good 

 way to gain the flight of croppers is to let out a lot of odd cocks and one 

 proud hen, when good sport may be had. 



There is certainly nothing in the whole pigeon fancy from which greater 



