298 Fancy Pigeons. 



pleasure can be derived than a flight of vrell trained Norwich croppers. 

 Beautiful in shape and feather, grand fliers, ever dashing about with 

 spirit, both in the loft and out of it, the owner possesses in them a 

 source of inexhaustible amusement. I have always kept the noble and 

 raajestio pouter, which everyone will allow is one of the choicest pigeons 

 in the fancy, but he sadly wants the spirit and life of the active, merry 

 cropper. The pouter can certainly fly, after a fashion, and if flown 

 from his squeakerhood is fairly able to take care of himself when 

 allowed liberty ; but the choicest large birds cannot be said to be at 

 home in the air, which the cropper is, to a much greater extent than 

 most pigeons. 



The remarks on pouters by Dixon, in his " Dovecote and Aviary," 

 apply solely to the Norwich cropper, as can be seen by his allusions to 

 its flight, colour, &c. His illustration of it represents a bare-legged 

 blue cropper, and is, perhaps, the best and most life-like picture of a 

 pigeon in his book. I observe from the preface of the work that he was 

 living at Norwich when it was issued. He says, at page 122 : ** The 

 flight also of the cropper is stately and dignified in its way. The inflated 

 crop is not generally collapsed by the exertion, but is seen to move slowly 

 forward through the air, like a large permanent soap-bubble with a body 

 and wings attached to it. The bird is fond of clapping his wings loudly 

 at first starting to take his few lazy rounds in the air, for he is too much 

 of a fine gentleman to condescend to violent exertion. Other Pigeons 

 will indulge in the same action in a less degree, but Croppers are the 

 claquers par excellence; and hence we believe the Smiters of Willughby 

 to be only a synonym of the present kind." This description ia very 

 true to nature ; but, as I have shown, the smiter of "Willughby is the 

 bird known in Germany as the ringbeater. 



Eaton conld appreciate the excellence of the cropper, which he writes 

 of as the Pouting Horseman as follows : " I have seen some of these 

 light-bodied Pouting Horsemen that appeared to me to fly as light as 

 Tumblers, and when flying with the Tumblers, their round globular crops, 

 well filled and up, have a very pleasing effect, owing to the contrast of 

 the Tumblers. With regard to dashing off, they are not only a merry but 

 a spirited Pigeon ; not only spirited, but graceful in the extreme ; I would 

 rather see an elegant shape, small or narrow-girt Pouting Horseman, Q^in. 

 in the leg (think of this, Gentlemen of the Pouting Fancy !) than an 



