CHAPTER LXXVII. 



FOREIGN CROPPER PIGEONS. 



AccoKDiNa to Boitard and Corbie, there are several varietieB of pouters 

 bred in France. The writings of these authors evince a personal acquaint- 

 ance with most of the varieties, but their descriptions are so meagre, and 

 their technical words so impossible to translate, just as the terms used 

 only by pigeon fanciers here would be into any foreign language, that were 

 it not for the illustrations in their books, it would be quite impossible to 

 form any correct idea of the appearance of the birds described. 



The largest French pouters are known as Pigeons Grosses-gorges, or 

 Pigeons Boulans, and are represented as large, thick-bodied, short and 

 bare-legged, clumsy, rnntish-looking birds. They appear to be both self- 

 coloured and pied. The latter have white ffights and are white in front 

 of the crop, so far approximating in the disposition of their marking to 

 the English pouter and Norwich cropper, which doubtless have some 

 remote connection with them. The crop is well developed. Boitard and 

 Corbie allow that the EngUsh pouter attains a greater size than the French. 

 I made an attempt, some time ago, to obtain from France some blood-red 

 pouters of this variety ; but my correspondent searched for them in vain. 

 The Grosse-gorge Bleu, with white crop and flights, is much spread over 

 Pieardy, it is said, where it is much esteemed. Every separate colour 

 seems to constitute a distinct variety with the writers cited, hence nearly 

 twenty kinds are classified, but, except that some are entirely bare- 

 legged while others are somewhat feather-legged, I can find no mention of 

 any difference in form between the various breeds. On page 28 of Brent's 

 pigeon book is an exact copy of Boitard and Corbie's Pigeon Grosse- 

 gorge Maurin d Bavetle, but entitled by him the " Old German Pouter." 



The Pigeons Lillois are thus described : "This race of superb pigeons 

 belongs to the pouter division, since, like the preceding, they have the 



