3o8 Fancy Pigeons. 



nnfeathered ; the wings carelessly hanging down, oyerreach the tail end by 

 5 centimetres. This is the characteristic mark of the German cropper, 

 and is not fonnd in any of the following varieties. The usual colour ia 

 either white, or blue with white head or tips, yellow with a white tail 

 and head, or black. It is very much to be lamented that this pigeon, in 

 its pure state, seems almost to have disappeared, as it is never represented 

 at the exhibitions. The propagation is extremely poor. The main cause 

 of its disappearance is likely owing to change of fashion, in consequence 

 of which breeders have turned more to the slender, high-legged kinds. 



This breed is represented on plate 11. of Neiimeister' s Das Qanze der 

 Taiihenzucht, in four colours, white, yellow, red, and blue ; the two last 

 have turncrowns. The coloured birds have white heads, flights, and tails, 

 but are dark thighed. They are short and bare in limb. It strikes me 

 that, as a cross with the Engliah pouter, to increase its size, they would 

 at least be greatly superior to runts. 



" Der Breslauer ErSjjfer (the Breslau cropper) comes nearest to the 

 preceding, is of stately size, generally speaking is one of the largest 

 croppers, yet not long in body, nor do the pinions reach beyond the tail, 

 so the dimensions are much less. It occurs one-coloured and marked, 

 in the latter case with a white upper head, the yellow marked fre- 

 quently with white flights and tail. ' ' 



"Die Pommersche Kropftanbe (the Pomeranian cropper) has a great 

 resemblance to the English pouter, with which it is unmistakeably 

 connected. It ia found in perfect beauty at Stralsund and Greifswald." 

 And then follows a detailed description of it, taken from an article by Dr. 

 Bodinus, published in the year 1858. 



In the third edition of Die Arten der Saustauhe, by Herr Prtitz, pub- 

 lished in 1878, he states that the Pomeranian cropper " is said to have been 

 imported from England many years ago ; but it ia without doubt much 

 handsomer than all similar croppers which have lately been brought from 

 England that I have seen. The late Herr Wermann, of Altenburg, an 

 authority on pigeons, was quite delighted when he first saw a pair which 

 I had sent to Herr von Benst." From his description of this variety, it 

 would appear to resemble the English pouter in all respects, except that 

 any white pinion on the wing, which when rightly defined ia so valuable 

 in our breed, is a fault in it. It would also appear that the Pomeranian 

 must have much rougher limbs than our pouter. 



