Foreign Cropper Pigeons. qog 



The principal breeder of Pomeranian croppers, Herr "Wilhelm Hever- 

 miok, in a lecture delivered in the Ornithological Club of Stralsnnd, 

 entitled, " The Pomeranian cropper, and its relation to the English one," 

 and pnblished in " Colnmbia," of February 15th, 1879, a copy of which 

 TTas very kindly sent to me by its editor, Herr Prutz, says as follows : 

 "If I try in the following paper to establish the relationship of the 

 Pomeranian and English croppers, as well as their descent, to point to the 

 value of a rational breed of Pomeranian croppers, and to warn against 

 •crossing with the English, I must preface the plan of my work with this 

 my view, without claiming infaUibUity, that this subject, so far as I 

 ■know, has not been handled by anyone before me, excepting Dr. Bodinus. 

 He first described the Pomeranian cropper about 25 years ago, and drew 

 "the attention of pigeon lovers to this beautiful bird, at that time not 

 known anywhere beyond Fore-Pomerania. I must remark that only my 

 great love for this race of pigeons induced me to undertake investigations 

 into its descent, developement, and relations, and to communicate the 

 result here, in the hope of giving other breeders a motive, through my 

 views, to consider this circumstance, to make known their views, and to 

 treat this subject further in our club, in order that we may be in a 

 position to breed our beautiful cropper in such quantity and quality that 

 it may equal the English and French breed in beauty. I am persuaded 

 that this is very easily practicable, provided we have the understanding 

 and will necessary for it. To perfect the first, and to aim at the latter, 

 is the plan of my lecture." 



He then goes on to describe the peculiarity of all cropper pigeons, 

 argues that the distension of their crops must have proceded from long, 

 ■careful selective breeding in domesticity, because such pigeons could not 

 naturally exist, as they could never hold their own in a state of nature. 

 Assuming that croppers, as well as all other races, are derived from the 

 blue rock pigeon, he does not think that all the kinds of croppers are 

 necessarily derived from one original race ; but that they might have 

 ■originated from parallel running lines, or, in other words, that the distension 

 of crop in pigeons may have been noticed in different countries and times, 

 and independent races established from them. He does not, however, 

 mean to try to prove which races may be considered originals, but only to 

 •express his opinion on the relationship and origin of the Pomeranian and 

 ^English breeds, as the clearing up of this relationship is necessary for 



