314 Fancy Pigeons. 



Pomeranian cropper, that it was sometimes known before as the 

 Hollander, and that he has seen some that were brought from Holland 

 very like it. These might have been taken from England, or they might 

 have been of a Dutch breed. He saw some in the market of Eotterdam 

 which were not English, but which resembled the Pomeranian, though 

 not so good. He says the breed has lost quality in late years ; that it 

 was better twenty-five years ago ; but that, about that time, offers of 

 tempting prices induced breeders to part with their best birds, which 

 were scattered to all places and soon lost sight of. He concludes his 

 lecture by giving much valuable information on the breeding of this 

 variety ; observing that of late a great increase in breeding had taken 

 place, and warns breeders against crossing with English blood, which 

 he had found did not improve the Pomeranian cropper. From all I 

 can learn from his lecture, I do not think this variety, though evidently 

 allied to ours, can be of any service to pouter fanciers here, because it 

 seems smaller and rather inferior in all its points of shape in comparison 

 with our best birds ; however, if I could see a collection of good 

 Pomeranians, which I may do when I can spare the necessary time, I 

 could at once form an opinion on the subject, more to the point, than 

 can be gathered from any amount of descriptive writing. 



Proceeding with the continental croppers, as described by Neumeister 

 and Priitz, the next variety is the "Die Sdchsische Kropftauhe" (the 

 Saxon cropper). — "It is not so large as the German, far quicker and 

 lighter in flight, and of a slimmer shape. The wings lie close to the 

 body and reach to the end of the tail, on which the wing points cross. 

 The beak is longer and thinner than with the German cropper, legs and 

 thighs are high and feathered. It is of a weakly constitution, and 

 propagates poorly. The plumage, generally, is one-coloured blue, black, 

 red, or yellow; frequently, however, bay-coloured with white wing-bara." 



"Die Hollandische Kropftauhe" (the Dutch cropper). — I understand 

 that the following description applies to a cropper bred in Germany and 

 known by this name. " The Dutch cropper is distinguished from the 

 Prague cropper by a somewhat larger body, and by a crop more of the 

 shape of a cylinder than a ball. Its legs are high, covered with trousers 

 and feathers. It is always one-coloured, often with white wing-bars. The 

 bay-coloured" (Isabel coloured) "among them are most cultivated, and 

 no other colour is found in the same perfection. In Holland, where this 



