Foreign Cropper Pigeons. 315 



breed ia oiiginal, it likewise occurs only one-coloured, yet there it has 

 thin legs, less feathered, and short toes, standing close together. The 

 gait of the cock is tripping, and he leaps towards the hen. It is of a 

 very erect bearing, slimly made, and high.legged, because it carries its 

 thighs outside the plumage of the belly. It inflates its crop very well, 

 and it assumes an oval, cylindrical form. The wings do not reach the 

 end of the tail, are narrowly drawn together, and their points cross over 

 the tail. The Dutch cropper in its erect posture, when strongly feathered 

 on the legs, resembles a falcon at rest. It is a very cheerful pigeon, fond 

 of flying, of flapping its wings, and especially of swooping along, floating 

 with high held wings. It is a pretty good breeder." 



" Bet Oesterreichische Pldtscher (The Austrian cropper, known as the 

 ' Platscher).' — It is between the Dutch and German croppers in size, and a 

 powerful pigeon. Compared with the Dutch it is broader buUt, heavier, 

 has shorter unfeathered legs and feet, does not stand so erect, has longer 

 wings, and inflates its crop in the same way as the German. One might 

 take it for a cross-breed between the German and Dutch croppers ; but 

 such is not the case. Its plumage is distinguished by being glossy and 

 glittering ; it is entirely self-coloured, and never shows white pinions, or 

 any white on the head, which Would be the case if it were a descendant 

 of the German cropper. It is a very good breeder, very lively, and when 

 flying the shortest distance it flaps its wings, so that it is heard from 

 afar, like the ringbeater. It occurs in Switzerland, blue, yellow, and 

 white." 



" Die Prager Elster-Kropftaube (The Prague magpie cropper). — This 

 cropper, which has become very rare, is of a structure between the 

 German and Dutch breeds, standing higher than the latter, and having 

 weU-feathered legs and feet. It is a good pigeon for breeding, very 

 lively, and has the manner of the Dutch cropper." The illustration of 

 this cropper represents an upstanding, rough-legged, magpie-marked 

 bird. The marking is exactly the same as that of the magpie pigeon, 

 except that the head is white. There seems, from what Neumeister says, 

 to have been formerly a similarly marked German cropper. The Prague 

 magpie cropper, though shown with a white head on his coloured plate, 

 has evidently not a pure white head, as he says that from the beak to 

 the middle of the head it is of a "coloured paleness," probably meaning 

 that the head is of a powdered colour. 



