31 8 Fancy Pigeons. 



White cock l:Uin. by oiin Weight Soz. 



Blue hen ISin. „ sin 7ioz. 



Silver hen ISin. „ 43in „ sioz 



Nenmeister and Priitz describe these miniature croppers as follows : 



" Dte Urunuer Eropftaiibe^^ (the Briinn cropper). — "It is found 

 particularly beautiful in Prague and Vienna, where it is known by the 

 false name of the ' Dutch ' cropper. It is the moat elegant and finest of 

 all the croppers. Having been first imported to us from Briinn, it was 

 named Briinner cropper, and it is mostly known by that name. It has 

 the smallest body of aU the house pigeons, its whole length amounting to 

 27i centimetres (llin.). Legs very long, the thighs being outside the 

 plumage of the belly, and being so stretched during the act of inflating 

 the crop that they almost form a perpendicular line. The leg measures 

 14 centimetres (S^in.), the full grown pigeon weighs 200-200} grm. 

 (7 to 9iOz.). Not inflated, it is not much bigger than a blackbird, and so 

 slim that you can draw it through your thumb and fore-finger. When 

 affected, it presses its thighs outwards, to such a degree, that they look 

 like knees which can be moved forward, as it stands almost perpendicu- 

 larly on the points of its toes. Its smooth, finely shaped head is oval, 

 brow high, neck long, the globular crop is 7i centimetres (Sin. in diameter), 

 but without hair. The bill is thin, the waist delicate. The wings, fitting 

 closely to the body, reach within an inch of the end of the tail. The tips 

 are strongly drawn together, narrow and long, and much crossed over the 

 rump. Feet and toes are weakly and smooth. On the whole the pigeon has 

 a loose plumage ; but, notwithstanding, flies well and perseveringly. The 

 Briinn cropper is mostly coloured like the Saxon. The black with white 

 wing bars, blue, red, and yellow are the most common. The delicate bay 

 with white wing-bars are the rarest. In this colouring the whole plumage, 

 without exception, must be perfectly equally, as it were, breathed upon 

 with the most delicate and aerial bay, not so dark but that the pure 

 white wing-bars can be distinctly seen on it. In connection with this 

 is an unspotted, delicate, flesh-coloured beak, toe-nails, and eye-wattle. 

 The iris is light yellow with an orange border. A dark beak is a chief 

 defect. The Briinn croppers are cheerful and lively, are fond of flying 

 rapidly, and of flapping, but do not like to go near strange dovecots. It 

 is a worthy parallel to the fine English almond tumbler, and as neat, 

 elegant, and cheerful in its way. Nothing prettier can be imagined than 



