THE PIGEON BOOK 141 



near to Standard. Next oome the reds and yellows, but 

 they are a long way behind, there being very few good 

 ones about, and none to come near the blacks and duns. 

 Of blues not much can be said at present, as these are 

 still entirely a novelty. There are probably not more than 

 a dozen clear-coloured blues in the country. However, 

 two or three of the leading fanciers are going for this 

 colour, so they may come to the front. About 1905 the 

 Nun had got to a very low ebb, but with the advent of 

 the British Nun Club in 1907 things have become quite 

 different, and at the present time the variety is probably 

 in a sounder state than it has ever been before. As will 

 be seen from the Standard points, the shell (which is the 

 crescent of white feathers at the back of the head), the 

 bib (which is the globular marking descending on to the 

 crop), and the markings, are the chief points to breed for. 



The Priest. 



There are several varieties of the Priest. In colour 

 there are blues, yellows, reds, and blacks, but blue is the 

 colour most conspicuously seen at shows, although the 

 Priest is a rare variety. The Priest is a bird that is 

 somewhat plump in appearance and full-breasted. It has 

 a shell crest, the feathers rising at the back of the neck. 

 The crest and upper mandible are white, like the Orien- 

 tals, from which no doubt it is descended. It is feather- 

 legged and feather-footed. In some the feathers on the 

 legs are white, as against the dark colour of the body 

 feathers. Lyall describes the Priest as the Pfaffentaube 

 of Germany, whilst Fulton states that there are four 

 recognised kinds of the Priest. 



The Runt. 



No work on pigeons would be complete withou? a refer- 

 ence to the Runt. The chief feature of the Runt is its 



