8 ' 



rich bright Almond, through hackle, shoulder, and rump, the whole to be equally 

 spangled and broken with black and white, the more they are esteemed ; but the 

 yellow ia a colour most difficult to attain. 



SHAPE OR CARRIAGE. 



The Almond Tumbler ought to be a very small Pigeon, and the more diminutive 

 the better, provided it maintains its other noble properties boldly, and, which i» 

 essential to constitute a good bird, for the more snug and compact, the more they 

 are appreciated, and the more the value of the bird is enhanced. It should be 

 very short in the back, and the lower it stands the better, with small round body, 

 but particularly with a fine prominent full and extremely broad, or, as the Fanciers 

 term it, a square chest, the lower the neck the better, and should be shorter than 

 any other Pigeon, with a particularly thin or slim neck, and beautifully curved 

 under the throat and thrown back, the shorter the flight and tail feathers the better. 



It is my opinion that shape or carriage is the grandest property in the Almond 

 Tumbler, and would be one of the best criterions to judge of a bird coming from 

 a good stud, for as I observed before, there is a tendency in the Almond Tumbler 

 to degenerate or throw back in some of their properties, notwithstanding being 

 bred out of the very best strain of birds ; for on examining an Almond Tumbler, 

 should some of its properties run out as expressed by Fanciers, yet the bird still 

 maintaining shape and carriage, are evident proofs of its coming from a first-rate 

 stud of birds. 



The shape or carriage of most things living is the most beautiful property, save the 

 mind, and to my fancy I am not aware that there is anything under the Sun, or 

 that you can imagine or conceive, that is so truly beautiful and elegant in its 

 proportion or symmetry of style, as the shape or carriage of the Almond Tumbler 

 approaching perfection, in this property, (save lovely woman) and has been most 

 happily selected as the emblem of beauty, tenderness and affection, and ia depicted 

 as the appropriate. attendant of Venus. 



HEAD. 



The head should be as broad as possible, and not only broad, but as high and 

 lofty as possible, and not only broad and lofty, but at the same time should be as 

 round as possible, like a marble. It should have a good dig, chop, or stop, or 

 any other technical term that the Fanciers understand and are pleased to call it. 

 The front of the head should appear as it were overhanging a portion of the beak, 

 at that beautiful part of the bird, which in the estimation of the best Fanciers is 

 not excelled by any. I allude to that grand point, the stop, in front of the head, 

 or more properly speaking, under the head; the feathers forming the front of 

 the head should make a dead stop, and above all things not run in a slanting 

 direction into the wattle on the beak, which is a defect, and is called a needle point, 

 Looking at the head in front, should it happen to present an angular or slanting 

 direction towards you, it is called by the gentlemen of the Fancy thin-faced or 

 mousey ; it is one of the greatest imperfections that a bird can possibly have, and 

 is the very opposite of a round head and quick stop. There are but few birds 

 comparatively speaking that have these beautiful dead and decided stops, and still 

 further to add to the beauty and finish of the head, the feathers under the eye 

 and about the lower jaw should be full and a little curved upwards, which is called 

 " muffy." For a broad lofty round headed bird with a good stop, is in a fair way to 

 be considered a wonder, and more particularly so by the head and beak Fanciers, 

 who constitute at least three-fourths of the Almond Tumbler Fanciers. To prqduce 

 a bird as above described, some of the gentlemen of the fancy have said it has 

 been the work of a season, and have considered themselves amply rewarded. 



But there are other gentlemen in the Fancy, who have asserted that head and 

 bea)c is to be produped at any time. " Any time " is rather hard to define, but, if 



