THE PIGEOK STANDARD. 79 



THE SWIFT. 



Head is rather round and full ; the beak short and stout; 

 the eyes of a deep red color ; the throat is devoid of all 

 appearance of a gullet ; the neck is thick and cobby, support- 

 ed by broad shoulders and a prominent, full chest ; the back 

 is long and flat ; the space from the surface of the back to 

 the front end of the breast-bone or keel shows a considerable 

 depth, the breast-bone being rather long and very straight. 

 The thighs are strong and muscular. In color. Swifts are of 

 an ashy powdery shade from the base of the neck downwards; 

 the neck itself is very lustrous, and varies in richness of color 

 from almond to dun tints, in proportion as the body is of 

 dark ashy hue or of pale silvery dun tint. 



THE DAMASCENE. 



In size and structure it greatly resembles the English Owl. 

 Its head is round, rather short and full in front; the beak is 

 short, thick and black; the upper mandible being slightly 

 curved; the eye is rather centrally placed, and is of a deep 

 gravel color, surrounded by a thin very dark eye cere, even 

 of a dark damson tinge. In plumage, the outer surface pre- 

 sents a clear, light, silvery-blue shade, extending from the 

 head all over the neck, back, shoulders, chest, belly, thighs 

 and rump, the tail having a deep black bar at its tip, and the 

 shoulders having two very distinct ebony bars, the flights 

 being also as nearly black as possible. The flight feathers 

 are moderately long, as is also the tail. The Damascene has 

 a gullet but no frill. 



THE DEWLAP. 



It is generally of blue ground color; black barred on wings 

 and tail; in build rather cobby, like the English Owl, but 

 somewhat larger in size ; it sliould have rather a stout, short 

 beak and gravel colored eyes. Its most striking point is its 

 enormous gullet, which extends from the immediate base of 

 the under maudible fully one inch in lengtU down towards 

 the breast; it is also much deeper than that of ordinary 

 guUeted pigeons. The markings consist of a white narrow 

 snip of feathers Jike that of the "Blazeface," just over the 

 wattle, and of two triangular white patches on either side ot 

 the neck, about three-quarters of an inch below the eyes, 

 The ten major flight feathers are also white. The whole of 

 the rest of the body plumage is of one color excepting the 

 bars in blues and silvers. The upper maudible should be as- 

 near white as possible, the under one black. The legs arc 

 devoid of all feathers below the hock joints, and should be 

 very coral-red in color. 



