PIGEOys AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 113 



Years afio "tailcu'iut"' was ;i great, factor in the fantail, 

 and I have seen birds with over fortj feathers in their tails, 

 but now we often see tkem.with only twenty-eight and thir- 

 ty, and tliey are far superior in every respect. As stated, the 

 battle of tlie types, which raged so hotly for so many years 

 is over and an amicable peace lias lieeii declared, and the type 

 of fan that wins to-day in America woukl win in either Scot- 

 land or England, or anywhercwhere fantails are bred. 



As far as I now see, the only rock from wliicli we must 

 steer away, is that of getting our birds " overstyled, " a point 

 which not only malces them of little use for breeding, but 

 tends to destroy their graceful carriage. 



There is n(j (juestiou but that the Fantail, (as it exists to- 

 day, or nearly so,) is one of the oldest kuowu breeds. We 

 can go back a long way in history and find them, though the 

 old Indian birds were nearly all crested birds which, by the 

 way, are rapidly going out of date, for the reason that the 

 crest spoils the delicate lines of the head or neck. 



The impression exists that the white crested fan is the only 

 fan bred in India; but this is a great mistake for they are 

 bred over there in every self color, and in Saddles and Splash- 

 es in far greater proficiency than we can breed them. Tet we 

 can go clear back to the time when India was unknown, and 

 find the fantail one of the most popular birds of the golden 

 days of the Roman empire. 



Before speaking of how to breed and eare for fans, 1 will 

 take up what is considered by all fanciers, the model of this 

 day and age. 



The beak should be thin and line, not short and blunt. 

 The head should be fine and '■ snaky. " The eye should be 

 as large and full as possible, with that soft, affectionate look 

 so vastly different from the eagle eye of the Homer. 



