290 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



w/iitc dragon, for instance, and the »ioiidain 

 pigeon, of a light bhic powdered witli a white 

 tint of marvelous beauty, making the tip of each 

 feather look as though it were touched 

 with hoarfrost. The eyes of this breed 

 are dark brown, the shade of which varies 

 as in all pigeons, according to the darker 

 or lighter tint of the body feathers 



The cream color of the spectacled 

 pigeon is also \'ery beautiful. This 

 bird usually has a dark brown design 

 on its breast resembling a pair of 

 spectacles. A like design appears 

 on the lark pigeon, called also the 

 Coburg pigeon. The Polish pigeon is 

 usually black, though some are blue or 

 speckled. The starling-necked 

 pigeons are much in demand in 

 Germany, where they ha\-e smooth 

 shining heads, while English 

 breeders prefer them with tufts 

 or hoods. They are dark blue 

 bordering on black, with a metal- 

 lic luster and a white half-moon 

 upon the breast. The capncJnn 

 pigeon has a white hood and tail, 

 and as he is also supplied with 

 a species of dark tuft on his forehead (some- 

 times two) he presents a \-ery singular appeai"- 

 ance. The magpie pigeons als(j have white 

 hoods and wings ; so ha\'e the szoalloiL< pigeons, 

 which bear not the slightest resem- 

 blance to swallows, and come in all 

 possible colors. The masked pigeon 

 is white with a colored face and tail, 

 likewise the Nnrendwrg variety. 



All the species we have now named 

 are subdivided into others too numer- 

 ous to mention here. Agreeable va- 

 rieties are the Russian drum pigeo7i, 

 which does not co", but gives vent to its 

 humor in soimds resembling the roll 

 of a drum, and the Dutch tnndder 

 pigeon of the Netherlands. It is 

 curious to see how the latter perform ; 



their aerial gymnastics. They fl)' to 

 great heights with the rapidity of 

 an arrow ; then they turn at right 



angles, make a somersault, sometimes two, and 

 soar again, describing cur\-es and circles in the 

 air; then suddenly they drop to earth in almost 

 a straight line, stop short, hover awhile on their 

 outstretched wings, and begin the play again. 

 Nothing is more diverting than to watch a 

 co\'ey of these tumblers in the azure air ; 

 never do they weary of the game, which they 

 often keep up for hours. As for their 

 color, it varies so much that our limited 

 space will not allow us to say any- 

 thing about it. The distinction 

 between tumblers with long 

 beaks and those with short 

 beaks explains itself ; but 

 these divisions are 

 di\'ided again, the first 

 into white-winged, 

 white-bearded, 

 magpie, striped, 

 Hanoverian, 

 and Viennese 

 tumblers ; the 

 second into 

 German, Eng- 

 lish, almond- 

 colored. Little 

 Nun, and Jacobin tumblers, so that a volume 

 would be needed for this race alone. 



The tu)int, (jr frilled, pigeons, of various 

 colors, are known b}' many names the world 

 f)\'er. They are not large, but are ver}- acti\"e 

 and well shaped. Their heads are rather angu- 

 lar, and the feathers of the breast are frizzed 

 like a shirt frill, hence their name. They 

 are much admired at exhibitions. 

 Another choice species, also in de- 

 mand for exhibitions, is the pea- 

 cock, or fan-tailed, pigeon ; its 

 principal colors are white, 

 blue, or black, and the 

 chief breeds are the 

 English, Scotch, Ger- 

 man, and French, 

 all of which carry 

 their tails spread 

 out like fans or the 

 The Magpie Pigeon tails of peacocks. 



The TuMiiLER Pigeon, Old Dutch Breed 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



