The Breeds of Pigeons. 219 



^/°tion. — This is a convulsive jerking or twitch- 

 ing ot the neck, and apparent upheaving of the chest, 

 the head seeming to bounce gently up and down on 

 the cushion, with constant tremulous quiverino- of 

 the body. ^ 



The plumage must be pure white, hard, and tight 

 fitting.- 



Other colours are blues, blacks, reds, vellows, 

 silvers, duns, chequers, and the fascinating Saddles, 

 which are seen in all the above colours. In blues, 

 blacks, silvers, duns, and chequers, the beaks and 

 eye ceres should be dark, and the eyes white or pearl. 

 In reds and yellows the eye is orange ; the beak horn 

 or flesh colour. The Saddles follow the whites in 

 eye, cere, and beak. \\'hites are the most extensivelv 

 kept, the blacks and blues coming next. Saddles are 

 pretty widely distributed, but good ones emanate from 

 few studs only. Reds, yellows, silvers, duns, and 

 chequers are not numerous, and only a few excel in 

 all-round Fantail properties. The ' peculiar laced 

 Fantails had a few years ago almost died out, but 

 now they show signs of coming again. 



A word of warning to those who propose to keep 

 Fantails. Roomy lofts are required, and covered 

 flights, as the birds are soon ruined if the weather gets 

 at their plumaee. Further, during the show season 

 no perches should be allowed in the house. 



THE TRUBIPETER. 

 The Trumpeter derives its name from the 

 peculiar trumpeting character of its \oice. It is a 

 native of Central Asia, and, I regret to sav, is not 

 very extensively bred by English fanciers ; in fact, it 

 is not so popular as it used to be. The Trumpeter 

 is a large laird and hardy. It is a difficult bird to keep 

 in good show condition, and this probably accounts 

 for its failure to make headway with English exhibi- 

 tors. It is most exasperating' to send a bird awav to 

 a show in good form, and to have it returned with 

 much of its foot feather broken, and what is not 

 broken so messed and be-draggled that the bird can- 

 not be shown again for some time. 



