214 THE COMPLETE POULTRY BOOK. 



fly forward, this tumbling imimlse causes them to rise straight upward for a 

 yard or two. 



4. Short-faced Twmblers.— These have short, sharp and eonioal beaks, with the 

 skin over the nostrils but little carunoulated. Their heads are nearly globular 

 and upright in front. They are the smallest of pigeons, weighing some- 

 times as little as six to seven ounces when two years old. The Short-faced 

 Tumblers have almost lost the power of tumbling. There are several sub- 

 varieties. 



pruMcm Frill-backs (Eaoe VIII.) — These are characterized by very short beaks, 

 and reversed feathers, resembling those of the frizzly fowls. 



Jacobins (Race IX.) — In this race the feathers of the neck form a hood; the 

 wings and tall are long ; the beak moderately short. The hood is their most 

 distinctive feature, and seems to be merely an exaggeration of the crest of re- 

 versed feathers on the back of the head. The wings and tail are elongated, so 

 that they are longer than those of the larger Rock pigeon. 



The fqurth group is characterized by the resemblance of its members to the 

 Rock pigeon. "" 



The Trumpeter (Race X.) is the only well-marked race of this group. Its 

 characteristics are a tuft of feathers at the base of the back, curling forward ; 

 feet much feathered; voice Very peculiar ; xsize exceeding . that of the Rock 

 pigeon. The voice of the Trumpeters is wholly unlike that of any other 

 pigeon ; the coo is rapidly repeated, and is continued for several minutes, hence 

 their name. Their feetare so heavily feathered that theyalmostappear like wings. 



Race X. is made to include a number of sub-races which differ but little in 

 structure from the wild Rock pigeon. Among these are, 



1. LoAighers. — Small of size, and distinguished by the p'eculiar voice, which 

 seems to repeat the word "yahoo, yahoo !" 



2r Common Frill-backs.— Bestk rather longer than in the Rook pigeon, feathers 

 reversed. A considerably larger bird than the Rock pigeon. The points of the 

 feathers, especially on the wing-coverts, are turned upwards, or backwards. 



3. JSims. — These elegant birds are smaller than the Rock pigeon; in young 

 birds the scutellse on the tarsi and toes are generally of a leaden-black color; 

 and this is a remarkable character (though observed in a lesser degree in some 

 other breeds), as the color of the legs in the adult state is subject to very little 

 variation in any breed. Nuns are symmetrically colored, with the head, pri- 

 mary wing-feathers, tail and tail-coverts of the same color, namely, black or red, 

 and the rest of the body white. This breed has retained the same character 

 since Aldrovandus wrote, in 1600. 



4. ^ofe.— These are but little larger than the Rock pigeon, and with the feet 

 decidedly smaller. They are symmetrically colored, with a spot on the fore- 

 head, with the tail and tail-coverts of the same color, the rest of the body being 

 white. The breed was known in 1676. 



5. Swallows.— These birds have a larger spread of wing and taU than the Rook 

 pigeon, but smaller bodies. Their heads and wings are of the same color as the 

 Rock pigeon, the rest of the body being white.* 



'Variation of Animals and Plante. etc.. V.il. T.. d im I.q7-1BK_ 



