41 



has been greatly reduced in stoutness and the limbs no longer 

 give the appearance of greater length on account of the careful 

 breeding to get them placed further back in the body", closer 

 inserted and finer in bone. The feather has also not been so 

 much wanted in length, especially in tail. The shoulder has 

 been considerably reduced, which all helps to give the bird a 

 more slender appearance and, considering the foregoing points, 

 the size of the crop of the present-day Pouter is as large and 

 as shapely as that of the old-time clumsy birds. 



The Down-to-Date Pouter. 



There are many diiiferent varieties of Pouters. The Blue- 

 Reds jhave always been the strongest, both in number and 

 quality. The Blacks, although they have improved in numbers, 

 have made no material improvement, especially in color, ex- 

 cepting in a few cases, and these instances may be counted on 

 the fingers. In Reds it has been quite the reverse, a great im- 

 provement having been made on them during the last several 

 years, and there are plenty of good, first-class specimens to be 



