Chap. V. DESCRIPTION OF BREEDS. 141 



sured from end of hind toe to end of middle toe (without the claws), 

 was in two specimens 2 - 6 inches ; and this, proportionally with the rock- 

 pigeon, is an excess of nearly a quarter of an inch. One very fine Carrier 

 measured 31 i inches from tip to tip of wing. Birds of this sub-race are 

 too valuable to be flown as carriers. 



Sub-race II. Dragons; Persian Carriers. — The English Dragon differs 

 from the improved English Carrier in being smaller in all its dimen- 

 sions, and in having less wattle round the eyes and over the nostrils, and 

 none on the lower mandible. Sir W. Elliot sent me from Madras a Bagdad 

 Carrier (sometimes called khandesi), the name of which shows its Persian 

 origin ; it would be considered here a very poor Dragon ; the body was of 

 the size of the rock-pigeon, with the beak a little longer, namely, 1 inch 

 from the tip to the feathered base. The skin round the eyes was only 

 slightly wattled, whilst that over the nostrils was fairly wattled. The 

 Hon. C. Murray, also, sent me two Carriers direct from Persia; these had 

 nearly the same character as the Madras bird, being about as large as 

 the rock-pigeon, but the beak in one specimen was as much as 115 in 

 length ; the skin over the nostrils was only moderately, and that round 

 the eyes scarcely at all wattled. 



Sub-race III. Bagadotten-Tauben of Neumeister (Pavdotten or Hocker- 

 Tauben).— I owe to the kindness of Mr. Baily, jun., a dead specimen of this 

 singular breed imported from Germany. It is certainly allied to the Eunts ; 

 nevertheless, from its close affinity with Carriers, it will be convenient here 

 to describe it. The beak is long, and is hooked or bowed downwards in a 

 highly remarkable manner, as will be seen in the woodcut to be hereafter 

 given when I treat of the skeleton. The eyes are surrounded by a wide 

 space of bright red skin, which, as well as that over the nostrils, is mode- 

 rately wattled. The breast-bone is remarkably protuberant, being abruptly 

 bowed outwards. The feet and tarsi are of great length, larger than in 

 first-rate English Carriers. The whole bird is of large size, but in propor- 

 tion to the size of the body the feathers of the wing and tail are short; a 

 wild rock-pigeon, of considerably less size, had tail-feathers 4'6 inches' in 

 length, whereas in the large Bagadotten these feathers were scarcely over 

 41 inches in length. Eiedel 9 remarks that it is a very silent bird. 



Sub-race IV. Bussorah Carrier— -Two specimens were sent me by Sir 

 W. Elliot from Madras, one in spirits and the other skinned. The name 

 shows its Persian origin. It is much valued in India, and is considered as 

 a distinct breed from the Bagdad Carrier, which forms my second sub-race. 

 At first I suspected that these two sub-races might have been recently 

 formed by crosses with other breeds, though the estimation in which they 

 are held renders this improbable ; but in a Persian treatise, 10 believed to 

 have been written about 100 years ago, the Bagdad and Bussorah breeds 

 are described as distinct. The Bussorah Carrier is of about the same 

 size with the wild rock-pigeon. The shape of the beak, with some little 

 carunculated skm over the nostrils,-the much elongated eyelids,-the 



• 'Die Taubenzucht,' U1^T^TI~~M^^ 



; nrr ,. A .. tii , owe to the great kindness of Sir W.Elliot 



This treatise was wntten by Sayzid a translation of this curious treatise. 



