Chap. VI. HISTORY OF THE PRINCIPAL RACES. 209 



smallest kind of pigeon, and the bill is said to be very short. Hence either 

 the Jacobin, or the other kinds with which it was then compared, must have 

 been since considerably modified; for Moore's description (and it must be 

 remembered that he was a first-rate judge) is clearly not applicable, as far 

 as size of body and length of beak are concerned, to our present Jacobins. 

 In 1795, judging from Bechstein, the breed had assumed its present 

 character. 



Turbits.~It has generally been supposed by the older writers on pigeons, 

 that the Turbit is the Cortbeck of Aldrovandi ; but if this be the case, it is 

 an extraordinary fact that the characteristic frill should not have been 

 noticed. The beak, moreover, of the Cortbeck is described as closely re- 

 sembling that of the Jacobin, which shows a change in the one or the other 

 race. The Turbit, with its characteristic frill and bearing its present 

 name, is described by Willughby in 1677; and the bill is said to be like 

 that of the bullfinch,— a good comparison, but now more strictly applicable 

 to the beak of the Barb. The sub-breed called the Owl was well known 

 m Moore's time, in 1735. 



Tumblers.— Common Tumblers, as well as Ground Tumblers, perfect 

 as far as tumbling is concerned, existed in India before the year 1600 ■ 

 and at this period diversified modes of flight, such as flying at night, the 

 ascent to a great height, and manner of descent, seem to have been much 

 attended to, as at the present time, in India. Belon 40 in 1555 saw in 

 Paphlagonia what he describes as "a very new thing, viz. pigeons which 

 flew so high m the air that they were lost to view, but returned to their 

 pigeon-house without separating." This manner of flight is characteristic 

 of our present Tumblers, but it is clear that Belon would have mentioned 

 the act of tumbling if the pigeons described by him had tumbled 

 Tumblers were not known in Europe in 1600, as they are not mentioned 

 by Aldrovandi, who discusses the flight of pigeons. They aro brieflv 

 alluded to by Willughby, in 1687, as small pigeons "which show like 



w ! f ^. ^T ThG short " faced race di <* not exist at this period, 

 as Willughby could not have overlooked birds so remarkable for their 

 small size and short beaks. We can even trace some of the steps b Y 

 which t this race has been produced. Moore in 1735 enumerates correctly 

 he chief points of excellence, but does not give any description of the 

 several sub-breeds; and from this fact Mr. Eaton infers" that the short- 



peat ofTh % V n °V hen T me t0 fUl1 Perfecti0n - M — -en 

 speaks of the Jacobin as being the smallest pigeon. Thirtv vears after 



n^^th^ i^t (p - xiY ^ h ? } " from great care and ™» 



^eltZ^J^ ^^ a oT ed on S ° great P erfecti0 * a » d are so 

 omeient iiom what they were 20 or 30 vears r> a <d- +w „„ „n * • 



would have condemned them for no otL reason tt^t n, 



not like what used to be thought good wLT tha \* ecause * e J *™ 

 c tiiuu fe ui gooa wnen he was m the fancy before." 



40 'L'Hist. de la Nature desOiseaux,' 4i < T ,. , 



P 3]l ' -treatise on Pigeons, 1852, p. 



• 64. 



VOL. I. 



