156 DOMESTIC PIGEONS : Chap. V, 



Race VI. — Turbit and Owl. (Moventauben ; pigeons a 



cravate.) 



Feathers divergent along the front of the neck and breast; beak 

 very short, vertically rather thick ; oesophagus somewhat enlarged. 



Turbits and Owls differ from each other slightly in the shape of 

 the head; the former have a crest, and the beak is differently 

 curved; but they may be here conveniently grouped together. 

 These pretty birds, some of which are very small, can be recognised 

 at once by the feathers irregularly diverging, like a frill, along the 

 front of the neck, in the same manner, but in a less degree, as along 

 the back of the neck in the Jacobin. They have the remarkable 

 habit of continually and momentarily inflating the upper part of 

 the oesophagus, which causes a movement in the frill. When 

 the oesophagus of a dead bird is inflated, it is seen to be larger than 

 in other breeds, and not so distinctly separated from the crop. 

 The Pouter inflates both its true crop and oesophagus; the Turbit 

 inflates in a much less degree the oesophagus alone. The beak of 

 the Turbit is very short, being •28 of an inch shorter than that of the 

 rock-pigeon, proportionally with the size of their bodies; and in 

 some owls brought by Mr. E. Yernon Harcourt from Tunis, it was 

 even shorter. The beak is vertically thicker, and perhaps a little 

 broader, in proportion to that of the rock-pigeon. 



Race VII. — Tumblers. (Tiimmler, or Burzeltauben ; cul- 

 butants.) 



During fight, tumble backwards; body generally small; beak 

 generally short, sometimes excessively short and conical. 



This rare may be divided into four sub-races, namely, Persian, 

 Lotan, Common, and short-faced Tumblers. These sub-races in- 

 clude many varieties which breed true. I have examined eight 

 skeletons of various kinds of Tumblers : excepting in one imperfect 

 and doubtful specimen, the ribs are only seven in number, whereas 

 the rock-pigeon has eight ribs. 



Sub-race I. Persian Tumblers. — I received a pair direct from Persia, 

 from the Hon. C. Murray. They are rather smaller birds than the 

 wild rock-pigeon, about the size of the common dovecot pigeon, 

 white and mottled, slightly feathered on the feet, with the beak just 

 perceptibly shorter than in the rock-pigeon. H.M. Consul, Mr. 

 Keith Abbott, informs me that the difference in the length of beak is 

 so slight, that only practised Persian fanciers can distinguish these 

 Tumblers from the common pigeon of the country. He informs me 

 that they fly in flocks high up in the air and tumble well. Some of 



