THE ENGLISH POUTER. 51 



it appears not improbable that the modern Pouter, characterized by its extremely 

 long limbs and great length of feather, in addition to size of crop, might have 

 been bred from these Croppers, crossed with a long-limbed, long-bodied, and long- 

 feathered Carrier, and thus the variety produced by artificial selection, in precisely 

 a similar manner to that in which Moore states the Pouting Horseman to 

 have been obtained. " This pigeon," he says, " is a bastard strain between the 

 Cropper and the Horseman, and according to the number of times that their young 

 ones are bred over from the Cropper, they are called first, second, or third breed ; 

 and the oftener they are bred over, the larger their crop proves. The reason of 

 breeding these pigeons is to improve the strain of the Pouters, by making them 

 close-thighed, though it is apt to make them rump, from the Horseman's blood. 

 They are very merry pigeons upon a house, and by often dashing off, are good to 

 pitch stray pigeons, that are at a loss to find their own home ; they breed often and 

 are good nurses, generally feeding their young ones well. I have known these 

 pigeons to be six inches and six and a half in legs ', they are a hearty pigeon, and, 

 give them but meat and water, need very little other attendance. Some of them 

 will home ten or twenty miles." Whatever it may be, we find the earliest 

 history of the Pouter in Moore's " Columbarium ;" and as his book is exceedingly 

 scarce, it is desirable to preserve his description, more especially as it has been 

 taken as the basis of almost all the English works that have been since published 

 on the subject, — the " Treatise," and Girton more especially. The modern 

 fancier cannot fail to be struck with the fact that the standard of properties, as 

 laid down by Moore, is in the main identical with that of the present day. 

 Many other breeds have felt the influence of fashion, but the Pouter of Moore's 

 time and that of last Glasgow show, are almost, if not quite, identical. 



Writing of this breed, which Moore terms ■" The English Pouter," he states : — 



" This pigeon, which was first bred in England, and is therefore called the 

 English Pouter, is originally a mixed breed between a Horseman and a Cropper, 

 experience teaches us, it will add a wonderful beauty to this bird, and raise in it 

 the five following properties: — 1. Length of Body ; 2. Length of Legs ; 3. Neat- 

 ness of Crop ; 4. Slenderness of Girt ; 5. Beauty in Feather. 



** 1. As to the length of body, the longer they are from the apex of the beak 

 to the end of the tail, the more the pigeon is esteemed : I have seen one that 

 measured this way near twenty inches, although seventeen or eighteen is reckoned 

 a very good length. 



" 2. The length of the leg is the next thing to be examined in a Pouter, Le., 

 from the npper joint of the thigh in sight, to the end of the toe-nail ; and in 

 this property some pigeons have been very considerable, wanting a mere trifle of 

 seven inches, yet the bird that produces six and a half or three quarters must be 

 allowed to be a very good one. 



" 3. The next property to be considered is the crop, which ought to be large 

 and round, especially towards the beak, filling behind the neck, so as to cover the 

 shoulders and tie neatly off at the shoulders, and form a perfect globe. 



