THE ENGLISH POUTEB. 



69 



This letter elicited the following account in a succeeding number of the same 

 paper : — 



" Sir, — The extraordinary prices realized by Mr. Bult's Pouters are by no means 

 unprecedented. On looking at a rare anonymous work, entitled " A Treatise on 

 Domestic Pigeons," London, 1765, I find the following notice regarding a sale of 

 Pouters that took place more than 100 years since : — ' Eighteen pairs and a half,' 

 says the author, ' were sold by public auction for £92 9s. 6d., as appears by 

 a paragraph in the Daily Advertiser of Thursday, Jan. 1, and the day following 

 in the Gazetteer and London Daily Advertiser of Friday, Jan. 2, 1761, which, 

 for the greater satisfaction of the reader, I shall here transcribe : 



" ' On Monday evening last, at the sale of pouting pigeons, at Mr. Hay's, the 

 French Horn, in Beach Lane, consisting of eighteen pairs and a half of pigeons, 

 they were sold as follows : — 



Lot 



1. 



One pair . 



2. 



Ditto 



3. 



Ditto 



4. 



Ditto 



5. 



Ditto 



6. 



Ditto 



7. 



Ditto 



8. 



Ditto 



9. 



Ditto 



10. 



Ditto 



11. 



Ditto 



12. 



Ditto 



13. 



Ditto 



14. 



Ditto 



15. 



Ditto 



16. 



Ditto 



17. 



Ditto 



13. 



A hen only 



19. 



One pair . 



£ s. 



d. 



2 12 



6 



2 7 







2 







1 17 







2 12 



6 



8 5 







3 13 



6 



4 7 







4 6 







3 10 







3 16 







5 2 







4 1 







8 







13 6 







16 16 







4 10 







5 5 







1 3 







Total 



£92 9 6 



" As I was present,' says the author, ' at the above sale, so I had an 

 opportunity of examining the birds, some of which were very indifferent ones, and 

 some of them very capital ones indeed, viz. : Lots 14, 15, 16, and 18 ; and to my 

 knowledge, two pairs of which were afterwards sold for 36 guineas by private 

 contract.' 



" Senex." 



