THE JACOBINE. 147 



The compiler of the Treatise of 1765, writing of the Jaeobine, borrows, as usual, 

 from Moore, without acknowledging the obligation, and adds the following :— 



' The Jaeobine, or as it is more commonly called for shortness, the Jack, is a 

 remarkably pleasing bird; but it is difficult to obtain any that are really good, 

 the breed of them having suffered much, in my opinion, in general, by a 

 wrong method of propagating them, viz., that of intermixing the breed of the 

 Buff with them, in order to improve their chain by lengthening the feathers 

 thereof, whereby the chain is considerably detrimented, by being looser and not 

 so closely connected as it otherwise would have been, had the Jack and the Ruff 

 been entirely kept separate. It has likewise caused the Jack to be bred larger, a 

 longer beak, and looser in its hood than it was originally ; for the true Jack is a 

 small bird, very little larger than a Tumbler, and the smaller it is the better. 

 '•' The pigeon dealers have a method of coaxing the hood and chain of this bird 

 (as the term is), which they perform by clipping the feathers at the back part of the 

 head and neck, and continually stroking the hood and chain forwards, which makes 

 them advance further than they otherwise would ; and sometimes they cut a piece 

 of skin out between the throat and the chest, and sew it up again, by which means 

 the chain is drawn closer. It should have a very small head, with a quick rise, 

 &c, and spindle beak, the shorter the better, like that of a Tumbler, and a pearl 

 eye." 



The late Mr. B. T. Brent, who, from his long residence in Germany, was well 

 acquainted with the varieties reared in that country, gave a, very good description 

 of the Jaeobine and its allied varieties in the Poultry Chronicle. He states : — 



•' The common Jaeobine pigeons are well known on the Continent ; the Germans 

 call them < Zopf,' < Perucken,' or ' Schleier-Tauben,' as also ' Kapuziner.' 

 The French know them by the name of ' Pigeon Capucin.' They should have a 

 rather short stout beak and a pearl eye ; the feathers at the back of the head and 

 sides of the neck are reversed in their position, and form a compact hood and 

 chain, reaching down to the bend of the wings ; the more even and closer setting 

 they are, the more is the breed esteemed. The hood and chain constitute the chief 

 characteristics of the breed, and give the bird an interesting appearance, forming a 

 frill round the head, in resemblance of Queen Bess. At the lower part of the 

 chain the feathers turn out all round and expose a centre spot of white clown. 

 Their colour is usually red or black, bald-headed, that is, with a red or black 

 body, the head, tail, flight, rump, thighs, and vent white ; and to be perfect there 

 should be no intermixture of colours, as dark feathers where they should be light, 

 or vice versa, which would be considered a blemish, as also a bull (i.e. black) eye ; 

 there are also yellow and blue baldheaded Jacks, and some that are mottled on 

 the wings, and I once saw a dun baldheaded Jack. Quite white are not un» 

 common, and the Germans have some quite black ; they are mostly clean-legged, 

 but some are feather-footed. 



"The various names of this kind of pigeon, as 'Jacobin,' ( Noanain,' 

 ' Kapuziner,' &c, are traceable to the resemblance of the white head of tli3 



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