CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE TRUMPETER AND THE LAUGHER. 



rpHE earliest notice that we can discover of the Trumpeter is that of Moore, 

 -*- who states : — 



" The Trumpeter is a bird much about the size of a Laugher, and very runt- 

 ishly made ; they are generally pearl-eyed, black-mottled, very feather-footed and 

 legged, turn-crowned, like the Nun, and sometimes like the Finikin, but much 

 larger, which I take to be the better sort, as being more melodious ; but the best 

 characteristic to know them, is a tuft of feathers growing at the root of the beak, 

 and the larger this tuft is, the more they are esteemed. The reason of their 

 name, is from their imitating the sound of a trumpet after playing ; though I 

 once inquired of a German, who brought pigeons over to sell here, the reason of 

 their being so called, and as he told me, he believed, was that they were first 

 brought to Holland by a drummer or trumpeter, and so were called Trumpeters 

 from him. Credat Judfeus Appela, let who will swallow this gudgeon. 



" The more salacious they are, the more they will trumpet ; for which reason, 

 if you have a mind to be often entertained with their melody, you must give them 

 good store of hemp seed ; otherwise they will seldom trumpet much, except in 

 spring, when they are naturally more salacious than usual." 



The Treatise adds nothing to this account, but the copper-plate engraving is 

 worthy of notice, as showing the character of the breed at the date of its publica- 

 tion, a hundred years since. The figure represents a bird of large size, with black 

 flight and tail-feathers, the rest of the body white, excepting about thirty large 

 black spots on the side. It has a slight tuft or rose, and a small recurved turned 

 crown ; the legs are feathered, but the feet are bare. 



Girton and Dixon add nothing of importance, but Mr. Brent gives us some 

 useful information respecting the Continental varieties of the breed. He states: — 



" This variety of the domestic pigeon came, I believe, originally from Egypt 

 and Arabia ; they are distinguished from all others by the prolonged and gurgling 

 coo, from which they derive their name of Trumpeter. In Germany they are 

 called ' Trommel Tauben,' and in France ' Pigeon Tambour,' or ' Glougou,' 

 names all expressive of their peculiar note, which is sustained frequently for 

 several minutes, and somewhat resembles the distant rumbling of a drum, or 

 the gurgling of water ; the voice sounds like a combination of the word 

 ' Coo-coo-coo-oo-coo,' rapidly repeated in a deep tone, interrupted by an occasional 



