158 PIGEONS. 



inspiratory ( Ah ! ' Some are, however, more rapid and tremulous in their voice 

 than others. Some naturalists consider them a very pure race, because if at all 

 crossed they lose this distinctive coo. In addition to their coo, they have a 

 peculiar tuft or turn of the feathers over the beak, which spreads in the form of 

 a pink, and the finer and more evenly this spreads, the more they are admired. 

 They are usually turn-crowned, but sometimes only point-headed ; they are well- 

 booted, or, as the Shanghae fanciers style it, ' Vulture-hocked,' and their feet 

 are covered with very long feathers ; the length of these feathers is also considered 

 a great point ; they are stout thick-set birds, what the fanciers call ' runtish ' 

 made, of good size, and excellent breeders, but should be kept clean and dry. 

 The long feathers on their feet often incommode their walking on rough ground. 

 Their prevailing plumage is quite white, and of the white there seems to be two 

 varieties, the one rather smaller, with white beak and dark eyes, heavily feathered 

 and excellent vocalists ; the other rather larger, with slightly tinged beak, a pearl 

 eye, and better turn over the beak and back of the head. This last, I fancy, is not 

 quite so musical, though generally more esteemed ; of the former variety I had 

 some excellent birds bred from stock imported from Egypt, and though they were 

 not quite so handsome as some, I never had but one other that could equal them 

 in trumpeting a prolonged finale. The fancy plumage is the black-mottle ; these, 

 to be perfect, should have the twelve tail-feathers, and the ten flight-feathers in 

 each wing, perfectly black, the rest of the body being white, regularly mottled 

 with black feathers ■ the eyes should be of a clear pearl colour, the turn of 

 feathers over the beak and at the back of the head well developed, and the feet 

 well feathered. There are also blacks, blues, and reds. The Germans have some 

 they call ' Bastard-Trommel Tauben,' which are beautifully marked, but which 

 rarely trumpet well, if at all; the German fanciers generally think more of 

 leather than of the other properties, which will account for the numerous varieties 

 of toys which they cultivate. These cross-bred Trumpeters are variously marked, 

 as reds or yellows, with clean white shoulders, also white birds with dark shoulders, 

 like our Turbits, as black, blue, red, or yellow-shouldered, the two former some- 

 times having white wing-bars ; some of these cross-bred birds have no turn-crown, 

 and others have neither turns and yet trumpet very well ; these have various pro- 

 vincial names, as 'rauchfuszige,' 'latschige,' ' strausz,' 'Eussische,' or "Alten- 

 burgische,' i.e. rough-footed, slippered, tufted, Russian or Altenburg pigeous." 



For the following account of this breed, good specimens of which are highly 

 esteemed, we have to express our obligations to Mr. P. Jones, formerly one of the 

 most successful breeders and exhibitors of this variety. He states : — 



" Trumpeters should certainly hold a high position among Toys, in my esti- 

 mation ranking at least next to Jacobines in the number and importance of the 

 properties required to constitute a perfect bird. 



" The properties of the Trumpeter are very numerous, and may be classed 

 thus :— Crown or Shell, Rose, Feet, Colour, Size, Shape, Carriage, and Trumpeting. 



"The crown or shell should be perfectly ereu and well developed, standing 



