12 
The Illustrated Book of Plgeons. 
Eaton to be written by a gentleman named Windus, a “ Solicitor, Southampton Buildings, 
Holborn.” This is a thoroughly practical work, fully up to the breeding knowledge of that day ; 
and the coloured steel plate of an Almond given as a frontispiece, though most modestly spoken of 
by the author, is much the best representation of a pigeon which had yet appeared. It was 
evidently drawn and corrected with the greatest care ; and it is therefore interesting to observe 
that in this early portrait the flights are not carried, as at present, below the tail. 
From the date of this treatise on the Almond Tumbler, there seems to have been a long pause 
until 1851, when two books appeared. “The Dovecote and Aviary” was published by Murray, 
its author being E. S. Dixon, who is also known as the writer of “ Ornamental Poultry.” 
Mr. Dixon was a scholar and a gentleman, besides being a most lively writer to boot; but he was 
no genuine pigeon-fancier, and wrote much more from a naturalist’s point of view than any other. 
His book is accordingly of little or no value to the fancier, but the charms of its style are very 
great ; and it is no wonder that much of its substance and that of another work by the same 
author should have been reprinted in a cheap form, under the title of “ Pigeons and Rabbits.” This 
little work is stated on the title-page to be by E. S. Delamer ; but this appears to have been 
merely a singular nom-de-plume adopted by Mr. Dixon, when, residing by the sea and discon- 
tinuing his own proper signature, he devised the ingenious one of “ De-la-Mer.” In the unabridged 
work published by Murray we find, as far as we know, the first mention of the Archangel Pigeon. 
Far different was the book, or rather books — for there were two of them — published at the 
same time by Mr. John Matthews Eaton. Dixon was, as we have already said, a gentlemen and a 
scholar, but no fancier ; Eaton was assuredly no scholar, but a most thorough fancier. First in 
order was his treatise on the Almond Tumbler, followed immediately by that on fancy pigeons 
generally. The first of these was simply a reprint of Windus, with additions and numerous notes 
of his own ; the second book, besides this, contained a reprint of Moore’s book (which is thus 
preserved to us almost exactly in its original shape), with comments from “ Mayor,” Girton, and 
also by himself. Although therefore gross plagiarisms, if judged by the title-pages, they were not 
so in reality, the copied works being honestly enough avowed in the text itself. To both the 
Almond Tumbler and the first edition of the larger work was prefixed a coloured steel plate of 
an Almond as frontispiece, which represents a standard bird of the present day; but in 1858 a 
second edition of the larger work was published, which contained much additional matter (chiefly 
in the shape of notes taken from Mr. Brent), and additional coloured plates, all which were 
drawn by an artist himself a fancier — Mr. Wolstenholme. Some of these plates are exceedingly 
good — especially the short-faces ; but others, such as the Pouter and the Carrier, are far from 
satisfactory. As for the text — by which we mean Eaton’s text, or his own original notes — it 
simply defies description. Illiterate, rambling, often ungrammatical, and always ill-arranged, we 
yet never knew any one begin reading them without going right through to the end, such a 
strange charm is there in the author’s odd but enthusiastic observations. One of these, in which 
he says, “ I am not aware there is anything under the sun that you can imagine or conceive 
that is so truly beautiful and elegant in its proportions or symmetry of style as the shape 
or carriage of the Almond Tumbler (save lovely woman),” has been too often quoted not to 
be well known : but it is only a sample of many others ; and he breaks off continually in the 
most diverting way to make either queer remarks, or to mention subjects quite unconnected 
with his own. Thus, in one place he tells us “ all lie knows ” about bees, which consists in a 
humorous relation of how he once got severely stung through looking for the sting in the 
proboscis, and carefully guarding that quarter, when, of course, the insect improved the shining 
hour by using the real weapon to good purpose ; since which, Eaton says, “ whenever I see a bee I 
