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CHAPTER VII. 
THE POUTER. 
Tiie Pouter Pigeon was our “first fancy,” and we have never lost our partiality for it. When 
about nine years old, it was the fancy of a parent, and of a friend who soon after “ came into the 
family” by marriage, and who will be known to almost all old Pouter breeders as the late Mr. 
James Miller, of Glasgow. Hence we literally “ grew up” in the Pouter fancy ; and even now, if 
really compelled to keep one variety, this would be our selection. The birds we saw in youthful 
days made an indelible impression upon us ; and we have often noticed that many breeders have 
carried this feeling so far, and retain such a vivid idea of the first birds which aroused their dormant 
tastes, that although these may have been really very middling, they will often declare in after 
days that they “ have never seen birds which come near” to those they thus saw in early life. Such 
are apt to forget that when these paragon birds were seen they were really not able to judge fairly 
of their various properties ; and in actual fact, we have known opinions of this sort expressed by 
good fanciers, not quite so old as ourselves, respecting certain birds we had perfectly well known 
personally, and which had been very middling indeed. However, the Pouter early seized hold 
of us, and we really had every opportunity of seeing good ones, and were brought up in a 
good Pouter school. 
As to the origin of the Pouter we shall say little. Probably the Dutch Cropper had most to 
do with it ; but then, where did the Dutch Cropper come from ? All we shall say is, that we 
believe the modern Pouter and the Runt have also much in common, if, indeed, they have not 
descended at no very distant date from one stock ; and the Runt still makes almost the only 
available cross. It is well-known that the late Mr. Samuel Bult, a good Pouter fancier, crossed 
his birds with the Runt. We saw the very bird ; and as it was mottled or splashed, and had a 
crest, many would not believe he ever crossed with it ; but we did, as we could see the Runt blood 
plainly in the shape of the head and wattle round the eye, and also the form of the back, want of 
crop marking, and bad carriage on the legs. By this cross he got length of feather and limb, 
but had to breed carefully after to get back the true Pouter markings and shape, in which, however, 
he succeeded, and bred some very fine Blue-pieds. Another gentleman well-known to us — Mr. 
Hayne, of Croydon — also made good progress by a cross with the Runt, crossing a Blue with 
a Blue. The Blue Pouter being rough-legged, this cross produced three well-marked Blue-pieds, 
all of which feel into our hands. One of these half-bred Runts was a winner of eleven first prizes 
and several cups, the first being at Birmingham, and changed hands several times, winning in all 
until he came to be shown at Glasgow. This was against our advice, as we had expressly counselled 
the owner, if he wished to keep up the bird’s character as a winner, not to show him in Scotland, 
where they knew a Pouter too well ; but he did, and the bird was passed over as being— what we 
must say he was to a good Pouter fancier — “ an ugly brute.” Bad as he may have been, however, 
the progeny of this very bird are still to the fore, and some of our best breeders are breeding from 
his descendants now. Another case we may give is the crossing of a Silver Runt with a White 
