96 
The Illustrated Book of Plgeons. 
Pouter by ourselves, the result being three splashed birds, and one cock nearly white, all four 
fair-shaped birds. This latter bird sometimes moulted (maybe he had a little assistance ; but he 
really needed very little, and it was impossible not to draw a little hard on the feather that had no 
business to be there) pure white, and won us several prizes as a White Pouter. We give these 
instances to show how very close the relationship almost certainly is, since otherwise birds fully 
half-bred would not come so near the desired model. 
The Pouter is the most familiar of all pigeons, which may be one cause of its popularity. It 
likes to be talked to, and allows itself to be stroked or handled ; and will fly on to the shoulder of 
its master on his return with evident joy, even from the top of the house. It is also a showy bird ; 
indeed, of all sights in the pigeon fancy, we think the most attractive is that which may often be 
seen at the leading Scotch shows, when several of the best birds are put into the large show or 
judging pen by the judges for comparison, and stand together showing themselves off. Only at 
Scotch shows can such a sight be seen, the exhibitions there being carried on much more for the 
sake of fanciers than any in England. So much is this object kept in view, that while a great 
Scotch show lasts, any one wishing to compare his birds with others in the large show pen, can do 
so on applying to the secretary ; and we cannot but think that if this privilege and pleasure were 
allowed to exhibitors at all large shows, it would advance our pursuit more than anything else, and 
perhaps bring back the Pouter fancy to its original home. 
We say the old home, because there is not the slightest doubt that we owe the cultivation 
of the Pouter to the silk-weavers of Spitalfields, who brought this pigeon to perhaps as great 
perfection as was ever reached ; in which indeed they had an advantage in the greater number of 
them who bred and cultivated it. When, however, the ruin of what was called the “ heavy” trade 
in London occurred, these poor weavers were unable to afford the keep of their pigeons, and their 
best birds fell into the hands of a few Scotch fanciers, but for whose efforts there is no doubt we 
should not now have a Pouter worth looking at. Amongst these Scotch fanciers there are four 
especially to whom it is hardly too much to say we owe the preservation of our bird. Foremost 
of these were, and still are, Mr. James Huie, of Glasgow, and Mr. George Ure, of Dundee, who 
have been breeders of Pouters for considerably more than forty years. Mr. Huie, having frequent 
occasion to visit London, had special opportunities of selecting birds ; and not only often supplied 
Mr. Ure from birds he thus selected and brought home, but occasionally sent birds to Edinburgh 
fanciers. Mr. Wallace, of Glasgow, also kept up a collection of Pouters for over thirty-five years, 
besides being the oldest fancier of pigeons generally throughout Scotland. And finally we may 
mention the late Mr. James Miller, also of Glasgow. He cared for Pouters alone, and to him many 
of the present fanciers owe nearly all they know, while he was certainly the best judge of a Pouter 
we ever yet met with. Many others have been good supporters and skilful breeders of this grand 
pigeon ; but to these four belongs the chief credit of taking the bird from the old Spitalfields 
fanciers and handing it down to the present generation. At the present time we do not know one 
single fancier in England who has not obtained his birds from Scotland, whence the bird is 
sometimes called the “ Scotch ” Pouter ; but it is undoubtedly of English origin. We hoped at one 
time to see it again naturalised in London ; and, with many others, deeply regretted the retirement 
of Mr. Volckman from the list of Pouter breeders, in which he at one time seemed likely to take 
the place of Mr. Bult ; and every one who has seen the collection of Pouters he used to show at the 
great meetings of the Philo-Peristeronic Society, and which has never since had any adequate 
representation of this fine variety, without which no show can be considered complete, will join 
in our wish that some of the descendants of the old London Pouter fanciers would adopt the pets 
of their forefathers, and restore to London circles this grand bird. 
