9 8 
The Illustrated Book of Plgeoxs. 
common, but they will be amply repaid by now and then producing birds which are the talk of the 
fancy. It has often struck me as something veiy much to be regretted that the London fanciers 
have allowed this grand bird to pass out of their hands. It was in London, beyond a doubt, that 
he was first brought up to a very high state of excellence ; and I question if at the present day we 
are equal to the fanciers of fifty or sixty years ago. In some points, I believe, we beat them — in 
length of feather and in weight, but we have too much of both. We fall short of the elegance of 
their birds, and also in the correctness of marking, which they appear to have attained with more 
certainty than we have. When the Short-faced Almond became the fashion, the Pouter would have 
become as extinct as the Dodc (a pigeon also, as naturalists tell us), had the Scottish fanciers not 
taken him in hand. They, however, took to him kindly, and have stood by him ; and though I 
will not say that they have raised the bird higher than ever has been done before, still they have 
done a good deal, and are still improving him, so that I do not think we can be much behind 
the best period. 
“ Colour and marking were the greatest failings for a long time ; this arose from their 
having but few birds in Scotland to breed from, and therefore they mixed all sorts of colours 
together. This produced, no doubt, fine handsome birds, but the colours too often wretchedly bad ; 
and as to the marking, splashing would be the best description of it. A craze also for long birds 
came into fashion, which produced ugly Runtish birds without corresponding length of leg — very 
well described by an eccentric Glasgow fancier as the ‘ level style,’ since they could not get upright. 
Nothing could have been thought of worse than this, as the Pouter is essentially a bird of shape or 
form, with elegance of carriage more than of colour and marking ; after that get as much of 
leg and feather as possible, but they must go together. This pernicious standard had such a 
hold at one time, that judges would decide the prize solely by the tape-line. A better taste is now 
gaining ground, and it is to be hoped will continue. Many of the so-called ‘ Champion’ birds not far 
back were only Pouting Runts. The custom of showing Pouters on a block or pedestal in the show- 
pen is good in some respects, but it often assisted those long brutes in getting prizes, as they had 
space to let their long tails hang down ; but when the system of the large show-pen was introduced at 
Glasgow, a good many years ago, the tide began to turn, for when put on the floor of the pen a bird 
of good style an inch shorter in feather and not longer in limb would stand higher. The tail of the 
long one is always in the way, and lie can't look easy, do what he will. This arises from his length 
of feather being too great for his legs, and also at times from the legs being badly placed. 
“ Length of leg is the most valuable property in a Pouter, that is, if they are well-shaped 
legs ; for there arc long legs that look short, or arc wiry, or frushed or sprouted in place of being 
covered with short downy feathers — ‘stocking legs' we call them in Scotland — with long feathers 
on the toes. Some call them ‘grouse legs,’ but this is not a good description, as the grouse has no 
long feathers on the toes, which makes the leg appear short. Length of leg is the property 
hardest to attain of any, but when got gives such a majestic appearance to the bird that I place 
it first. Birds over seven inches are very rare, though we hear of plenty above that length. I 
have very seldom got above seven, though I have had them seven and a quarter inches, and once 
a red cock seven and three-quarters, but then he never could walk, in fact, could scarcely stand, 
and generally sat on his knees, so I had to kill him. Not one Pouter in twenty has legs that can 
carry gracefully over eighteen inches of feather. Seven inches will carry a bird of eighteen 
and a half or three-quarters well, and seven and an eighth or a quarter a bird of nineteen or 
nineteen and a quarter inches. If over this length, then he loses in carriage, as he cannot get 
upright nor move about with elegance and freedom. The legs should be placed close together, 
narrow-thighed, not wide and straddling ; the knee-joint as high as possible, and not too 
