133 
The Illustrated Boor of Plgeons. 
said that the colour of the kernel of the nut is the correct thing. Few will agree with this last, since 
the kernel shows generally a reddish tinge, which scarcely any one would desire his birds to 
resemble. The next — the inside of the shell — is no better, if not worse, being of a pale yellow, or 
what pigeon-fanciers call a “ mealy ” colour. Finally’comes the outside of the shell, which is to be 
seen of various shades of colour. Most generally, when fresh and smooth, this, too, is of the pale or 
mealy shade, but in old nuts, the shell of which has begun to moulder away or become crumbly, is 
seen a deep rich, but not reddish yellow colour, which we give as our idea of the proper ground for 
the Almond Tumbler ; and if, as we do not question, the name was so derived, we take it that 
these old nuts were what was intended. There are, it is true, so very few seen of this rich yellow 
ground, that we do not wonder there are so many different opinions about it ; almost every one of 
the many fanciers of Almonds saying and believing that he has got the correct thing. But if we 
are correct in our idea as to colour, we are not going too far in saying that we have never seen, first 
and last, more than about twenty birds of the proper or best shade of colour, and much less than 
this which, in addition to their correct feather, possessed in a good degree those other points or 
properties which constitute a good short-faced pigeon. 
Oi course, we give this as our opinion, and we have already admitted the great differences that 
exist. Our experience is, that scarcely any breeder of Tumblers will ever acknowledge that his 
birds are not of the most desirable shade of colour, even when he knows and has previously 
acknowledged (apart from his own birds) the correct shade. Indeed, there is so much difference of 
opinion on this pigeon, that even the fortunate possessor of the precise shade he most covets has 
comparatively little pleasure or satisfaction from it, since he can so seldom get others to acknow- 
ledge that it is right. Often he will be told, “Yes, it is very nice, but nothing to what /have 
had.” Old breeders especially will often make such remarks ; but it will then usually be found 
that they were never remarkable for possessing birds of any particular merit, since a real fancier 
who has produced such best knows the difficulty of it, and is most willing to acknowledge such 
merit whenever brought under his notice. The most truthful statement we ever heard made 
regarding the Almond was of a very different type. We cannot remember the exact words, but 
they were uttered some years ago at the annual dinnre of the old Columbarian Society, meeting 
in London Wall, by Mr. Esquilant, one of the oldest and most respected members, and were to 
the effect that whereas, in his younger days, it was a rare sight to see as many as three Almonds 
in the Society’s pens at one time, and even these would now be considered as wonderfully “plain” 
in all points, it was then nothing extraordinary to see forty or fifty fine birds at one of the 
meetings of the Society, all superior, especially in head, beak, and carriage. To the truth of the 
last remark we can testify, though we do not pretend that all these were of a good shade of colour, 
the prevailing taste of the members of that society having always, within our memory, been for 
head, eye, beak, and carriage. We believe this taste has perpetuated itself naturally ; for each 
new member of the Society who became attracted to this class of bird, on seeing the style usually 
shown at the Society’s meetings, would naturally become struck with it, and be led to emulate the 
wonderful head and beak properties he had there for the first time beheld. The Society’s meetings 
have made many good fanciers in this way, and it is a well-known fact that its president has done 
more for this particular class of pigeon than any other individual yet known ; nay, we might assert 
that Mr. George Chapman, to whom we allude, has bred more Almond, Agate, Splash, and Kite 
Tumblers than any one else in the United Kingdom ; and although a few other breeders have at 
different times bred specimens of a better shade of colour, even these were in almost every case, 
directly or indirectly, on one side or the other, descended from his strain of birds. 
We do not mention this fact idly, but in connection with the further fact (which we can vouch 
