The Illustrated Book of Plgeons. 
i 68 
We next come to what has always been our own especial favourite amongst all varieties of 
Tumblers — viz., the Black Mottle. We are quite in the dark as to the origin of this pigeon, or as 
to how long it has been exhibited ; but the first who conceived the idea of it, and bred for it, 
must have had a fine eye and mind for pigeon beauty ; for in our opinion no variety of 
Tumbler pigeon is so beautiful and attractive to the eye of both fancier and non-fancier. It 
takes an educated eye to see any beauty in an Almond, and we know many who can never 
see any unless it be of the true colour and well spangled, few of which are to be seen ; but all 
can see the great beauty of a Black Mottle, True it is, as we have said, that a perfect bird, or 
such as we would accept for an ideal, has never yet come before our eyes ; but even those which 
have fairly approached the standard marking are so exceedingly pretty as in this respect to far 
surpass the Almond. When we add to this that the Black Mottle, like all the other true 
Mottles, is harder to breed true to marking than the Almond, and, above all, that it never loses 
its standard character if once possessed, but moults year by year the same, preserving all its 
beauties, we have said enough to justify our preference for this as the highest - class bird of all the 
Short-faced Tumblers. 
And here it may be well to describe what a perfectly-marked Mottled Tumbler should be. It 
will be already understood that the body-colour must be sound and alike all over ; in the case of 
the Black Mottle a glossy raven black, free from any tinge of brown or bronze, the latter being 
apt to be derived from a Kite cross, unless judiciously matched afterwards. The freedom from 
blaze on the face, or any white about the head, we have already mentioned. Next comes the 
marking on the shoulder, termed by north country fanciers the rose-pinion, as they also term the 
marking on the shoulder of a Pouter. The term is not a bad one ; but the usual marking on a 
Pouter’s shoulder would not be enough to constitute good marking on a Mottle, which should 
consist of a good-sized, nearly circular, or at least compactly-shaped patch covered by detached 
white markings, each white mark being a single feather. The white feathers must not run into 
each other, but be distinct and separate on the black ground, to make a perfect shoulder. Next 
comes the marking on the back, technically termed the “ handkerchief-back.” This consists of 
a line of white marking or spangles, which, when perfect, resembles the letter V, the open 
part at the shoulders, and the point or apex towards the tail. This marking appears as if on 
the back, but belongs in reality, as will be seen, to the wing-coverts. Some have more of it 
than others, and some have none ; while some fanciers have even asserted that there should be 
none, and that the birds look better without it. But we cannot agree to this, as the beauty of 
the truly-marked Mottle can be seen either from a side view or from a back or top view; whereas 
a bird destitute of the handkcrchief-back presents an attractive side view alone. Some birds 
have far too much white on the back, coming down towards the rump ; this certainly looks bad, 
especially if the bird be of good carriage, which makes it even more conspicuous ; but if the 
V-mark be well defined, and well up towards the shoulders, it adds greatly to the beauty of the 
bird. It should not be an unbroken line, but each spangle be separate, forming a dotted line, as on 
the pinion. Whenever a bird is seen combining these perfections — a head free from any white, a 
nicely mottled and not “ patched ” shoulder, an evenly-spangled V-mark on the back, and a glossy 
black ground — there is what we consider the rarest and most valuable of all the high-class Tumbler 
pigeons, and what we have never yet seen without some assistance from trimming ; whereas, rare 
as they undoubtedly are, we have certainly seen several Almonds which, as times go, we must 
call fairly perfect. We believe, however, that perfect Mottles can be bred ; for, much as the old 
fanciers have done, there are, we might say, fifty now to one in the old times, which proportionately 
multiplies the chances of success. 
