The Illustrated Bock of Plgeoxs. 
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homing faculty to more than an ordinary degree, and when once thoroughly settled in comfortable 
quarters they are not easily to be lost, and their owners may defiantly snap their little fingers 
at decoys, traps, or nets, for Mr. Oriental, though a funny looking bird, * is not such a fool as 
he looks.’ ” 
The great point in training Flying Tumblers has been hinted at by Mr. Ludlow, and only a few 
additional words seem desirable. We have known many purchases made of “ Birmingham 
Rollers,” and great disappointment expressed at the after performances of the birds or their 
progeny, simply from carelessness in their management. The best Flying Tumblers in the world, 
if left to fly at will, will rapidly degenerate. Each flier has his own little details of management, 
which after all matter very little ; the essential point is, that in beginning to train, the birds are 
only let out occasionally, say every three or four days ; and when hungry, be it morning or evening. 
The reasons for both precautions are — (i) The previous confinement causes them to fly actively at 
once upon being liberated ; and (2) their appetite leads to a quick return as soon as they have had 
exercise enough. They must be fed immediately on return to keep up this habit : plentifully while 
only occasionally flown, but lightly when, being trained, and let out in the morning, they are 
going to be let out again in the evening ; their full meal being in this case reserved till after 
the last fly. If of good stock, and first tossed when there are no birds about to tempt them to 
“pitch,” they soon get into the habit of bursting off the moment they are liberated ; and this habit 
must be very carefully preserved, weeding out instantly, as soon as discovered, any unusually lazy 
bird, which would otherwise be a check upon the rest, and may lead them to descend with it. No 
other system is needed beyond this in training Tumblers. 
Flying Tumblers are not very often shown, and differ so much in many particulars that 
they hardly admit of being judged by points. Purity and richness of colour, and regularity of 
markings, with a good development of the necessary Tumbler points Mr. Ludlow has described, 
are chiefly taken into account in judging. 
Mr. Tegetmeier gives in his book a description, from two Indian correspondents, of a most 
remarkable variety, called in India the Lotati or Low tan, the peculiarities of which seem to make 
this the most appropriate place for mentioning it, though none, so far as we are aware, have ever 
reached this country. They appear generally, if not always, white ; and one of the correspondents 
referred to describes the head as “ very long and flat in profile,” and with the feathers of the neck 
turned up to form a crest. But the chief peculiarity of these birds is that they never tumble 
naturally, but have to be taken in the hand, with the neck between two fingers near the head ; 
they are then slightly shaken horizontally, and placed on the ground, when they tumble, or rather 
roll over backwards, giving the idea of being in a fit. Another sub-variety appears to tumble or 
roll upon being lightly tapped on the head with the point of the finger. Both of Mr. Tegetmeier’s 
correspondents were informed by the natives that if these pigeons were not taken up they would 
continue to roll until they died, and it is possible this may be the case ; but one of them tried the 
experiment, and before long the bird stopped, apparently from exhaustion. They are usually 
taken up in the hand, and the head gentiy breathed upon, when they seem to recover and feed as 
usual. 
We cannot say we have any wish that these singular birds should ever be cultivated in England. 
Their performance, with its entirely involuntary character and total exhaustion after, must be 
rather a painful exhibition than otherwise ; but the phenomena is interesting, as throwing possibly 
some light upon the nature of the tumbling propensity. Mr. Tegetmeier draws a comparison, 
