248 
The Illustrated Book of Pigeons. 
large coarse birds, having no other good quality ; and when all really is combined as in our 
figure— the neat close hood, the chain meeting nearly under the beak, and keeping almost close all 
down the front, the mane reaching far back and well-filled up in a neat uniform curved crest, and 
all the feathers nicely lying on each other, so as to look almost as if cut out — when all this is seen 
on a small, or even medium-sized bird, the result is a most beautiful pigeon, which all can admire, 
even if not fanciers ; but such is seldom seen. On the other hand, all the faults in Fig. 55 are 
seldom seen together either, and in particular a good mane is often seen on a bird with just such a 
long, coarse head ; but we collect the faults in one drawing for the sake of convenience. 
If these points are good, there will be seen another property called the rose. This is formed 
by the parting of the feather at the mane and chain, showing the light under-fluff ; and the perfec- 
tion of it is for the feathers to spring evenly and smoothly as from a common centre, showing as 
much of the light fluff as possible. This will also be seen on reference to our plates, or to Fig. 54. 
It cannot be seen to any perfection except in a well-bred bird ; and, in fact, as it depends upon 
and pre-supposes a high degree of excellence in the preceding points, and can not be dissociated 
from them, is itself a very fair indication of a good bird. 
Such are the properties which really constitute the Jacobin, We have not by any means 
described ideals ; for though such birds are rare, and we cannot say we have yet seen them on such 
very small specimens as some admire, we have not stated anything but what we have repeatedly 
seen, and now possess of our own breeding, on really neat and compact birds; except that we must 
confess that we have hardly seen quite such good mane as here drawn, unless on rather coarse 
specimens. We have next to describe what more is required to set off these, the essential 
properties ; and as the bird is to some extent one of colour, like the Pouter, we will, for con- 
venience, take as our text our chief favourite, the Black, both because it is one of the hardest 
to breed, and that it shows the contrast and points of colour so strikingly. We may note the 
curious fact, by the way, that a black Jacobin, when it is black, is far the best of all black 
pigeons, even the Magpie not equalling its colour in intensity and green lustre. And we are not 
sure the same might not be said of the Red. 
But to resume. There can be no doubt that the Jacobin, as we have him, was produced by 
crossing with the Baldhead Tumbler, and the head should be the same marking as that bird, 
namely, white to just the bottom edge of the eyelash, going in a straight line from here to the 
bottom of the beak. This, as in the other case, is called being “ high-cut ; ” and some fanciers 
place so much value on it, that they think nothing at all of even a good low-cut bird, which has 
often caused us to wonder greatly, especially when it has been so with some really good fanciers, 
whose ideas in general, we have been obliged to acknowledge, demanded every respect. For really 
three-quarters of the whole properties in this breed lie in the hood, mane, and chain ; and to discard 
some of the best birds in these real Jacobin points for a mere fault of colour is what we cannot at all 
understand, and is at least contrary to all the principles on which we have treated every breed 
throughout this work — our guiding principle all through being to establish a fair value and balance 
of properties and no more, making absolute disqualification only of what is really destructive of, 
or at least highly injurious to, the breeding of the pigeon. Now a large portioiw-if not even a 
perceptible majority — of the best hood-mane-and-chain birds are low-cut ; and not only so, but 
these birds are badly wanted to correct a far more glaring fault on the other side ; for where is the 
fancier who confines himself to high-cut birds who is not constantly troubled with foul flights ? 
Almost every high-cut Jacobin, in fact, is what is termed “ too short” in flight feathers, or possesses, 
instead of ten white flights, some lesser number, even to as low as five or six only ; and where is 
the fancier who will not readily admit that this fault is a far more conspicuous eyesore and more 
