Origin of the Antwerp. 
259 
participated in by that extensive class of ardent fanciers who keep and breed them, and arc ever 
ready to invest their capital upon these well-practised, tested, and proved, trusty aerial voyagers, 
the majority of which are subjected to a daily course of hard labour upon the wing as soon as they 
are enabled to use those members for journeying in the realms of unbounded space. 
“ In order to give some idea of the importance attached to pigeons as fliers both in France and 
Belgium, I need only remind readers of the late Franco-German War, the investment of Metz, and 
the Siege of Paris. These events alone will recall to mind the invaluable services rendered by these 
birds when no other service (except the very uncertain balloon post) could be brought into requi- 
sition, and this fact has materially encouraged and given wonderful impetus to the fancy and 
culture of these birds in this country. In these notes I propose merely to briefly allude (and that 
almost of necessity) to the typical fliers of foreign notoriety, because they will probably be treated 
of at length in another chapter devoted specially to their consideration ; but as the Short and Long- 
faced Antwerps are by direct descent somewhat allied, one cannot well refer to one sort without 
touching upon some of the properties and characteristics of the other section, for there appears to 
me very little doubt that the Short-faced show kind have been produced by a careful selection 
and mating of direct issue of such as have displayed in the greatest degree the desired indicative 
features of a flier, and which we now see concentrated, beautified, and stamped as permanent upon 
the Short-faced stock. A considerable number of years may have been spent in fixing the com- 
bined special properties which piay (at the onset) have developed themselves, by chance or design 
we cannot possibly determine ; nor does it matter which course, so long as we do know that such 
special features were generally sought and bred for, and that, by a universally concentrated run of 
ideas in the minds and selection of fanciers, the typical Short-faced Antwerp was in prospect dis- 
covered, and in his rough state we received him ; and, by a similar unison of thought in the minds 
of British fanciers, the breed has, in our hands, been vastly improved and perfected to its present 
state. 
“The ‘Antwerp,’ whether for show or flying properties, derives its name from the city of 
Antwerp, in Belgium, at which place a passionate desire for courier pigeons was at one time 
more particularly concentrated. Brussels being now the capital, the sport has in consequence 
become in a great measure transferred thither. As I have briefly shown, Belgium was the original 
birthplace of the Antwerp, still it does not follow that the pigeons of either Belgium or France 
are all of good quality, for in truth there are hosts of ‘duffers’ in every sense of the term, the 
majority even being of very inferior and common appearance, simply because they are selected 
and bred for their homing powers solely ; but most of them possess a good sound vigorous consti- 
tution, and strong capabilities on the wing as aerial travellers; therefore, in such well-crossed studs 
where physical power, endurance, and the consequent development of the homing faculty is the 
chief desideratum, there is afforded in these a splendid groundwork upon which any carefully and 
judiciously selected birds possessing certain desirable peculiarities of form or feather may be built 
up and established, provided, of course, the line of procedure is wise, and that there is also a unity 
of effort amongst fanciers in the same direction. 
“ The Belgian and French varieties of ordinary flying pigeons are of various kinds. First, there 
is the native, half-wild sort, which take up their abode in the turreted buildings, and forage at large 
for their own living ; then there is the big, strong, bold, and lively Owl, which is an admirable flier, 
and which possesses the double advantage of being a strong and enduring flier, whilst, during its 
journeys, it traverses out of gun-range ; and, further, there is the coarse, rough-skulled, ordinary 
British Carrier, or rough, wide, barrel-headed Dragoon, which is a low but very swift flier, and, in 
its uncrossed state, is a fair and speedy traveller ; but when crossed with the afore-named kinds, 
