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CHAPTER XVIII. 
THE TURBIT. 
The Turbit well deserves to be ranked amongst the “ high-class” Toys, having like the Jacobin, 
Trumpeter, &c., other properties besides colour or marking. From Moore downwards we have 
never seen any satisfactory explanations of the name by which it is known, though he says that the 
Dutch call it “ Cortbelle,” or short beak, from the character of its bill. The thought has struck 
us whether the shape of the coloured portion of the wing may have suggested some resemblance 
to the “Turbot,” and hence been corrupted into Turbit; but this is but a doubtful fancy at best. 
There is no doubt that the bird is of Eastern origin, and from it are descended a whole 
class of what may be generally described as the Frilled and Short-headed Toys. There can be no 
more doubt that the Owl Pigeon and the Turbit are most closely related, or rather, one actually bred 
from the other, though it is not so easy to decide which was the original variety. There is little, 
if any, difference, except in the crest and the colour ; for which reason the birds sometimes called 
Whole-coloured White Turbits might just as accurately be termed Peaked or Crested Owls, the 
colour and the crest being almost the only distinction between them. The coloured varieties are 
numerous, comprising Blacks, Reds, Yellows, Blues, Silvers, Mealies, Blue and Dun Chequers, Blue 
with White Bars, &c. &c. Whatever the colour is, however, it is or should be confined to the 
shoulders of the wings, the flights and all the rest of the bird being pure white, though formerlv 
all but Reds and Yellows were preferred with black tails. These are now scarcely ever seen. 
Turbits of ordinary quality are hardy, and very good breeders, requiring no nurses to rear 
their progeny ; but, like many other varieties, it is different with birds of very high-class quality. 
This arises from the fulness of the gullet hereafter to be described, and which adds so much 
to the beauty of high-class specimens. It is generally found that the better this point is developed 
the narrower or smaller is the internal gullet or throat, so that the old birds find it difficult or 
impossible to disgorge food for their young ones. This is the simple reason that very valuable 
Turbits or Owls so often fail to rear their young. These are as strong as other pigeons ; but the 
old birds find it so difficult and even painful to disgorge food for them, that they either soon cease 
and allow them to die, or the effort produces some sort of inflammation, which causes canker of 
the mouth in the young ones. We have known many of the best young birds perish in this way, 
and would therefore recommend all who know that they have really first-class stock to provide 
nurses, for which duty nothing can be better than the coarser birds of the same breed. 
In proceeding to enumerate the points of the Turbit, we will take first the beak, which is 
desired short and thick, with a downward inclination, the same as in the Owl. This appearance 
is greatly increased, as in the Antwerp, by a good development of wart or wattle on the upper 
mandible, but this, of course, greatly depends upon age, and in this particular, therefore, the 
Turbit improves as it grows to maturity, though a good thick beak will mature a great deal sooner 
than one of inferior quality. 
The next property is the gullet before mentioned, called by others the dew-lap. This property- 
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