3 °° 
The Illustrated Book of Plgeons. 
objection to scores and scores of these beautiful birds being justly described as perfect ; whereas we 
have rarely seen a single specimen of the larger English bird, hardier as it is, easier to rear, and 
very far more prolific, which had not several faults. While therefore believing that all the Owls 
had one common origin, we do not mean that all three are now alike, or are equal in quality : so far 
from it, we know no single point in which the average English Owl can be compared with the 
Foreign or African. Taking even the most numerous variety, the Blue, it is a great rarity to find 
an English bird even with a blue rump ; and still more so to find a correctly-shaped beak, with the 
proper thickness in both mandibles. In formation of skull, again, the English bird almost always 
requires several years to develope into what is desired, and even then we do not know that we can 
recollect more than a dozen really good, of which not one could compare with the heads of some 
scores of the small variety that we have had or seen at different times. There is but one point in 
which the large bird can be compared with the small, namely, the gullet ; and even in this the 
Foreign Owl is superior, attaining its development at an early age, while the English Owl requires 
several years to develope, though the gullet in good specimens may then be found all that is 
wished for. We are fully aware some fanciers will question this statement, and affirm that they 
have English Owls which showed their full gullet at an early period : but this arises from want of 
fuller knowledge, as we never knew such cases in which it was not always found on inquiry that the 
stock had been crossed from the smaller sort, or that they were themselves, though called and con- 
sidered English birds, bred from stock recently imported. To show the difficulty of making mere 
size a proof of distinctness, we may state that we have seen many times large consignments of Foreign 
Owls, sent from abroad to Messrs. Baily and Son and other dealers, and in these the sizes have so 
varied that every stage, from the full-sized English bird down to the smallest African, could be 
found amongst them. We have purchased both the largest and smallest, the one to exhibit or sell 
as the English, and the other as African ; and several of the large specimens thus sold, which we 
knew to be imported with small Africans, have both been shown successfully in the other class, and 
bred even larger and coarser progeny than themselves, which have also been successful. Such 
facts as this, of which we could give many, fully warrant us in stating that there is but one real 
variety of the Owl pigeon. 
Which is the original is not quite so certain ; but we are inclined to think that, as regards 
this country, the smaller bird is the parent. We put it in this qualified way purposely, since 
few if any pigeons really are very small in the first place, but are bred down, as the short- 
faced Tumbler is bred, from the larger and coarser bird. But as regards our knowledge and 
acquisition of the pigeon, we think differently. Of the small Owls imported now, a very large 
proportion die, and these are usually the smallest and best. At an earlier age, when pigeons 
were less understood and far less kept, the probability is that even more died, thus leading to 
only the larger and coarser birds being preserved. In this way we think the older type easily 
accounted for. 
One very strong reason for thinking that the larger Owl is a former offshoot from the small, is 
the fact that so far we scarcely ever see hen birds in the larger strain to compare in quality with the 
males. Such are so rare that we distinctly remember all we ever met with, and can say positively 
we have only yet seen four hens that fairly deserved to be termed good ones, even judged by the 
head-points of English cocks, such as we have seen several hundreds of ; whereas we have seen 
many small hens far better, and in the small pigeon, in fact, as a rule, the hens show more quality 
than the cocks, as all experienced breeders know. This fact goes far to prove that the smaller breed 
is ih ; older and better-established one, since nothing shows the establishment of any strain like the 
quafity of the hens ; while, on the other hand, in any branch or family let “ run to seed,” as we are 
