334 
The Illustrated Book of Pigeons. 
The third property is the leg or foot-feathering. This commences with long feathers on the 
hocks themselves, followed by similar feathers all down the leg or shank, and which at the feet are 
very long indeed, the feathers growing also from the toes, and smaller ones covering the inside of the 
shanks. The more and longer feathers on the feet especially, the better. 
In size the Trumpeter appears very large, considerably larger than the Carrier, but this is 
chiefly owing to the very abundant and somewhat loose feather which covers the body, and which, 
with its short legs and length of flights, make it look larger than it really is. It is really about 
the same as a good-sized Carrier when plucked. It walks with a slow, deliberate gait ; and the 
stateliness of a cock playing up to his hen is something remarkable, and very pretty to see. No 
pigeon, in fact, so well deserves that title of “grand” which fanciers are so fond of applying to a 
good bird of any variety. The feathers of imported specimens are of finer texture than those of 
the “ old type ” birds ; and whether it is the climate or not it is hard to say, but the progeny of 
good Russian specimens appear to fall off somewhat in this particular. 
Foot-feathering is the only point in which the old, English, or German birds can compare with 
the Russians ; but this is a quality so very easy to keep up, that while we would never consider a 
bird really first-class without very good foot-feather, we must protest against placing this property 
on anything like a level with rose and crest, any improvement in which is only made with immense 
patience and difficulty. Even the best-footed birds are often seen with the feathers broken 
off, so as to show only stumps for much of the season, while birds with a little less will last 
better, owing to the quills being smaller and having more elasticity. We mention this because, 
as a rule, the birds with best foot-feather are most deficient in rose and crest ; and hence, while 
we desire all properties, whenever it comes to weighing one against the other, a property which 
gives absolutely no difficulty should not be ranked with one that does give a great deal. 
We believe the first pair of Russians introduced came over in 1863, and were imported 
by Mr. John Baily, of London. They threw all the English birds completely into the shade, 
and were purchased first by Mr. Hedley, but eventually passed into the possession of Mr. James 
Montgomery, of Belfast. Even the professedly ideal portraits of Trumpeters, which had been 
published in various works, were left far behind by these birds, except as regards foot-feather. 
The birds hitherto known scarcely ever possessed a rose larger than a shilling, and that 
often so irregular as to require a great deal of trimming, while the crests were little better 
than those of Turbits. The best of this type we can recollect were the strain of Mr. Mewburn, 
of Darlington, whose breed, before the arrival of the Russians, was far a-head for many 
years ; but the best single specimen we ever saw was the property of Mr. Oates, of Newark, 
and was a white hen. There were some very well-marked English Mottles at that time ; but, as 
we have observed, the marking and the foot-feather were the only points in which they could 
compete. The latter was to be had even better, on which account we have known people 
who professed to prefer the “ old type,” but we cannot agree for the reason stated, and also 
because, no doubt, the “ new type ” will ere long be bred, as several specimens already have 
been, equal or nearly so in this point too. 
The first Black cock imported, as above described, was, we believe, never beaten whenever shown _ 
and died in our own possession ; but the second importation, also by Mr. Baily, and which comprised 
both Blacks, Black-Mottles, Duns, Dun-Mottles, &c., were so much better even than the first, that 
Mr. Montgomery, in disposing of his whole stock, could not obtain — we were going to say a tenth 
part of what they would have realised before the arrival of this superb collection. The rose on 
most of these birds was not only enormous, but perfect in form, and required absolutely no 
trimming. Their worst fault was that the crest in some was so very large as to show a little 
