C O L U M B A. 
outer webs and tips, the fecond quills are brown, with the 
outer edges grey ; the tail is very unequal, the outer fea¬ 
thers being very fliort; the two middle feathers are black- 
ifh brown, tinged with rufous, and thole on the fides grey 
brown at the bale, and blackifh at the ends ; beneath they 
are all bjack, except the outer one, which has the outfide 
and tip white; legs are red. The female differs in hav¬ 
ing- the throat and fore part of the neck of the fame colour 
as the relt of the head, and the greater wing-coverts not 
tipped with black. This bird is found in Africa; it has 
been brought from the Cape of Good Hope and Senegal, 
and no doubt is to be found in all the l’outhern parts of 
that continent. There are feveral varieties of this l'pecies; 
in fome the forehead is black, in others not; in one there 
is a ft ripe of white acrofs the head, and down each fide of 
the neck, a bar of white acrofs the rump, and the fpots of 
the wings ate of a blue green inltead of black 5 in another 
there is a crefcent of very pale alh-colour on the bread ; 
and the fides, beneath the eye, mottled with cinereous 
and black. 
70. Columba macroura, the great-tailed dove; in length 
twelve inches; bill red, bale of it covered with a white 
cere; head, neck, and upper parts of the body, reddifh 
cinnamon colour; bread, belly, and thighs, dulky white; 
tail very long, occupying half the length of the bird ; it 
is cuneiform in fhape, and white at the tip; legs red. 
This inhabits Senegal, and is faid to carry the tail like 
the creded curaffow. 
71. Columba melanoptera, the black-winged turtle; 
about the fize of a thrufli, very lively and active; the 
wings and quill feathers black; general plumage of the 
body a ,dufky lead colour; tail very long. Native of 
Chili, in South America. 
Of FANCY PIGEONS. 
The English Powter.— This pigeon derives its name 
from being originally bred in England, and is of a crofs 
breed between a horfeman and a cropper; and by fre¬ 
quently pairing their young, it has added great beauty to 
the dock, and railed its reputation among the fancy 
breeders. According to the rules laid clown, this bird 
ought to meafure, from the point of the beak to the end 
of the tail, eighteen inches; to have a line (hape and hol¬ 
low back, (loping off taper from the fhoulders ; for, when 
it has a rife on the back, it is termed hog-backed ; 
the legs from the toe-nail to the upper joint in the 
thigh {hould be feven inches; the crop ought to be large 
and circular towards the beak, rifing behind the neck, fo 
as to cover and run neatly off at the Ihoulders, with a 
fmart girt, while their variety of plumage gives a fine 
fymmetry to the whole bird. Of the plumage, thofe cont- 
pofed of different colours are molt eiteemed, as the blue- 
pied, black-pied, red-pied, and yellow-pied. All thefe 
properties rife in value according as they agree with the 
above defcription: for example, if the blue-pied and 
black-pied are pofleffed of the other qualities, the black- 
pied, on account of the plumage, will be the molt valua¬ 
ble of the two ; but, if the yellow-pied has thefe marks, 
it will be far preferable to the others. The beauties and 
properties of the male powter are thus defcribed by the 
ableft breeders : the front of the crop Ihould be white, 
encircled with a Ihining green, interfperl'ed with the fame 
colour with which he is pied; but the white Ihould not 
reach the back of the head, for then he is ring-headed. 
There {hould be a patch, in the fhape of a crelcent, fall¬ 
ing under the lower mandible, of the fame colour with 
which he is pied ; and, when this is wanting, he is called 
iwallow-throated. The head, neck, back, and tail, Ihould 
preferve an uniformity of colour ; and, if a blue-pied pi¬ 
geon, he (hould have two black bars near the end of both 
wings; but, if thefe chance to be of a brown colour, it 
greatly diminilhes the value of the bird, and he is then 
kite-barred, as the fanciers term it. When the pinion of 
the wing is fpeckled with white, in the form of a rofe, it 
is called a rofe-pinion, and is highly eiteemed; though it 
823 
is a great rarity to find any one complete in this proper¬ 
ty ; when the pinion has a large dafh of white on the ex¬ 
ternal edge of the wing, he is laid to be lawn-fleeved. 
They mult not be naked about the thighs, nor fpindle- 
legged, as lome of the powters formerly were before the 
breed was improved ; but their legs and thighs (hould be 
flout and ftxaight, and well covered with white (oft downy 
feathers: but whenever it happens that the joints of the 
knees, or any other part of the thigh, is tinged with an¬ 
other colour, he is foul-thighed. If the nine flight fea¬ 
thers of the wing are not white, he is foul-flighted ; and, 
when only the extreme feather of the wing is of the fame 
colour with the body, he is called {word-flighted. The 
crop of the powter ought to be filled fo as to (hew its full 
extent with eafe and freedom ; for it is a great fault when 
a bird overcharges his crop with wind, and drains him- 
felf fo much that lie fometimes falls backward, becaufe he 
is not able to give a quick vent to the confined air, which 
makes him unquiet and heavy, and many a fine bird has, 
by this ill habit, either fallen into the ltreet, or become 
a prey to the cats. The reverfe of this is being loofe 
winded, lo that he exhibits too fmall a crop. A powter 
Ihould Hand ereft, with a fine well-lpread tail, which mult 
not touch the ground, nor fink between his legs, neither 
mult it relt upon his rump, which is a great deformity, 
called rumping. He Ihould draw the fhoulders of his wings 
dole to his body, difplay his limbs, and walk almoft upon 
his toes, without jumping or kicking, but moving with 
an ealy majeftic air. The powter that approaches neareft 
to thefe properties is a valuable bird ; and fome fanciers, 
by a patient perfeverance, have bred them fo near the 
ftandard prefcribed, as to fell them for twenty guineas a 
pair. In breeding and rearing powters, every tingle bird, 
cock as well as .hen, mult be parted during the winter 
feafon, and placed in a feparate pen or coop; each of 
them mult be lupplied with meat and water, and care 
taken that the coop be lofty and lpacious, that they may 
not get an ill habit of (looping, which is fo great fin im¬ 
perfection, that it Ihould be prevented by all poflible 
means. In the fpring, when they are to be matched, pre¬ 
pare two pair of dragoons to every pair of powters, for 
feeders or nurfes; for thole who are curious in the breed, 
never fuffer powters to hatch their own eggs, they being 
fuch unfeeling parents, if left to themlelves, as frequently 
to Itarve theii; young. The dragoons mull be kept in a 
loft feparate from the powters, for fear they (hould dege¬ 
nerate and baltardize the breed ; but, when the hen-pow- 
ter has laid her egg, it Ihould be Ihifted under a dragoon 
that has alfo lately laid an egg, and the egg of the dra¬ 
goon put under the powter, it being very proper the pow¬ 
ter Ihould have an egg or eggs to lit upon, or Hie will- 
quickly lay again; and this often repeated will be the 
caule of her death. Great caution mult alfo be obferved 
to prevent thefe birds from gorging, which the large crop¬ 
ped ones are apt to do, and is often the occafion of their 
death. To make them tame and familiar, the powter 
fhould be ufed to company, and frequently attended and 
talked to, during the winter, in a phrafe which fanciers 
are well acquainted with, or they will become fhy, and 
lofe one of their greatell properties, for which they are fo 
much admired, which is called Jhenuing. 
The Dutch Cropper. —This pigeon was originally 
bred in Holland, and its make feems to agree with tils' 
country from whence it came; the body is thick, clum- 
fy, and fliort, as are alfo the legs, which are feathered 
down to the feet; they have a large pouch or bag bang¬ 
ing under their beak, which they can fwell with wind, or 
deprefs at pleafure ; their crop hangs low, and is very 
large ; they are fo loofe feathered on the thighs, as to be 
{tiled flag-thighed; they feldom play upright, and (land 
wide on their legs; they are gravel-eyed, and fuch bad 
feeders of their young, that, as loon as they have fed oft 
the foft meat, it is neceffary to place the young ones un¬ 
der a pair of l'mall runts, dragoons, or powting-horfe- 
xnen, who will aft the part of nurfes better than their na¬ 
tural 
