AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April. 
HOMING BIRD. 
(COPYRIGHT SECURED.) ISABEL. 
POUTER. PAN-TAIL. ANTWERP. 
GEOI S . — Drawn and Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
DRAGON. 
CARRIER. 
SUABIAN. 
In all civilized countries from India to China, 
through Asia and Europe to America, people 
are familiar with the common Pigeon or Dove 
in some of its many varieties, or breeds, which, 
when bred without care, or allowed to mingle, 
soon revert to a form in many respects much 
like the w'ild Rock Pigeon of the Eastern 
Hemisphere, from which they are all descended. 
The Rock Pigeon is one of the most easily 
domesticated of birds. Young ones taken from 
the nest and reared by hand seem to have no 
incJnation to return to their wild habits. The 
rest ; t has beeu, that, wherever the wild bird is 
foun 1, the inhabitants have always, so far as we 
know, had tame pigeons. In a state of domes¬ 
tication, peculiarities of form and plumage have 
been observed, and expressly propagated, so that 
there is hardly a doubt, that through this selec¬ 
tion made by pigeon breeders for hundreds or 
thousands of years, many of the most peculiar 
and beautiful of the varieties have been formed. 
In the above striking engraving we present a 
group of a few very marked examples of vari¬ 
ation in form and plumage exhibited in some 
of the most highly prized breeds of pigeons. 
The figure occupying the centre of the group 
Is the English Pouter. All pigeons have the 
0 faculty of inflating their throats, in a measure, 
but the Pouter inflates its entire crop to the ex¬ 
tent exhibited or even more, and does this ap¬ 
parently for its own amusement. The desirable 
points in a Pouter pigeon are great length of 
limb and length of feather, with slenderness of 
body, large size and symmetry of the inflated 
crop; and attractiveness of color, in wdiich great 
variation is allowable. These Pouters are very 
large pigeons, but other kinds are of less size; 
in fact, a* breed of Pigmy Pouters is highly 
prized. The Isabels, one of which is seen on 
the wall, panteletted like a Miss of ten years, are 
a continental variety, of a fawn, or pale reddish 
yellow color. The conspicuous black bird with 
the enormous mass of carunculated flesh about 
the eye and upon the beak is the English Car¬ 
rier—a large, strong-bodied, long-winged, beau- 
tiful-plumaged bird, Avhosc merit in the eye of 
the fancier is the size and perfection of the de¬ 
formities upon his head, called the cye-v r attle 
and the beak-wattle. The beak is very long, and 
the colors are white, black, dark dun and blue. 
This bird is not used as a letter carrier, as might 
be supposed, though originally it might have 
been so employed, for it doubtless possesses 
great sagacity and a strong flight. The birds 
which are employ-ed as message bearers and lor 
flying matches are known as Homing birds, 
because w T hen carried array they fly home again. 
Among those thus used are the An twerps, one 
of wdiich is on the right of the picture, and 
Dragons, represented by the bird on the left, 
partly hidden by the shoulders of the Carrier. 
The most successful match-flying birds are said 
to be crosses between these and some other 
varieties, as, for instance, Antwerps and Owds. 
The bird with a ruffled bosom on the extreme 
right is what is called an “ Owl.” The Suabians 
are a small but very beautiful German variety 
with gaily spangled plumage; one is introduced 
in the engraving but somewdiat hidden by the 
Carrier and Dragon. There are numerous other 
very beautiful breeds of pigeons of well estab¬ 
lished characteristics; and the careful breeding 
of any of them is, like the culture of flowers, of 
little “practical use,” but a great pleasure. 
The pigeon fancier, in the beginning, should 
not undertake to breed his favorites for profit, 
but for enjoyment, although there is a ready 
sale for fine specimens. The prices which have 
been paid in England for birds of exlraordinary 
merit are astonishing—for instance, £i0 to £20 
for a single bird is not an unustlal occurrence. 
