14 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
white, the fuller and more prominent the better ; and there 
must be no naked skin or cere round it. In the best-headed 
birds the eye often appears rather below the centre of the 
head. A broken or muddy eye spoils the prettiest face. 
Shape and Carriage. —The form of the birds should be 
small, compact, plump, or rounded in shape, short thin neck, 
full and protuberant chest, short back, tad and pinion 
feathers also short, and feet small, the carriage upish or 
dandified, head well thrown back, neck curved, chest up, 
pinions sweeping below the tail, the bird strutting on its 
toes as if it was walking tiptoe to make the most oi itself. 
A dull, mopish bird never shows to so much advantage. 
Feather is the last property to be mentioned; and, as 
Short-faced Tumblers are of all shades and markings, so it 
suffices to say that of two birds equally good in other 
respects the precedence would be awarded to that of the 
best colour and most accurately marked. 
would doubtlessly oftener do so, though, in general, they do 
not fly and tumble so well as their coarser brethren. 
I fear I have already dwelt too long on these beautiful 
little pets; and I shall, therefore, conclude by advising those 
who wish for a fuller description to peruse Mr. J. M. Eaton’s 
“ Treatise on the Almond Tumbler,” which contains much 
information respecting these birds and their management. 
It may not be out of place to correct an error that is 
widely diffused, namely, that all whole-coloured Tumblers 
are called “ Kites.” Such is not the case. Kite or Hawked 
is a brindled colour or mixture of black and red, which in 
the young bird has a barred appearance, resembling the 
plumage of a kite or hawk, whence the name. When the 
kite-coloured Pigeon throws its nest feathers it becomes 
almost black, generally with a bluish tail and a reddish 
colour on the inner webs of the primary wing feathers.— 
B. P. Brent. 
AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, April 7, 1857. 
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Of all the varieties of Short-faced Tumblers the Almond 
is the most admired. Its properties are exactly the same as 
in all the others, differing only in feather, which should he 
a rich, bright yellow, interspersed with jet black and clear 
white. The twelve primary feathers of the tail and the ten 
in each flight must each contain the three colours to con¬ 
stitute the bird a standard Almond. Eew of the so-callec! 
Almonds can, however, come up to this standard, and very 
few are of a good yellow ground colour, they generally being 
of a kite or reddish brown colour, resembling the inside oi 
the shell of the almond nuts, from which it is supposed they 
derive the name; hut the more they are variegated in the 
three colours, yellow* black, and white, the more they are 
esteemed. They might not inappropriately he called Har 
lequins from their many-coloured clothing. 
The French call the Short-faced Tumblers Pigeon Cut 
hutant Anglais , and the variegated ones they designate 
Pigeon Culbutant Pantomime. MM. Boitard and Corbie 
remark of the Tumbler Pigeons, that in 1817 the English 
bought up all they could find for sale in France. To those 
gentlemen who regard the origin of the name Almond, a? 
generally admitted, to he unsatisfactory, may I suggest tha' 
it might arise irom a corruption of the French for German 
Allemand, as I believe it is universally aelmitted that we 
obtained our handsome coloured Tumblers by crossim 
with the Dutch or German varieties ? 
The Germans call the Shorter-faced Tumblers “Hoi 
landers.” 
Our best Short-faced Tumblers are bred so high an< 
tenderly that they are rarely allowed to fly, and the mor, 
delicate they are the more they are esteemed. Thus thei 
5 earing requires great care and attention, and has becomi 
quite artificial, so as to require the young birds to be shiftet 
to fresh nurses, or birds that have hatched more recently 
to obtan a longer supply of soft meat, alias Pigeon’s milk 
"oth wh.eh the old birds first feed the young, as also to it 
sure their being longer brooded over. The Short-fac, 
1 umblers do occasionally tumble, and, if kept more naturall 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Eggs from Sixty Hens (A Subscriber ).—We see nothing wrong in 
your management, and if you got rid of all the hens older than two 
years you would have more eggs. If eggs are your only object keep 
none but one-year-old hens. The Dorking cock at one year old is not 
too young for breeding. We have known a male bird totally neglect one 
particular hen in his seraglio. 
Polands (A Wiltshire Poultry -keeper ).—We had mislaid your com¬ 
munication on this. We cannot promise speedy insertion to any com¬ 
munications. What is desirable to be inserted must be left to the 
Editor alone. Our correspondent adds, “ The assertion in ‘The Cackle 
of a Polish Hen ’ that Polands do not wander, and merely require one 
hour’s liberty daily (on which no fowls but Cochins would thrive), is very 
erroneous.” 
Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s Prize List.—S. B. H 
complains that in this there are none for either Pigeons or Rabbits. Is 
it usual for Agricultural Societies to offer prizes for them ? 
Large Egg. —“ I have a Cochin hen which a few days ago laid an 
egg of extraordinary size—five ounces and “a half, or more than the third 
of a pound in weight. On breaking the shell the ordinary white and 
yolk appeared, but with them a second egg, of rather less than the 
ordinary size, but with perfect shell, white, and yolk also. The shells I 
retain in my possession. I had never heard of such a freak of nature 
before.”—A Subscriber. 
[It is not a very unusual occurrence.—E d.] 
LONDON MARKETS.— April 6th. 
COVENT GARDEN. 
Our Market accounts are but meagre, and bare trade being exceedingly 
dull, and scarcely a feature in business worth noticing. Pines and 
Strawberries are much reduced in price, the latter in supply much 
beyond the demand. Our usual consignments from the Continent h ave 
come to hand in excellent condition. From the West of England a large 
quantity of Broccoli is still sent, and with it this week a fair sample of 
new Potatoes from the Scilly Islands. The Potato trade here is slightly 
improved, and we find in the northern markets that good samples can 
only be had at increased rates. 
POULTRY. 
Good Poultry is very scarce, but dull trade causes it to be rather lower 
than it would otherwise be at this season of the year. Plover’s Eggs are 
slowly coming in, but it is impossible to make any quotation for the first 
few days. 
Large fowls.. 7*. Od.to 7s. 6d. each. 
Smaller do.5s. to 5s. 6d. ,, 
Chickens.4s. to 4s. 6d. ,, 
Goslings .. 7s. 6d. to 8s. Od. ,, 
Ducklings.. 4s. Od. to 4s. 6d. ,, 
Guinea Fowls 3s. 6d. to 4s. Od. ,, 
Wild Ducks 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. ,, 
Widgeons.. Is. 6d. to Is. 9d. each 
Teal. Is. Od. to is. 3d. „ 
Pigeons .8d. to 9d. ,, 
Rabbits.... Is. 5d. to Is. 6d. ,, 
Wild ditto.... lod. to Is. Od. ,, 
Leverets.... 4s. Od. to 5s. Od. ,, 
London: Printed by Hugh Barclay, Winchester High-street, in 
the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published for the Proprietors 
at The Cottage Gardener Office, No. 20, Paternoster Row, in 
the Parish of Christ Church, City of London.—April 7, 1857. 
