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eye is black with a yellow iris, and is encircled with a white ring; the breast and sides are thumbmarked, with a whitish drab, the colour having a shot-like bloom upon it. A white line runs round the base of the beak and down the throat; the back and shoulders are darker in colour than the rest of the body, and are bronzed in colour. As in the drake there is a wing mark of green and blue. In early summer the male changes his plumage, when he closely resembles the female, but resumes full plumage in the autumn and maintains it through the winter and spring.

Call. Of these there are two colours, the white and grey, which are simply the Aylesbury and Rouen in miniature so far as the colours are concerned, but in other respects they are different. These birds are sometimes called Decoy Ducks, for they were at one time used as decoys for wild birds. In head the Call Duck is very short and round, high in front, with a very short, thick, and broad bill. The colour of the bill is a brilliant orange in the white bird, and the same colour as that of the Rouen in the grey. The body is neat in shape, short and elegantly carried; the neck, though short, is graceful; the legs and feet are orange colour. So far as weight is concerned, two-and-a-half pounds is reckoned full size, and, when showing, as much smaller as possible. This breed is very tame and domesticated, does not fly away, and is very good on the table what there is of it, which of course is not much.

Kasarka or Sheldrake. Perhaps of all ducks this variety is the least common, but it has long been known to naturalists, as it is found almost all over the world. There is the common, the ruddy, the Radjah, and the New Holland Sheldrakes, all of which, though of the same variety, have some individual characteristics. The first-named will, however, suit our purpose here. It is about the size of a wild duck, and a little more than two pounds in weight. The bill is broad, and turned up at the end, and of a somewhat varying colour; the nostrils are black, and at the base of the bill is a rising knob. The head and neck are an irridescent green, the forepart of the wing is black, the tail, abdomen, and coverts white, the tail feathers being tipped black, and there is a black line running down the abdomen. The upper part of the back is a deep iron red, and a band of the same colour runs across the breast, which gets narrower towards the sides, and passes

black, with a white neck and breast, and on snowy feather at the end of each wing, though in some cases the wings are tipped with violet. The drake is of a beautiful grey colour, with emerald green head and neck, and wings of bluish green. They are good layers and splendid for the table.

Pintail.-In addition to the Bahama there are three other varieties of the Pintail family of ducks. The common Pintail is found in this country, and there are also the Redtailed and the Chilian Pintails. The two latter especially are very ornamental, and are often seen at shows. They do well in confinement, and can be recommended for their beauty.

Spotted Bill.-This pretty variety of duck comes to us from the Far East, and is a native of India, Burmah, and Ceylon. It is a true wild duck, and yet easily domesticated, being very amiable in temperament. Specimens are often seen at the various shows, and can be obtained from dealers without much difficulty. The plumage is not so brilliant as that of some other varieties, but is pleasant, the ground colour being a slaty brown, with white and green markings. Whistler. Of this family there are several members, and Ducks. they have the peculiarity of perching in trees though they are web-footed. They have a slight body with very long neck and legs, and a short tail, and at first sight would not appear to be ducks at all. They require plenty of space, as they are given to wandering. The name comes from the sound omitted by them.

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GEESE.

Embden.--The name given to this variety is derived from the town of Embden in Hanover, and it is probable that the original importations came by way of Helland. There is very little difference in the colour of the varieties of geese, and this simply partakes of the general character, being long in body, with medium length of leg,

a long neck, and a flattish, small head. The Embden is pure white in colour, and is often more generally known by the name of White Geese than by that which has been given. It is very ornamental on a large sheet of water, but in consequence of the colour of the plumage ought not to be kept except where there is plenty of water. Its great quality is rapid growth, and for this reason it is more especially suitable for the production of early goslings for table or the market. It does not attain to the same weight as does the Toulouse, and the latter, therefore, is better for securing Christmas geese, but earlier in the season it will be fit for killing several weeks before the last-named variety. It is an excellent layer, very hardy, and a good forager.

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Black East-Indian Ducks.

under the wings and round to the upper part of the back. The wing bar is green, the legs orange, the middle of the breast, belly, and vent are dusky mixed with white. The female is smaller than the male, but in all other respects, except richness of colour, the same.

Duclair.-A variety of duck is well known in France under this designation, which is derived from the town of Duclair, situated on the banks of the Seine, between Rouen and Havre. Around here they are bred in vast numbers. That they are more or less related to the Rouen there can be no doubt, but they have been considerably altered from the original. The ducks are usually

Toulouse. This is the well-known Grey Goose, which is most common of all this family, and for those who wish size it is the one to be chosen. Of this goose vast numbers are sent to the great markets every year, and, as has already been stated, it develops to an enormous size. They are very massive in size, and the double

breast, which extends well in front of the legs, almost touching the ground, gives them a square appearance. The colour throughout is a brown grey, shading off lighter in parts, and the feathers are as a rule edged with a lighter shade of the same colour. They are very hardy indeed, very good layers, but as a rule the geese do not sit. Some of the sizes attained by these birds at the great shows are fabulous, and for mature table specimens they are decidedly the best of all the varieties of geese. They are

not so suitable for early killing, for during the earlier period of their growth they are simply bone and skin, and, though they may appear large, will be found little more than what we have just mentioned. Later on, however, when they have grown and filled out, the flesh is both excellent and plentiful. They may be fed up very cheaply, and buying young goslings in the early autumn for fattening up may be made very profitable, or for those who only wish to supply their own table is a cheap way of securing well-fed geese from time to time.

Canadian. This is a variety of goose which, though not very well known, has been more or less kept in confinement, especi

from those named before. It is longer in the leg, lighter in body, has a short neck and legs, and is very erect in carriage, whilst it is possessed of more colour than is usually found on geese. They are found in many parts of Africa, and are largely met with on the banks of the Nile, for which fact the name has been given. They are difficult birds to keep in that they are terribly savage and will fight each other, their owner or attendant, and persecute any other fowls which happen to be within their power. For this reason, though they are undoubtedly attractive in appearance, they are not to be recommended unless they can he given a place apart.

African.-This bird averages the largest of all the varieties of geese known. Pairs of the early importations of this variety into America are publicly recorded to have weighed fifty-six pounds for gander and goose; and forty to fifty pounds per pair is not an uncommon weight to be attained at the present time where these fowls are purely bred from original stock. This breed, in limited quantities, has been known for about thirty-five years. The African goose is generally brown in colour, not unlike the Toulouse, but the shape is entirely different, for he wears a large horny knob at the base of his upper mandible, which distinguishes him from the others, and which has in some places given him the name of the great brown-knobbed goose. So far as we are informed, this variety lays but few eggs annually, in comparison with the yield of the Embden or Toulouse. This fact, perhaps, accounts for the scarcity amongst us of this really fine waterfowl.

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Embden Goose.

ally in America, where it is crossed with the common goose, to which it imparts strength of constitution and an improvement in the quality of the flesh. It cannot be kept in ordinary confinement, and to retain it even on a large sheet of water it is necessary to cut its wings. No one should attempt to keep the Canadian goose who has not a lake or running stream of good dimensions; but under these circumstances it is very ornamental. It grows from ten to fourteen pounds. It has a graceful neck; the head, upper part of the neck, quills, and tail are black; the back and wings are brown, the edges of the feathers being lighter; the lower part of the neck and the under parts are a greyish white. There is a broad cut in the fore neck, running up the sides of the face, having the appearance of a patch of white on each cheek. The upper tail coverts are white, the bill and feet being black.

Danubian or Sebastopol. This variety has the same peculiarity as is to be noted with Frizzled fowls, namely, that the feathers are turned the wrong way, and thus a very shaggy appearance is given to the bird. This, however, applies only to the back half of the body. It is a most valuable variety, and especially suitable for ornamental waters in that they are not

Chinese.-These geese are not very common in this country, and though classed with geese, are really more like swans. It is known as the Oie de Guinee of Buffon, and is distinguished

especially by its long neck and a large knob at the base of the bill. From this latter point it has been called the Knobbed goose, and also the Hongkong goose, from the place of its origin. Though first brought over from China it is well known in many parts of both the continents of Asia and Africa. It is a very prolific layer, and the quality of the flesh is regarded as superior to that of the common goose. The semi swan-like appearance gives it a great advantage over the ordinary goose, which is not to be regarded as highly ornamental, but it is smaller in body. In colour the bill and legs are orange, the knob being black. The usual colour is a greyish brown on the back and upper parts, passing to white or whitish gray on the abdomen, The foreparts of the neck and breast are a yellowish gray, and a very dark brown stripe runs down the back of the head to the body. Some birds are white with a pale stripe, but in all specimens of the Chinese goose this stripe is present. Another important point must not be omitted, namely, the folded skin attached to the throat forming a kind of dewlap,

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Toulouse Geese.

so much disposed to roam as are some of the other geese. The plumage is pure white, the general form resembles the Embden. The bill, legs, and feet are a bright red, and it has a bright blue eye. This variety does not attain so great a weight as do the Embden and the Toulouse, and are usually from nine to twelve pounds. They are splendid layers and capital table geese.

Egyptian.-The Egyptian is a purely ornamental variety, and is very different in appearance

As an economic breed this can be recommended, though neither the eggs nor the birds themselves are so large as in the common geese.

Russian. The following description of Russian Geese is quoted from the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, June, 1899. These birds are by no means pleasing in appearance, and have a bulldog type of head which attracts attention, and indicates the use to which they have been put, for fighting. The head is very short, and nearly round, with a wide forehead, and well developed cheek muscles. In the older specimens two knobs appear on the top of the skull, with a depression between. The bill, or beak, is very short at the base, so that the head and beak are together about the same length as the head is deep. The head, in fact, is more like that of a parrot, if the curled tip of the beak is omitted, than of a goose, the line from the top of the head to the tip of the beak being nearly straight. From the nostrils the surface of the bill is ribbed, and the colour is pale yellow, with a tip of ivory. The eye is large, full, in some cases nearly black, and in others

and most symmetrical of his race. The long graceful neck, the broad and full breast, the deep, well-rounded body, the drooping wings, the large fan-like tail, all combine to give it a very striking appearance, which is assisted by the colour. This is a rich, dark, lustrous bronze on the neck, back, and tail, the deep black breast and body, and pencillings of white, adding much to the effectiveness of the appearance. The head is, like all the turkeys, carunculated, and with the face and wattles of a rich red. The shanks are dark in

American Bronze Turkey.

grey or light blue, with eyelids parchment coloured. The neck is short for a goose, strong and slightly curved. The back is wide, flat, and straight; the breast wide, large, full, and round, and the body large and stout. The wings are large, with very strongly developed shoulder muscles. The legs are of medium length, strong, wide apart, and the feet large and round. The plumage is close and compact. The Arsamas variety is pure white in plumage, and the weights are from fifteen to twenty pounds, whilst the Tula variety is grey in colour, and sometimes clay, the weight in this case being twelve to fifteen pounds.

TURKEYS.

American Bronze. - Prehaps the finest of the turkey race is the variety known as the American Bronze, which is the result of a cross between the wild turkey and the Narragansett, and the male of the former and the female of the latter being usually employed, the cross results in a bird of a large size with beautiful plumage, largely partaking after that of the male parent. There is an enormous difference between the cocks and the hens, and the American standard disqualifies cocks weighing less than twentyfive pounds and adult hens weighing less than sixteen pounds. The well known Ameri

young birds, turning to a pink or flesh-coloured hue in old specimens. The plumage of the hen is similar to that of the cock, except that the colours are not so brilliant or clearly defined. Bronze turkeys reach maturity at three years old, and grow to an enormous size if properly cared for. Specimens have been known to reach nearly fifty pounds. In this country they are usually crossed with the Cambridge, in which way the better quality of flesh found in the latter is grafted on to the greater weight of the former,

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Black Norfolk. There does not appear to have been any crossing in the case of the Black Norfolk turkey, at least not to an appreciable extent, and it has maintained its original black colour throughout. All black birds are found liable to throw bronze feathers, but this is not more seen in this variety than in ordinary black fowls. We are not, however, sure that this want of crossing has been a direct benefit to the breed, because size is a most important factor in turkeys raised for market, it being found that the largest birds command the highest prices. It is claimed by the breeders of this variety that the flavour of flesh is the finest of all, and I am inclined to think that they are correct in this, and if the

birds had large size as well as quality of flesh they would be perfect. Nearly forty years ago, in Wingfield and Johnson's Poultry Book, the Black Norfolk turkey is mentioned as having all its plumage glossy black, except the tips of the tail feathers, which are brownish, and a few upon the back are of this colour also. Although the Black Norfolk Turkey is a combination of terms familiar as household words, and a part and parcel of our association with Christmas fare, yet it must be confessed that this breed is not found the most profitable, nor indeed are the metropolitan markets chiefly supplied from Norfolk. There are parts of Cambridgeshire which produce more turkeys than any other district of other counties. To one of these districts a London dealer goes down annually, and sees to the slaughtering and packing of about 1,800 turkeys the week before Christmas. From the earlier editions of Moubray, however, it would appear that Norfolk was the great centre for turkey breeding, for in these it is stated that "in December, 1793, the number of turkeys sent to the metropolis by the stage coaches from Norw amounted to 2,500 and upwards, weighing nea

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Black Norfolk Turkey.

can breeder, Mr. I. K. Felch, remarks on this disqualification that "sixteen pounds for a female discloses the fact that very few specimens that weigh over it are prolific, and twenty pound females seldom, if ever, lay any eggs." Perfect weight should be twenty-seven pounds for male and sixteen for females, so that the disqualifying weights should have been twenty-two and fourteen pounds respectively. A turkey cock over thirty pounds is useless as a breeder.

This mag

nificent variety of turkeys is one of the handsomest

fourteen tons. On mentioning this fact to several poulterers, they assured me that, far enough from falling short of the above quantities during the late season, there can be no doubt that they were greatly increased, even probably to half as many

more.

Cambridge Bronze.-This breed of turkeys originated in a cross between the Norfolk Turkey and the old Cambridge Grey, the Norfolk turkey being undoubtedly tender, and n this we have a bird which, whilst larger and hardier than the Black Norfolk, yet retains a great deal of its flesh qualities. Its colour, however, is not so brilliant and lustrous as that of the American Bronze, nor does it reach the same size, although we have seen a male bird weighing thirty-three pounds when dead, under twelve months old. Ex

cept for the lack of brilliancy of plumage, the external characteristics of the American Bronze can be applied to the variety now under notice.

Black Turkey. The turkey which is chiefly kept in the north of France is black in plumage, and the majority of the birds which are sent over here every Christmas are of this breed. It is a hardy bird, its colour lustrous, but is. somewhat small in accordance with our ideas. Its quality, however, is as good as that of the Norfolk, and if it were fed in the same manner would probably in time rival our East Anglian variety. This breed is almost universally found all over northern France. Very few male birds attain twenty pounds in their first year, and although from certain points this may not altogether be a disadvantage, so long as we have the rage for big birds it is not so much in demand.

White Turkey.-At nearly all our leading shows specimens of the White Turkey are to be seen, it not being so rare as was at one time the case. There do not appear to be any authentic records as to the origin, but as many turkeys in their wild state have a considerable amount of black in the plumage, the transition to white is not very strange. All self-coloured black fowls have a tendency now and again to breed white, and we owe several of our white plumaged varieties of

poultry to this fact, the sport having been fixed and perpetuated. At one time this breed was more especially bred on the continent, for in one of the editions of Moubray we learn that in France especially the Whites were extensively bred, and held in good esteem, being thought to be more easily reared and more quickly fattened than any other kind. In Languedoc, Provence, they were almost exclusively kept, but in the Dauphiny all kinds were reared and equally esteemed. In our own country the Whites are not often seen, as they are considered to be less hardy and in every way inferior to the darker; but it is probable that the prejudice which exists against whiteplumaged birds may have tended to discourage their being kept, without any sufficient reason or experience. White turkeys, however, with their snowy plumage, red hood and frill, and black ermine tuft on the breast, are remarkably handsome fowls, and not, therefore, unworthy to be reared, if not for their value as poultry, at least as ornamental fowls for the park or pleasure ground. It is said that this variety came originally to us from Holland, but whence our Dutch neighbours procured them in the first instance is not known.

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Turkey.

FANCY PIGEONS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.
BY THE REV. W. F. LUMLEY, A.K.C.

THE cultivation of the domestic pigeon dates
back to the early history of mankind. Like the
dog the pigeon seems to be instinctively disposed
to domestication, and to cast in its lot with
human beings, whether these be civilised or only
partially so. Of the origin of the manifold

varieties of the Columbarian Genus much has been written-some ascribing them all to one common source, namely, to the Blue Rock pigeon, and others, I think more correctly, attributing their existence to crosses that in process of time have, either by design or accident, taken place between the half dozen or so aboriginal breeds, the natives of different portions of the Globe. Cross-bred pigeons are more prolific than those of any one of the breeds to which I have alluded; this very cross-breeding too has diminished the natural disposition to isolation and wildness appertaining to the Blue Rock and other like distinct breeds, the aborigines of different climes, and has rendered them more dependent on artificial modes of sustenance only to be obtained under laws of domestication.

The BLUE ROCK, whether it be the whiterumped inhabitants of European territories or the grey-rumped native of Asiatic regions, remains now what it has ever been: an unamed and undomesticated bird, living on wild

seeds, scantily supplied corn reapings, small snails and slugs, assisted by a considerable consumption of herbaceous matter. Its nearest resemblance among domestic pigeons is the Dovehouse breed, sometimes called the "Duffer."

The Duffer is the undoubted progenitor of all European and many Asiatic varieties of Fancy Pigeons. It is a small, active, hardy bird of slatey-blue colour, dappled or chequered with black on the shoulder plumage-some proportion of these display a whitish rump, and others are blue on the shoulders, marked only with two black bars, but the vast majority are of the uniform slatey-blue shade on the rump, distinct evidence to my mind of a dual ancestry, probably descendant from some distant cross between the European white-rumped and the Asiatic grey-rumped original Blue Rock breeds. Owing to its plain and homely appearance this pigeon has also been designated the "Runt," a term applied by Fanciers usually to the very largest breed of normally built and shaped Fancy Pigeons, birds of awkward and ungainly appearance.

The majority of pigeons belonging to old manorial dovecotes, inhabiting lofty public buildings in towns, or domiciled at isolated farmsteads, are of this Dovehouse race, and from

birds of its kind are descended all varieties of pigeons, bred either for flying or exhibition purposes, known as Fancy Pigeons.

The Fancy Varieties of pigeons come under several distinct sections or classes, as, for instance, birds remarkable for size, structure, skull, or feather singularity, and sundry physical peculiarities. In this short article I propose to describe those breeds best known to English speaking people, and from which sub-varieties have undoubtedly been produced, some which have actually almost exceeded their progenitors in public favour.

of

The ENGLISH CARRIER.-This bird is known in the Fancy as the "King of Pigeons." Most people run away with the idea that this highly-prized bird is the ordinary message carrier pigeon which returns by some wonderful power of instinct from far distances to its home; such it is not. The ordinary messenger pigeon is of a very modest and common appearance, much resembling the every-day blue and chequered pigeons so common. The English

in

Carrier is a pigeon, on the other hand, barely capable of returning to its home from a distance of half a mile -indeed, less. Its value consists certain physical peculiarities of body structure and head adornment. These are as follows:Size rather large, carriage erect; legs moderately long, neck is long and are powerful and

stout, and firmly set; the slender, the shoulders slightly protrude to the front of the chest ; the flight and tail feathers are rather long, the former being well carried over the latter. The properties of the head of the Carrier pigeon are very marked-the skull is narrow, equally wide at the front and back, it is also rather low on the crown; the beak shoots straight out from the front and is very long and stout. Both on the upper and lower divisions of the beak (called mandibles) a large walnut-like fleshy excrescence showing a white powdery bloom is found-this is called the wattle, and increases in size and perfection of shape with age. The nearer the top and lower wattle combined approach in formation to a large walnut the more highly is the Carrier esteemed. Around the eyes also a like growth of the eyelids, called ceres, develops itself, and the wider and

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Barbary, and in many points is the exact opposite of the Carrier. In body formation and structure this pigeon is rather small and short on the legs; the neck is short, and wide at the lower part approaching the chest and back; the back is wide and the chest rather prominent, the wings at the shoulders being closely tucked in ; the flight and tail feathers are moderately long and carried the former resting closely on the latter; the neck as it approaches the headpiece is slender, thus giving a large and massive appearance to the skull, which cannot be too broad or too square in shape, the frontal or forehead being very short and wide as it comes down to the mouth; the beak is very short, and both mandibles are exceedingly stout; the skull is flat on the crown, rather rising to the sides over the eyes; the eyes are of a silvery pearl colour, surrounded by very round, wide, evenly shaped, fleshy eye ceres of deep coral red colour. The standard colours of the Barb are black, red, yellow, and white.

The TUMBLER is divided into two sections called Short-faced and Long-faced. For many years the Short-faced Tumbler has been so highly esteemed as to cause it to be known as the Queen of Pigeons." The Short-faced Tumbler is essentially an English breed like

the Carrier; also, like the Carrier, its name scarcely denotes its individual attribute, for it has been so highly bred for other aims that it has altogether lost the peculiar manner of tumbling head over heels, from which it derives its name, a mode of flying still appertaining to sundry kinds of pigeons known Long-faced Tumbler. as Long-faced Tumblers; these are birds of ordinary pigeon build and size, sub-divided according to certain feather markings to which their appellations are attributable, such as Baldheads, Beards, White-sides, &c. But the Short-faced Tumbler is altogether a pigeon of very high culture, whose chief peculiarity, however, is centred in its head formation its body is of a round, plump shape, the neck is short and rather thick at the base, and the breast very prominent and rounded at the front, making the head to appear thrown back; the wing and tail feathers are rather long and wide in web, and carried low down to the ground; the legs are short, but have a jaunty appearance, as the bird appears to rest on its claws rather than on the palms of its feet; the neck is rather slender towards the throat; the skull is very round, viewed from every side, and, for the size of the body, large; its most remarkable feature is the fulness and prominence of the forehead frontal from which the very small thin beak shoots forward at a very sharp angle; this is called the "stop." The mouth is very wide, and the beak about the size and shape of a barley-corn, very fine at its tip. The eyes are rather prominent, like those of a fish, and the iris is very clear silvery white. In colours and markings all Tumblers are of many varieties, the most highly-prized of which is the almondground coloured bird, which is singularly spangled with black-and-white breaks or patches in the flight and tail feathers.

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