Pouters stand remarkably upright, and their bodies are thin and
elongated. In connexion with this form of body, the ribs are generally
broader and the vertebræ more numerous than in other breeds. From their
manner of standing their legs appear longer than they really are,
though, in proportion with those of _C. livia_, the legs and feet are
actually longer. The wings appear much elongated, but by measurement,
in relation to the length of body, this is not the case. The beak
likewise appears longer, but it is in fact a little shorter (about ·03
of an inch), proportionally with the size of the body, and relatively
to the beak of the rock-pigeon. The Pouter, though not bulky, is a
large bird; I measured one which was 34½ inches from tip to tip of
wing, and 19 inches from tip of beak to end of tail. In a wild
rock-pigeon from the Shetland Islands the same measurements gave only
28¼ and 14¾. There are many sub-varieties of the Pouter of different
colours, but these I pass over.
_Sub-race II. Dutch Pouter._—This seems to be the parent-form of
our improved English Pouters. I kept a pair, but I suspect that
they were not pure birds. They are smaller than English pouters,
and less well developed in all their characters. Neumeister[7] says
that the wings are crossed over the tail, and do not reach to its
extremity.
_Sub-race III. The Lille Pouter._—I know this breed only from
description.[8] It approaches in general form the Dutch Pouter, but
the inflated œsophagus assumes a spherical form, as if the pigeon
had swallowed a large orange, which had stuck close under the beak.
This inflated ball is represented as rising to a level with the
crown of the head. The middle toe alone is feathered. A variety of
this sub-race, called the claquant, is described by MM. Boitard and
Corbié; it pouts but little, and is characterised by the habit of
violently hitting its wings together over its back,—a habit which
the English Pouter has in a slight degree.
_Sub-race IV. Common German Pouter._—I know this bird only from the
figures and description given by the accurate Neumeister, one of the
few writers on pigeons who, as I have found, may always be trusted.
This sub-race seems considerably different. The upper part of the
œsophagus is much less distended. The bird stands less upright. The
feet are not feathered, and the legs and beak are shorter. In these
respects there is an approach in form to the common rock-pigeon. The
tail-feathers are very long, yet the tips of the closed wings extend
beyond the end of the tail; and the length of the wings, from tip to
tip, and of the body, is greater than in the English Pouter.
Illustration: Fig. 19—English Carrier.
GROUP II.
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