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    The Eye - A Treatise on 'Eye Signs' and a Study of the Eyes of Great Families of Homing Pigeons
    The Eye - A Treatise on 'Eye Signs' and a Study of the Eyes of Great Families of Homing Pigeons
    The Eye - A Treatise on 'Eye Signs' and a Study of the Eyes of Great Families of Homing Pigeons
    Ebook111 pages1 hour

    The Eye - A Treatise on 'Eye Signs' and a Study of the Eyes of Great Families of Homing Pigeons

    By Anon Anon

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    This antiquarian volume contains a detailed discussion on 'eye signs' - being a study and exploration of the eyes particular to the great families of homing pigeons. This fascinating and profusely illustrated treatise on the 'signs' present in the eyes of pigeons will appeal to both amateur and seasoned fanciers. It would make for a worthy addition to collections of pigeon-related literature. Although old, the information contained herein is timeless, and will be of as much value to modern readers as it was when first published. The chapters of this book include: 'Falconry', 'Personal Observations', 'The Eyes', 'Study of the Eyes', 'Study of the Great Families', 'The Ulensthe Vekemas – The Van Shingen', 'The Wegges', 'The Grooters', 'The Pittvils', 'The Hansennes and the Delathouwers', 'General Considerations', 'The Special Aptitude', etcetera. We are republishing this vintage book now in an affordable, modern edition - complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on pigeons.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRead Books Ltd.
    Release dateMay 31, 2013
    ISBN9781473380400
    The Eye - A Treatise on 'Eye Signs' and a Study of the Eyes of Great Families of Homing Pigeons

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      The Eye - A Treatise on 'Eye Signs' and a Study of the Eyes of Great Families of Homing Pigeons - Anon Anon

      Twombly.

      Translation from Flemish

      THE EYES

      The eye of the carrier-pigeon must be regular, round, open and brilliant; it should look alert and bright.

      The eyeball, lodged between the eyelids in a socket, is surrounded by a fleshy excrescence, which usually is of a grayish color.

      One chooses the eyes, of which only the homey part or the middle, and none of the white part can be seen, both for the sake of pigeon’s beauty and its flying capacity.

      The Iris of the eye, in which one finds colored rings or circles with many tints, is perforated in the middle and comprises a circular or clipsoidal opening called pupil.

      Behind the pupil, the purpose of which is to receive the rays of light, there is the crystalline lens of the eye which transmits the rays to the background in order to produce the image of things on the retina.

      The pupil, which is brilliantly black, can contract and expend. When there comes a flood of light or brightness, or in order to see objects which are located nearby, the pupil contracts. When it gets darker, or in order to see distant objects, it expands. The pupil of one pigeon may be bigger than that of another.

      A deformed or degenerated eye can be recognized by irregularities in color of the iris and the form of the pupil. In this case, and also when the bird is sick, is poor in blood or has a weak constitution, this organ has neither brilliancy not brightness (see the numbers 15, 16 and 17 of the colored plate).

      The most insignificant eye trouble, the slightest indisposition of the body are sufficient to make the best pigeon in the world unfit for winning a prize.†

      Everyone knows that as far as the carrier-pigeon is concerned, there is a wide variation and regularity of color of the iris. This bird never reproduces the same pure blood. It is generated by crossing various strains. We find there among other things that the iris of the eyes of pigeons of the old Luik strain was of dark red color; on the contrary, with the old Antwerp strain the eyes were spotted with red.

      These different colors or tints are not regularly transmitted to the progeny. One can observe very often that the latter gets nothing of it. We shall give the reasons of this in a later part of the book.

      From the foregoing considerations we can deduce the following question:

      Which are the signs from which one can recognize the sporting and moral characteristics of the carrier pigeon?

      The explanation which we give, and the practical proofs based on a series of eyes illustrated on the plate constitute a perfect and complete answer to this question.

      Number 1 of the plate illustrates the head of our Plomb. This pigeon which for a number of years was an outstanding prize flyer, is still a good breeder at present, in spite of his advanced age. The history of this pigeon is full of unusual events and also is extremely instructive.

      The Plomb" which was bred in our loft in 1896, came from the crossing of a pair of pigeons which we got in exchange from the late Mr. Schoonbroodt of Luik. The bronzed cock, with brown eyes, was the son of the famous St. Vincent purchased from Mr. Hansenne of Verviers, and the hen, a dappled one with bright yellow-red eyes, was an offspring of the cow of Mr. Stenheuse of Ensival.† From these two pigeons we got a very well developed cock with lightly bronzed black feathers and dark brown eyes.

      We sent this cock on various occasions on training flights up to Tours, and each time he came home regularly, and yet too late to win the prize. If we had not lost this bird later on, no doubt that he would have become, same as his progenitors, an outstanding traveller for long flights.

      When this cock was two years old, we let him pair with a blue hen with bright red eyes from the old Lagae strain (stamina and speed). From the first brood, we got two cocks, one of dark lead color and another of light lead color. After several training flights, both of the birds distinguished themselves right from their early age in prize flights from the South East (Germany) and won the first prizes of Libramont, Marbehan, Arlon and Luxembourg. Unfortunately, at a later date the darker one fell into the claws of a bird of prey.

      We used the remaining Plomb for breeding, and we also continued working him, but only in prize events from the South (France).

      The Plomb which is generally known among lovers of this strain, came always at the head and won a great number of first prizes.

      The eye of the Plomb (Figure 1) is very powerful. The farthest (outside) ring of the dark chestnut colored iris is broadened by a light yellow circle around the pupil. In this eye one notes between the iris and the pupil a grayish strip (line) which we call in French cercle revelateur and in Flemish verkenningscirkel (distinctive circle.† With a magnifying glass one can note in the iris a number of LITTLE BLACK LINES which one finds very often in outstanding birds of a good stock.

      The Plomb, a particularly well feathered pigeon, is, from the physical point of view, extremely well built and has strong muscles; it is a true model pigeon; his whole outward appearance shows and breathes strength, courage, vigor and good health. Pigeons of this strain are excellent birds for flying and breeding.

      It is very probable that pigeon breeders reading our account will wonder how it happened that a bird which came mostly from strains for long and difficult flights, was such a good speed pigeon.

      We are ascribing this particularity to the following causes:

      1) That the travel characteristics (abilities) of the parents are well transmitted or inherited from the father’s side stamina and endurance, and from the mother’s side stamina and speed.

      2) That the Plomb had been always trained on short flights, and thereupon was being sent farther and farther to participate in speed flights up to Paris (232 kms.).

      When the Plomb was six years old, he was pushed beyond Paris, twice up to Etampes, twice to Orleans, once to Tours and Limoges, from where he always returned regularly, but too late to win the prize.

      Thereupon, we limited him to flights below Paris, and he won once more, same as in the past, several top prizes.

      If the Plomb had been trained from the beginning in a different manner, that is by step farther and farther, there is no doubt whatsoever that he would have won as many prizes on long flights as on medium and short flights.

      Most probably, examiners and fine breeders would classify the Plomb because of his eyes and physical build in the category of pigeons with stamina and speed. They would be right, but nevertheless, because of our way of training or teaching, they would have badly missed the ball, as far as long flights are concerned.

      From what we have stated, one has to draw the conclusion that a pigeon coming from a strain for long distance flying crossed with a speed pigeon, gradually and regularly trained from its early age for short flights, becomes a true speed pigeon, and after a few years may lose its capacity for long flights.

      On the other hand, the pigeon in question does not lose because of it the characteristics proper of its strain, as a breeder, and can produce outstanding pigeons for long distance flights, if it is used for that purpose.

      Among dozens of proofs which one could give in this respect, we can

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