These are called House-tumblers
from tumbling in the house. The act of tumbling seems to be one over
which they have no control, an involuntary movement which they seem to
try to prevent. I have seen a bird sometimes in his struggles fly a yard
or two straight upwards, the impulse forcing him backwards while he
struggles to go forwards."[34]
The Short-faced tumblers are an improved sub-race which have almost lost
the power of tumbling, but are valued for possessing some other
characteristics in an extreme degree. They are very small, have almost
globular heads, and a very minute beak, so that fanciers say the head of
a perfect bird should resemble a cherry with a barleycorn stuck in it.
Some of these weigh less than seven ounces, whereas the wild rock-pigeon
weighs about fourteen ounces. The feet, too, are very short and small,
and the middle toe has twelve or thirteen instead of fourteen or fifteen
scutellae. They have often only nine primary wing-feathers instead of
ten as in all other pigeons.
RACE VIII. _Indian Frill-back_.--In these birds the beak is very short,
and the feathers of the whole body are reversed or turn backwards.
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