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.
RACE IX.