The Damascene: NPA Standard 1993:
ORIGIN: Thought to have originated in Damascus, Syria. Others believe it
came out of Turkey.
HEAD: A fairly large head, round, short, and full in front and profile view,
moderate stop over wattle, slightly flat on top skull, but just a faint trace
of flatness.
GULLET: Well developed.
BEAK: Short, the shorter the better but long enough to feed its own young,
color to be black. Upper mandible very slightly curved downward.
WATTLE: Chalky white, smooth and heart shaped and moderate in size.
EYES: Very, very bright; deep gravel or red. Red eyes much preferred. Bull
or pearl or any other color to be a disqualification.
EYE CERES: Flat and fairly large and Damson (plum) colored.
BODY TYPE: In shape and size the Damascene greatly resembles the English
Owl, being proportioned somewhat larger and having no neck frill. The throat
is nicely cut out and rounded with a well developed gullet. The breast being
prominent, protruding and broad, deep and wide and tapers off nicely to the
tail. The wings are short and should be close fitting and carried over the
tail with the tips more or less touching. The wing butts should be prominent
and close to the body. The tail being medium long and carried in a straight
line with the rest of the back and is tightly compact. The legs being short.
Approximate weights are fifteen ounces for cocks and thirteen ounces for
hens.
LEGS AND FEET: Legs should be short and free from feathers below the hocks.
Bright red with black toenails.
COLOR: One of the main points of this beautiful pigeon. An icy blue on outer
surface and a sooty black color underneath the surface. The outer color to
be as light a blue as possible even to a near milk white powdered blue or
frosty blue. Head, neck, shoulders, body, rump, and tail of same shade
throughout. Wings to have two broad jet black bars on each wing and tail
to have one very wide jet black bar at its tip. Flight feathers to be as
dark black as possible. Rump to be free from white. No dark crescent or dark
coloring on breast.
BARS AND FLIGHT MARKINGS: The bars on the wings should be jet black and also
the bar on the tip of the tail should be jet black. The flight feathers should
be of a much darker color than the body, appearing to be black. The darker
the better.
CONDITION: Alert and in top health at all times.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Red or pink eye ceres, any sort of crest or frill. Out
of condition. Eye color other than described in the standard. Any color other
than what the standard calls for. White flights. Dark crescent on the breast.
OTHER FAULTS TO WATCH FOR: White toenails, white in rump, dark blue tail,
faded bars.
POINT SCALE