" There were more pigeons about the dreary stable-yard and out-buildings than anybody but the landlord could reckon up. The wheeling and circling flights of runts, fantails, tumblers, and pouters, were perhaps not quite consistent with the grave and sober character of the building, "
I should be very much surprised to learn that there is even one pigeon fancier among our board members. I have only once seen a "tumbler" but I still remember how it startled me. I had a room on top floor of old brick row house on Mass Ave not far from BCH. There were many pigeons to be seen, but suddenly one started doing repeated backward somersaults in flight. I had heard the name "tumbler" before, but didn't know what it meant. I still marvel that anybody would spend money on feed for them. They are born with a central nervous system defect. I'll go see if I can find a site about it.
I found a surprising number of sites about them, but no description or videos of their flight.

while i think piegeons are just a form of flying rats, i did grow up in the bronx, and for several years, i lived in a house with a pigeon fancier next door.. he kept a coop less than 6 feet from my living room window (my young son's bedroom was the room above the living room.) so i got to know more about pigeons than i want to know.

mostly they were racing pigeons, but he did have all sorts... i don't think he had tumblers, but i have seen them in the sky. there are still many roof top coops to be seen in all the boro's of NY