206 



DOMESTIC PIGEONS: 



Chap. "VI. 



blue birds with black bars on the wing, with the croup 

 either white or very pale or dark blue, with the tail having 

 a terminal black bar, and with the outer feathers externally 

 edged with white or very pale coloured, in the following races, 

 which, as I carefully observed in each case, appeared to be 

 perfectly true : namely, in Pouters, Eantails, Tumblers, 

 Jacobins, Turbits, Barbs, Carriers, Runts of three distinct 

 varieties, Trumpeters, Swallows, and in many other toy- 

 pigeons, which as being closely allied to C. livia, are not 

 worth enumerating. Thus we see that, in purely -bred races 

 of every kind known in Europe, blue birds occasionally appear 

 having all the marks which characterise C. livia, and which 

 concur in no other wild species. Mr. Blyth, also, has made 

 the same observation with respect to the various domestic 

 races known in India. 



Certain variations in the plumage are equally common in 

 the wild C. livia, in dovecot-pigeons, and in all the most 

 highly modified races. Thus, in all, the croup varies from 

 white to blue, being most frequently white in Europe, and 

 very generally blue in India. 25 We have seen that the wild 

 C. livia in Europe, and dovecots in all parts of the world, 

 often have the upper wing-coverts chequered with black; 

 and all the most distinct races, when blue, are occasionally 

 chequered in precisely the same manner. Thus I have seen 

 Pouters, Fantails, Carriers, Turbits, Tumblers (Indian and 

 English), Swallows, Bald-pates, and other toy-pigeons blue 

 and chequered ; and Mr. Esquilant has seen a chequered Runt. 

 I bred from two pure blue Tumblers a chequered bird. 



The facts hitherto given refer to the occasional appearance 

 in pure races of blue birds with black wing-bars, and likewise 



blue Barb ; and Mr. H. Weir, as I am 

 informed by Mr. Tegetmeier, once 

 bred a silver (which means very pale 

 blue) Barb from two yellow birds. 



25 Mr. Blyth informs me that all 

 the domestic races in India have the 

 croup blue ; but this is not invariable, 

 for I possess a very pale blue Simmali 

 pigeon with the croup perfectly white, 

 sent to me by Sir W. Elliot from 



Madras. A slaty-blue and chequered 

 Nakshi pigeon has some white feathers 

 on the croup alone. In some other 

 Indian pigeons there were a few white 

 feathers confined to the croup, and I 

 have noticed the ssme fact in a carrier 

 from Persia. The Java Fantail (im- 

 ported into Amoy, and thence sent 

 me) has a perfectly white croup. 



