VARIETIES OF PIGEONS. I4I 



In order to establish this extremely important fact as 

 firmly as possible by experiments, Darwin decided to make 

 a special study of the whole extent of variation in form in 

 a single group of domesticated animals, and for this purpose 

 he chose the domestic pigeons, which are in many respects 

 especially suited for such a study. For a long time he kept 

 on his estate all possible races and varieties of pigeons 

 which he was able to procure, and he was helped in this by 

 rich contributions from all parts of the world. He also 

 joined two London pigeon clubs, the members of which pas- 

 sionately, and with truly artistic skill, carry on the breeding 

 of the different forms of pigeons. Lastly, he formed con- 

 nections with some of the most celebrated pigeon-fanciers ; 

 so that he could command the richest experimental material. 



The art of, and fancy for, pigeon breeding is very ancient. 

 Even more than 3,000 years before Christ, it was carried on 

 by the Egj^tians. The Romans, under the emperors, laid 

 out enormous sums upon the breeding of pigeons, and kept 

 accurate pedigrees of their descent, just as the Arabs keep 

 genealogical pedigrees of their horses, and the Mecklenburg 

 aristocracy of their own ancestors. In Asia, too, among 

 the wealthy princes, pigeon breeding was a very ancient 

 fancy ; in 1600, the court of Akber Khan possessed more 

 than 20,000 pigeons. Thus in the course of several centuries, 

 and in consequence of the various methods of breeding 

 practised in the different parts of the world, there has 

 arisen out of one single originally tamed form, an immense 

 number of different races and varieties, which in their most 

 divergent forms are extremely different from one another, 

 and are often curiously characterized. 



One of the most striking races of pigeons is the well- 



