1 08 Review of Darwin 



though it is unsupported by a single experiment. But to extend 

 the hypothesis so far as to suppose that species, aboriginally as 

 distinct as carriers, tumblers, pouters, and fantails now are, should 

 yield offspring perfectly fertile, inter se, seems to me rash in the 

 extreme." 



*^ From these several reasons, namel}^, the improbability of man 

 having formerly got seven or eight supposed species of pigeons 

 to breed freely under domestication ; these supposed species being 

 quite unknown in a wild state, and their becoming nowhere feral ; 

 these species having very abnormal characters in certain respects 

 as compared with all other Columbidse, though so like in most 

 other respects to the rock-pigeon ; the blue colour and various 

 marks occasionally appearing in all the breeds, both when kept 

 pure and when crossed ; the mongrel offspring being perfectly 

 fertile ; — from these several reasons, taken together, I can feel no 

 doubt that all our domestic breeds have descended from the 

 Ooluinha livia with its geographical sub-species." 



"In favour of this view, I may add, firstly, that C. livia, or the 

 rock-pigeon, has been found capable of domestication in Europe 

 and in India ; and that it agrees in habits and in a great number 

 of points of structure with all the domestic breeds. Secondly, 

 although an English carrier or short-faced tumbler differs im- 

 mensely in certain characters from the rock-pigeon, yet by com- 

 paring the several sub-breeds of these breeds, more especially 

 those brought from distant countries, we can make an almost per- 

 fect series between the extremes of structure. Thirdly, those 

 characters which are mainly distinctive of each breed, for in- 

 stance the wattle and length of beak of the carrier, the shortness 

 of that of the tumbler, and the number of tail-feathers in the fan- 

 tail, are in each breed eminently variable ; and the explanation 

 of this fact will be obvious when we come to treat of selection. 

 Fourthly, pigeons have been watched, and tended with the utmost 

 care, and loved by many people. They have been domesticated 

 for thousands of years in several quarters of the world ; the ear- 

 liest known record of pigeons is in the fifth ^Egyptian dynasty 

 about 3000 b. c. as was pointed out to me by Professor Lepsius ; 

 but Mr. Birch informs me that pigeons are given in a bill of fare 

 in the previous dynasty. In the time of the Romans, as we hear 

 from Pliny, immense prices were given for pigeons ; " nay, they 

 are come to this pass, that they can reckon up their pedigree and 

 race." Pigeons were much valued by Akber Kban in India* 



