106 Review of Darwin 



me a very rash assumption. Moreover, the several above-named 

 domesticated breeds have been transported to all parts of the 

 world, and, therefore, some of them must have been carried back 

 again into their native country ; but not one has ever become 

 wild or feral, though the dovecot-pigeon, which is the rock-pigeon 

 in a very slightly altered state, has become feral in several places. 

 Again, all recent experience shows that it is most diflficult to get 

 any wild animal to breed freely under domestication ; yet on the 

 hypothesis of the multiple origin of our pigeons, it must be as- 

 sumed that at least seven or eight species were so thoroughly do- 

 mesticated in ancient times by half-civilized man, as to be quite 

 prolific under confinement." 



" An argument, as it seems to me, of great weight, and applicable 

 jn several other cases, is, that the above-specified breeds, though 

 agreeing generally in constitution, habits, voice, colouring, and in 

 most parts of their structure, with the wild rock-pigeon, yet are 

 certainly highly abnormal in other parts of their structure : we 

 may look in vain throughout the whole great family of Colum- 

 bidse for a beak like that of the English carrier, or that of the 

 short-faced tumbler, or barb ; for reversed feathers like those of 

 the jacobin ; for a crop like that of the pouter; for tail-feathers 

 like those of the fan-tail. Hence it must be assumed not only 

 that half-civilized man succeeded in thoroughly domesticating seve- 

 ral species, but that he intentionally or by chance picked out ex- 

 traordinarily abnormal species ; and further, that these very 

 species have since all become extinct or unknown. So many 

 strange contingencies seem to me improbable in the highest de- 

 gree." 



" Some facts in regard to the colouring of pigeons well deserve 

 consideration. The rock-pigeon is of a slaty-blue, and has a 

 white rump (the Indian sub-species, C. intermedia of Strickland, 

 having it bluish) ; the tail has a terminal dark bar, with the bases 

 of the outer feathers externally edged with white ; the wings 

 have two black bars ; some semi-domestic breeds and some ap- 

 parently truly wild breeds have, besides the two black bars, the 

 wings chequered with black. These several marks do not occur 

 together in any other species of the whole family." 



" Now, in every one of the domestic breeds, taking thoroughly 

 well-bred birds, all the above marks, even to the white edging 

 of the outer tail-feathers, sometimes concur perfectly developed* 

 Moreover, when two birds belonging to two distinct breeds are 



