BREEDING AND INBREEDING FOR COLOR IN SOME DOMESTIC PIGEONS. 103 



BREEDING DATA ON WILD ROCK- PIGEONS. 



Chiefly in the interest of a complete presentation of all of the breeding data 

 for the common pigeons and the related (ancestral?) forms, tables 87a to 87d 

 have been prepared. 



Concerning a mating (table 87a) of a wild C. livia with a domestic pigeon of 

 similar appearance (C. livia dom.) the author makes the following statement: 



"I notice in rock-pigeon hybrids obtained by crossing a chequered male (C.affinis, from 

 Inishbofin, Ireland) with a two-barred female (C livia, from Dover, England) that the 

 bars in the young are pale, especially the anterior bar. The same is true of these bars in the 

 young (first feathers) of domestic pigeons. In the young of 'pure' rock-pigeons, however, 

 the bars are both 'strong black.' Besides, the gray is pure in the pure-bred; that is to say, 

 it is about the same as in the adults, while in these impure young rocks there is a decided 

 brownish tinge in the gray. 



"I infer that weak or pale bars in the first feathers is due to degeneration, the degenera- 

 tion showing itself first in the ju\'enal feathers. It is certainly interesting that the pure- 

 bred rocks strike so directly into the adult color." 



For the matings of wild rock-pigeons, two-barred and chequered forms, the 

 data of the tables (87b to 87d) are not very complete. The fact that these forms 

 arc usually considered to be the ancestors of the numerous races of fancy or do- 

 mestic pigeons serves, however, to give some value to these records. It will be 

 noted that the chequered rocks (C. affinis) obtained from the Cromarty Caves, 

 Scotland, repeatedly threw typical offspring of the two-barred variety. 



Table 70. 

 cf Common pigeon (red guinea-chequers) ; from dealer 1900 (at about 1 yr. old) ; has some white primaries; frilled (see pi. 53, 

 9 Common pigeon (black guinea-chequers); from dealer 1906 (see pi. 53, Vol. I, also pi. 14). [Vol. I, also pi. 14). 



A 1. 7/2/08 hatched dead 7/23/08; cause unknown. 



A 2. 7/4/08 hatched dead 7/23/08; cause unknown. 



B. 8/1; some development, but unhatched. 

 cfC 1. 9/22 (1) hatched; like sire, but more white. 



C 2. 9/24 (2) about same amount of white as 1, but more dark gray where it is red-brown. 



cTDl. 11/7 (3) hatched dead 1/20/09; " considerable white." ' 



D2. 11/9 (4) hatched dead 1/26/09; "considerable white." 



,IE l.\hatched2 l/l5/09-(5) ; dead 9/5/09; 1 primary white, mostly dark 

 '^ \E 2./hatched l/15/09-(6); no white in wings, mostly dark as dam. 



F l.lhatched 3/6; red; with white primaries like sire. 

 F 2./hatched 3/7; killed; fall from nest. 



Gl.l 

 G2./ 



hatched 4/3. 

 hatched 4/3. 



J l.lhatched about 8/17; very light; "three-fourths, or more white" (see pi. 14). 

 J 2. /hatched about 8/19; very light; "three-fourths, or more white" (see pi. 14). 



K 1. 6/?/l0; color of black guinea mother, 

 f K2. 6/?/10; red and white primaries, like sire 



crK2. 6/?/10; red and white primaries, like sire. (XG 26) 



' " D 1 (3) at the age of 6)4 weeks has white primaries and white secondaries in each wing. Body white above and below. 

 Outer feather of each side of tail white in outer web, clear up to the (subterminal) bar; upper and lower tail-coverts gray 

 anal feathers white. The wings arc blackish (though the 'white apical guinea-marks' are generally increased) with red- 

 brown visible everywhere. White flecks on the head and in the outer front edge of each wing; upper part of legs white; a 

 large patch of white under the chin, wide above and narrowing to a rounded point on middle of lower breast. White is thus 

 everywhere symmetrically distributed on the two sides of the body. The birds from late in the season of 190S all had much 



^ Only the date of hatching is known for these eggs. — Editor. 



^ This bird used as sire in the mating fully described in the text, p. 95. — Euitoh. 



