522 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTORE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



[ Juno as, 1874. 



know, but the plumage so nearly resembled that of the young 

 Ring Dove, that I expected he would go on that tack and pro- 

 nounce it a young Wood Pigeon. If, then, my story is to be 

 believed, the fact remains that a pairing has taken place between 

 a Ring Dove and a common dovecote Pigeon; and I again ask the 

 question. Has such a union (when the birds were free to choose) 

 been previously noticed ? — T. G. 



VAGEANT PIGEONS. 



A FEW weeks since I obtained a letter from a Pigeon fancier 

 who was in the same difficulty as I find myself, that of being 

 deserted by his Pigeons, and which was considered an unac- 

 countable and unusual misfortune by "Wiltshire Rector." 

 The Pigeon loft is roomy, aud furnished with all that we sup- 

 pose should make their home pleasant to the inmates, including 

 a saltcat and looking-glass, but the youngsters when a few 

 weeks old show an irrepressible fancy for paying visits to the 

 dovecotes of the farm houses iu the neighbourhood. By degrees 

 the visits become prolonged. Sometimes the truants are out at 

 night, till at length they entirely desert their original home. 

 The birds whch have once begun to breed remain, but there is 

 scarcely one young one of this spring now left. They are well 

 fed, and while paying visits some time during the day, do not 

 forget to return to their old home about the dinner hour. There 

 is a skylight in the roof of the loft, and it has been suggested 

 that it would be more to the taste of the Pigeons if the loft were 

 darker. Will any experienced Pigeon fancier tell me if a light 

 loft is objectionable, or give a clue to the cause of my misfortune 'I 

 I should be glad to know the proper method of feeding a 

 squeaker which has been deserted by its parents. — G. P. 



MEANING OF SCAE. 



Absence from home prevented my seeing the letter of 

 "Wiltshire Rector" until to-day or I would have replied 

 sooner. The scar referred to in my letter is a precipitous bank 

 30 or 40 feet high, and is tenanted (in addition to the Pigeons) 

 by Starlings, Sand Martins, and Rabbits. The true Stock Dove 

 is not known here, nor the Rock Pigeon, whilst the Ring Dove 

 is very common. If it did not look like boasting, I should say 

 few people know the birds frequenting the district better than 

 I used to do, having been an outdoor naturalist from my child- 

 hood, but seventy-six years have somewhat dimmed some of 

 my faculties, so that I do not distinguish the notes of the various 

 songsters so well as I used to do ; but I will refer " Wiltshire 

 Rector " to " Loudon's Magazine " from 1830 to 1836, for 

 various articles signed " T. G.," which may, perhaps, enable 

 him to judge whether I am likely to be mistaken. — T. G. 



THE PIGEONS OF SAN MAECO. 



The Pigeons of St. Marcus are the pride of every true Vene- 

 tian. Extravagant patriots have left these birds considerable 

 legacies, and the common people hold them in a sort of religious 

 awe. They believe that the weal and woe of the city depend 

 upon the well-being of these sacred birds. There is a Venetian 

 saying in Venice that " when the Pigeons leave St. Mark's Place 

 the sea will swallow us up ! " 



Venice treats her proteges with a truly maternal care. Who- 

 ever maltreats a Pigeon is instantly arrested. If it is his first 

 offence he is released on payment of a fine of fifty lire, about 

 $10 ; if not the first offence, he is compelled to expiate his crime 

 in prison. 



In the olden time, in the days of the doges, the laws for the 

 protection of these birds were more severe than at present. As 

 late as the beginning of the last century, the " murder " of a 

 Pigeon was not only punished with death, but the family of the 

 criminal was compelled to pay a heavy fine. 



Every day at two o'clock these feathered favourites are fed, 

 when a special dove-bell is rung. The little animals are always 

 punctual. If the bell-ringer is behind time they fly round the 

 belfry in large ilocks, with the view, apparently, of reminding 

 the laggard of his duty. On more than one occasion they have 

 intentionally neglected to ring the bell, but the Pigeons were 

 not to be trifled with. They seemed to know that they were in 

 the right, and finally made such an ado that the promenaders 

 on the piazza insisted that the cruel jest should have an end, 

 for, said some of them, " San Marco will otherwise be offended ! " 



The feeding of the Pigeons is one of the most charming scenes 

 the stranger can witness in Venice. A beautiful young girl 

 appears upon the square, holding the comers of her apron with 

 her delicately-formed and weU-kept hand, and distributes right 

 and left smiles and greetings, as well as food, to the gathering 

 multitude. All her movements are graceful and harmonious— 

 perhaps she is a little too self-conscious, but, nevertheless, she 

 is charming. There she stands, a genuine daughter of the south, 

 and scatters the golden kernels among her Qnttermg protegis. 



As already intimated, there are various superstitious stories 

 an I beliefs concerning these Venetian Pigeons— the most of 



them being of respectable age, dating back at least a couple of 

 hundred years. To this day every pious gondolier firmly believes 

 that they fly three times round the city daily. 



*' If you see six Doves sitting on the cross of the Capanile, you 

 may be sure we are going to have a spring flood," said an old 

 grey-bearded boatman on the Rialto bridge. 



Over the entrance to St. Mark's church there is a famous lion, 

 the symbol of the power and greatness of Venice. Whenever 

 an important political event is about to take place that nearly 

 concerns Venice, the Pigeons gather about this lion, so say the 

 Venetians, and hold a council. This occurred in 1818, aud in 

 1866. When the Emperor of Austria decided to barter the dis- 

 loyal province off to Napoleon III., and when it was proposad 

 that &plrbiscite should decide Venice's future, there were hun- 

 dreds of seers who had foreseen these events, " for the Doves," 

 said they, " are experienced diplomates, and the lion council is 

 iufallible." 



The sacred Pigeons, according to the generally accredited 

 legend, came originally from Palestine. A troubadour of 

 Provence, who accompanied the French crusaders, occupied his 

 few leisure hours in playing the lyre and in singing. The tones 

 of his instrument were so sweet, so seductive, aud the melodies 

 of his song were so full of delicacy and feeling, that a pair of' 

 Doves of remarkably sensitive natures were so overcome by 

 them, that when the troubadour embarked at Joppa for home, 

 the two birds lit on his helmet, and accompanied him to Venice. 

 Here the troubadour met a maiden with whom he was not less 

 fascinated than were the two Pigeons by his music. He forgot 

 his beautiful Provence, the majestic Rhone, and his fair-haired 

 country-women, remained, and married. The two Pigeons fol- 

 lowed his example. And the people looked upon the poet and 

 the Pigeons, and their posterity, as beings of a superior order. 

 To this day poetry is the favourite art of the Venetians. 



Another legend asserts that the Pope, in the year 1371, pre- 

 sented the doge a pair of Pigeons, from whom all the sacred 

 Pigeons are descended. This is the story believed by the priests 

 and the more zealous supporters of the church. 



The truth is, that neither version can be satisfactorily authen- 

 ticated ; the only advantage the latter has is the fact that it is 

 strictly within the limits of possibility. A Venetian chronicler 

 of recognised authority records the following incidents, which 

 strip the genealogy of the sacred birds of everything bordering 

 on the miraculous. 



On a Palm Sunday, iu the fifteenth century, the Venetian 

 clergy determined to do something for the amusement of the 

 lower orders. They bought one hundred Pigeons in Padua, 

 burdened their wings with little sand-bags, aud then let them 

 fly from the top of St. Mark's across the Piazzetta. The as- 

 sembled multitude were at liberty to catch the birds, and do 

 with them as they would. 



The immediate result of this ingenious idea was a riot, which 

 cost several persons their lives. They threw stones, sticks, 

 bottles, and even knives at the birds, without reflecting thai 

 these objects, in falling, might do serious injury. The people 

 who were hit refused to accept it as a joke, and the consequence 

 was that a general melee ensued, which had a tragic end. In 

 the tumult the greater part of the Doves escaped, while the less 

 fortunate ones found hiding-places in the rich ornamentation of 

 the cornice aud cupolas of the church. 



The Venetian's hatred for cats goes hand-in-hand with his 

 pious devotion to his Pigeons. In Venice cats are seldom seen. 

 As a natural enemy of birds they are under a sort of ban. During 

 the last century, four of these "harmless, necessary" animals 

 were burned on the side of the Grand Canal, as "witches." 



Since 1816 the Pigeons of Venice have become doubly dear to 

 the citizens ; they remind them of the trying but glorious days 

 of the siege. Venice was beset on all sides by the Austrians. Star- 

 vation stared the entire population in the face, but the Pigeons 

 of St. Mark's remained unharmed. Daniel Manin, the great dic- 

 tator, respected the traditions of his countrymen, aud withheld 

 not one kernel from the daily allowance of the sacred Pigeons. 

 The moral effect of this measure more than counterbalanced the 

 material loss in provisions. Venice fell, but its citizens consoled 

 themselves with the proud consciousness of having resisted to 

 the last, and that, too, without destroying one of their favourite 

 flock. — (Appleton's Journal.) 



Sheffield Poultry Show. — We have just had handed to 

 us the prize schedule of the Sheffield Poultry Show, to be 

 held on July 18th and two following days. The poultry com- 

 prise forty-eight distinct classes, with prizes of 30.5., 155., and 

 7s. 6<Z. in each class. The Pigeons embrace thirty-eight classes, 

 20s., lOs., and !is. being the respective prizes. Rabbits and Cats 

 will also add attractions to this Show. Besides all this, in 

 poultry there are to be awarded thirteen special prizes, consist- 

 ing of valuable table cutlery, electro-plated flower-stands, cruets, 

 and spirit-frames. Twelve equally covetable, because useful, 

 prizes are given to the best of the Pigeons ; and even the Rabbits 

 and Cats do not lack a similar encouragement. When it is re- 

 membered how many years back, when similar descriptions of 



