126 



roUBNAL OP HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



[ Angast 6, 1875. 



the-Hill, snfrgestive of great names in the world of politics and 

 literature. Passing on the right Castle Hill Lodge before men- 

 tioned I near a large lot of buildings, forming two sides of a 

 square— just a right angle— being, in fact, the mews belonging to 

 the villas near ; rather a Cockney arrangement for houses so far 

 in the country, where one woold suppose each owner would 

 prefer his stable to be near at hand for that after-breakfast stroll 

 into the stable so dear to an Englishman's heart while enjoying 

 full often his matutinal cigar. 



On approaching the mews I see on the sunny side troops of 

 Bantams strutting about as only Bantams can strut. These 

 were Captain Hill's, whose long residence in Japan naturally 

 led him to have a taste for the Japanese Bantams. Before me 

 is a black cock (imported) of that breed of a most brilliant lustre. 

 Black, and no mistake, with such flowing sickles and saddle, 

 and with scarcely any legs. I learnt that in Japan the wholly 

 black birds are chiefly prized, and not such as are so frequently 

 shown in England parti-coloured. It is a part of Capt. Hill's 

 plan to keep anything unusual. Thus there is a black cock with 

 golden hackles, bred from Japanese. These used to be seen 

 frequently in England a few years since. Then the birds had 

 thrown a Nankin-coloured hen. Do not these instances throw 

 some light upon the origin of our old English Bantams, and 

 that some of their varieties were imported, and that Bantams 

 may not be such an erroneous name after all ? Truly Capt. Hill's 

 Japanese Bantams are very interesting, as being actually birds 

 from Japan. I pass on to find Game Bantams, that last-made 

 English variety of tinies. 



Here, too, among some very correctly-feathered birds, such as 

 good Brown Reds, Black Reds, and some admirable Duckwings, 

 are preserved some odd productions— White Game bred from 

 Brown Reds ; very light Wheatens, almost cream-coloured all 

 over, and one quite Cuckoo-feathered, showing that even in the 

 best strains the colours of Game Bantams are not yet fixed, for 

 these were birds from first-class strains. But I must not pause 

 too long among these charming pets, but must proceed to the 

 Pigeons. — "Wlltshire Rector. 



SELECTION.— No. 2. 



There is a species of plnck in some men which prevents them 

 from retracting any statement they have made until an irresist- 

 ible amount of evidence is brought to bear against them. This 

 is not, I would say, so much from want of manliness as from 

 their firmly believing that they are right, and that no one out- 

 side the scientific circle understands anything of their subject. 

 Such has been the case with some of our early as well as late 

 writers on ornithology. 



The early writers on this question informed the world that the 

 Stock Dove was the parent of all the varieties of our fancy 

 Pigeons, but by-and-by it was discovered that the Stock Dove 

 was not a Pigeon at all, that it was a true Dove, one of the 

 family of Graspers— that is, a bird which can sit safely and 

 comfortably on the rocking branch of a tree, whereas the Pigeon 

 family are all what I may call flat-footed ; they cannot rest on a 

 small round perch, but must have ledges or shelves as their 

 resting places. However, the theory of one original parent 

 being started, it seems it must be kept up, and the small Blue 

 Bock Pigeon of our seacoasts was next pronounced to be the 

 parent of those beautiful and elegant birds we now possess 

 called " fancy Pigeons." 



Later writers on ornithology have aU, so far as I recollect, 

 supported this theory, and copyists down to the smallest fry of the 

 present day in our country have struck upon the same chord vrith- 

 out giving us the history of their experiments or inquiries; and 

 I do often feel annoyed at some of our small copyists persistently 

 dramming this theory into our ears when I have the knowledge 

 that they know nothing whatever about it. They put me in 

 mind of a Loudon policeman whom I asked to direct me to a 

 street I knew to be in his neighbourhood, and who, after a few 

 moments' thought, replied-" I have not a second idea sir." But 

 let us take a calm view of this theory, and what can we or any- 

 one make of it ? We are told our fancy varieties of Pigeons can 

 be destroyed by crossing ; but what o'f their production ? We 

 have not the most feeble proof nor the ghost of evidence that 

 they are produced from one common parent ; and to sum up the 

 whole life of this theory it amounts to, So-aud-so thought so, and 

 so do I — a frail and doubtful reed to lean upon, a mere vision of 

 the night which must be dispelled by the light of day, and we 

 as practical fanciers must not sleep to dream, 



" For the soul ia dead that elumbera, 

 And thioga are not what they seem," 



Still our theorists go a step farther, and as if to finally clench 

 their theory, they insist that the common dovecote Pigeon is a 

 " sport" or descendant of the Blue Rock Pigeon. This I deny, 

 and hope to prove it very shortly in these columns under the 

 title of " The Blue Rock Pigeon." Ornithological writers I 

 think have misnamed this latter bird, and with all my reverence 

 for men of letters in natural history I will venture to give it a 

 new soientifio name, the one I think it deserves. But allow me 



to presume for the sake of following up this theory that the 

 dovecote Pigeon has sprang from the Blue Rock Pigeon. What 

 then ? Will anyone come forward and tell us they have bred 

 any one variety from the common Pigeon ? or that they ever 

 saw the slightest move towards any one of oar varieties now 

 known ? 



I have visited old dovecotes which have stood since before tho 

 days of Oliver Cromwell, and where I have reason to beUeve the 

 descendants of the Pigeons then are there now, but I could see 

 in flocks of hundreds no varieties but in colour, and the oldest 

 inhabitants had never known other than are now seen. But to 

 pursue this theory a step further, is it not common sense to 

 expect that naturalists as well as intelligent Pigeon fanciers 

 should find some, if not all, of our fancy Pigeons in a state of 

 transition from the common Pigeon to the fancy Pigeon now ? 

 If not, when did the various developments cease ? Farther 

 still, we are told that all our fancy Pigeons have descended from 

 the Blue Rock Pigeon ; if so, why is it that there are only a 

 select few varieties ? If the Blue Rock Pigeon is the parent of 

 all known varieties, we may safely expect a new variety now 

 and then; in fact, varieties ad infinitum. 



In connection with this take a glance at the history of some 

 of the florists' flowers ; with each new spring there come new 

 roses, fuchsias, &c. ; each flower springs from one common 

 parent, and ruany of them so distinct from each other, particu- 

 larly in fuchsias, that the unlearned in flowers do not distinguish 

 them to be of one family. How is it, then, that we cannot attaia 

 to this infinite variety in Pigeons ? For two hundred years we 

 have not had one new variety, and for aught I know not one 

 new variety for thousands of years, and with all our knowledge 

 of science, our opportunities and means, we cannot introduce 

 one new variety now. I will admit that as the unknown parts 

 of the world come to be explored we may find some variety now 

 unknown ; but when found it wiU be like those now in our 

 possession — perfect, not in a state of transition. 



Having from early life taken an interest in this subject, I have 

 not only consulted books, but Pigeon fanciers of all ages, many 

 of them old men who have long since passed away, and their 

 experience one and all was that no variation had ever been 

 observed in the produce of the common Pigeon except in colour. 

 I have also consulted some of the " doctors " who support this 

 theory, but to my questions I received only evasive answers. 

 Notably among these was the late Sir W. Jardine, with whom I 

 had much intercourse on natural history subjects. He was a 

 firm believer in this theory, but my questions did not suit the 

 constitution of the doctor. When he was pressed for a single 

 example of variation from the Blue Rock, or one specimen 

 in transition, I was put off with, " When you have studied the 

 subject as I have done you will agree with me." I have done so 

 for twenty-eight years since then, and I am still of the opinion 

 that neither the Blue Rock nor dovecote Pigeon have any con- 

 nection with the varieties now known. 



Now let us take a glance at the mere cobweb upon which 

 naturalists hang this theory. It is all upon the bars on the 

 wings and tail, and certain spots on the plumage, particularly 

 the light-marked line on the outer webs of the outside feathers 

 of the tail of the Rock Pigeon, and which we certainly trace 

 on all the blue specimens of our varieties. This we need 

 tell no Pigeon fancier does exist in our blue-coloured fancy 

 Pigeons of whatever variety. This is the first, last, and only 

 reason which naturalists give for the theory they have adopted 

 and promulgated. I could forward several species of birds in 

 which certam markings run through the whole, but will only 

 trouble you with one. The Doves and the nearest allied to 

 Pigeons have, as a rule, one common mark; the Cushat or 

 Ring Dove has a line of white-coloured feathers running on 

 each side of the neck ; the Collared Turtle Dove the same, 

 but of a black colour. The true Turtle of the Holy Land 

 has also this mark on the neck, as well as a number of the 

 smaller foreign Doves, still they are not connected with one 

 common parent. Our theorists give no examples, no dates; 

 their reasoning is ingenious, but more cannot be said for it. 

 After all the writings and readings of scientific works on this 

 subject, we are no wiser to-day than our great-grandsires were, 

 who had not the opportunities possessed by us. 



Time prevents me going further at present, and I must have 

 regard for space, but in an early issue I hope to forward my 

 ideas of the origin of fancy Pigeons under the title of " Selec- 

 tion No. 3." — J. HuiE. 



BELGIAN CANARIES.— No. 3. 

 Belgian Canaries when sent for exhibition should be placed 

 in wire cages, wooden or box-cages being ill-adapted to show-oS 

 their points to advantage. They being of a somewhat retiring 

 or steady nature, compared to most other breeds of the Canary, 

 will, when exhibited in cages having wooden sides and backs, 

 seek the ends of the perches nearest the back of the cages, and 

 it is with some difficulty that the person appointed to judge the 

 birds can succeed in getting them into proper form so as to 



