11 ORIGIN. 



far as he could see, tlie pigeon in question was crested just the 

 same. We have both made inquiries respecting the bird, but 

 have not succeeded in discovering whence it came, or where 

 it is gone. Mr. Woodhouse's pigeon is certainly a curiosity." 



It will thus be seen that, twice within a short time, the said 

 peculiarity was observed in separate breeds of pigeons. Un- 

 fortunately, Mr. Woodhouse's baldpate does not seem to have 

 produced young like itself, or we should now be in possession 

 of a variety quite distinct from anything that has come under 

 my notice, either here or abroad. To such sports, coming 

 unexpectedly, must, I think, be referred all the strange types 

 of pigeons now existing on the globe. The whiskered owl, 

 whose frill is so much developed that it divides at the top 

 and runs quite round the neck in some birds, seems also a 

 recent introduction — at least, I can find no notice of this 

 type in any old book on the subject of fancy • pigeons — but 

 this can scarcely be called a new variety; it is rather an 

 extraordinary development of an old one. 



Animals in domestication, and also in a wild state, are 

 subject to variations. In the latter state, such variations are 

 likely soon to disappear, but in domestication the guiding 

 hand of man fixes them on account of their originality. 

 By pairing any curious specimen of a breed with one of 

 the common type, the young may not prove uncommon; 

 but they, paired with their uncommon parent, are then likely 

 occasionally to reproduce the desired peculiarity. In this 

 way, I believe, every fancy pigeon, however now far removed 

 from the blue rock, has been produced ; and, judging from the 

 following analogous case, it does not seem to take very long 

 for Nature, guided by the reason of man, to produce the 

 greatest differences in form. 



Effects of Domestication. 



It is well known that the canary bird was first introduced 

 into Europe about 300 years ago. The difference between 



