Home Feeding, 1 77 



the regular feeding of pigeons by their 

 proprietors, which, according to my expe- 

 rience, so attaches them to home, that 

 there is often a necessity of driving them 

 out for exercise. This plan should, in course, 

 be more punctually observed in seed time, 

 and towards the approach of the corn crops 

 to maturity. With respect to that risk of 

 damage from pigeons, which must un- 

 avoidably be incurred by the farmer, his 

 insurance must consist in that vigilance, in 

 which generally he is too defective. 



BufFon enumerates upwards of thirty 

 VARIETIES of the pigeon, which, according 

 to his usual systematic plan, the conveni- 

 ence of which, perhaps, is rather more ob- 

 vious than its accuracy, he derives from one 

 root, namely, the stock dove, or common 

 wild pigeon. All the varieties of colour and 

 form which we witness, he attributes to hu- 

 man contrivance and fancy. There exist, 

 nevertheless, essential specific differences in 

 these birds, which seem rather attributable 

 to the nature of the region, soil, or climate, 

 to which they are indigenous, than to the 

 art of man. 



I 3 



