126 OUR DOMESTIC FOWLS. 



mostly they are blue, but as other colours 

 occur, it is not improbable that there is a 

 mixture of house pigeons with true wild 

 pigeons. 



The markets of London during the season 

 are supplied with vast quantities of young 

 pigeons or squabs, mostly of a leaden blue 

 colour ; and in various parts, large dove-cotes 

 are kept for the express purpose of remitting 

 their produce to the market. It would be 

 difl&cult to distinguish between these blue 

 dove-cote pigeons and the wild rock-dove. 

 We have seen vast flocks of dove-cote pigeons 

 in France, amongst which the prevaiUng 

 colour was blue. 



The rock-dove feeds on grain and seeds of 

 various kinds, yet not exclusively, for accord- 

 ing to Montagu it is very fond of various 

 species of snail, and especially that inhabiting 

 the shell termed Helix virgata. About three 

 broods are reared every season. 



Turning from the rock-dove, to its tame 

 representative, the common dove-cote pigeon, 

 we may observe that in most countries it is 

 kept in abundance for the supply of the table, 

 and the markets of most large towns are plen- 

 tifully supplied. In Persia, however, though 



