BISET OB WILD ROCK-PIGEON. 151 



with shades of green and purplish-red. The lower 

 part of the breast and abdomen are bluish-gray. The 

 upper mandible and wing-coverts are blue-gray. 

 The greater coverts and secondaries are barred with 

 black, and form two broad and distinct bars across 

 the closed wings. The lower part of the back is 

 white ; the rump and tail-coverts bluish-gray. The 

 tail is of a deep gray, with a broad black bar at the 

 end. The legs and feet are pale purplish-red. 

 When closed, the wings reach within half an inch of 

 the end of the tail. 



It is under this species that we include not only 

 the common pigeon, or inhabitant of the dove-cot, 

 but all those numerous varieties, or, as they are fre- 

 quently termed, races of domesticated pigeons, so 

 highly prized, and fostered with such care and at- 

 tention by the amateur breeder or pigeon fancier ; 

 for, however diversified their forms, colour, or pecu- 

 liarity of habit may be, we consider them all as hav- 

 ing originated from a few accidental varieties of the 

 common pigeon, and not from any cross of that bird 

 with other species, no signs or marks whatever of 

 such being apparent in any of the numerous varie- 

 ties known to us. In fact, the greater part of them 

 owe their existence to the interference and the art 

 of man ; for, by separating from the parent stock 

 such accidental varieties as have occasionally oc- 

 curred, by subjecting these to captivity and domes- 

 tication, and by assorting and pairing them together, 

 as fancy or caprice suggested, he has at intervals ge- 



