ITS 



PIGKON 



known twenty yearn before. A in the splenic 

 fever of nhe|i, due also i liacteria, attempts have 

 lien made to ward nil' the more violent form of tlie 

 dieaM by inoculating animals with a milder 



" The pig is not inferior to other quadrupeds 

 generally in intelligence, hut it excels most of them 

 in otMtiiiary. It can he easily rendered very tame 

 and familiar. It* aeutenesit of scent has been 

 turnetl to account in making it search for trnllli"- ; 

 ami a tale is told <>f pig having l>een successfully 

 used tut a |Niinter. The pig has sometimes served 

 u a lieast of draught. 



The Jioxr/i I'm*, or Bush Hog of South Africa 

 (CHoirii/itilitiiuix africnniu), is about 2 feet 6 inches 

 high, eoven-d witli long bristles: it haw projecting 

 tusks, a large callous protulierance on each cheek, 

 and long, sharp, tufted earn. It in gregarious, suli- 

 sists rhielly on vegetable food, and makes destruc- 

 tive inroads on cultivated fields. The forests of 

 the island of New Cuinea produce a species or 

 variety of pig (X. paptifHsix) more widely different 

 from the common pig than its breeds are from one 

 another. It is is or '20 inches high, with short 

 ears, and very short tail. The liahinnissa (q.v. is 

 another s|teeies of pig ; see also WART-HOG. 



.See Colmrn, ftwine Hutbamtrv (New York, 1877): 

 <;ili-rt. I'iii-briiiun for Amatturt (1882); Long, Book 

 of He ftp (tided. 1SS1I). 



Pigeon ( Ital. /li'ii'-in . pifcione, m pinione, from 

 f. \M\. piiiirr, ' to |ieep or cheep ), a name 



. . , , 



sometimes applied, like Dove (<|.v.), to all the 

 species of Cofumhidic, and sometimes almost re- 



to those still included by ornithologists 

 in the genus Cnlnmlm : having a bill of moderate 

 length, hard, and a little arched at the point, the 

 liii.se of the upper mandible covered with a soft 

 thick skin, in which the nostrils are pierced; the 

 feet with toes divided to the base, and formed 

 both for walking and perching ; the wings rather 

 large and pointed ; the tail of moderate length, and 

 generally square at the end. The .species of this 

 group are very numerous, there lieing nearly \M 

 different kinds, and they are found in all parts of 

 the world. Some of them liuild their IM-M- in tree-. 

 and othcis in rocks. They invariably lay only two 

 egg- at a time, lint breed several times in the \i-ar. 

 both the male anil the female taking part in the 

 process of incubation, as also in that of feeding the 

 young birds. The origin of all the domesticated 

 varieties of the pigeon is the lilue Kock pigeon 

 (C. lirint. the Blurt of the French, a him of 

 extensive geographical range, being found as far 

 north as the Kan*- Islands, and in nearly all iiaits 

 of the eastern hemisphere. It is found ill large 

 miiulicrs on the Itritish coast, particularly on the 

 Orkney Islands and tin- Hebrides, ami also in the 

 Mediterranean. Its food consists partly of molln-cs 

 ami other small animals, and partly of grain and 

 seeds ; and it often pays unwelcome visits to the 

 cornfields within its radius. In a wild state the 

 blue rock pigeon exhibits great uniformity Isith of 

 -i/e and plumage : it is not cpiitc I-. 1 indie- :,, 

 .ength from the tip of the bill to tin- end of the 

 tail : the prevailing colour is bluish gray, in sonic 

 parts with green and purple reflections, and having 

 two broad and distinct black bars across the closed 

 wings; the lower part of the back is whitish : tlie 

 tail is a deep gray with a black liar at the end ; the 

 bill is dark brown ; the legs and feet reddish orange. 

 There re also the Stock dove or Smaller Wood 

 pigeon (C. trim*), found all over southern and mid 

 Hump*. a *pecien found in woods ; and the King 

 dove. Wood-pigeon, or Cushat (C. imliimliim), \>-i\ 

 common in all parts of Kurope and Asia and in 

 northern Africa, and the largest of the liritish 

 specie*. Them are all the Itritish specie- of 

 pigeon. In addition we may mention the King- 



tail Pigeon (C. raribbru), a West Indian species; 

 the Itald pate or White-headed Pigeon (C. leueo- 

 cephalu), also found in the West Indies and 

 Florida; the Double-crested Pigeon (C. dilopha). 



a, Kock -dove ( Cnlnmlm lirin I ; '-, Stock -dove ( C. cenai) ; 

 '. King-dove {C, paiumbtu). 



found in the northern parts of Australia, and 

 having, as its name indicates, a double crest, one 

 half on the back part of the head, and the other 

 springing from tlie forehead. There are other 

 \arieties. too numerous fm mention. 



As already stated, only the- bine rock-pigeon has 

 lieen domesticated, but this species lends itself 

 very readily to the restrictions of civilised life. 

 The changes brought alsint in it are very varied 

 and remarkable; and tlie description of his 

 experiments upon the pigeon by Darwin are of 

 the deepest interest. Vor ninny centuries ami 

 in all lands pigeon-breeding has lieen a favour- 

 ite pursuit with all classes of society. In India 



several of the native rulers have very 

 establishments for the breeding of pigeons. In 

 1'i-isia ami in Asia Minor the pigism is very largely 

 and carefully bred ; and in the latter country 

 especially many of our most licantilnl varieties 

 have IHWII produced. I-'rorn North Africa we have 

 al-o received at least one line breed. Throughout 

 Kurope this pursuit is followed with a great 

 amount of enthusiasm, more especially in Italy. 

 (Germany, France, and lielgium, ;is well as the 

 1'nitcd Kingdom. In lielgium the spoil of pigeon 

 Hying or racing is the national sport engaged in 

 by all sections of the community: Mid to that 

 country we owe the variety known as the Horning 

 Pigeon (see ('AHKIKIt I'lCKON ). Ill the I'niled 

 Kingdom, as in America, there are enormous 

 ntimlicis of breeders who devote tl ...... selves | () 



what are known as 'fancy pigeons,' by which 

 icnii arc known those bred for their special points 

 or characteristics. Of these there is a great and 

 ever-increasing variety, which it is ini|iossihle to 

 dc-eril>c in detail, as there are in all some two 

 hundred breeds, many of which have several dis 

 tinct colours. The following are some of the most 

 prominent : Currier (<|.v.). This is not, as is com- 

 monly sup|>oscd, a member of the homing family, 

 though undoubtedly it was at one time used to 

 carry messages. It is much longer in feather than 



