DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 75 



If the pigeon had been domesticated in Amer- 

 ica instead of in Europe, it would have had for its 

 ancestor the wild pigeon which once lived in such 

 numbers in the forests of eastern North America, 

 the so-called passenger pigeon. Then, it would 

 have been a haunter of the trees, and been a very 

 different being from the cooing cave-dweller who 

 today lives among the artificial fastnesses of our 

 streets and barnyards. It would have built its nest 

 in the trees, and slept in the trees, and had the in- 

 stinct to migrate. The rock-dove is not a migra- 

 tory bird, and hence domesticated pigeons have 

 no tendency to migrate. But if the domesticated 

 pigeon had come from the American wild pigeon, 

 instead of from the European, it would have had 

 the migrating instinct, and it would probably have 

 been necessary to make it flightless in order to 

 keep it from flying away in the fall, as we have 

 done with the domesticated geese and ducks. 



14. Wild Survivals in Hogs. 



The domestic hog came from the wild boar of 

 Europe, the western breeds, anyway; those of 

 China and the East probably being descended 

 from the wild pig of India, a different species. In 

 the wild state these animals live in small droves 

 or societies, and feed on roots and bulbs, which 

 they unearth with their short, powerful proboscis. 

 Wild hogs are polygamous in their family rela- 

 tions. Like their not very distant relative, the 

 rhinoceros, they are swamp-loving animals, root- 



