papular Btcttnnari) nf &mmatrtr jtatur*. 521 



by its contact. [See PORTUGUESE MAN-OF- 

 WAR.] 



PICID^. The name given to a family 

 of Scansorial birds. [See WOODPECKER ] 



PICHIAGO. The Chlamyphorm trun- 

 catus [which see]. 



PIERIS. A genus of diurnal Lepidoptera 

 which, amongst numerous exotic species, 

 contains our native PIERIS CRAT^EGI, the 

 BLACK- VEINED WHITE or HAWTHORN BUT- 

 TERFLY. This is an elegant insect : both 

 surfaces of the wings are white, with black 

 nervures ; above, the anterior wings are 

 margined on their outer edge with irregular 

 dusky spots, transparent and triangular : 

 the posterior ones are similarly bordered on 

 their outer edges, but the nervures are less 

 expanded on the disc ; beneath, the anterior 

 wings resemble the upper surfaces, but the 



nervures are more dilated ; the posterior 

 ones, on the contrary, have the nervures 

 much stronger on the upper surface, and 

 very thickly irrorated with dusky : in both 

 sexes the wings are very transparent, the 

 female more especially. During the earlier 

 periods of its existence the caterpillar lives 

 beneath a silken web : it is at first black, 



but is afterwards furnished with short yellow 

 and white hairs, and is marked with three 

 black longitudinal lines : it feeds on the 

 whitethorn. The chrysalis is either yellow 

 or white, with small black stripes and spots. 

 In about three weeks the perfect insect 

 makes its appearance. It is by no means 

 scarce, but periodical in its visits rather than 

 generally abounding. 



PIGEON. As the Ring-Dove, Stock-Dove, 

 and Turtle-Dove will be found described 

 under those words respectively, we shall de- 

 vote this article almost exclusively to the 

 tame or domesticated Pigeons, the tenants of 



the dove-cot. These are the willing attend- 

 ants on man, and depend on his bounty, sel- 

 dom leaving the dwellings provided for them, 

 and only roaming abroad to seek amusement, 

 or to procure subsistence ; but when, as 

 Bewick observes, we consider the lightness 

 of their bodies, the great strength of their 

 wing, and the amazing rapidity of their 

 flight, it is a matter of wonder that they 

 should submit even to a partial domestica- 

 tion, or occupy those tenements fitted up 

 for the purpose of breeding and rearing their 

 young. Pigeons occur in every climate, and 

 although they thrive best in warm countries, 

 yet with care they succeed also in very 

 northern latitudes. Their manners are 

 gentle and lively ; they are fond of society, 

 and have always been held emblematic of 

 peace and innocence ; they are faithful to 

 their mates, whom they solicit with the 

 softest cooings, the tenderest caresses, and 

 the most graceful movements. The exterior 

 form of the Pigeon is elegant: the bill is 

 weak, straight, slender, somewhat curved at 

 the point, and has a soft protuberance at the 

 base, in which the nostrils are placed : the 

 legs are short and red, and the toes divided 

 to the origin. They moult once, and the 

 sexes do not differ in plumage. 



It would be as fruitless as unnecessary to 

 attempt to describe all the varieties of the 

 tame Pigeon ; for human art has so much 

 altered the colour and figure of this bird, 

 that pigeon-fanciers, by pairing a male and 

 female of different sorts, can, as they express 

 it, "breed them to a feather." Hence we 

 have the various names of Carriers, Tum- 

 blers, Jacobins, Croppers, Pouters, Runts, 

 1 urbits. Shakers, Fantails, Owls. Nuns, &c., 

 all birds that at first may have accidentally 

 varied from the Stock-dove, and, by havtaa 

 these varieties still improved by pairing 

 food, and climate, the different kinds have 

 been propagated. The Dove-house Pigeon 

 breeds every month ; but when the weather 

 is severe, and the fields are covered with 

 snow, it must be supplied with food : at 

 other times it may be left to itself, and gene- 

 rally repays the owner for his protection, 

 The Pigeon lays two white eggs, which pro- 

 duce young ones of different sexes. When 

 the eggs are laid, the female sits fifteen days, 

 exclusive of the three days she is employed 

 in laying, and is relieved at intervals by the 

 male ; the female performing her share of 

 the duty by night, and the male during the 

 day. When hatched, the young only require 

 warmth for the first three days ; a task 

 which the female takes entirely upon herself, 

 and never leaves them except for a few 

 minutes to take a little food. After this 

 they are fed for about ten days, at first with 

 a milky secretion prepared from the glan- 

 dular coat of the crop, and regurgitated ; 

 and afterwards with what the old ones have 

 picked up in the fields, and kept treasured 

 in their crops. This way of supplyin" the 

 young with food from the crop, in birds of 

 the Pigeon kind, differs from all others. 

 They have the largest crops, for their size, 

 of any birds ; and they have the power of 

 distending the crop with air in such a man- 

 ner, that, in one species in particular, (the 



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