136 STOCK DOVE VARIETIES. 



in them. But as, certainly, neither the public nor 

 individuals will consent to be deprived of the enjoy- 

 ment of this ancient luxury, the fairest mode appears 

 to be, the regular feeding of pigeons by their pro- 

 prietors, which, according to my experience, so at- 

 taches them to home, that there is often a necessity 

 of driving them out for exercise. This plan should, 

 of course, be more punctually observed in seed time, 

 and towards the approach of the corn crops to ma- 

 turity. With respect to the risk of damage from 

 pigeons, which must unavoidably be incurred by the 

 farmer, his insurance must consist in that vigilance, 

 in which generally he is too defective. 



BufFon enumerates upwards of thirty VARIETIES 

 of the pigeon, which, according to his usual syste- 

 matic plan, its convenience perhaps being rather 

 more obvious than its accuracy, he derives from one 

 root, namely, the STOCK-DOVE, or common wild pi- 

 geon. All the varieties of colour and form which 

 we witness, he attributes to human contrivance and 

 fancy. There exist, nevertheless, essential specific 

 differences in these birds, which seem rather attri- 

 butable to the nature of the region, soil, or climate, 

 to which they are indigenous, than to the art of 

 man. 



The STOCK-DOVE, or original of the pigeon genus, 

 in its natural or wild state, is thus described ; of a 

 deep blue and ash colour, the breast darkened with 

 a fine changeable green and purple ; the sides of the 

 neck of a reddish gold colour ; its wings marked 

 with two black bars, one on the quill feathers, and 

 the other on the covert ; the back white, and the 



