VARIATION UNDER DOMESTICATION 65 



comparing the several sub-breeds of these two races, more 

 especially those brought from distant countries, we can 

 make, between them and the rock-pigeon, an almost 

 perfect series; so we can in some other cases, but not 

 with all the breeds. Thirdly, those characters which are 

 mainly distinctive of each breed are in each eminently 

 variable, for instance the wattle and length of beak of 

 the carrier, the shortness of that of the tumbler, and 

 the number of tail-feathers in the fantail; and the ex- 

 planation of this fact will be obvious when we treat 

 of Selection. Fourthly, pigeons have been watched and 

 tended with the utmost care, and loved by many people. 

 They have been domesticated for thousands of years in 

 several quarters of the world; the earliest known record 

 of pigeons is in the fifth Egyptian dynasty, about 8000 

 B.C., as was pointed out to me by Professor Lepsius; but 

 Mr. Birch informs me that pigeons are given in a bill of 

 fare in the previous dynasty. In the time of the Ro- 

 mans, as we hear from Pliny, immense prices were given 

 for pigeons; "nay, they are come to this pass, that they 

 can reckon up their pedigree and race." Pigeons were^ 

 much valued by Akber Khan in India, about the year 

 1600; never less than 20,000 pigeons were taken with the 

 court. "The monarchs of Iran and Turan sent him some 

 very rare birds"; and, continues the courtlj'- historian, 

 "His Majesty by crossing the breeds, which method was 

 never practiced before, has improved them astonishingly." 

 About this same period the Dutch were as eager about 

 pigeons as were the old Romans. The paramount impor- 

 tance of these considerations in explaining the immense 

 amount of variation which pigeons have undergone will 

 likewise be obvious when we treat of Selection. We 



