Chap. VI. MANNER OF FORMATION OF RACES. 233 



unaltered from time immemorial ; and that some toy -pigeons, 

 which difi'er in little else besides colour from the dovecot- 

 pigeon, have retained the same character for several centuries. 

 For vv^hen one of these t(jy -pigeons had once become beautifully 

 and symiuetrically coloured, — when, for instance, a Spot had 

 been produced with the crown of its head, its tail, and tail- 

 coverts of a unifoi'm colour, the rest of the body being snow- 

 white, — no alteration or improvement would be desired. On 

 the other hand, it is not surprising that during this same 

 interval of time our highly-bred pigeons have undergone an 

 astonishing amount of change ; for in regard to them there 

 is no defined limit to the wish of the fancier, and there is no 

 known limit to the variability of their characters. What is 

 there to stop the fancier desiring to give to his Carrier a 

 longer and longer beak, or to his Tumbler a shorter and 

 sh( irter beak ? nor has the extreme limit of variability in the 

 beak, if there be any such limit, as yet been reached. Not- 

 withstanding the great improvement effected within recent 

 times in the Short-faced Almond Tumbler, Mr. Eaton remarks, 

 " the field is still as open for fresh competitors as it was one 

 hundred years ago;' but this is perhaps an exaggerated 

 assertion, for the young of all highly-imj^roved fancy birds 

 are extremely liable to disease and death. 



I have heard it objected that the formation of the several 

 domestic races of the pigeon throws no light on the origin of 

 the wild species of the Columbidfe, because their differences 

 are not of the same nature. The domestic races, for instance 

 do not differ, or difi'er hardly at all, in the relative lengths 

 and shape of the primary wing- feathers, in the relative 

 length of the hind toe, or in habits of life, as in roosting and 

 building in trees. But the above objection shows how com- 

 jjletely the principle of selection has been misunderstood. It 

 is not likely that characters selected by the caprice of man 

 should resemble differences preserved under natural conditions 

 either from being of direct service to each species, or from 

 standing in correlation with other modified and serviceable 

 structures. Until man selects birds difiering in the relative 

 length of the wing-feathers or toes, &c., no sensible change 

 in these parts should be expected. Nor could man do anything 



