282 PIGEONS. 



It is remarkable that, although our common Wood Pigeon 

 is supposed to be the origin of all our common House Pigeons, 

 every attempt at taming the young of these birds has failed. 

 No sooner are they released from confinement, notwithstanding 

 every attention and care, than they fly off at once to their 

 native woods, and return no more. But the Indians of North 

 America seem to have found out some method of changing 

 their nature, as a traveller found wild Pigeons amongst a 

 tribe of Indians, which where so tame as to fly and return 

 again. 



That birds of this species can form odd attachments, we 

 may learn from the following strange association between a 

 House Pigeon and a cat. The Pigeon had made her nest in 

 a loft much infested with rats, which had more than once 

 destroyed her eggs, or devoured her young ones. Her 

 repeated losses at length induced her to rebuild her nest in 

 another part of the loft, where a cat was rearing three 

 kittens, with whom she contrived to form a strong friendship. 

 They fed from the same dish, and when the cat went out into 

 the field, the Pigeon was often observed to be fluttering near 

 her. The Pigeon, aware of the advantage of her protection, 

 had placed her nest close to the straw bed of the cat, and 

 there, in safety, reared two broods of young ones ; and, in ' 

 return for the protection she experienced from the cat, she 

 became a defender of the young kittens, and would often 

 attack with beak and wings any person approaching too 

 near. 



Considering their insignificant means of defence, consisting, 

 in great measure, of the spur on the leg of the male, few 

 birds exhibit a more bold and resolute spirit than the 

 Poultry tribe, in which we may include Pheasants, so nearly 

 are they allied to our common barn-door fowls, in their 

 habits and mode of life. We knew an instance where a barn- 

 door Cock became the terror of his little domain. Accus- 

 tomed to be fed by his owner, a clergyman, he shortly began 

 to express his disappointment by very determined attacks, if 

 his master happened to pass him without the accustomed 

 offering. On one occasion he actually struck a piece out of 



