38 DOMESTIC PIGEONS. Chap. I. 



man having formerly got seven or eight supposed species of 

 pigeons to breed freely under domestication ; these supposed 

 species being quite unknown in a ■wild state, and their be- 

 coming nowhere feral ; these species having very al^normal 

 characters in certain respects, as conijoared with all other Co- 

 lumbida?, thougli so like in most other respects to the rock- 

 pigeon ; the bkic color and various black marks occasionally 

 apjiearing in all the breeds, both when kept pure and when 

 crossed ; the mongrel offspring being perfectly fertile — from 

 these several reasons, taken together, we may safely conclude 

 that all our domestic breeds have descended from the Columba 

 livia Avith its geographical sub-species. 



In favor of this view, I may add, first, that C. livia, or the 

 rock-pigeon, has been found capable of domestication in Europe 

 and in India ; and that it agrees in habits and in a great num- 

 ber of points of structure with all the domestic breeds. Second- 

 ly, although an English carrier or a short-faced tumbler differs 

 immensely in certain characters from the rock-pigeon, yet by 

 comparing the several sub-breeds of these varieties, more 

 especially those brought from distant countries, we can make 

 in these two cases, and in some but not in all other cases, 

 an almost perfect series between the extremes of stlncture. 

 Thirdly, those characters which are mainly distinctive of each 

 breed, for instance the wattle and length of beak of the car- 

 rier, the shortness of that of the tumbler, and the number of 

 tail-feathers in the fantail, ai'C in each breed eminently variable; 

 and the explanation of this fact Avill be obvious Avhcn we come 

 to treat of Selection. Fourthly, pigeons have been Avatched 

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

 They liaA'C been domesticated for thousands of years in several 

 quarters of the Avorld ; the earliest knoAvn record of pigeons 

 is in the fifth Eg^-ptian dynasty, about 3000 B. c, as Avas 

 pointed out to me by Prol; Lcpsius ; but Mr. Birch informs 

 me that pigeons are given in a bill of fare in the previous 

 dynasty. In the time of the Romans, as AA'e hear from Pliny, 

 immense prices Averc giAxn for pigeons ; " nay, they are come 

 to this pass, that they can reckon up their pedigree and race." 

 Pigeons Avere much A'alued by Akbar Ivlian in India, about 

 the j-ear IGOO; never less than 20,000 pigeons Avere taken 

 Avith the tourt. " The monarchs of Iran and Turan sent him 

 some very rare birds;" and, continues the courtly historian, 

 " his Majesty by crossing the breeds, Avhich method Avas ncA'cr 

 practised before, has improved them astonishingly." About 



