PIGEONS. 75 



XL The bastard-bill pigeons are something larger than 

 the Barbary pigeon : they have short bills, and are 

 generally said to have red eyes, though probably eyes 

 of that colour belong only to such as have white feathers. 



XII. There is a pigeon called the turner, said to have 

 a tuft of feathers hanging backwards on the head, which, 

 an author asserts, parts like a horse's mane. 



XIII. There is also a pigeon of a smaller sort, called 

 the finikin, but in other respects like the former. 



XIV. There is another pigeon called the spot, sup- 

 posed to take its name from a spot on the forehead, 

 just above the bill ; the feathers of its tail are always 

 of the same colour with the spots, while all the other 

 feathers are white. 



XV. The mahomet, or mawmet pigeon, supposed to be 

 brought from Turkey, is singular for its large black eyes ; 

 but the other parts are like those of the Barbary pigeon. 



The manner of distinguishing the males and females 

 among pigeons, is chiefly by the voice and cooing ; the 

 females have a small weak voice, and the males a loud 

 and deep one : they are also distinguished by their size. 



The food which is generally given to pigeons is 

 tares, but if spurry seeds were mixed with them, or 

 buckwheat, those grains would forward their breeding ; 

 however, with only tares they may be expected to 

 breed eight or nine times a year, and then they seldom 

 hatch above one at a time ; but if they be in full vigour, 

 they will breed a pair at one sitting. 



In the feeding of pigeons that have no young ones, 



