1 6 NOT FOUND IN EGYPTIAN PAINTINGS. [CHAP. i. 



present ; and that from its very first joint occupancy of 

 the earth in company with man, it was always as ready 

 to avail itself of any fit asylum and nesting-place which 

 he afforded it perhaps more so, in consequence of the 

 greater number of rapacious birds existing in early times 

 and always equally ready to return to the rocks and 

 caves when it felt any occasional disgust to its adopted 

 home. Unless the external appearance of the wild bird 

 has altered at the same time with that of the tame one, 

 but little change has taken place in this respect. The 

 beautiful wood-cut of the Columba lima, which Mr. 

 Yarrell gives in his " British Birds," might pass for a 

 well-selected specimen of the Blue Rock Dovehouse 

 Pigeon. 



Fancy Pigeons, as distinguished from the Dovehouse 

 kinds that were reared for the table, seem to have been 

 known from a very early epoch. It may be believed 

 that we hear less of the different sorts then cultivated 

 and most in favour, in consequence of the merits of all 

 the others being so much thrown into the shade by the 

 superior value and usefulness of those employed as 

 letter-carriers. 



To save trouble to future archaeological poultry fan- 

 ciers, we will quote a few words from Sir J. G. Wilkin- 

 son : " It is remarkable that the camel, though known 

 to have been used in, and probably a native of Egypt, 

 as early at least as the time of Abraham (the Bible dis- 

 tinctly stating it to have been among the presents given 

 by Pharaoh to the patriarch), has never yet been met 

 with in the paintings or hieroglyphics. We cannot, how- 

 ever, infer, from our finding no representation or notice 

 of it, that it was rare in any part of the country, since 

 the same would apply to poultry, which, it is scarcely 



