76 ESTIMATE OF TEMMINCK's AUTHORITY. [CHAP. in. 



by the form of their beak and their principal parts, 

 resemble this bird, the Domestic Pigeon of naturalists, 

 the pretended species of Roman Pigeon and its varie- 

 ties, and the Rock Pigeon or Rocherai. These birds 

 produce together fertile individuals, which reproduce in 

 their turn, and form by the interference of Man, those 

 singular races which we remark in the Pigeons of the 

 aviary ; these races are maintained by the care which 

 is taken to assort them. Of these Pigeons, especially, 

 the different shades are innumerable. Men, in per- 

 fecting them for their pleasure, have multiplied these 

 races more from luxury than necessity ; they have al- 

 tered their forms, and their sentiment of liberty is 

 found to be totally destroyed. ( ?) 



" The production of great numbers is the source of 

 varieties in species. Our Dovecotes, peopled with a 

 quantity of Pigeons accustomed and familiarised to 

 these buildings, have successively offered accidental 

 varieties, among which the most beautiful, and those 

 with the most singular variety of colours, will be sure 

 to be chosen. These, isolated from the flock, reared 

 with assiduous care and assorted according to fancy, 

 have successively generated all these singular races of 

 which Man is the Creator, and which, without him, 

 would never have existed." 



The process, or rather, we believe, the project for the 

 creation of new species by Man, runs on smoothly 

 enough in the prospectus here given ; but what people, 

 who are sceptical about the result, want, is, the sudden 

 appearance in a Dovecote of blue Rock Pigeons, of 

 two nestlings as much differing from their parents, as 

 the Fantail, or Turbit, do from them. These instances 

 are not recorded ; nor can any owner of the vastest flock 



