140 OEJENTAL OEIGIN. [CHAP. iv. 



though they have no known home to go to ; and so 

 lose themselves beyond the power of retracing their 

 way. Their acquaintanceship with the other Pigeons 

 of the same loft offers the best chance of regaining 

 them in such cases. 



The result of all the learning that one can collect 

 respecting the Carrier Pigeons, clearly indicates their 

 oriental origin. " The Dutch," says the Treatise, " call 

 this Pigeon Bagadat, probably from a corruption of the 

 name of the city Bagdat, which was formerly old 

 Babylon, which Nimrod built ; because they judge this 

 Pigeon in its way from Bazora to be brought through 

 that city." The name of Nimrod recalls the legend 

 that Semiramis herself is said to have been changed 

 into a Dove ; which sounds as incongruous a metamor- 

 phosis as if we were told that Catherine of Russia had 

 been changed into a Dove ; for neither of those ladies 

 could be said to be Doves before the change. Mr. 

 Layard tells us, that, according to a tradition resembling 

 the Orphic legends, Aphrodite herself was born of an 

 egg, which fell out of heaven into the Euphrates, and 

 was incubated by two Pigeons. Appended to this are 

 the Doves of Venus and the oracular birds of Dodona. 

 And we are further informed that in the earliest sculp- 

 tures of Nimrod, the king is only seen in adoration 

 before one symbol of the deity the figure, with the 

 wings and tail of a bird inclosed in a circle, resembling 

 the Ormuzd of the Persian monuments. The resem- 

 blance of a modification of this to the winged globe of 

 Egypt is pointed out by Mr. Layard; and our own dove- 

 like representation of the Holy Spirit may be an em- 

 blem borrowed from these abstrusely-ancient symbols. 

 And the superstitious regard which the modern Rus- 



