156 LESS COMMONLY BRED. [CHAP. v. 



but the rule may be a traditional one, suggested by the 

 fear lest the presence of these unwelcome strangers 

 should drive the wilder birds to seek other haunts, where 

 they may be undisturbed by the sight of new faces. 

 " The New and Complete Pigeon-Fancier," by Daniel 

 Girton, Esq., without date, tells us, p. 45, " The Dove- 

 cote, or common Blue Pigeon, being both prolific and 

 hardy, is most worthy the attention of country people, 

 as it is generally remarked that the small Pigeons rear 

 the greatest number of young ones ; but when the breed 

 of Pigeons proves too small, it will be proper to inter- 

 mix with the Dovecote a few of the common tame 

 sort ; in the procuring of which, care must be taken not 

 to select them of glaring colours, for the rest will not 

 easily associate with them. 



Carriers seem to be kept as Dovehouse Pigeons in 

 the East, and the Blue Rocks would in England 

 answer as letter-carriers better than many of the 

 fancy kinds : the range throughout which they tra- 

 verse is so exceedingly extensive, that they would find 

 their way from any moderate distance without difficulty. 

 When crossed with Carriers, the result is a larger, 

 longer-shaped bird, of considerable power. The Blue 

 Rock is not even mentioned in the excellent " Treatise 

 on Domestic Pigeons, 1 ' attributed to Dr. Moore, from 

 which subsequent pamphlets published as guides to 

 Pigeon-Fanciers have taken so much without acknow- 

 ledgment. 



It is not very common now in Norfolk to meet with 

 an old Dovecote stocked with the real Columba lima, 

 its place being mostly occupied by a few pairs of mon- 

 grels. The species, though not rare, is far from being 

 so frequent as it used to be : and it looks as if the more 



