930 The Zoologist— October, 1867. 



supplies a first but valuable addition to this elementary definition of 

 a pigeon, for it teaches us that the peristera of the Greeks, translated 

 "turtle dove," was the parent, and peristerion, peristeria, peris- 

 teridius or perisleridia, translated "young pigeon," always the young. 

 The " turtle dove" or " pigeon" is probably, I think it might be said 

 certainly, the first bird clearly and definitely mentioned in history, 

 whether sacred or profane, and one feels a pleasure that instead of puz- 

 zling over their differentiation, we may confidently accept these terms 

 as synonymous, the only difference being in the age of the birds to 

 which allusion is made.* How very frequently we find the somewhat 

 tautological expletive "young" applied to lambs, kids, &c. : it seems 

 quite unnecessary, inasmuch as we consider all lambs, all kids, to be 

 "young," sheep and goats being the adults: and so with pigeons; 

 all pigeons to which allusion is made in Scripture are young birds, 

 an assertion which is far removed from all chance of disproof, because 

 in our authorized version the word "pigeon" nowhere occurs by 

 itself; there is not a single instance in which it is used unaccompanied 

 by the expletive "young." Hedcrick has taken especial pains to ex- 

 plain this: pullus Columbians, parvula columba, pipio, are given as 

 translations of the Greek words already cited, which have also their 

 exact equivalent in the Hebrew ffozal, and according to our authorized 

 version in "young pigeons." My readers are especially referred to 

 the context in Genesis xv. 9; Leviticus i. 14, v. 7, xii. 6 and 8, 

 xiv. 22 and 30, xv. 29; and Numbers vi. 10: these are all the 

 instances my illustrious ancestor, the author of our Concordance, has 

 given of the word " pigeon" in the Old Testament, and I believe there 

 is but one in the New (Luke ii. 24), and here also the word "young" 

 appears as explanatory. 



A second position appears equally clear, namely, that the " turtle 

 dove" of Scripture was domesticated, and was only known in a state 

 of domestication ; the sacrifices were of domesticated animals, bulls, 

 rams, goats, turtle doves and young pigeons : wild animals, ferae 

 tiaiurd, are rarely mentioned as sacrifices; and hence we derive 

 the fact that all these animals have been domesticated from the 

 earliest historic period; indeed it will be difficult to show that our 

 domesticated animals, or any of them, ever enjoyed a state of perfect or 

 natural freedom, except when they have escaped from our care and set 

 up for themselves a kind of independent existence ; such, for instance, 



* It may be observed that in nearly all commentaries on tbe Bible tlie inquirer is 

 led astray by being told tbat the " dove " or "turtle dove" is Columba rlsoria. 



