80 CLASS-BOOK OF ZOOLOGY. 



dicative of a rough, uneducated, low mind, and a heart 

 destitute of humane feelings. 



§ 332. Game-fighting was introduced first into Athens, 

 by Themistocles : it is still much in vogue in England, 

 though the ancient Britons were not at all acquainted 

 with this barbarity ; for Julius Caesar found that people 

 filled with such regard for the Rooster, whom they con- 

 sidered as the friend of the family, that they never killed 

 him. 



§ 333. The Stock Dove (Columba (Enas) is one foot 

 long, body of a grayish-blue color, extremity of the wings 

 and tail black, neck golden-green, breast purple-red, and 

 is found in the rocky mountains of the Mediterranean 

 islands, as well as in Africa and Asia. 



5 334. The Stock Dove is the original stock of our 

 domestic pigeons, which have degenerated into several 

 varieties ; the principal of which are the rough-footed 

 dove, the cropper, the tumbler, the fan-tail, and the 

 carrier. 



5 335. The Stock Dove, in the wild state, breeds 

 twice in the year, but when domestic, nine or ten times ; 

 so that a single couple would in four years produce 

 14,762. 



§ 336. The Passenger, or Wild Pigeon, (Columba mi- 

 gratoria,) is about fourteen inches long, purple-colored, 

 neck yellow, tail white, with two black feathers in the 

 middle, bill black, eyes orange- color. 



§ 337. The Passenger Pigeon is found in South as well 

 as in North America as far north as Hudson's Bay. 

 It is not properly a bird of passage, for they are found 

 in Canada, and farther north in the month of December, 

 in those countries where they find the greatest abundance 

 of food. 



§ 338. The Passenger Pigeon is a very swift traveller, 

 and could probably perform the passage from here to Europe 

 in three days. They perform a journey from Georgia or 

 South Carolina to New York, a distance of 300 miles, in 

 about six hours, (one mile in one minute.) This was 

 ascertained by some one examining the crops of those 

 which were shot near New York, in which fresh undi- 



