VARIETIES OF PIGEONS. T4I 
In order to establish this extremely important fact as. 
firmly as possible by experiments, Darwin decided to make 
a special study of the whole extent of variation in form in 
a single group of domesticated animals, and for this purpose 
he chose the domestic pigeons, which are in many respects 
especially suited for such a study. For a long time he kept 
on his estate all possible races and varieties of pigeons 
which he was able to procure, and he was helped in this by 
‘rich contributions from all parts of the world. He also 
joined two London pigeon clubs, the members of which pas- 
sionately, and with truly artistic skill, carry on the breeding 
of the different forms of pigeons. Lastly, he formed con- 
nections with some of the most celebrated pigeon-fanciers ; 
so that he could command the richest experimental material. 
The art of, and fancy for, pigeon breeding is very ancient. 
Even more than 3,000 years before Christ, it was carried on 
by the Egyptians. The Romans, under the emperors, laid 
out enormous sums upon the breeding of pigeons, and kept 
accurate pedigrees of their descent, just as the Arabs keep 
genealogical pedigrees of their horses, and the Mecklenburg 
aristocracy of their own ancestors. In Asia, too, among 
the wealthy princes, pigeon breeding was a very ancient 
fancy ; in 1600, the court of Akber Khan possessed more 
than 20,000 pigeons. Thus in the course of several centuries, 
and in consequence of the various methods of breeding 
practised in the different parts of the world, there has 
arisen out of one single originally tamed form, an immense 
number of different races and varieties, which in their most 
divergent forms are extremely different from one another, 
and are often curiously characterized. 
One of the most striking races of pigeons is the well- 
