Chap. VI. THEIR PARENTAGE. 



183 



and roosts either on trees or rocks, according to the nature of the country. 

 This species belongs to the genus Strictcenas of Reichenbach, but is closely 

 allied to true Columba; it is to some extent coloured like certain domestic 

 races, and has been said to be domesticated in Abyssinia ; but Mr. Mans- 

 field Parkyns, who collected the birds of that country and knows the 

 species, informs me that this is a mistake. Moreover, the C. Guinea is 

 characterized by the feathers of the neck having peculiar notched tips —a 

 character not observed in any domestic race. Fifthly, the Columba oenas 

 of Europe, which roosts on trees, and builds its nest in holes, either in 

 trees or the ground; this species, as far as external characters go, might 

 be the parent of several domestic races ; but, though it crosses readily 

 with the true rock-pigeon, the offspring, as we shall presently see, are 

 sterile hybrids, and of such sterility there is not a trace when the domestic 

 races are intercrossed. It should also be observed that if we were to 

 admit, against all probability, that any of the foregoing five or six species 

 were the parents of some of our domestic pigeons, not the least light 

 would be thrown on the chief differences between the eleven most strongly- 

 marked races. 



We now come to the best known rock-pigeon, the Columba livia, which 

 is often designated in Europe pre-eminently as the Eock-pigeon, and 

 which naturalists believe to be the parent of all the domesticated breeds. 

 This bird agrees in every essential character with the breeds which have 

 been only slightly modified. It differs from all other species in being of a 

 slaty-blue colour, with two black bars on the wings, and with the croup 

 (or loins) white. Occasionally birds are seen in Faroe and the Hebrides 

 with the black bars replaced by two or three black spots ; this form has 

 been named by Brehm 9 C. amalice, but this species has not been admitted 

 as distinct by other ornithologists. Graba 10 even found a difference between 

 the wing-bars of the same bird in Faroe. Another and rather more distinct 

 form is either truly wild or has become feral on the cliffs of England, and 

 was doubtfully named by Mr. Blyth u as C. affinis, but is now no longer 

 considered by him as a distinct species. C. affinis is rather smaller than 

 the rock-pigeon of the Scottish islands, and has a very different appear- 

 ance owing to the wing-coverts being chequered with black, with similar 

 marks often extending over the back. The chequering consists of a large 

 black spot on the two sides, but chiefly on the outer side, of each feather. 

 The wing-bars in the true rock-pigeon and in the chequered variety are, 

 in fact, due to similar though larger spots symmetrically crossing the 

 secondary wing-feather and the larger coverts. Hence the chequering 

 arises merely from an extension of these marks to other parts of the 

 plumage. Chequered birds are not^confined to the coasts of England; for 



The C. leucocephala of the West Indies is m < Tagebuch, Reise nach Faro,' 1830, 



stated by Temminck to be a rock-pigeon ; s. 62. 



but I am informed by Mr. Gosse that u 'Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.,' 



tins is an error. vol. xix., 1847, p. 102. This excellent 



9 'Handbuchder Naturgesch. Vogel paper on pigeons is well worth con- 



Deutschlands.' suiting. 



