190 



DOMESTIC PIGEONS. 



Chap. VI. 



species were formerly so thoroughly domesticated as to breed 

 readily when confined. Although it is easy to tame most wild 

 birds, experience shows us that it is difficult to get them to 

 breed freely under confinement ; although it must be owned that 

 this is less difficult with pigeons than with most other birds. 

 During the last two or three hundred years, many birds have 

 been kept in aviaries, but hardly one has been added to our 

 list of thoroughly reclaimed species ; yet on the above doctrine 

 we must admit that in ancient times nearly a dozen kinds 

 of pigeons, now unknown in the wild state, were thoroughly 

 domesticated. 



Thirdly. — Most of our domesticated animals have run wild in 

 various parts of the world ; but birds, owing apparently to their 

 partial loss of the power of flight, less often than quadrupeds. 

 Nevertheless I have met with accounts showing that the 

 common fowl has become feral in South America and perhaps 

 in West Africa, and on several islands : the turkey was 

 at one time almost feral on the banks of the Parana; and 

 the Guinea-fowl has become perfectly wild at Ascension 

 and in Jamaica. In this latter island the peacock, also, 

 "has become a maroon bird." The common duck wanders 

 from its home and becomes almost wild in Norfolk. Hybrids 

 between the common and musk-duck which have become wild 

 have been shot in North America, Belgium, and near the Caspian 

 Sea. The goose is said to have run wild in La Plata. The 

 common dovecot-pigeon has become wild at Juan Fernandez, 

 Norfolk Island, Ascension, probably at Madeira, on the shores 

 of Scotland, and, as is asserted, on the banks of the Hudson in 

 North America. 18 But how different is the case, when we turn 



18 With respect to feral pigeons — for 

 Juan Fernandez, see Bertero in ' Annal. 

 des Sc. Nat.,' torn. xxi. p. 351. For 

 Norfolk Island, see Rev. E. S. Dixon in 

 the « Dovecote,' 1851, p. 14, on the autho- 

 rity of Mr. Gould. For Ascension I 

 rely on MS. information given me by 

 Mr. Layard. For the banks of the 

 Hudson, see Blyth in 'Annals of Nat. 

 Hist.,' vol. xx., 1857, p. 511. For Scot- 

 land, see Macgillivray, ' British Birds,' 

 vol. i. p. 275; also Thompson's 'Nat. 

 Hist, of Ireland, Birds,' vol. ii. p. 11. 



For ducks, see Rev. E. S. Dixon, ' Orna- 

 mental Poultry,' 1847, p. 122. For the 

 feral hybrids of the common and musk- 

 ducks, see Audubon's 'American Or- 

 nithology,' and Selys - Longchamp's 

 ' Hybrides dans la Famille des Anatides.' 

 For the goose, Isidore GeofFroy St. Hi- 

 laire, 'Hist. Nat. Gen.,' torn. iii. p. 498. 

 For guinea-fowls, see Gosse's ' Naturalist's 

 Sojourn in Jamaica,' p. 124; and his 

 ' Birds of Jamaica,' for fuller particulars. 

 I saw the wild guinea-fowl in Ascen- 

 sion. For the peacock, see ' A Week at 



