218 



DOMESTIC PIGEONS. 



Chap. VI» 



differed slightly in several characters from those kept by an- 

 other. I possessed some excellent barbs descended from a pair 

 which had won a prize, and another lot descended from a stock 

 formerly kept by that famous fancier Sir John Sebright, and 

 these plainly differed in the form of the beak ; but the differences 

 were so slight, that they could hardly be described by words. 

 Again, the common English and Dutch tumbler differ in a 

 somewhat greater degree, both in length of beak and shape of 

 head. What first caused these slight differences cannot be 

 explained any more than why one man has a long nose and 

 another a short one. In the strains long kept distinct by 

 different fanciers, such differences are so common that they 

 cannot be accounted for by the accident of the birds first chosen 

 for breeding having been originally as different as they now 

 are. The explanation no doubt lies in selection of a slightly 

 different nature having been applied in each case ; for no two 

 fanciers have exactly the same taste, and consequently no 

 two, in choosing and carefully matching their birds, prefer or 

 select exactly the same. As each man naturally admires his own 

 birds, he goes on continually exaggerating by selection what- 

 ever slight peculiarities they may possess. This will more 

 especially happen with fanciers living in different countries, 

 who do not compare their stocks and aim at a common standard 

 of perfection. Thus, when a mere strain has once been formed, 

 unconscious selection steadily tends to augment the amount of 

 difference, and thus converts the strain into a sub-breed and 

 this ultimately into a well-marked breed or race. 



The principle of correlation of growth should never be lost 

 sight of. Most pigeons have small feet, apparently caused by 

 their lessened use, and from correlation, as it would appear, 

 their beaks have likewise become reduced in length. The beak 

 is a conspicuous organ, and, as soon as it had thus become per- 

 ceptibly shortened, fanciers would almost certainly strive to 

 reduce it still more by the continued selection of birds with 

 the shortest beaks ; whilst at the same time other fanciers, as 

 we know has actually been the case, would in other sub- 

 breeds, strive to increase its length. With the increased 

 length of the beak, the tongue would become greatly length- 

 ened, as would the eyelids with the increased development 



