222 DOMESTIC PIGEONS. Chap. VI. 



and its subsequent divergence, either in the same or more 

 commonly in distant countries, into two or more strains, and 

 their gradual conversion into sub-breeds, and these into well- 

 marked breeds, are events which would rarely be noticed. The 

 death of a tree, that has attained gigantic dimensions, is 

 recorded ; the slow growth of smaller trees and their increase in 

 number excite no attention. 



In accordance with the belief of the great power of selection, 

 and of the little direct power of changed conditions of life, except 

 in causing general variability or plasticity of organisation, it is 

 not surprising that dovecot-pigeons have remained unaltered from 

 time immemorial; and that some toy-pigeons, which differ in 

 little else besides colour from the dovecot-pigeon, have retained 

 the same character for several centuries. For when one of these 

 toy-pigeons had once become beautifully and symmetrically 



coloured, when, for instance, a Spot had been produced with 



the crown of its head, its tail, and tail-coverts of a uniform 

 colour, the rest of the body being snow-white,— no alteration or 

 improvement would be desired. On the other hand, it is not 

 surprising that during this same interval of time our highly- 

 bred pigeons have undergone an astonishing amount of change ; 

 for in regard to them there is no defined limit to the wish of 

 the fancier, and there is no known limit to the variability of 

 their characters. What is there to stop the fancier desiring 

 to give to his carrier a longer and longer beak, or to his tumbler 

 a shorter and shorter beak ? nor has the extreme limit of vari- 

 ability in the beak, if there be any such limit, as yet been 

 reached. Notwithstanding the great improvement effected 

 within recent times in the short-faced almond tumbler, Mr. 

 Eaton remarks, " the field is still as open for fresh competitors 

 as it was one hundred years ago ;" but this is perhaps an exag- 

 gerated assertion, for the young of all highly-improved fancy 

 birds are extremely liable to disease and death. 



I have heard it objected that the formation of the several 

 domestic races of the pigeon throws no light on the origin of 

 the wild species of the Columbidfe, because their differences are 

 not of the same nature. The domestic races, for instance, do not 

 differ, or differ hardly at all, in the relative lengths and shapes 

 of the primary wing-feathers, in the relative length of the hind 



