Chap. I. Domestic Pigeons. \J 



of the egss vary. The manner of flight, and in some breeds the 

 voice and disposition, differ remarkably. Lastly, in certain breeds, 

 the males and females have come to differ in a slight degree from 

 each other. 



Altogether at least a score of pigeons might be chosen, which, if 

 shown to an ornithologist, and he were told that they were wild 

 birds, would certainly be ranked by him as well-defined species. 

 Moreover, I do not believe that any ornithologist would in this 

 case place the English carrier, the short-faced tumbler, the runt, the 

 barb, pouter, and fantail in the same genus ; more especially as in 

 each of these breeds several truly-inherited sub-breeds, or species, as 

 he would call them, could be shown him. 



Great as are the differences between the breeds of the pigeon, 

 I am fully convinced that the common opinion of naturalists is 

 correct, namely, that all are descended from the rock-pigeon 

 (Columba livia), including under this term several geographical 

 races or sub-species, which differ from each other in the most trifling 

 respects. As several of the reasons which have led me to this 

 belief are in some degree applicable in other case?, I will here briefly 

 give them. If the several breeds are not varieties, and have not 

 proceeded from the rock-pigeon, they must have descended from at 

 least seven or eight aboriginal stocks ; for it is impossible to make 

 the present domestic breeds by the crossing of any lesser number : 

 how, for instance, could a pouter be produced by crossing two 

 breeds unless one of the parent-stocks possessed the characteristic 

 enormous crop? The supposed aboriginal stocks must all have 

 been rock-pigeons, that is, they did not breed or willingly perch on 

 trees. But besides C. livia, with its geographical sub-species, only 

 two or three other species of rock-pigeons are known ; and these 

 have not any of the characters of the domestic breeds. Hence the 

 supposed aboriginal stocks must either still exist in the countries 

 where they were originally domesticated, and yet be unknown to 

 ornithologists; and this, considering their size, habits, and remark- 

 able characters, seems improbable ; or they must have become 

 extinct in the wild state. But birds breeding on precipices, and 

 good fliers, are unlikely to be exterminated ; and the common rock- 

 pigeon, which has the same habits with the domestic breeds has 

 not been exterminated even on several of the smaller British islets 

 or on the shores of the Mediterranean. Hence the supposed exter- 

 mination of so many species having similar habits with the rock- 

 pigeon seems a very rash assumption. Morever, the several above- 

 named domesticated breeds have been transported to all parts of the 

 world, and, therefore, some of them must have been carried back 



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