182 



DOMESTIC PIGEONS ! 



Chap. V. 



and the difference between the length which the feet ought to have 

 had according to the size of body of each, in comparison with the 

 size of body and length of feet of the rock-pigeon, calculated (with 

 a few specified exceptions) by the standard of the length of the body 

 from the base of the beak to the oil-gland. I have preferred this 

 standard, owing to the variability of the length of tail. But I have 

 made similar calculations, taking as the standard the length from 

 tip to tip of wing, and likewise in most cases from the base of the 

 beak to the end of the tail; and the result has always been closely 

 similar. To give an example : the first bird in the table, being 

 a Short-faced Tumbler, is much smaller than the rock-pigeon, and 

 would naturally have shorter feet ; but it is found on calculation to 

 have feet too short by "11 of an inch, in comparison with the feet of 

 the rock-pigeon, relatively to the size of the body in these two birds, 

 as measured from the base of beak to the oil-gland. So again, when 

 this same Tumbler and the rock-pigeon were compared by the length 

 of their wings, or by the extreme length of their bodies, the feet of 

 the Tumbler were likewise found to be too short in very nearly the 

 same proportion. I am well aware that the measurements pretend 

 to greater accuracy than is possible, but it was less trouble to write 

 down the actual measurements given by the compasses in each case 

 than an approximation. 



Table II. 



Pigeons with their beaks longer than that of the Rock-pigeon, proportionally 

 to the size of their bodies. 



Name of Brecil. 

 Wild rock-pigeon (mean measurement) .. 



Actual 

 length 



of 

 Feet 



Difference between 



actual and calculated 



length of feet, in 



proportion to length of 



feet and size of bod}' 



in the Rock-pigeon. 



2-02 



Too short Too long 

 by by 



Carrier 



>j 



„ Dragon 



Bagadotten Carrier 



Sbanderoon, white 



„ Pigeon cygne 



Runt 



Number of specimens 



2 60 

 2 -GO 

 2M0 

 2 • 25 

 2*80 

 2-80 

 2-85 

 2-75 



031 

 ■ 0-25 

 0-21 

 0-06 

 0-56 

 0-37 

 0-29 

 0'27 



8 .. 8 



Tn these two tables we see in the first column the actual length 

 of the feet in thirty-six birds belonging to various breeds, and in 

 the two other columns we see by how much the feet are too shore 

 or too long, according to the size of bird, in comparison with the 

 rock-pigeon. In the first table twenty-two specimens have their 



