Cjiap. VI. THEIR PARENTAGE. 197 



vary in a greater degree in accordance with their more highly- 

 domesticated condition, are descended from G. livia, including 

 nnder this name the above - enumerated wild geographical 

 races ; yet the question becomes far more difficult when we 

 consider the eleven principal races, most of which have been 

 profoundly modified. It can, however, be shown, by indirect 

 evidence of a perfectly conclusive nature, that these principal 

 races are not descended from so many wild stocks ; and if this 

 be once admitted, few will dispute that they are the descen- 

 dants of C. livia, which agrees with them so closely in habits 

 and in most characters, which varies in a state of nature, and 

 which has certainly undergone a considerable amount of 

 variation, as in the toy-pigeons. We shall moreover presently 

 see how eminently favourable circumstances have been for a 

 great amount of modification in the more carefully tended 

 breeds. 



The reasons for concluding that the several principal races 

 are not descended from so many aboriginal and unknown 

 stocks may be grouped under the following six heads : — Firstly, 

 if the eleven chief races have not arisen from the variation of 

 some one species, together with its geographical races, they 

 must be descended from several extremely distinct aboriginal 

 species ; for no amount of crossing between only six or seven 

 wild forms could produce races so distinct as Pouters, Carriers, 

 Hunts, Fantails, Turbits, Short-faced Tumblers, Jacobins, and 

 Trumpeters. How could crossing produce, for instance, a 

 Pouter or a Fantail, unless the two supposed aboriginal 

 parents possessed the remarkable characters of these breeds ? 

 I am aware that some naturalists, following Pallas, believe 

 that crossing gives a strong tendency to variation, indepen- 

 dently of the characters inherited from either parent. r l hey 

 believe that it would be easier to raise a Pouter or Fantail 

 pigeon from crossing two distinct species, neither of which 

 possessed the characters of these races, than from any single 

 species. I can find few facts in support of this doctrine, and 

 believe in it only to a limited degree ; but in a future chapter 

 I shall have to recur to this subject. For our present purpose 

 the point is not material. The question which concerns us is, 

 whether or not many new and important characters have 



