GALLING AND PIGEONS. 131 



large flock of them could not subsist in the same 

 locality. 



Pheasants, though they have the same style of 

 flight as the rest, are certainly not the worst fliers ; 

 and yet there is a very striking difference between 

 the common pheasant and the common pigeon in 

 point of capability of endurance in the same locality. 

 Where pheasants are kept in numbers, a preserve is 

 made for them, which is understood to afford them 

 not only shelter, but the greater part of their food. 

 Common pigeon-house pigeons seldom have any pas- 

 ture preserved for them, and cultivators drive them 

 off from their crops. The native habitations of vast 

 numbers of the parent stock, too, are often in rocks 

 or places comparatively barren, where they must 

 range to great distances for their food — for pigeons 

 require proportionally more food than the gallinidse, 

 and, indeed, than most other birds. 



Ringdove. 

 Now if pheasants and pigeons naturally belonged 

 to the same order of birds, we might surely, under 

 these circumstances, expect that the pigeons should 

 suffer most from casualties. If not, there could 

 be but small propriety in uniting the two families 

 of birds into one order; for if there is nothing 

 more of similarity in the several members of the 

 order than that structure of organ, or habit, or 

 k2 



