ClafsIL COMMON PIGEON. 217 



ftock or fiem from whence the other domeftic kinds 

 fprung. We never faw this bird in its wild condition; 

 but are obliged to borrow the defcription partly from 

 Mr. Willoughhy^ partly from a drawing that we were 

 favored with from the magnificent colledion of ^^^y^r 

 White^ efq. Its chara6ters in the ftate neareft that of 

 its origin, is a deep bluifh a(h color j the bread Defer, 

 dallied with a fine changeable green and purple ; the 

 fides of the neck with fhining copper color ; its wings 

 marked with two black bars, one on the coverts of 

 the wings, the other on the quil-feathers. The back 

 white, and the tail barred near the end with black. 

 In the wild ftate it breeds in holes of rocks, and hol- 

 lows of trees, for which reafon fome writers ftile it 

 columha cavernalis * in oppofitlon to the Ring Dove, 

 which makes its neft on the boughs of trees. Na- 

 ture ever preferves fome agreement in the manners, 

 charaders, and colors of birds reclamed from their 

 wild ftate. This fpecies of pigeon foon takes to build 

 in artificial cavities, and from the temptation of a 

 ready provifion becomes eafily domefticated. The 

 drakes of the tame duck, however they may vary in 

 color, ever retain the mark of their origin from our 

 Evglijh mallard, by the two curled feathers of the 

 tail : and the tame goofe betrays its defcent from the 

 wild kind, by the invariable whitcnefs of its rump^ 

 which they always retain in both ftates. 



The varieties produced from the domeftic pigeon 

 are very numerous, and extremely elegant •, thefe are 

 diftinguillied bynames expreffive of their feveral pro- 



* The Columha faxatUis, a fmall fort, that is frequent on moft of 

 our cliffs, is only a variety of the vv'ild pigeon. Aldr. av. ii. 22~. 



Q^ pertiesji 



