The ymm mnuim: 



A Penny Weekly Magazine of Natural History. 



No. 124. MARCH 25th, 1882. Vol. 3. 



DARWINISM. 



Sixth Paper. 



DOxMESTlC PIGEONS. 



THE first figure on our plate (fig. 1) 

 is the Blue Eock. It is a pigeon, 

 as already said, sufficiently numerous 

 on most of our rocky coasts. It builds 

 in holes in rocks, often far back in the 

 crannies and crevices of caves. Its 

 nest is loosely made, and it lays two 

 white eggs. In colour it is slaty blue 

 with white loins ; the tail has one dark 

 bar at the end, and the outer feathers 

 are edged with white. The wings have 

 two black bars. 



The fantail (fig. 2) is a white bird 

 with a wonderful developement of tail 

 feathers. The number of these feathers 

 in all wild pigeons, whether blue rocks 

 or any other species, is but twelve or 

 fourteen, but the fantail often has as 

 many as thirty or forty. "These 

 feathers are kept expanded and carried 

 so erect that in good birds the head 

 and tail touch." 



The trumpeter (fig. 3) is either pure 

 white or mottled with black and white. 

 There is a tuft of feathers which sprouts 

 from the root of the bill, a kind of 



crest behind the head, and the legs 

 and feet are thickly clothed with long 

 feathers. It is also remarkable for its 

 note, which differs considerably from 

 the ordinary coo, coo, of the genus. 



The jacobin (fig. 4) has the feathers 

 on the neck reversed, and they appear 

 to form a ruffle or hood. It also has 

 the tail and wing feathers long in pro- 

 portion to the size of the bird. 



The pouter (fig. 5) is a large bird 

 with the legs, tail, wings and body 

 much elongated, but it is most remark- 

 able for the enormous developement of 

 its crop, which it has the habit of inflat- 

 ing, as it struts about, in a most ex- 

 traordinary manner. 



The carrier (fig. 6) is remarkable 

 for the quantity of " carunculated skin 

 about the head, and this accompanied 

 by greatly elongated eyelids, very large 

 external orifices to the nostrils, and a 

 wide gape of mouth." 



The tumbler (fig. 7) has an exceed- 

 ingly short beak, the head and beak 

 having been compared to an oat stuck 

 in a cherry. It also has the singular 

 habit of tumbling over and over in the 

 air as it flies. 



Now these seven birds which we 



