BISET OB WILD ROCK-PIGEON. 
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with sliades of green and purplish-red. The lower 
part of the breast and abdomen ar e hluish-giay. The 
upper mandible and wing-coverts are blue-gray. 
Tire greater coverts and secondaries are barred with 
black, and form two broad and distinct bars across 
the closed wings. The lower part of the back is 
white ; the rump and tail-coverts bluish-gray. The 
tail is of a deep gray, with a broad black bai' at the 
end. The legs and feet are pale purplish-red. 
When closed, the tvings reach within half an inch of 
tire end of the tail. 
It is under this species that we include not only 
tire common pigeon, or inhabitant of the dove-cot, 
but all those numerous varieties, or, as they are fre- 
quently termed, races of domesticated pigeons, so 
highly prized, and fostered with such care and at- 
tention by the amateur breeder or pigeon fancier ; 
for, however diversified their forms, colour, or pecu- 
liarity of habit may be, we consider them all as hav- 
ing originated from a few accidental varieties of the 
common pigeon, and not from any cross of that bird 
with other species, no signs or marks whatever of 
such being apparent in any of the numerous varie- 
ties known to us. In fact, the greater part of them 
owe their existence to the Interference and the art 
of man ; for, by separating from the parent stock 
such accidental varieties as have occasionally oc- 
cuned, by subjecting these to captivity and domes- 
tication, and by assorting and pairing them together, 
as fancy or caprice suggested, ho has at intervals ge- 
