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818 
term it, we are indebted for the endlefs varieties of the 
fined fruits, luxuriant vegetables for the table, and varie¬ 
ty, without end, of the dowering part of the creation ; 
wholly occalioned by culture ; all of which will again de¬ 
generate, as well as thofe of the animal creation, on their 
return to a date of nature. Pigeons feldom, if ever, lay 
more than two eggs at a time; they fit from fourteen to 
feventeen days before the young are hatched; and it is 
for the mold part obferved, that one proves a male, the 
other a female, Trifling as this number of eggs may ap¬ 
pear, yet, on fuppofition that we allow pigeons to breed 
nine times in the year, the produce from a iingle pair, at 
the end of four years, may amount to the number of four¬ 
teen thoufand feven hundred and fixty-two : Linnaeus 
makes the number amount to more than eighteen thou- 
land. Befides their being efteemed a delicacy for the ta¬ 
ble, they are valued on other accounts. Their dung is 
laid to be excellent manure; it is alfo ufed for tanning 
the upper leathers of (hoes, as weil as applied for a cata- 
plafm. Formerly faltpetre was collected from it. The 
greated ufe of pigeons is at Ifpahan, in Perfia, where 
there are recorded to be above three thoufand pigeon- 
houfes kept by the Turks alone; for there Chridians are 
not allowed to keep them. 
Linnaeus enumerates twenty varieties of the domeltic 
pigeon, which are as follow': i. The Bil’et, Columba Li~ 
via. z. The Rock-Pigeon, Columba Saxatilis. 3. The 
Roman Pigeon, Columba Hifpanica. 4. The Rough-footed 
Pigeon, Columba Diaypus. 5. The Crefted Pigeon, Co¬ 
lumba Crijlata. 6. The Norway Pigeon, Columba Nortu'e- 
gica. 7. The Barbary Pigeon, Columba Barbarica. 8. 
The Jacobine, Columba Cucullata. 9. The Frizzled Pi¬ 
geon, Columba Crifpa. 10. The Turbit Pigeon, Columba 
c ]~urbita. 11. The Peacock Pigeon, Columba Laticauda, 
3i. The Tumbler Pigeon, Columba Gyratrix. 13. The 
Helmet Pigeon, Columba Galcata. 14. The Turkifh Pi¬ 
geon, Columba Turcica. 15. The Carrier Pigeon, Columba 
Tabellaria 16. The Cropper Pigeon, Columba Gutturofa. 
37. The ■ Horfeman Pigeon, Columba Eques. 38. The 
Smiter Pigeon, columba PercuJJ'or. 19. The Turner Pi¬ 
geon, Columba Jubata. 20. 1 he Spot Pigeon, Columba 
Maculata- Belides thefe, the following are noticed by 
the connoifleurs in fancy-pigeons, though not by the ufual 
ornithologids : luch as the ruff, nun, laugher, trumpeter, 
&c. and of all or each of which there are again numerous 
varieties. Some of the above are common in the fouthern 
parts of Ruffia, and in Sweden ; but are always obferved 
to migrate louthward as the winter approaches. None 
are feen'in Siberia, till we pafs the lake Baikal, where the 
white-rump breed are found in great plenty among the 
rocks. Not a fnigle fpecies is found in Kamtichatka. 
3. Columba montana, the mountain or partridge pi¬ 
geon ; inhabits South America and the Welt Indies. It 
is in length eight inches and a half: bill red, with a black 
tip ; irides red, furrounded with a warty Ikin of the fame 
colour; the upper parts of the body are rufous, with a 
purplilh caff ; the under, as far as the breaft, flefn colour; 
the belly, fides, thighs, and vent, inclining to rufous; 
the under wir.g coverts, quills, and tail, rufous ; legs red. 
It is found at Cayenne, and in St. Helena. They build 
in trees which have low boughs, and line their neits with 
hair and cotton : they have greatly the appearance of a 
partridge. 
4. Columba tetraoides, the tetraoid pigeon. The only 
defcription we have of this bird is, that it equals the red- 
legged partridge in lize : the head and neck black, encom- 
paifed with a white margin, as in that bird. Dr. Gmelin 
does not inform us from whence it came, but that it was 
living in a menagery. From the name we may conclude it 
to have fomewhat the appearance of the red-legged par¬ 
tridge. 
5. Columba lencocephalas, the white-headed pigeon ; 
length ten inches and a half; the bill red, with a white 
tip; the eyes furrounded with a white Ikin, the irides 
yellow; the top of the head white; beneath of a change¬ 
able purple ; the neck is of a green and blue, varied with 
a glofs of copper; the upper and under parts of the body 
are of a' bluilh grey brown ; the greater and leffer quills 
and tail brown ; the legs red. It inhabits Jamaica, St. 
Domingo, and the Bahama Hiands, where it breeds in 
vad numbers, making its ned in the rocks. They are 
bitter or fweet to the tade according to the time of year, 
or aliment they feed on ; when they meet with plenty of 
fweet berries, they-are certainly good food. 
6. Columba leucoptera, the white-winged pigeon; in 
length.from eight to nine inches; the bill dulky black; 
a fine blue (kin furrounds the eyes; irides crimlon ; the 
forehead, cheeks, fore part of the neck and bread:, pale 
rufous brown ; the hind part of the head and neck dul- 
l:(li brown; under the ears, on each fide, a tranfverle 
black (tripe, which does not appear except the bird 
drenches the neck, under this mark the leathers have a 
green gold glofs; the upper part of the body is dark 
brown, with a mixture of biue in fome lights; the greater 
wing coverts the fame, but the outer margins and tips 
white ; the lower part of the back and rump dull afli-co- 
lour; the belly, (ides, thighsy and under tail coverts, blu- 
i(h ; greater quills black, with pale margins ; the tail fea¬ 
thers, are .dull afli-colour tipped with white; the legs red. 
Inhabits the Bail Indies. 
7. Columba Martinica, the Martinico pigeon ; length 
nine inches and a quarter; the bill red; the eyes fur- 
rounded with crimfon tubercles, and the irides tire of the 
fame colour; the head, neck, and upper parts of the bo¬ 
dy, are chefnut, with a glofs of violet; the under parts 
rufous;’ the tail feathers chefnut on both margins; the 
legs red. Native of Martinico. There is a larger variety 
of the Martinico pigeon, in which the feathers furround¬ 
ing the lower part of the neck have a gilded vioiet glofs, 
forming a kind of collar. 
8. Columba Jamaicenfis, the Jamaica pigeon; nine 
inches in length; the noitrils much elevated, forming- 
two tubercles at the bale of tne bill; the irides white; 
the top of the head, and all the under parts Of the neck 
and body, white 5 the hind part of the neck varied with 
blue and purple; the back, rump, and upper tail coverts, 
purpii(la brown ; the tail blue, terminated by a frnali 
band of white. Found in the favannas of Jamaica, in the 
month of January, perhaps in its pudage to fome other 
parts. It feeds on berries, and is accounted good food. 
It makes a mournful nolle on the trees through the whole 
ifland, lometimes very loud and diiagreeable. 
9. Columba cpronata, the great crowned pigeon; by 
far the largelt bird in the whole genus, being nearly the 
fize of a turkey ; the bill is black, and two inches long ; 
from the bale of this paffes a itreak of black through the 
eyes; the irides are red; the head, neck, bread, belly, 
and under tail coverts, cinereous blue; the head is ere It; - 
ed, and the feathers which compofe it are (our inches 
and three quarters in length, and of the fame colour ; the 
back, rump, fcapulars, and upper tail coverts, are of a 
deep alh-colour, with a mixture of purplilh chefnut on 
the upper part of the back and fcapulars ; the lelfer co¬ 
verts of the wings are alfo deep alh-colour, tipped with 
purplilh chefnut; white on the outfide, and tipped as the 
others, this lad colour occupying more fpace on the out- 
lide than on the inner; the greater wing coverts, fartheft 
from the body, are alh-coloured within, and purplilh chef¬ 
nut on the outfide and tip; quills deep blackilh alh-co¬ 
lour; tail the fame, but of a light alh colour at the tip; 
the legs whitilh, fpotted with red ; but Scopoli fays they 
are alh-coloured. We may fuppofe, therefore, that they 
vary in different birds. This fpecies inhabits the Mo¬ 
lucca Ides and N’ew Guinea; and has been brought to 
France and England alive. Though in fize it far exceeds 
any of the pigeon tribe, yet its form and manners tell us 
that it can belong to no other. Brilfon has placed it with 
the phealants; but whoever has obierved it, cannot 
doubt in the lead to which it belongs. Its note is cooing 
and plaintive, like that of ocher pigeons, only more loud. 
The 
