Hist。’volume141847page104;hesaysthatthey\"maybeseenatanyoftheCalcuttabird—dealers。\")Mr。EvanskeptapairinLondon,importedbyCaptainVigne;andheassuresmethathehasseenthemtumbleintheair,aswellasinthemannerabovedescribedontheground。SirW。Elliot,however,writestomefromMadras,thatheisinformedthattheytumbleexclusivelyontheground,orataverysmallheightaboveit。Healsomentionsbirdsofanothersub—variety,calledtheKalmiLotan,whichbegintorolloverifonlytouchedontheneckwitharodorwand。
SUB—RACE7/III。COMMONENGLISHTUMBLERS。
ThesebirdshaveexactlythesamehabitsasthePersianTumbler,buttumblebetter。TheEnglishbirdisrathersmallerthanthePersian,andthebeakisplainlyshorter。Comparedwiththerock—pigeon,andproportionallywiththesizeofbody,thebeakisfrom。15tonearly。2ofaninchshorter,butitisnotthinner。ThereareseveralvarietiesofthecommonTumbler,namely,Baldheads,Beards,andDutchRollers。Ihavekeptthelatteralive;
theyhavedifferentlyshapedheads,longernecks,andarefeather—footed。
Theytumbletoanextraordinarydegree;asMr。Brentremarks(5/16。
’JournalofHorticulture’October22,1861page76。),\"Everyfewsecondsovertheygo;one,two,orthreesummersaultsatatime。Hereandthereabirdgivesaveryquickandrapidspin,revolvinglikeawheel,thoughtheysometimeslosetheirbalance,andmakearatherungracefulfall,inwhichtheyoccasionallyhurtthemselvesbystrikingsomeobject。\"FromMadrasI
havereceivedseveralspecimensofthecommonTumblerofIndia,differingslightlyfromeachotherinthelengthoftheirbeaks。Mr。Brentsentmeadeadspecimenofa\"House—tumbler\"(5/17。SeetheaccountoftheHouse—
tumblerskeptatGlasgow,inthe’CottageGardener’1858page285。AlsoMr。
Brent’spaper’JournalofHorticulture’1861page76。),whichisaScotchvariety,notdifferingingeneralappearanceandformofbeakfromthecommonTumbler。Mr。Brentstatesthatthesebirdsgenerallybegintotumble\"almostassoonastheycanwellfly;atthreemonthsoldtheytumblewell,butstillflystrong;atfiveorsixmonthstheytumbleexcessively;andinthesecondyeartheymostlygiveupflying,onaccountoftheirtumblingsomuchandsoclosetotheground。Someflyroundwiththeflock,throwingacleansummersaulteveryfewyards,tilltheyareobligedtosettlefromgiddinessandexhaustion。ThesearecalledAirTumblers,andtheycommonlythrowfromtwentytothirtysummersaultsinaminute,eachclearandclean。
IhaveoneredcockthatIhaveontwoorthreeoccasionstimedbymywatch,andcountedfortysummersaultsintheminute。Otherstumbledifferently。Atfirsttheythrowasinglesummersault,thenitisdouble,tillitbecomesacontinuousroll,whichputsanendtoflying,foriftheyflyafewyardsovertheygo,androlltilltheyreachtheground。ThusI
hadonekillherself,andanotherbrokehisleg。Manyofthemturnoveronlyafewinchesfromtheground,andwilltumbletwoorthreetimesinflyingacrosstheirloft。ThesearecalledHouse—tumblers,fromtumblinginthehouse。Theactoftumblingseemstobeoneoverwhichtheyhavenocontrol,aninvoluntarymovementwhichtheyseemtotrytoprevent。Ihaveseenabirdsometimesinhisstrugglesflyayardortwostraightupwards,theimpulseforcinghimbackwardswhilehestrugglestogoforwards。Ifsuddenlystartled,orinastrangeplace,theyseemlessabletoflythanifquietintheiraccustomedloft。\"TheseHouse—tumblersdifferfromtheLotanorGroundTumblerofIndia,innotrequiringtobeshakeninordertobegintumbling。ThebreedhasprobablybeenformedmerelybyselectingthebestcommonTumblers,thoughitispossiblethattheymayhavebeencrossedatsomeformerperiodwithLotans。
(FIGURE23。SHORT—FACEDENGLISHTUMBLER。)
SUB—RACE7/1V。SHORT—FACEDTUMBLERS
Thesearemarvellousbirds,andarethegloryandprideofmanyfanciers。
Intheirextremelyshort,sharp,andconicalbeaks,withtheskinoverthenostrilsbutlittledeveloped,theyalmostdepartfromthetypeoftheColumbidae。Theirheadsarenearlyglobularanduprightinfront,sothatsomefancierssay(5/18。J。M。Eaton’TreatiseonPigeons’1852page9。)
\"theheadshouldresembleacherrywithabarleycornstuckinit。\"Thesearethesmallestkindofpigeons。Mr。EsquilantpossessedablueBaldhead,twoyearsold,whichwhenaliveweighed,beforefeeding—time,only6ounces5drs。;twoothers,eachweighed7ounces。Wehaveseenthatawildrock—
pigeonweighed14ounces2drs。,andaRunt34ounces4drs。Short—facedTumblershavearemarkablyerectcarriage,withprominentbreasts,droopingwings,andverysmallfeet。Thelengthofthebeakfromthetiptothefeatheredbasewasinonegoodbirdonly。4ofaninch;inawildrock—
pigeonitwasexactlydoublethislength。AstheseTumblershaveshorterbodiesthanthewildrock—pigeon,theyoughtofcoursetohaveshorterbeaks;butproportionallywiththesizeofthebody,thebeakis。28ofaninchtooshort。So,again,thefeetofthisbirdwereactually。45shorter,andproportionally。21ofaninchshorter,thanthefeetoftherock—
pigeon。Themiddletoehasonlytwelveorthirteen,insteadoffourteenorfifteenscutellae。Theprimarywing—feathersarenotrarelynineinsteadofteninnumber。Theimprovedshort—facedTumblershavealmostlostthepoweroftumbling;butthereareseveralauthenticaccountsoftheiroccasionallytumbling。Thereareseveralsub—varieties,suchasBald—heads,Beards,Mottles,andAlmonds;thelatterareremarkablefromnotacquiringtheirperfectly—colouredplumageuntiltheyhavemoultedthreeorfourtimes。
Thereisgoodreasontobelievethatmostofthesesub—varieties,someofwhichbreedtruly,havearisensincethepublicationofMoore’streatisein1735。(5/19。J。M。Eaton’Treatise’edition1858page76。)
Finally,inregardtothewholegroupofTumblers,itisimpossibletoconceiveamoreperfectgradationthanIhavenowlyingbeforeme,fromtherock—pigeon,throughPersian,Lotan,andcommonTumblers,uptothemarvellousshort—facedbirds;whichlatter,noornithologist,judgingfrommereexternalstructure,wouldplaceinthesamegenuswiththerock—
pigeon。Thedifferencesbetweenthesuccessivestepsinthisseriesarenotgreaterthanthosewhichmaybeobservedbetweencommondovecote—pigeons(C。livia)broughtfromdifferentcountries。]
RACEVIII。INDIANFRILL—BACK。
Beakveryshort;feathersreversed。
[Aspecimenofthisbird,inspirits,wassenttomefromMadrasbySirW。
Elliot。ItiswhollydifferentfromtheFrill—backoftenexhibitedinEngland。Itisasmallishbird,aboutthesizeofthecommonTumbler,buthasabeakinallitsproportionslikeourshort—facedTumblers。Thebeak,measuredfromthetiptothefeatheredbase,wasonly。46ofaninchinlength。Thefeathersoverthewholebodyarereversedorcurlbackwards。
HadthisbirdoccurredinEurope,IshouldhavethoughtitonlyamonstrousvarietyofourimprovedTumbler:butasshort—facedTumblersarenotknowninIndia,Ithinkitmustrankasadistinctbreed。ProbablythisisthebreedseenbyHasselquistin1757atCairo,andsaidtohavebeenimportedfromIndia。]
RACEIX。JACOBIN。(ZOPF—ORPERRFICKENTAUBE;NONNAIN。)
Feathersoftheneckformingahood;wingsandtaillong;beakmoderatelyshort。
[Thispigeoncanatonceberecognisedbyitshood,almostenclosingtheheadandmeetinginfrontoftheneck。Thehoodseemstobemerelyanexaggerationofthecrestofreversedfeathersonthebackofthehead,whichiscommontomanysub—varieties,andwhichintheLatztaube(5/20。
Neumeister’Taubenzucht’tab。4。figure1。)isinanearlyintermediatestatebetweenahoodandacrest。Thefeathersofthehoodareelongated。
Boththewingsandtailarelikewisemuchelongated;thusthefoldedwingoftheJacobin,thoughasomewhatsmallerbird,isfully11/4inchlongerthanintherock—pigeon。Takingthelengthofthebodywithoutthetailasthestandardofcomparison,thefoldedwing,proportionallywiththewingsoftherock—pigeon,is21/4inchestoolong,andthetwowings,fromtiptotip,51/4inchestoolong。Indispositionthisbirdissingularlyquiet,seldomflyingormovingabout,asBechsteinandRiedelhavelikewiseremarkedinGermany。(5/21。Riedel’DieTaubenzucht’1824s。26。Bechstein’NaturgeschichteDeutschlands’b。4s。361795)Thelatterauthoralsonoticesthelengthofthewingsandtail。Thebeakisnearly。2ofaninchshorterinproportiontothesizeofthebodythanintherock—pigeon;buttheinternalgapeofthemouthisconsiderablywider。]
GROUPIV。
Thebirdsofthisgroupmaybecharacterisedbytheirresemblanceinallimportantpointsofstructure,especiallyinthebeak,totherock—pigeon。
TheTrumpeterformstheonlywell—markedrace。Ofthenumerousothersub—
racesandvarietiesIshallspecifyonlyafewofthemostdistinct,whichIhavemyselfseenandkeptalive。
RACEX。TRUMPETER。(TROMMELTAUBE;PIGEONTAMBOUR,GLOUGLOU。)
Atuftoffeathersatthebaseofthebeakcurlingforward;feetmuchfeathered;voiceverypeculiar;sizeexceedingthatoftherock—pigeon。
[Thisisawell—markedbreed,withapeculiarvoice,whollyunlikethatofanyotherpigeon。Thecooisrapidlyrepeated,andiscontinuedforseveralminutes;hencetheirnameofTrumpeters。Theyarealsocharacterisedbyatuftofelongatedfeathers,whichcurlsforwardoverthebaseofthebeak,andwhichispossessedbynootherbreed。Theirfeetaresoheavilyfeathered,thattheyalmostappearlikelittlewings。Theyarelargerbirdsthantherock—pigeon,buttheirbeakisofverynearlythesameproportionalsize。Theirfeetarerathersmall。ThisbreedwasperfectlycharacterisedinMoore’stime,in1735。Mr。Brentsaysthattwovarietiesexist,whichdifferinsize。]
RACEXI。SCARCELYDIFFERINGINSTRUCTUREFROMTHEWILDCOLUMBALIVIA。
SUB—RACE11/I。LAUGHERS。
SizelessthantheRock—pigeon;voiceverypeculiar。
[Asthisbirdagreesinnearlyallitsproportionswiththerock—pigeon,thoughofsmallersize,Ishouldnothavethoughtitworthyofmention,haditnotbeenforitspeculiarvoice——acharactersupposedseldomtovarywithbirds。AlthoughthevoiceoftheLaugherisverydifferentfromthatoftheTrumpeter,yetoneofmyTrumpetersusedtoutterasinglenotelikethatoftheLaugher。IhavekepttwovarietiesofLaughers,whichdifferedonlyinonevarietybeingturn—crowned;thesmooth—headedkind,forwhichI
amindebtedtothekindnessofMr。Brent,besidesitspeculiarnote,usedtocooinasingularandpleasingmanner,which,independently,struckbothMr。Brentandmyselfasresemblingthatoftheturtle—dove。BothvarietiescomefromArabia。ThisbreedwasknownbyMoorein1735。ApigeonwhichseemstosayYak—rooismentionedin1600inthe’AyeenAkbery’andisprobablythesamebreed。SirW。ElliothasalsosentmefromMadrasapigeoncalledYahui,saidtohavecomefromMecca,whichdoesnotdifferinappearancefromtheLaugher;ithas\"adeepmelancholyvoice,likeYahu,oftenrepeated。\"Yahu,yahu,meansOhGod,ohGod;andSayzidMohammedMusari,inthetreatisewrittenabout100yearsago,saysthatthesebirds\"arenotflown,becausetheyrepeatthenameofthemosthighGod。\"Mr。
KeithAbbott,however,informsmethatthecommonpigeoniscalledYahooinPersia。]
SUB—RACE11/II。COMMONFRILL—BACK(DIESTRUPPTAUBE)。
Beakratherlongerthanintherock—pigeon;feathersreversed。
[Thisisaconsiderablylargerbirdthantherock—pigeon,andwiththebeak,proportionallywiththesizeofbody,alittle(viz。by。04ofaninch)longer。Thefeathers,especiallyonthewing—coverts,havetheirpointscurledupwardsorback—wards。]
SUB—RACE11/III。NUNS(PIGEONSCOQUILLES)。
[Theseelegantbirdsaresmallerthantherock—pigeon。Thebeakisactually1。7,andproportionallywiththesizeofthebody。1ofaninchshorterthanintherock—pigeons,althoughofthesamethickness。Inyoungbirdsthescutellaeonthetarsiandtoesaregenerallyofaleaden—blackcolour;
andthisisaremarkablecharacter(thoughobservedinalesserdegreeinsomeotherbreeds),asthecolourofthelegsintheadultstateissubjecttoverylittlevariationinanybreed。Ihaveontwoorthreeoccasionscountedthirteenorfourteenfeathersinthetail;thislikewiseoccursinthebarelydistinctbreedcalledHelmets。Nunsaresymmetricallycoloured,withthehead,primarywing—feathers,tail,andtail—covertsofthesamecolour,namely,blackorred,andwiththerestofthebodywhite。ThisbreedhasretainedthesamecharactersinceAldrovandiwrotein1600。I
havereceivedfromMadrasalmostsimilarlycolouredbirds。]
SUB—RACE11/IV。SPOTS(DIEBLASSTAUBEN;PIGEONSHEURTES)。
[Thesebirdsareaverylittlelargerthantherock—pigeon,withthebeakatracesmallerinallitsdimensions,andwiththefeetdecidedlysmaller。
Theyaresymmetricallycoloured,withaspotontheforehead,withthetailandtail—covertsofthesamecolour,therestofthebodybeingwhite。Thisbreedexistedin1676(5/22。Willughby’Ornithology’editedbyRay。);andin1735Mooreremarksthattheybreedtruly,asisthecaseatthepresentday。]
SUB—RACE11/V。SWALLOWS。
[Thesebirds,asmeasuredfromtiptotipofwing,orfromtheendofthebeaktotheendofthetail,exceedinsizetherock—pigeon;buttheirbodiesaremuchlessbulky;theirfeetandlegsarelikewisesmaller。Thebeakisofaboutthesamelength,butratherslighter。Altogethertheirgeneralappearanceisconsiderablydifferentfromthatoftherock—pigeon。
Theirheadsandwingsareofthesamecolour,therestofthebodybeingwhite。Theirflightissaidtobepeculiar。Thisseemstobeamodernbreed,which,however,originatedbeforetheyear1795inGermany,foritisdescribedbyBechstein。
Besidestheseveralbreedsnowdescribed,threeorfourotherverydistinctkindsexistedlately,orperhapsstillexist,inGermanyandFrance。
Firstly,theKarmeliten,orcarmepigeon,whichIhavenotseen;itisdescribedasofsmallsize,withveryshortlegs,andwithanextremelyshortbeak。Secondly,theFinnikin,whichisnowextinctinEngland。Ithad,accordingtoMoore’s(5/23。J。M。Eaton’sedition(1858)ofMoorepage98。)treatise,publishedin1735,atuftoffeathersonthehinderpartofthehead,whichrandownitsbacknotunlikeahorse’smane。\"Whenitissalaciousitrisesoverthehenandturnsroundthreeorfourtimes,flappingitswings,thenreversesandturnsasmanytimestheotherway。\"
TheTurner,ontheotherhand,whenit\"playstothefemale,turnsonlyoneway。\"WhethertheseextraordinarystatementsmaybetrustedIknownot;buttheinheritanceofanyhabitmaybebelieved,afterwhatwehaveseenwithrespecttotheGround—tumblerofIndia。MM。BoitardandCorbiedescribeapigeon(5/24。Pigeonpattuplongeur。’LesPigeons’etc。page165。)whichhasthesingularhabitofsailingforaconsiderabletimethroughtheair,withoutflappingitswings,likeabirdofprey。Theconfusionisinextricable,fromthetimeofAldrovandiin1600tothepresentday,intheaccountspublishedoftheDraijers,Smiters,Finnikins,Turners,Claquers,etc。,whichareallremarkablefromtheirmannerofflight。Mr。
BrentinformsmethathehasseenoneofthesebreedsinGermanywithitswing—feathersinjuredfromhavingbeensooftenstrucktogetherbuthedidnotseeitflying。AnoldstuffedspecimenofaFinnikinintheBritishMuseumpresentsnowell—markedcharacter。Thirdly,asingularpigeonwithaforkedtailismentionedinsometreatises;andasBechstein(5/25。
’NaturgeschichteDeutschlands’b。4s。47。)brieflydescribesandfiguresthisbird,withatail\"havingcompletelythestructureofthatofthehouse—swallow,\"itmustoncehaveexisted,forBechsteinwasfartoogoodanaturalisttohaveconfoundedanydistinctspecieswiththedomesticpigeon。Lastly,anextraordinarypigeonimportedfromBelgiumhaslatelybeenexhibitedatthePhiloperisteronSocietyinLondon(5/26。Mr。W。B。
Tegetmeier’JournalofHorticulture’January20,1863page58。),which\"conjoinsthecolourofanarchangelwiththeheadofanowlorbarb,itsmoststrikingpeculiaritybeingtheextraordinarylengthofthetailandwing—feathers,thelattercrossingbeyondthetail,andgivingtothebirdtheappearanceofagiganticswift(Cypselus),orlong—wingedhawk。\"Mr。
Tegetmeierinformsmethatthisbirdweighedonly10ounces,butinlengthwas151/2inchesfromtiptobeaktoendoftail,and321/2inchesfromtiptotipofwing;nowthewildrock—pigeonweighs141/2ounces,andmeasuresfromtiptobeaktoendoftail15inches,andfromtiptotipofwingonly263/4inches。]
Ihavenowdescribedallthedomesticpigeonsknowntome,andhaveaddedafewothersonreliableauthority。IhaveclassedthemunderfourGroups,inordertomarktheiraffinitiesanddegreesofdifference;butthethirdgroupisartificial。Thekindsexaminedbymeformelevenraces,whichincludeseveralsub—races;andeventheselatterpresentdifferencesthatwouldcertainlyhavebeenthoughtofspecificvalueifobservedinastateofnature。Thesub—raceslikewiseincludemanystrictlyinheritedvarieties;sothataltogethertheremustexist,aspreviouslyremarked,above150kindswhichcanbedistinguished,thoughgenerallybycharactersofextremelyslightimportance。ManyofthegeneraoftheColumbidae,admittedbyornithologists,donotdifferinanygreatdegreefromeachother;takingthisintoconsideration,therecanbenodoubtthatseveralofthemoststronglycharacteriseddomesticforms,iffoundwild,wouldhavebeenplacedinatleastfivenewgenera。ThusanewgenuswouldhavebeenformedforthereceptionoftheimprovedEnglishPouter:asecondgenusforCarriersandRunts;andthiswouldhavebeenawideorcomprehensivegenus,foritwouldhaveadmittedcommonSpanishRuntswithoutanywattle,short—beakedRuntsliketheTronfo,andtheimprovedEnglishCarrier:athirdgenuswouldhavebeenformedfortheBarb:afourthfortheFantail:andlastly,afifthfortheshortbeaked,not—
wattledpigeons,suchasTurbitsandshort—facedTumblers。Theremainingdomesticformsmighthavebeenincluded,inthesamegenuswiththewildrock—pigeon。
INDIVIDUALVARIABILITY;VARIATIONSOFAREMARKABLENATURE。
Thedifferenceswhichwehaveasyetconsideredarecharacteristicofdistinctbreeds;butthereareotherdifferences,eitherconfinedtoindividualbirds,oroftenobservedincertainbreedsbutnotcharacteristicofthem。Theseindividualdifferencesareofimportance,astheymightinmostcasesbesecuredandaccumulatedbyman’spowerofselectionandthusanexistingbreedmightbegreatlymodifiedoranewoneformed。Fanciersnoticeandselectonlythoseslightdifferenceswhichareexternallyvisible;butthewholeorganisationissotiedtogetherbycorrelationofgrowth,thatachangeinonepartisfrequentlyaccompaniedbyotherchanges。Forourpurpose,modificationsofallkindsareequallyimportant,andifaffectingapartwhichdoesnotcommonlyvary,areofmoreimportancethanamodificationinsomeconspicuouspart。Atthepresentdayanyvisibledeviationofcharacterinawell—establishedbreedisrejectedasablemish;butitbynomeansfollowsthatatanearlyperiod,beforewell—markedbreedshadbeenformed,suchdeviationswouldhavebeenrejected;onthecontrary,theywouldhavebeeneagerlypreservedaspresentinganovelty,andwouldthenhavebeenslowlyaugmented,asweshallhereaftermoreclearlysee,bytheprocessofunconsciousselection。
[Ihavemadenumerousmeasurementsofthevariouspartsofthebodyintheseveralbreeds,andhavehardlyeverfoundthemquitethesameinbirdsofthesamebreed,——thedifferencesbeinggreaterthanwecommonlymeetwithinwildspecieswithinthesamedistrict。Tobeginwiththeprimaryfeathersofthewingandtail;butImustfirstmention,assomereadersmaynotbeawareofthefact,thatthenumberoftheprimarywingandtail—
feathersinwildbirdsisgenerallyconstant,andcharacterises,notonlywholegenera,butevenwholefamilies。Whenthetail—feathersareunusuallynumerous,asforinstanceintheswan,theyareapttobevariableinnumber;butthisdoesnotapplytotheseveralspeciesandgeneraoftheColumbidae,whichnever(asfarasIcanhear)havelessthantwelveormorethansixteentail—feathers;andthesenumberscharacterise,withrareexception,wholesub—families。(5/27。’Coup—d’oeilsurL’OrdredesPigeons’
parC。L。Bonaparte’ComptesRendus’1854—55。Mr。Blythin’AnnalsofNat。
Hist。’volume191847page41,mentions,asaverysingularfact,\"thatofthetwospeciesofEctopistes,whicharenearlyalliedtoeachother,oneshouldhavefourteentail—feathers,whiletheother,thepassengerpigeonofNorthAmerica,shouldpossessbuttheusualnumber——twelve。\")Thewildrock—pigeonhastwelvetail—feathers。WithFantails,aswehaveseen,thenumbervariesfromfourteentoforty—two。IntwoyoungbirdsinthesamenestIcountedtwenty—twoandtwenty—sevenfeathers。Poutersareveryliabletohaveadditionaltail—feathers,andIhaveseenonseveraloccasionsfourteenorfifteeninmyownbirds。Mr。Bulthadaspecimen,examinedbyMr。Yarrell,withseventeentail—feathers。IhadaNunwiththirteen,andanotherwithfourteentail—feathers;andinaHelmet,abreedbarelydistinguishablefromtheNun,Ihavecountedfifteen,andhaveheardofothersuchinstances。Ontheotherhand,Mr。BrentpossessedaDragon,whichduringitswholelifeneverhadmorethantentail—feathers;andoneofmyDragons,descendedfromMr。Brent’s,hadonlyeleven。IhaveseenaBald—headTumblerwithonlyten;andMr。BrenthadanAir—Tumblerwiththesamenumber,butanotherwithfourteentail—feathers。TwooftheselatterTumblers,bredbyMr。Brent,wereremarkable,——onefromhavingthetwocentraltail—feathersalittledivergent,andtheotherfromhavingthetwoouterfeatherslongerbythree—eighthsofaninchthantheothers;sothatinbothcasesthetailexhibitedatendency,butindifferentways,tobecomeforked。Andthisshowsushowaswallow—tailedbreed,likethatdescribedbyBechstein,mighthavebeenformedbycarefulselection。
Withrespecttotheprimarywing—feathers,thenumberintheColumbidae,asfarasIcanfindout,isalwaysnineorten。Intherock—pigeonitisten;
butIhaveseennolessthaneightshort—facedTumblerswithonlynineprimaries,andtheoccurrenceofthisnumberhasbeennoticedbyfanciers,owingtotenprimariesofawhitecolourbeingoneofthepointsinShort—
facedBald—head—Tumblers。Mr。Brent,however,hadanAir—Tumbler(notshort—faced)whichhadinbothwingselevenprimaries。Mr。Corker,theeminentbreederofprizeCarriers,assuresmethatsomeofhisbirdshadelevenprimariesinbothwings。IhaveseeneleveninonewingintwoPouters。IhavebeenassuredbythreefanciersthattheyhaveseentwelveinScanderoons;butasNeumeisterassertsthatinthealliedFlorenceRuntthemiddleflight—featherisoftendouble,thenumbertwelvemayhavebeencausedbytwoofthetenprimarieshavingeachtwoshaftstoasinglefeather。Thesecondarywing—feathersaredifficulttocount,butthenumberseemstovaryfromtwelvetofifteen。Thelengthofthewingandtailrelativelytothebody,andofthewingstothetail,certainlyvaries;I
haveespeciallynoticedthisinJacobins。InMr。Bult’smagnificentcollectionofPouters,thewingsandtailvariedgreatlyinlength;andweresometimessomuchelongatedthatthebirdscouldhardlyplayupright。
IntherelativelengthofthefewfirstprimariesIhaveobservedonlyaslightdegreeofvariability。Mr。Brentinformsmethathehasobservedtheshapeofthefirstfeathertovaryveryslightly。ButthevariationintheselatterpointsisextremelyslightcomparedwiththedifferenceswhichmaybeobservedinthenaturalspeciesoftheColumbidae。
InthebeakIhaveseenveryconsiderabledifferencesinbirdsofthesamebreed,asincarefullybredJacobinsandTrumpeters。InCarriersthereisoftenaconspicuousdifferenceinthedegreeofattenuationandcurvatureofthebeak。Soitisindeedinmanybreeds:thusIhadtwostrainsofblackBarbs,whichevidentlydifferedinthecurvatureoftheuppermandible。InwidthofmouthIhavefoundagreatdifferenceintwoSwallows。InFantailsoffirst—ratemeritIhaveseensomebirdswithmuchlongerandthinnernecksthaninothers。Otheranalogousfactscouldbegiven。Wehaveseenthattheoil—glandisabortedinallFantails(withtheexceptionofthesub—racefromJava),and,Imayadd,sohereditaryisthistendencytoabortion,thatsome,althoughnotall,ofthemongrelswhichI
rearedfromtheFantailandPouterhadnooil—gland;inoneSwallowoutofmanywhichIhaveexamined,andintwoNuns,therewasnooil—gland。
Thenumberofthescutellaeonthetoesoftenvariesinthesamebreed,andsometimesevendiffersonthetwofeetofthesameindividual;theShetlandrock—pigeonhasfifteenonthemiddle,andsixonthehindertoe;whereasI
haveseenaRuntwithsixteenonthemiddleandeightonthehindtoe;andashort—facedTumblerwithonlytwelveandfiveonthesesametoes。Therock—pigeonhasnosensibleamountofskinbetweenitstoes;butI
possessedaSpotandaNunwiththeskinextendingforaspaceofaquarterofaninchfromthefork,betweenthetwoINNERtoes。Ontheotherhand,aswillhereafterbemorefullyshown,pigeonswithfeatheredfeetverygenerallyhavethebasesoftheirOUTERtoesconnectedbyskin。IhadaredTumbler,whichhadacoounlikethatofitsfellows,approachingintonetothatoftheLaugher:thisbirdhadthehabit,toadegreewhichIneversawequalledinanyotherpigeon,ofoftenwalkingwithitswingsraisedandarchedinanelegant—manner。Ineedsaynothingonthegreatvariability,inalmosteverybreed,insizeofbody,incolour,inthefeatheringofthefeet,andinthefeathersonthebackoftheheadbeingreversed。ButImaymentionaremarkableTumbler(5/28。Describedandfiguredinthe’PoultryChronicle’volume31855page82。)exhibitedattheCrystalPalace,whichhadanirregularcrestoffeathersonitshead,somewhatlikethetuftontheheadofthePolishfowl。Mr。BultrearedahenJacobinwiththefeathersonthethighsolongastoreachtheground,andacockhaving,butinalesserdegree,thesamepeculiarity:fromthesetwobirdshebredotherssimilarlycharacterised,whichwereexhibitedatthePhiloperisteronSoc。Ibredamongrelpigeonwhichhadfibrousfeathers,andthewingandtail—featherssoshortandimperfectthatthebirdcouldnotflyevenafootinheight。]
Therearemanysingularandinheritedpeculiaritiesintheplumageofpigeons:thusAlmond—Tumblersdonotacquiretheirperfectmottledfeathersuntiltheyhavemoultedthreeorfourtimes:theKiteTumblerisatfirstbrindledblackandredwithabarredappearance,butwhen\"itthrowsitsnestfeathersitbecomesalmostblack,generallywithabluishtail,andareddishcolourontheinnerwebsoftheprimarywing—feathers。\"(5/29。’ThePigeonBook’byMr。B。P。Brent1859page41。)Neumeisterdescribesabreedofablackcolourwithwhitebarsonthewingandawhitecrescent—shapedmarkonthebreast;thesemarksaregenerallyrusty—redbeforethefirstmoult,butafterthethirdorfourthmoulttheyundergoachange;thewing—
feathersandthecrownoftheheadlikewisethenbecomewhiteorgrey。
(5/30。’DiestaarhalsigeTaube。DasGanze,etc。’s。21tab。1。figure4。)
Itisanimportantfact,andIbelievethereishardlyanexceptiontotherule,thattheespecialcharactersforwhicheachbreedisvaluedareeminentlyvariable:thus,intheFantail,thenumberanddirectionofthetail—feathers,thecarriageofthebody,andthedegreeoftremblingareallhighlyvariablepoints;inPouters,thedegreetowhichtheypout,andtheshapeoftheirinflatedcrops;intheCarrier,thelength,narrowness,andcurvatureofthebeak,andtheamountofwattle;inShort—facedTumblers,theshortnessofthebeak,theprominenceoftheforehead,andgeneralcarriage(5/31。’ATreatiseontheAlmond—Tumbler’byJ。M。Eaton1852page8etpassim。),andintheAlmond—Tumblerthecolouroftheplumage;incommonTumblers,themanneroftumbling;intheBarb,thebreadthandshortnessofthebeakandtheamountofeye—wattle;inRunts,thesizeofbody;inTurbitsthefrill;andlastlyinTrumpeters,thecooing,aswellasthesizeofthetuftoffeathersoverthenostrils。
These,whicharethedistinctiveandselectedcharactersoftheseveralbreeds,arealleminentlyvariable。
Thereisanotherinterestingfactwithrespecttothecharactersoftheseveralbreeds,namely,thattheyareoftenmoststronglydisplayedinthemalebird。InCarriers,whenthemalesandfemalesareexhibitedinseparatepens,thewattleisplainlyseentobemuchmoredevelopedinthemales,thoughIhaveseenahenCarrierbelongingtoMr。Haynesheavilywattled。Mr。Tegetmeierinformsmethat,intwentyBarbsinMr。P。H。
Jones’spossession,themaleshadgenerallythelargesteye—wattles;Mr。
Esquilantalsobelievesinthisrule,butMr。H。Weir,afirst—ratejudge,entertainssomedoubtonthesubject。MalePoutersdistendtheircropstoamuchgreatersizethandothefemales;Ihave,however,seenaheninthepossessionofMr。Evanswhichpoutedexcellently;butthisisanunusualcircumstance。Mr。HarrisonWeir,asuccessfulbreederofprizeFantails,informsmethathismalebirdsoftenhaveagreaternumberoftail—feathersthanthefemales。Mr。Eatonasserts(5/32。’ATreatise,etc。’page10。)
thatifacockandhenTumblerwereofequalmerit,thehenwouldbeworthdoublethemoney;andaspigeonsalwayspair,sothatanequalnumberofbothsexesisnecessaryforreproduction,thisseemstoshowthathighmeritisrarerinthefemalethaninthemale。InthedevelopmentofthefrillinTurbits,ofthehoodinJacobins,ofthetuftinTrumpeters,oftumblinginTumblers,thereisnodifferencebetweenthemalesandfemales。
Imayhereaddaratherdifferentcase,namely,theexistenceinFrance(5/33。BoitardandCorbie’LesPigeons’etc。1824page173。)ofawine—
colouredvarietyofthePouter,inwhichthemaleisgenerallychequeredwithblack,whilstthefemaleisneversochequered。Dr。Chapuisalsoremarks(5/34。’LePigeonVoyageurBelge’1865page87。Ihavegiveninmy’DescentofMan’6theditionpage466somecuriouscases,ontheauthorityofMr。Tegetmeier,ofsilver—coloured(i。e。verypaleblue)birdsbeinggenerallyfemales,andoftheeasewithwhicharacethuscharacterisedcouldbeproduced。Bonizzi(see’VariazionideiColumbidomestici’Padova1873)statesthatcertaincolouredspotsareoftendifferentinthetwosexes,andthecertaintintsarecommonerinfemalesthaninmalepigeons。)
thatincertainlight—colouredpigeonsthemaleshavetheirfeathersstriatedwithblack,andthesestriaeincreaseinsizeateachmoult,sothatthemaleultimatelybecomesspottedwithblack。WithCarriers,thewattle,bothonthebeakandroundtheeyes,andwithBarbsthatroundtheeyes,goesonincreasingwithage。Thisaugmentationofcharacterwithadvancingage,andmoreespeciallythedifferencebetweenthemalesandfemalesintheabove—mentionedseveralrespects,areremarkablefacts,forthereisnosensibledifferenceatanyagebetweenthetwosexesintheaboriginalrock—pigeon;andnotoftenanystronglymarkeddifferencethroughoutthefamilyoftheColumbidae。(5/35。Prof。A。Newton’Proc。
Zoolog。Soc。’1865page716remarksthatheknowsnospecieswhichpresentanyremarkablesexualdistinction;butMr。Wallaceinformsme,thatinthesub—familyoftheTreronidaethesexesoftendifferconsiderablyincolour。
SeealsoonsexualdifferencesintheColumbidae,Gould’HandbooktotheBirdsofAustralia’volume2pages109—149。)
OSTEOLOGICALCHARACTERS。
Intheskeletonsofthevariousbreedsthereismuchvariability;andthoughcertaindifferencesoccurfrequently,andothersrarely,incertainbreeds,yetnonecanbesaidtobeabsolutelycharacteristicofanybreed。
Consideringthatstrongly—markeddomesticraceshavebeenformedchieflybyman’sselection,weoughtnottoexpecttofindgreatandconstantdifferencesintheskeleton;forfanciersneithersee,nordotheycarefor,modificationsofstructureintheinternalframework。Noroughtwetoexpectchangesintheskeletonsfromchangedhabitsoflife;aseveryfacilityisgiventothemostdistinctbreedstofollowthesamehabits,andthemuchmodifiedracesareneverallowedtowanderabroadandprocuretheirownfoodinvariousways。Moreover,Ifind,oncomparingtheskeletonsofColumbalivia,oenas,palumbus,andturtur,whicharerankedbyallsystematistsintwoorthreedistinctthoughalliedgenera,thatthedifferencesareextremelyslight,certainlylessthanbetweentheskeletonsofsomeofthemostdistinctdomesticbreeds。Howfartheskeletonofthewildrock—pigeonisconstantIhavehadnomeansofjudging,asIhaveexaminedonlytwo。
(FIGURE24。SKULLSOFPIGEONSviewedlaterally,ofnaturalsize。A。WildRock—pigeon,Columbalivia。B。Short—facedTumbler。C。EnglishCarrier。D。
BagadottenCarrier。)
[SKULL。
Theindividualbones,especiallythoseatthebase,donotdifferinshape。
Butthewholeskull,initsproportions,outline,andrelativedirectionofthebones,differsgreatlyinsomeofthebreeds,asmaybeseenbycomparingthefiguresof(A)thewildrock—pigeon,(B)theShort—facedTumbler,(C)theEnglishCarrier,and(D)theBagadottenCarrier(ofNeumeister),alldrawnofthenaturalsizeandviewedlaterally。IntheCarrier,besidestheelongationofthebonesoftheface,thespacebetweentheorbitsisproportionallyalittlenarrowerthanintherock—pigeon。IntheBagadottentheuppermandibleisremarkablyarched,andthepremaxillarybonesareproportionallybroader。IntheShort—facedTumblertheskullismoreglobular:allthebonesofthefacearemuchshortened,andthefrontoftheskullanddescendingnasalbonesarealmostperpendicular:themaxillo—jugalarchandpremaxillarybonesformanalmoststraightline;thespacebetweentheprominentedgesoftheeye—orbitsisdepressed。IntheBarbthepremaxillarybonesaremuchshortened,andtheiranteriorportionisthickerthanintherock—pigeon,asisthelowerpartofthenasalbone。IntwoNunstheascendingbranchesofthepremaxillaries,neartheirtips,weresomewhatattenuated,andinthesebirds,aswellasinsomeothers,forinstanceintheSpot,theoccipitalcrestovertheforamenwasconsiderablymoreprominentthanintherock—
pigeon。
(FIGURE25。LOWERJAWS,seenfromabove,ofnaturalsize。A。Rock—pigeon。
B。Runt。C。Barb。
FIGURE26。SKULLOFRUNT,seenfromabove,ofnaturalsize,showingthereflexedmarginofthedistalportionofthelowerjaw。
FIGURE27。LATERALVIEWOFJAWS,ofnaturalsize。A。Rock—pigeon。B。
ShortfacedTumbler。C。BagadottenCarrier。)
Inthelowerjaw,thearticularsurfaceisproportionablysmallerinmanybreedsthanintherock—pigeon;andtheverticaldiameter,moreespeciallyoftheouterpartofthearticularsurface,isconsiderablyshorter。Maynotthisbeaccountedforbythelesseneduseofthejaws,owingtonutritiousfoodhavingbeengivenduringalongperiodtoallhighlyimprovedpigeons?InRunts,Carriers,andBarbs(andinalesserdegreeinseveralbreeds),thewholesideofthejawnearthearticularendisbentinwardsinahighlyremarkablemanner;andthesuperiormarginoftheramus,beyondthemiddle,isreflexedinanequallyremarkablemanner,asmaybeseeninfigure25,incomparisonwiththejawoftherock—pigeon。
Thisreflectionoftheuppermarginofthelowerjawisplainlyconnectedwiththesingularlywidegapeofthemouth,ashasbeendescribedinRunts,Carriers,andBarbs。Thereflectioniswellshowninfigure26oftheheadofaRuntseenfromabove;hereawideopenspacemaybeobservedoneachside,betweentheedgesofthelowerjawandofthepremaxillarybones。Intherock—pigeon,andinseveraldomesticbreeds,theedgesofthelowerjawoneachsidecomecloseuptothepremaxillarybones,sothatnoopenspaceisleft。Thedegreeofdownwardcurvatureofthedistalhalfofthelowerjawalsodifferstoanextraordinarydegreeinsomebreeds,asmaybeseeninthedrawings(figure27A)oftherock—pigeon,(B)oftheShort—facedTumbler,and(C)oftheBagadottenCarrierofNeumeister。InsomeRuntsthesymphysisofthelowerjawisremarkablysolid。Noonewouldreadilyhavebelievedthatjawsdifferingintheseveralabove—specifiedpointssogreatlycouldhavebelongedtothesamespecies。
VERTEBRAE。
Allthebreedshavetwelvecervicalvertebrae。(5/36。IamnotsurethatI
havedesignatedthedifferentkindsofvertebracorrectly:butIobservethatdifferentanatomistsfollowinthisrespectdifferentrules,and,asI
usethesametermsinthecomparisonofalltheskeletons,this,Ihope,willnotsignify。)ButinaBussorahCarrierfromIndiathetwelfthvertebracarriedasmallrib,aquarterofaninchinlength,withaperfectdoublearticulation。
TheDORSALVERTEBRAEarealwayseight。Intherock—pigeonalleightbearribs;theeighthribbeingverythin,andtheseventhhavingnoprocess。InPoutersalltheribsareextremelybroad,eightbearribs;theeighthribbeingverythinandtheseventhhavingnoprocess。InPoutersalltheribsareextremelybroad,and,inthreeoutoffourskeletonsexaminedbyme,theeighthribwastwiceoreventhriceasbroadasintherock—pigeon;andtheseventhpairhaddistinctprocesses。Inmanybreedsthereareonlysevenribs,asinsevenoutofeightskeletonsofvariousTumblers,andinseveralskeletonsofFantails,TurbitsandNuns。
Inallthesebreedstheseventhpairwasverysmall,andwasdestituteofprocesses,inwhichrespectitdifferedfromthesameribintherock—
pigeon。InoneTumbler,andintheBussorahCarrier,eventhesixthpairhadnoprocess。Thehypapophysisoftheseconddorsalvertebravariesmuchindevelopment;beingsometimes(asinseveral,butnotallTumblers)
nearlyasprominentasthatofthethirddorsalvertebra;andthetwohypapophysestogethertendtoformanossifiedarch。Thedevelopmentofthearch,formedbythehypapophysesofthethirdandfourthdorsalvertebrae,alsovariesconsiderably,asdoesthesizeofthehypapophysisofthefifthvertebra。
Therock—pigeonhastwelvesacralvertebrae;butthesevaryinnumber,relativesize,anddistinctness,inthedifferentbreeds。InPouters,withtheirelongatedbodies,therearethirteenorevenfourteen,and,asweshallimmediatelysee,anadditionalnumberofcaudalvertebrae。InRuntsandCarriersthereisgenerallythepropernumber,namelytwelve;butinoneRunt,andintheBussorahCarrier,therewereonlyeleven。InTumblersthereareeithereleven,ortwelve,orthirteensacralvertebrae。
TheCAUDALVERTEBRAEareseveninnumberintherock—pigeon。InFantails,whichhavetheirtailssolargelydeveloped,thereareeightornine,andapparentlyinonecaseten,andtheyarealittlelongerthanintherock—
pigeon,andtheirshapevariesconsiderably。Pouters,also,haveeightorninecaudalvertebrae。IhaveseeneightinaNunandJacobin。Tumblers,thoughsuchsmallbirds,alwayshavethenormalnumberseven;ashaveCarriers,withoneexception,inwhichtherewereonlysix。
Thefollowingtablewillserveasasummary,andwillshowthemostremarkabledeviationsinthenumberofthevertebraandribswhichIhaveobserved:——
TABLE4。NUMBEROFVERTEBRAEANDRIBSIN:
1。THEROCKPIGEON。
CervicalVertebrae:12。
DorsalVertebrae:8。
DorsalRibs:8。
The6thpairwithprocesses,the7thpairwithoutaprocess。
SacralVertebrae:12。
CaudalVertebrae:7。
Total:39。
2。POUTER,FROMMR。BULT。
CervicalVertebrae:12。
DorsalVertebrae:8。
DorsalRibs:8。
The6thand7thpairwithprocesses。
SacralVertebrae:14。
CaudalVertebrae:8or9。
Total:42or43。
3。TUMBLER,DUTCHROLLER。
CervicalVertebrae:12。
DorsalVertebrae:8。
DorsalRibs:7。
The6thand7thpairwithoutprocesses。
SacralVertebrae:11。
CaudalVertebrae:7。
Total:38。
4。BUSSORAHCARRIER。
CervicalVertebrae:12。
Thetwelfthboreasmallrib。
DorsalVertebrae:8。
DorsalRibs:7。
The6thand7thpairwithoutprocesses。
SacralVertebrae:11。
CaudalVertebrae:7。
Total:38。
ThePELVISdiffersverylittleinanybreed。Theanteriormarginoftheilium,however,issometimesalittlemoreequallyroundedonbothsidesthanintherock—pigeon。Theischiumisalsofrequentlyrathermoreelongated。Theobturator—notchissometimes,asinmanyTumblers,lessdevelopedthanintherock—pigeon。TheridgesontheiliumareveryprominentinmostRunts。
(FIGURE28。SCAPULAE,ofnaturalsize。A。Rock—pigeon。B。Short—facedTumbler。)
InthebonesoftheextremitiesIcoulddetectnodifference,exceptintheirproportionallengths;forinstance,themetatarsusinaPouterwas1。65inch,andinaShort—facedTumbleronly。95inlength;andthisisagreaterdifferencethanwouldnaturallyfollowfromtheirdifferently—sizedbodies;butlonglegsinthePouter,andsmallfeetintheTumbler,areselectedpoints。InsomePouterstheSCAPULAisratherstraighter,andinsomeTumblersitisstraighter,withtheapexlesselongated,thanintherock—pigeon:infigure28,thescapulaoftherock—pigeon(A),andofashort—facedTumbler(B),aregiven。TheprocessesatthesummitoftheCORACOID,whichreceivetheextremitiesofthefurculum,formamoreperfectcavityinsomeTumblersthanintherock—pigeon:inPouterstheseprocessesarelargeranddifferentlyshaped,andtheexteriorangleoftheextremityofthecoracoid,whichisarticulatedtothesternum,issquarer。
(FIGURE29。FURCULA,ofnaturalsize。A。Short—facedTumbler。BandC
Fantail。D。Pouter。)
ThetwoarmsoftheFURCULUMinPoutersdivergeless,proportionallytotheirlength,thanintherock—pigeon;andthesymphysisismoresolidandpointed。InFantailsthedegreeofdivergenceofthetwoarmsvariesinaremarkablemanner。Infigure29,BandCrepresentthefurculaoftwoFantails;anditwillbeseenthatthedivergenceinBisratherlesseventhaninthefurculumoftheshort—faced,small—sizedTumbler(A),whereasthedivergenceinCequalsthatinarock—pigeon,orinthePouter(D),thoughthelatterisamuchlargerbird。Theextremitiesofthefurculum,wherearticulatedtothecoracoids,varyconsiderablyinoutline。
IntheSTERNUMthedifferencesinformareslight,exceptinthesizeandoutlineoftheperforations,which,bothinthelargerandlessersizedbreeds,aresometimessmall。Theseperforations,also,aresometimeseithernearlycircular,orelongatedasisoftenthecasewithCarriers。Theposteriorperforationsoccasionallyarenotcomplete,beingleftopenposteriorly。Themarginalapophysesformingtheanteriorperforationsvarygreatlyindevelopment。Thedegreeofconvexityoftheposteriorpartofthesternumdiffersmuch,beingsometimesalmostperfectlyflat。Themanubriumisrathermoreprominentinsomeindividualsthaninothers,andtheporeimmediatelyunderitvariesgreatlyinsize。]
CORRELATIONOFGROWTH。
BythistermImeanthatthewholeorganisationissoconnected,thatwhenonepartvaries,otherpartsvary;butwhichoftwocorrelatedvariationsoughttobelookedatasthecauseandwhichastheeffect,orwhetherbothresultfromsomecommoncause,wecanseldomornevertell。Thepointofinterestforusisthat,whenfanciers,bythecontinuedselectionofslightvariations,havelargelymodifiedonepart,theyoftenunintentionallyproduceothermodifications。Forinstance,thebeakisreadilyactedonbyselection,and,withitsincreasedordiminishedlength,thetongueincreasesordiminishes,butnotindueproportion;for,inaBarbandShort—facedTumbler,bothofwhichhaveveryshortbeaks,thetongue,takingtherock—pigeonasthestandardofcomparison,wasproportionallynotshortenedenough,whilstintwoCarriersandinaRuntthetongue,proportionallywiththebeak,wasnotlengthenedenough,thus,inafirst—rateEnglishCarrier,inwhichthebeakfromthetiptothefeatheredbasewasexactlythriceaslongasinafirst—rateShort—facedTumbler,thetonguewasonlyalittlemorethantwiceaslong。Butthetonguevariesinlengthindependentlyofthebeak:thusinaCarrierwithabeak1。2inchinlength,thetonguewas。67inlength:whilstinaRuntwhichequalledtheCarrierinlengthofbodyandinstretchofwingsfromtiptotip,thebeakwas。92whilstthetonguewas。73ofaninchinlength,sothatthetonguewasactuallylongerthaninthecarrierwithitslongbeak。ThetongueoftheRuntwasalsoverybroadattheroot。OftwoRunts,onehaditsbeaklongerby。23ofaninch,whilstitstonguewasshorterby。14thanintheother。