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Tt TE i ed E DOVECOT É * fii SA R HAA 2 i] SC Lanan: OMN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, ISS, rr apr a * THE DOVECOTE AND THE AVIARY: L _ BRING SKETCHES oF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF PIGEONS AND OTHER DOMESTIC BIRDS IN A CAPTIVE STATE, WITH HINTS FOR THEIR MANAGEMENT. By Rev. E. S. DIXON, M.A., AUTHOR OF “ORNAMENTAL AND DOMESTIC POULTRY.” WITH NUMEROUS WOODCUTS. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1851. LONDON: GEORGE WOODFALL AND SON, ANGEL COURT, SKINNER STREET. TO THE EARL OF DERBY, PRESIDENT OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, ETC., ETC., ETC., WHOSE DISTINGUISHED AID TO ZOOLOGY HAS BEEN SO LIBERAL, CONTINUOUS, AND EFFICIENT, THE PRESENT VOLUME IS, BY PERMISSION, DEDICATED, * BY HIS LORDSHIP’S RESPECTFUL AND OBLIGED SERVANT, THE AUTHOR. ADVERTISEMENT. THE researches requisite to complete the volume on “Ornamental and Domestic Poultry” naturally put the Writer in possession of many a clue towards the better understanding of the natures of other domestic, captive, and familiar birds. The following pages may therefore be looked upon as an almost necessary sequel to the former work. The object has been to ascertain the Place which certain genera and species are likely eventually to take, in respect to their association with mankind, and to obtain a cognizance of the circum- Stances most immediately connected with that relation- ship. The writer is fully aware that it is not easy for him to answer and explain several of the objections» that may be urged against the theoretical views he has ventured to state; but he is also both extensively read and practically experienced in the still greater difficul- ties and inconsistencies of the progressive hypothesis of domesticated creatures. What zoology, in its sub- Servience to the requirements of man, now wants, is a Series of widely-extended experiments: unknown zoo- logical capabilities, and the results of untried zoological Combinations are, at the present date, as little to be Suessed at as were those of chemistry a hundred years vi ADVERTISEMENT. ago. The experiments are commencing, and the writer is glad that he has been one instrument in exciting their pursuit. The whole subject is, just now, of very increasing interest. The industrious student and the unprejudiced discoverer may yet gather not only facts, but fame. Three of these Essays first appeared in “ Bell’sWeekly Messenger,” whence they were immediately transferred to the “ Morning Herald,” and perhaps to other prints; the rest is offered to the reader’s consideration for the first time. The necessity of being brief will excuse the author for here acknowledging, in general terms only, the kind assistance which has been afforded him by very many friends and correspondents. CRINGLEFORD HALL, Norwicn, April, 1851. CONTENTS, THE DOVECOTE. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. Pigeons differently constituted to other domestic birds.—Interest attached to them.—Pets of childhood.—Paradoxical increase.— Effect of captivity on the productiveness of some birds.—Beauty of the Columbidae.—Earliest history. —The olive branch.—Arab legend. —Ancient domestication. —Feral Pigeons. —Domestic Pigeons long established in America.—Not found among the ‘gyptian monuments. — Ancient pigeon-fanciers. — Messenger irds.—A gents of superstition. Misrepresentation.— Use during Sleges.— Ancient pigeon-houses and fatting-places.—Cato a pigeon- fatter—The Mosaic Doves of the Capitol.—Friendship of the kestrel.—Charms for dovecotes.— Effectual attractions.—Patron- ized by commercial people CHAPTER II. MANAGEMENT OF PIGEONS. Feed their own young.—New-hatched squabs.—The pigeon-loft. —The trap.— N esting-places.—F ood and luxuries.— Water-sup- ply. — Out-door pigeon-houses. — Pole-house. — Dovecotes. — 1geon law.—Varro’s dovecote.—Stocking the loft.—Commence- Ment of breeding.—Laying.—Incubation.—Merits of the cock. —Nutrition and growth of the squabs.—Pairing of Pigeons.— wo hens will pair together.—Widowed Pigeons.— Young birds.. ifferences among the eggs and the very young.—Providential adaptations . PAGE 34 CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. CLASSIFICATION OF PIGEONS, PAGE Proposed classes.— Ambiguous nomenclature.—The question of origin.— Ground of the received opinion little investigated by naturalists. —Estimate of Temminck’s authority.— Difficulties and doubts suggested by the accounts of former ornithologists,— The reader to sum up the evidence.—Scheme of arrangement CHAPTER IV. DOMESTIC PIGEONS. FANTAIS; their powers.—Effects of crossing.— Accident to one. — Pigeon Paon.—The lean poet of Cos.—Runts.— Pigeon mon- dains.—Comparison of eggs and weights.—Synonyms of Runts. —Runts at sea.—Rodney’s bantam.—Peeuliarities of Runts,— Runts in Italy.—Effects of crossing. —Trumpeters.— Archangel Pigeons.—Nuns. —Jacobines.—Columbarian distinctions. — Sup- posed caricature. — Turbits.—Temminck’s ideas.— 0O wls.— Pro- gress of the young.—Rapid growth.—Barbs.—Tumblers.—Their performance in the air.—Feats of wing.—The Almond.—Pecu- liarity of forn .—Learning to tumble.—Baldpates.—Helmets,— Powters and Croppers.—Their carriage, flight, and colouring, Defects and remedies. —Crosses.—Carriers.—Castle of the birds, —How they find their way.— Phrenological hypothesis—Carriers in Turkey.—Sir John Ross’s birds. —Explanation.— Antwerp Carriers.—De Beranger.—English Carriers. —Oriental origin, — Lace and Frizzled Pigeons.— Eggs and young of the Columbidæ. —Quarrels and attachments.—Mating.—Love of home.— Food, — Merits of the Runts.—Etymology of the Trumpeter CHAPTER V. PIGEONS WHICH ARE BOTH DOMESTIC AND WILD. The Blue Rock Dove.—Varro’s account.—Distinguished from Dovehouse Pigeons.—Disposition. — Experiment. —Gregarious- ness.—Crossing with Carriers.—Less kept than formerly.— Mari- CONTENTS. ix PAGE time haunts.—Colonel Napier—Rock Pigeons in Sutherland. — Differ in habits from Fancy Pigeons.—Characteristic plumage.— Productiveness.—Quality of flesh. Dovehouse Pigeon.—Indian Rock Pigeon.—Mr. Blyth’s account.—Columba affinis.—Question of distinctness, —Pigeon matches.—A pology.—Numbers shot.— igeon-shooting in France. — Temperature, of the bird.—Value as nurses.—The Collared Turtle.—Native haunts.—Disposition. —How far domestic. —Escapades.—Food.—Pairing.— Nesting and incubation.—Education of the young.—Severe discipline. — Watchfulness.— Voices.—Interesting pets.—Plumage and varie- ties. —Hybrids.— Heralds of Peace.—The Irish Dove . OGG, CHAPTER VI. PIGHONS NOT CAPABLE OF TRUE DOMESTICATION. The Stockdove,—Natural instinets.—The Ring Dove.—Mischief done by.—The Turtle Dove.—Peculiarities.—Australian Pigeons. — Whether domesticable.—The Wonga- Wonga.—Claims to no- tice.— Mr. Gould’s opinion.—Bronze-winged Pigeons.—Native habits. — Water guides.—Temminck’s account.—Plumage.—In- terest of Australian Pigeons.—Have bred in confinement.— Captain Sturt’s accounts.—Abstinence from water.—Aid in extremities, —Ventriloquist Pigeon. — Geopelia tranquilla. — arlequin Bronze-wing.—First discovery.—Food and habits.— heir doings at Knowsley.—Graceful Ground Dove.—Minute birds and beasts of Australia.—Mr. Gould’s account.—Crested ustralian Pigeons,—Their breeding at Knowsley.—Habits in captivity, — The Passenger Pigeon.—Disposition.—Escaped birds. ~—The Long-tailed Senegal Dove.—Their song.—Synonyms.— Viary Management , : : ; : f areas Ee Sa hag eee nar CONTENTS, THE AVIARY, CHAPTER I. THE ORACIDA—CURASSOWS. PAGE Want of precise information.—Expected results from the Zoolo- gical Society.—Its great advantages.—Disappointments.— Causes thereof.—Erroneous Assumptions.—The limited power of Man. —Domesticability of Cracidæ.— Former attempts.—Natural dis- position of the bird.—Imported long ago.—IIl success at the Zoological Gardens.—The Cracidæ at Knowsley. —Arboreal habits.—-Of tender constitution.—Curassows at home.—Tame, not domesticated.—Not common in S. America.—M. Ameshoft’s Jestin d Heliogabale.—Eges . $ e CHAPTER II. THE CRACIDAI—PENELOPES (COMMONLY GUANS). Difficulty of discriminating the species.—State in which the young are hatched.—Lasily tamed.—Produce few young in a tame state.—Mode of distinguishing species.—Organ of voice. —lIts efficiency.—The Cracidz as poultry—Mr. Bennett’s and Mr. Martin’s hopes.—Cause of failure—Have had a fair trial. —Curassow dinner.—OCracide in Holland.—Temminck’s expec- tations; plausible but unfounded.—Determine on an experi- ment.—Unsuitability of South American organisms to Great Britain.—Instances.—Few exceptions.—The reversed seasons of the north and south hemispheres one cause.—Mr. Darwin’s ac- count.—Guans at the Surrey Gardens.—Their native habits and diet.—Our own mishaps.—Troublesome tameness of the birds. —Tricks and dangers.—Impudence and capriciousness.—Pos- sible profitableness !—Narrative of a coadjutor.—His ill-success, —Our own.—Habits of the Eye-browed Guan.—Amount of success at Knowsley . : ; ; : ; : 245 CONTENTS. Xi CHAPTER III. THE ORESTED TURKEY. Tmagina ; _ PAGE ry and doubtful animals.—Crested Turkeys formerly in Holland.—None now produced in English poultry-yards.— Still extant in Central America.—Of two kinds.—Not a freak of na- ture, but distinct species.—Desiderata in our menageries . . 274 CHAPTER IV. THE WATER HEN. Undomesticable, and of paradoxical habits—Their familiar aution.— Attracted by luxuriant water-weeds.— Will have their own way.—Mode of travelling under water.—And on the sur- face.— Post mortem.—Proofs of creative design.—Habits of the young.—Rare water-rail.— Aldrovandi’s uncertainty.— Versa- tility of Water Hens—Modes of escape.—Water Hens in St. James's Park,—Water Hens about country houses. —Odd noises. — Activity of the young.—Usual nesting-places.— Prolific BEAR SE a Ae AA shud, Goal Sapa) CHAPTER V. å KINGFISHERS. Halcyon of the ancients; what ?—Aldrovandi’s figures and de- Scriptions.—Nest of Haleyon.— Haunts and habits of the King- sher.— Anecdote.—How far destructive to fish—To procure young birds—To rear and feed them.—Captive Kingfishers. —Mr. Rayner’s aviary.—Diet and habits of Kingfishers there. —Mode of eating. Their pugnacity.—Destructiveness of a ~€ron.—Unsociability of Kingfishers—Management in a cap- tive State—African Kinghunters.—Australian Kingfishers.— he Laughing Jackasses 7 . k ett . . 297 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. SSSR SRST teem So TT, —_ THE GRALLATORES, OR’ WADERS, IN CAPTIVITY, PAGE Their tameable disposition.—Fallacy of generalizing too much. —The White Stork and the Black.—Gigantic Indian Cranes,— Cruelty the companion of ignorance—Strange forms well con- trived.—The Lapwing and the smaller Waders.—The Common Crane.—The Stanley Crane.—The Spoonbill—The Common Heron.— Dr. Neill’s Heron.—His proceedings, and attempts to breed.— Unfortunate end i : ; : : f . 813 a E eoad OI RTE LTT, TFET TMT CHAPTER VIL. THE BITTERN, Its temper.—Voice.—Nesting habits and haunts.—The Marram banks.—The district which they skirt.—The Bittern, its home. —Money value.—Mr. Jecks’s Bittern.—Its manners in captivity 325 CHAPTER VIII. THE WHITE STORK. A model of virtue—Ancient instances and modern explanations. —Gratitude.—The charm of ideality.—Captive Storks best in pairs.—The Dutch and English modes of pinioning.—Delight at liberation.—Jealousy, muteness, and politeness.—Mode of fish- ing.—Diet.—Services rendered,—Sad misadventure.— Habits in captivity.—Congregation of Storks in Sweden.—Antiquated no- tions.—The Stork’s departure and return i ~ : . 335 CHAPTER IX. THE EMEU, Pets for princes.—Orthography of the name.—Confounded with the Cassowary.—Game laws in Australia.—Anticipated extinc- tion of the Emeu.—Operating causes.—Self-denia] of the abori- gines.—Duty of the present Australians to preserve the Emeu. CONTENTS, xiii p : T PAGE “ase with which it may be stalked.— Proposed Emeu parks. — Little hope for future Emeus.—The refuge of domestication.— Mornithes, or Wonder Birds.—Their discovery and history.— daptation of the various species to their locality in New Zea- and.—Their great variety.—Their recent existence.—How con- Stegated in New Zealand.—Professor Owen’s conjecture.—Any hope that they still survive 2—A few glimpses of evidence.—The atest news.—Habits and propagation of the Emeu.—The Emeus at Knowsley.— Follow the seasons of the southern hemisphere. —Injudicious proceedings.—Their diet.—Peculiarities of their Plumage ~ BBE CHAPTER X. THE COMMON OR DAOTYL-SOUNDING QUAIL. Emblem of mediocrity.—Explanation of specific name.—Call note.—Their migrations, Immense multitudes,—Their destruc- tion.— Ancient history.—Identical with the Quail of Scripture.— © not universally migrate.— Welcome feasts afforded by their fight —Qnails in captivity.—Their fate in an aviary.—Distine- tion between Quails and Partridges.— Unvarying plumage throughout the Old World.— Whether polygamous.—Careless of 1 eir young.—Their double moult.— Breeding in confinement.— let.— Subject to epilepsy.—Estimation as food.—Modes of cooking and of fatting.—Quail fights.—Distinction of sex.— Ke Werwick.—Quails in process of fatting.—Necessaries of Ife . 374 CHAPTER XI. THE ORTOLAN. The fatting of wild birds largely practised by the ancients.— side old-fashioned fare.—Mock and true Ortolans.—Not native Titons.— Merits as cage birds.—Their song, plumage, and diet. ~Variable States of fatness. — Effects of revolutions. — Beau thon a i: .. . oe ee ii a hey ye SS E CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. GULLS IN CAPTIVITY, AND GULLERIES, Desirable pets.—Longevity.—Discipline of new-caught birds.— Reconciliations and confidences.—Good-natured, not stupid.— Hardy and accommodating, but not ascetic.—Requisites for a Gullery.—Voracity of Gulls.—Black-headed Gull.—Its mode of nesting.—Its eggs.—Domesticability of Gulls.—Their capture. —Application of the method to Geese.—The birds kept in Dr. Neill’s Gullery.—Docility of Cormorants.—Chinese Fishing Cormorants.—Albatrosses.—Their capture. — Nesting-places.—- Battues.— Dangers of a calm.—Principle of flight . . CHAPTER XIII. THE SANDWICH ISLAND GOOSE. Stay-at-home travellers.—Home of the Sandwich Bernicle.— Natural disposition.—Its claims on our patronage.—Natural perfume.—Voice.—First historial notice.—Erroneous nomen- clature.—Obstinate pugnacity.—A parallel. Diet. — Weight. —Plumage.—Increase . : è k ‘ : . CHAPTER XIV. CONCLUDING DIALOGUE.—THE NIGHTINGALE. A country walk.—Local curiosities—An agreeable.surprise,— Limits of the Nightingale’s migrations.—Topographical caprice.— The ravisher of Nightingales.—Particulars of capture.—Subse- quent management.— Touching song and wakefulness of the bird. Antique notions.—Effects of a Nightingale diet.—Enter Bird- catcher.— Rural simplicity.—Diamond cut diamond.—The bird is caught, — Amount of its accomplishments.. Modes of causing their exhibition.—Conclusion . ; . : i PAGE . 402 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. Pigeons differently constituted to other domestic birds.—Interest attached to €m.—Pets of childhood.—Paradoxical increase.—Effect of captivity on the productiveness of some birds.—Beauty of the mete ae history.— me olive branch.—Arab legend.—Ancient domestication.—Feral pigeons.— Omestic pigeons long established in America.—Not found among the Egyptian Monuments.—Ancient pigeon-fanciers.—Messenger birds.—Agents of super- Stition.—Misrepresentation.—Use during sieges.—Ancient pigeon-houses and fatting-places.—Cat a pigeon-fatter.—The Mosaic doves of the Capitol.— "endship of the kestrel.—Charms for dovecotes,—Effectual attractions.— Patronizeg by commercial people. Waar a wide gulph separates the Pigeons from all our other captive or domestic birds! How completely discrepant are all their modes of increasé ‘and action, their whole system of life, their very mind and affec- tions! Compare them with the gallinaceous tribes, and they scarcely seem to belong to the same class of beings. hese walk the ground, those glide on air; these lazily Sorge and fatten at home, those traverse whole dis- tricts and orale wide seas to obtain) an independent Supply of nutriment. The Gallinacee are sensual and tyrannical ; ough: gallant and chivalrous, yet they are athless ; t y are pugnacious, even murderous; and fe-destroyers for the gratification of their appetite Merely. The Columbidae are amorous, beseeching, full of allectionate attachment, quarrelling solely in defence of eir mates or their young, content to subsist on fruits +: B > 9 HABITS OF PIGEONS. [CHAP. I. and grain, or tender herbs. Force, vanity, aggression, and greediness pertain to the one class; grace, agility, sentiment, devotion, and temperance to the other. The gallinaceous birds seem to be representatives of the fervid and selfish passions of the East; the Doves to have been created as types almost of Christian virtue. To suffer the onslaughts of the cruel; to bear, and, if possible, to escape, but neither to attack nor to revenge; to adhere to chastity, even when gratifying their natural affections; to submit to an equal division of the labour of tending the helpless young; to prefer a settled home to indulgence in capricious wanderings —these are a few out of the many attributes which have conciliated towards them the approving regard of mankind, and even perhaps caused them to be honoured by being mysteriously connected with some of the most meaning ceremonies and important events that are mentioned in sacred history. And yet, at the present day, a love for Pigeons is considered rather low, a taste scarcely the thing to be indulged in, a study of a department of nature from which little can be learned, and, as a hobby, decidedly out of fashion. But any pursuit may be vulgarized and made the means of evil, by being taken up from base motives and in an unworthy manner ; and, on the other hand, even an indulgence in the Pigeon fancy may be so regulated and conducted as to afford interest and instruction to the young, and a healthy relaxation and matter for speculative inquiry to their seniors. What boy, whose parents permitted him to keep ever so few pairs of Pigeons, forgets in after days the pleasing anxieties of which they were the source—the occupation for spare half-hours which they never failed BOY PIGEON-KEEPERS. 2 CHAP, 1.] ‘0 afford? Well do we remember our first two pigeon- houses of widely-diverse construction; the earliest contrivance being an old tea-chest fixed against a wall, with the complicated machinery of a falling Platform, or « trap,” in front, to be drawn up by a half- Penny-worth of string, so as to secure the inmates, or their Visitors, for a learned inspection; the second, a More ambitious piece of architecture, namely, a tub Mounted on the top of a short scaffold-pole, divided Mternally into apartments, each of some cubic inches capacity, and each with a little landing-place project- mg for the birds to alight upon, after their meal on the ground, or their circling exercise above the house- tops. And the wonderment to behold the process of xing this lofty structure firm and upright in its site i the back-yard! How the man dug an awful hole in tae ground, from which he could with difficulty shovel out the earth for the crowding, and the pushing, and the Peeping in of us children and the maids—how the tall structure was, by the combined efforts of all pre- Sent, slowly set upright—how three or four vast flint- Stones (rocks they seemed to us to be) were jammed in At the foot with a beetle borrowed from the paviour that Wed up a yard in our street—how, when earth and Pebbles had been duly added to make all smooth and tight, we retired a few yards and looked up with admi- *ation—and when at last the short ladder was brought wherewith to ascend, which we did without delay, and spect the lockers, Smeaton, gazing from the top of the Eddystone Lighthouse, or Stephenson darting on a comotive engine through the Menai Tube, might “joy a pride higher in degree, but not stronger in Mtenseness ! effort of B 2 BOY PIGEON-KEEPERS. (CHAP. I. And then, the strange events necessarily occurring to us. (The plural is used because no boy pigeon-keeper looks after his birds without a companion or two.) The severe countenance with which our neighbour and land- lord, hitherto beaming with benignant smiles, now greeted us as we were walking over the tiles of the outhouses in pursuit of an old “ Daffer” with a clipped wing ; the astonishment of a respectable shoe- maker on the other side of the street, to see a boy’s face peeping over the ridge of the opposite roof, with the air of Cortes surveying the Pacific Ocean from the summit of the Andes, rather than with the conscious- ness of being the mischievous urchin that he was; the arrival of a strange Pigeon with a sore and naked breast; the bold resolve to use decisive surgery, and to decapitate it, lest the evil should prove contagious; the trepidation of the maid who held the body, while we secured the head and wielded the fatal chopper; the universal horror that the body should flap, and flutter, and palpitate for a while after the operation was com- plete; the enigmatical illustration from English his- tory, “ King Charles walked and talked; half an hour after, his head was off,” uttered without proper pause at the semicolon or comma—these, and a whole chro- nicle full of such-like accidents, soon showed us that life, to the young, is an onward journey through an unexplored country, every step in which leads to some discovery, and opens to us a pleasant or a repulsive prospect. In maturer age, pitfalls, famishing deserts, and entangled wildernesses, or the flattering and de- ceptive mirage, showing signs of refreshing waters where drought alone exists, may await our advancing footsteps; or it may be our better fate to progress —— w CHAP. 1] PARADOXICAL INCREASE. (9) through glorious scenes, and mount to commanding eminences, still excited in either case by fresh and new adventure. Progressive must our journey ever Continue to be. Nor even in old age need our interest im the novelties of existence flag, if we have but duties and proper pursuits in this world, and a religious hope for the next. But Pigeons are useful, not as mere pets for child- hood and diversions for men, but as affording, by their extraordinary and most paradoxical increase, a valuable Supply of food both to man and to other carnivorous Creatures. It seems strange that a creature which brings two at most at a birth, so to speak, should mul- tply rapidly into countless flocks ; and that the species Which is of all the most innumerable, darkening the Sky from one point of the horizon to the opposite visible verge, and stretching its living streams no one knows how many miles beyond it each way—small detachments from whose main army supply some of the American cities with poultry by cart-loads, till the mhabitants almost loathe the sight of the dish, good as it is, upon their tables—should yet lay no more than two, and frequently only a single egg, and Still more frequently rear but a single chick*, while T My friend Dr. Bachman says, in a note sent to me, ‘In the More cultivated parts of the United States, the Passenger Pigeon no nger breeds in communities. I have secured many nests scattered seth pag the woods, seldom near each other, They were built 5 se to the stems of thin but tall pine trees (Pinus strobus), and ere composed of a few sticks; the eggs invariably two, and white.’ ere is frequently but one young bird in the nest, probably from Ma loose manner in which it has been constructed, so that either a ape bird or an egg drops out. Indeed, I have foun l both at the "A a the tree. This is no doubt accidental, and not to be attri- ed to a habit which the bird may be supposed to have of throw- i A a E aa E a rrii a aa EE CATS TSE aT SLO TIT LID, ERE A ETOP TOTES ETS ee a f i : $ i i i i 6 CAPTIVE BIRDS SOMETIMES LESS PROLIFIC. [cHApP. I. the Partridge, the Turkey, the Guinea-fowl, and even the Hen, notwithstanding the multitudinous broods they lead forth, are not nearly so abundant, the closest approach to them among gallinaceous birds being per- haps made by the Quail. But a due attention to the growth, mode of rearing, and subsequent proceedings, of the young Pigeons go far to explain how so vast and anomalous a result is obtained from means apparently so inadequate, and which thus becomes less puzzling to us than the existence of immense flocks of Sea-fowl, of species which never lay but a single egg, and that only once a year. These, however, are probably much ‘in- debted for their numbers to their hardiness and lon- gevity, as well as to their security from serious perse- cution. The Pigeon, on the contrary, seems to have overspread the land in consequence of an innate force of reproductiveness with which it seems to have been purposely and providentially endowed for the sake of affording a suitable prey to the numerous fleshly ap- petites on earth and in air, of winged, quadruped, and reptile gluttons which are perpetually craving to be daily satisfied. All this destiny of supplying meat to the eater would ing out an egg or one of its young. I have frequently taken two from the same nest, and reared them. A curious change of habits has taken place in England in those Pigeons which I presented to the Harl of Derby in 1830, that nobleman having assured me that ever since they began breeding in his aviaries, they have laid only one egg.”—Audubon’s Orn. Biog. vol. v. p. 552. A similar de- creased number of eggs and young is frequently produced by other birds in captivity, as, for instance, sometimes in the Collared Turtle. A Canary hen, mated with a Linnet, has with me this summer (1849) laid a single egg, the young one from which she has reared with the anxiety and care usually bestowed upon only children. J have heard of other like cases of Canaries producing a solitary egg and young one. CHAP. 1.) BEAUTY OF THE COLUMBIDS. 7 have been hopelessly baffled, had the young Pigeons required to be tended, and fed, and led about, and guarded like little Chickens, for months after their — birth; in this case, there would have been no living clouds consisting of millions of individuals, however humerous the hatch from each female might have been; but in the existing wise arrangement there is no waste, either of time or energetic force; the coupling of a Single male with a single female proves to be an economical plan, instead of the reverse, as those might be apt to fancy on whose thoughts the polygamous domestic Fowl so readily obtrudes itself: the help- lessness and indolence of the young for a time, are only made the means of their sooner becoming able not merely to shift for themselves, but, in their own Yapidly-arriving turn, to rear young for themselves. The details to be hereafter given will show how com- pletely and effectually this great end is carried out With the least possible expenditure of time and power. The forcing by gardeners, and the fattening by graziers, indeed all our artificial means of obtaining extra produce, take very second rank when we compare them with the Process by which a couple of eggs, in the course of a few weeks, are nursed into a pair of perfect creatures, Male and female, able to traverse long distances in Search of subsistence, and to fulfil the grand law, “ in- Crease and multiply.” This alone would be wonderful; but to the innate energies implanted for useful and necessary ends, we find superadded a further quality—beauty. To the eity alone do works of supererogation belong: He Sives what is needful with a paternal liberality, and then is lavish of his bounty, and bestows ornament and BEAUTY OF THE COLUMBIDA. [CHAP. I. decoration upon his creatures. There can scarcely be a doubt that many of the appendages to the plumage of birds, not to say a word about brilliant colours, are given not for any use, or to serve the performance of any function in the economy of the creatures, but solely for appearance sake, a fact of which they them- selves manifest a consciousness. Innumerable instances of this might be adduced, but a less well-known ex- ample is seen in the brilliant assemblage of Humming- birds collected by Mr. Gould, and now under the course of illustration by that gentleman, with his usual great artistic and ornithological ability. One, perhaps several, species, in addition to the parts which usually reflect the most dazzling and glancing hues, has the very under tail-coverts metallic. In most birds, colours so disposed would be little if at all observed; but in these Humming-birds the flight is so abrupt, and the motions so sharply checked and reversed, very much by the action of the tail, that the metallic feathers are sud- denly seen, like a momentary star, which as suddenly vanishes, and which marks, by its appearance and ex- tinction, the sparkling turns in the zig-zag course which the flashing bird pursues through the sun- shine. And the Pigeons, too, have their amethystine necks, and their metallic plumage, either whole or partial ; sometimes a complete panoply of blazing scales, occa- sionally a few patches of bronze and tinsel on the wings. Crests, too, in others, are added to give grace to the head, and voices, if not melodious, yet most expressive, which is better far. In form and motion we have everything that is charming and attractive, either in repose or activity. Even in the individuals CHAR. 1. EARLIEST HISTORY. 9 destined for homely uses there is so much that is lovely and pleasing, that we often spare their lives in order to Continue a little longer to admire their beauty and Protect their gentleness. Each in its kind has its own Special grace: there is the decorous Nun, the gro- tesquely-strutting Powter, the comely Turbit, the gay and frisky Tumbler, the stately Swan-like Fantail. In any account of so varied and yet so closely related a family, it will clearly be advisable to endeavour to pro- duce something like a historic sketch, before proceeding to details respecting either distinct species or their Supposed varieties. . The first mention of Pigeons to be met with is found in the Holy Scriptures. . ` “And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had Made. And he sent forth a raven, which went to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground. But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark; for the waters were upon the face of the whole earth. Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came in w him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth was an olive-leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters Were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.”* * Genesis vili. 6-12. EER NY om Se SRN “ensues career rarer eas SEE I i ii 1 i ii | j + a bi 2j _— 10 THE OLIVE-BRANCH. (CHAP. I. We have here quoted the very earliest record of the Dove. The species mentioned is without doubt the blue Rock Dove, one of our common Dovehouse Pigeons *. The olive-branch, say Biblical notes, probably from some obscure rumour of this event, has generally been the emblem of peace; but, what is curious, we hear that in countries where scarcely the remotest tradition can have penetrated, a like token is similarly recognised. The sparse foliage of many Australian shrubs bears a faint resemblance to that peculiar to the olive, both in its sombre hue, and the little shade it affords. And Cap- tain Sturt, when exploring the course of the Murray River, found that tribes of natives, who, if they had heard of white men, had evidently never before seen any, traditionally, or perhaps instinctively, compre- hended the spirit of peace denoted by the offered ~ branch. In ancient Egypt, on the cessation of war, the troops Were required to attend during the performance of pre- scribed religious ceremonies, when each soldier carried in his hand a twig of some tree, probably olive, with the arms of his peculiar corps. “ A judicious remark has been made by Mr. Bankes respecting the choice of the olive as the emblem of peace. After the devasta- tion of a country by hostile invasion, and the consequent neglect of its culture, no plantation requires a longer period to restore its previously flourishing condition than the olive grove; and this tree may therefore have been appropriately selected as the representative of * In the “ Hierozoici” of Bochart, lib. i. cap. vi., is a laborious essay, “ De Columba Noachi, et de Columb specie que in Baptismo Christi apparuit.” CHAP, 1,] ARAB LEGEND. 11 peace *. There is, however, reason to suppose that its emblematic character did not originate in Greece, but that it dated from a far more remote period; and the tranquillity and habitable state of the earth were an- nounced to the ark through the same token. “ The Arabs have an amusing legend respecting the Dove or Pigeon. The first time it returned with the olive-branch, but without any indication of the state of the earth itself; but on its second visit to the ark, the ted appearance of, its feet proved that the red mud on Which it had walked was already freed from the waters ; and to record the event, Noah prayed that the feet of these birds might for ever continue of that colour, which marks them to the present day. The similarity of the Hebrew words ‘adoom,’ red, ‘admeh,’ earth, and ‘Adm,’ Adam, is remarkable. A ‘man’ is still called «A’dam’ in Turkish.”} The learned Bochart correctly remarks, that the Holy Scriptures rarely mention the clean birds, with the sole exception of Doves and Pigeons, respecting which more particulars are to be found than of all the others put together. The extreme antiquity of their domestication may be inferred from their employment m the patriarchal sacrifices; indeed it appears to be Coeval with that of the ox and the sheep: thus, in Genesis xv. 9, the command given to Abraham is, “ Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a *“ Pacifereeque manu ramum pretendit olivæ.”— Virg. Æn. viii.118. “€ Resolve me, strangers, whence, and what you are; Your business here; and bring you peace or war?’ High on the stern Æneas took his stand, And held a branch of olive in his hand, While thus he spoke—” t Sir J. G. Wilkinson’s Ancient Egyptians, vol. i. pp. 401, 2. i a RS ANCIENT DOMESTICATION, (CHAP. I. turtle dove, and a young pigeon.” In Leviticus i., where the offerings of the domesticated creatures of the Israelites are particularized, at verse 14 it is ordered, “And if the burnt-sacrifice, for his offering to the Lord, be of fowls; then he shall bring his offering of turtle-doves, or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar: and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar. And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar, on the east part, by the place of the ashes. And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt-sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet Savour unto the Lord.” In the same book, chap. v. 7, we find, “ And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath com- mitted, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord.” Similar mention of the Pigeon and the Turtle- Dove is made at xii. 6; xiv. 22; xv. 14,29; and in Numbers vi. 10. Birds appear to have been the sacri- fice of the poor, as cattle, sheep, and goats were of the wealthy. There can be little doubt that the Turtle- Doves were the Collared Turtles known to us; being kept in cages, they and young pigeons would always be at hand; whereas the common European Turtle, a wild and migratory bird, could only be had at certain sea- sons, and even then only according to the chance suc- cess of the fowler, fire-arms not yet affording a sure means of capture: for the way in which Turtle-Dovyeg are thus spoken of, as equivalent to Pigeons, and as if always obtainable, shows plainly, I think, that the for. CHAP. 1.] ANCIENT DOMESTICATION. 13 mer bird was not the common wild Turtle, which to this day continues to be a free and unreclaimed ranger of the old world, but the Collared Turtle, which makes itself so much at home, and breeds so freely whilst in Captivity to man. | Another notice occurs in Isaiah lx. 8 :—“ Who are , these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their Windows?” The passage establishes the domestication | of the Rock Pigeon at that early epoch. The “ win- dows” are clearly the apertures in a dovecote; and every reader will remember that windows in the East are Seldom glazed entrances for light merely, as with us, but are openings to admit air principally, and the sun’s rays as little as possible ; and when closed, are done so by lattice work, or shutters, as in pigeon-lofts here: so that the expression “ windows” is very appropriate to denote the means of approach to the creatures’ dwelling- place. The Rock Dove, then, had already become domesti- Cated, as a Dovehouse Pigeon, in patriarchal times. t seems almost as if the bird had been created with an innate disposition to attach itself to, and take possession of, as its tenement, all convenient caves, rocks, or unoc- “upied buildings, so as to be at once ready to afford a Subsidiary supply of animal food to the increasing family of man. It is not in a highly cultivated and thickly populated country like England that the value of Pigeons, as provision, is perceived. In such Places they are destroyed and lost, if allowed to follow their natural instinct of ranging far and wide to obtain their Subsistence ; independence and industry are the qualities that constitute their value as live stock. Hence they would deserve far more consideration from the 14 FERAL PIGEONS [CHAP. I. early settlers, either in remote ages, or in a new coun- try, than they can obtain where population is thick and agriculture advanced. A dovecote, planted by the emi- grant close by his hut in the back woods, might often afford a meal when game was shy and scarce, or other stock too valuable to kill. And thus the transfer of the Rock Dove from the home afforded by nature, to the abode reared and provided by man, seems, like the case of bees, to have been a most easy change to effect. We all remember the beautiful passage in Virgil, de- scribing the Pigeon disturbed from her nest in the cavern. We often see how soon ruined buildings, especially windmills, become tenanted by Pigeons, about which it is hard to decide whether they are re- claimed from the cliffs, or are deserters from the dove- cote. A return to this semi-wild state is by no means uncommon in other countries as well as in our own. Mr. Gould informs me that domestic Pigeons are abun- dantly dispersed over every colonized part of Australia; and in some districts, particularly in Norfolk Island, have taken to the rocks, and quite assumed the habits of the wild Rock Dove of our own island. In India, exactly the same half-wild disposition is similarly manifested. Some of the details of Captain Mundy’s deseription of the Black Pagoda or Temple of the Sun, read to us as if he were rummaging the dove- cote of an old manorial residence in England. “ My- riads of wild pigeons and bats occupy the dark interior of#tite lofty cupola. . . . The thunder-threatening closeness of the atmosphere having completely spoiled our imported provisions, in the afternoon we took post on each side of the temple with our guns, and sending in a domestic to drive out the immense flocks of pigeons, CHAP, 1.] ESTABLISHED IN AMERICA. 15 Soon provided ourselves with an extempore dinner, be- Sides the enjoyment of half an hour’s very pretty prac- tice.” It is very probable that, before many years have elapsed, we shall have similar accounts, from sporting tourists in the New World, of shooting scenes in which the very same species, the feral Columba livia, or Dove- house Pigeon returned to an independent condition, Plays the principal part as victim and target for fowling- Piece practice. It is strange if there are not already Some self-emancipated pairs tenanting the rocks along the course of the Hudson. “In the United States,” Mr. Thos. S. Woodcock says, “ I can speak from per- Sonal observation, that Fancy Pigeons are cultivated in great variety. I knew one person in New York, and another in Brooklyn, who had large collections. The Carrier was employed there extensively before the in- troduction of the electric telegraph, and I presume that all have been introduced a long time, probably by the earliest colonists, for no one ever thought them novel. We once had a lot exhibited at our Brooklyn Society, but they were merely shown as fine specimens, not on account of their being any rarity. The domestic Pigeon is quite common, and the very young birds brought to market for sale, as with us in England.” oa The little or no variation from the wild type which ` the half-wild blue Rock Pigeon (as such) has un- dergone in this long succession of ages, is really re- markable, and ought to have its full weight in the con- Sideration of the question as to the origin of the fancy kinds, We are quite justified in believing that the blue Rock Pigeon never was more wild than it is at * Pen and Pencil Sketches, vol. ii. p. 273. ai 16 | NOT FOUND IN EGYPTIAN PAINTINGS. [cwap: I. present; and that from its very first joint occupancy of the earth in company with man, it was always as ready to avail itself of any fit asylum and nesting-place which he afforded it—perhaps more so, in consequence of the greater number of rapacious birds existing in early times —and always equally ready to return to the rocks and caves when it felt any occasional disgust to its adopted home. Unless the external appearance of the wild bird has altered at the same time with that of the tame one, but little change has taken place in this respect. The beautiful wood-cut of the Columba livia, which Mr. Yarrell gives in his “ British Birds,” might pass for a well-selected specimen of the Blue Rock Devehouse Pigeon. i Fancy Pigeons, as distinguished from the Dovehouse kinds that were reared for the table, seem to have been known from a very early epoch. It may be believed that we hear less of the different sorts then cultivated and most in favour, in consequence of the merits of all the others being so much thrown into the shade by the superior value and usefulness of those employed as letter-carriers. To save trouble to future archeological poultry fan- ciers, we will quote a few words from Sir J. G. Wilkin- son: “ It is remarkable that the camel, though known to have been used in, and probably a native of Egypt, as early at least as the time of Abraham (the Bible dis- tinctly stating it to have been among the presents given by Pharaoh to the patriarch), has never yet been met with in the paintings or hieroglyphics. We cannot, how- ever, infer, from our finding no representation or notice of it, that it was rare in any part of the country, since the same would apply to poultry, which, it is scarcely x. pa ge ot ‘$ A a F ta i CHAP. 1,] ANOTENT PIGEON-FANCIERS. = AT necessary to observe, was always abundant in Egypt; for no instance occurs in the sculptures of fowls or Pigeons among the stock of the farm-yard, though geese / are repeatedly introduced, and numbered in the presence — of the stewards.” * Aristotle appears to intend to confine himself to the description of the wild species of Pigeon only, and mentions five corresponding with those now seen in Europe and Western Asia; but in the classical period they are repeatedly spoken of as well known, and no novelty, only dear; just as choice Almond Tumblers and Powters were with us twenty or thirty years ago, when they were more the fashion than they are at this moment; and as Bronze-wings, Crowned Pigeons, and other foreign rarities still are, and will be, till they Merease more rapidly. A few slight hints on the pecu- liarities of these old kinds are here and there to be picked up. Thus we learn from Columella (viii. 8), that the Alexandrine and Campanian Pigeons were, alieni generis, distinct breeds, and not advisable to Couple together. Pliny tells us that the latter were the largest of Pigeons, Runts, in fact; we may therefore Suppose that the taste of the Alexandrian fanciers was More in favour of the smaller kinds, such as the Tumblers, or the Nuns—an old-established race, and no doubt much more ancient than their Christian namesakes. It is commonly taken for granted that the Pigeon ancy is a modern taste; but it is clear, from many Passages in the classics, that a number of different sorts Were cultivated by the ancients, though we have fewer * Ancient Egyptians, vol. iii. p. 35. | | i at 1 f i 4 A TE = ANCIENT PIGEON-FANCIERS. [CHAP. I. particulars respecting the special characteristics of the varieties then in vogue, than we have of their domestic Fowls. Columella is scandalised at the inveteracy and extravagance of the Pigeon Fancy amongst his contem- poraries. “ That excellent author, M. Varro, recorded even in his more severe age, that single pairs were usually sold for 8/. 1s. bad. each. For it is the shame of our age, if we choose to believe it, that. persons should be found to purchase a couple of birds at the price of 32], 5s. 10d.* ; although I should think those persons more bearable, who expend a heavy amount of brass and silver, for the sake of possessing and keeping the object of fancy wherewith to amuse their leisure, than those who exhaust the Pontic Phasis (for Pheasants to eat), and the Scythian lakes of Meeotis (for a fish dinner). Yet even in this aviary, as it is called, the luxurious process of fatting can be car- vied on; for if any birds happen to be sterile, or of a bad colour, they are crammed in the same way as Hens.” + Pliny also records the prevalence of a Pigeon mania amongst the Romans. “And many are mad with the love of these birds; they build towers for them on the tops of their roof, and will relate the high breeding and ancestry of each, after the ancient fashion. Before Pompey’s civil war, L. Axius, a Roman knight, is One always feels uncertain and doubtful of accuracy when converting ancient monies to the modern standard 3 but Columella would indeed þe indignant could he know the prices now paid for rare birds and animals. Mr. Jamrach told me that he had sold a pair of the large blue Crowned Indian Pigeons for 60/., and Mr. Yarrell informed me that the market price of a really fine Tiger is 4007. PATRONIZED BY COMMERCE. 33 That I have ta’en away another’s pigeons It is most true; true they do flock to me; The very head and front of my offending, Hath this extent, no more. Yet, by your leave, I will a round unvarnished tale deliver Of my whole management; what drugs, what charms, What conjuration, and what mighty magick (For such proceeding I am charged withal), I won the pigeons with a This is the only witchcraft I have used, Here come the pigeons, let them witness it.” But these passages remind us that we are somewhat anticipating what we have to say respecting the habits and disposition of the true Dove-house Pigeon, as differ- ing from the other sorts kept in a domestic state. From the ancients the pursuit of Pigeon-fancying seems to have descended to the Dutch, as it is likely that it would to such a wealthy, commercial, and observant people. In old times, we are told, at least every fourth Dutchman was a Pigeon-fancier. They were also dili- gent hunters out, and importers of new kinds; so that what Pliny said of the Romans may be affirmed of the — Dutch, i. e., that they were mad after Pigeons. Venice also, RANSA mercantile state, had opportunities of ob- taining new kinds, which were zealously cultivated. But this chapter has already exceeded its due limits : and the reader shall at once be introduced to the habits of increase, and general modes of managing these birds. Mi La > a - aS 2 Pair of Trumpeters. CHAPTER II. MANAGEMENT OF PIGEONS. Feed their own young.—New-hatched squabs.—The pigeon-loft.—The trap.— Nesting-places.—Food and luxuries.—Water-supply.—Out-door pigeon-houses. —Pole-house.—Dovecotes.—Pigeon law.—Varro’s dovecote.—Stocking the loft. —Commencement of breeding.—Laying.—Incubation.—Merits of the cock.— Nutrition and growth of the squabs.—Pairing of pigeons.—Two hens will pair together.—Widowed pigeons.—Young birds.—Differences among the eggs and the very young.—Providential adaptations. THE main difference between Pigeons and all other birds that are bred with us for domestic uses, is, that the young of the latter have to be supplied with suit- able food as well as the parents, and on that supply very much depends the chance of successfully rearing ET Eleanore mens CHAP. I1.] MANAGEMENT OF PIGEONS. 35 them. No nest or permanent habitation is required for them after they are once brought into the world; merely a temporary shelter by day, and asecure and convenient lodging by night, which, however, may be shifted con- tinually from place to place with advantage rather than injury to the restless little occupants. This is the case with all the Water-fowl which we keep domesticated, as well as with the gallinaceous birds. The Duck and the Goose, as well as the Hen and the Turkey, lead out their young by day to their proper food, any deficiency of which, arising from their not being in a state of na- ture, is supplied by man; and when rest and warmth are required by the tender brood, the mother herself furnishes all that is needed under the shelter of her wings. Her own personal attentions supply from time to time whatever nest and covering is required; owr care is to exercise a general superintendence, and pro- vide them liberally with the necessary articles of diet. But with Pigeons the reverse of all this obtains. If you cater for them plentifully, well and good; they will partake of the fare, and give themselves no more trouble. If you stint them, never mind; they will go further a-field, and forage for themselves, not being Over-scrupulous as to the proprietorship of the corn they may eat, or delicate about committing a trespass. But if your allowance is quite too pinching, and the neighbours wage a determined war against all pilferers, then the Pigeons will pluck up their resolution, and emigrate to some new home, where better treatment awaits them: for a home they must have. With that tolerably adjusted, and a decent allowance of food from you, they will, by their own industry, with little further mterference, increase so rapidly, and produce so large a D2 | | | a DREN NEW-HATCHED SQUABS. (CHAP. II. supply of flesh for culinary purposes, that there are cases in which the phenomenon strikes one with perfect astonishment. Young Pigeons, when first hatched, are blind, half naked, weak, and helpless. They are fed, nearly till they are able to provide for themselves, entirely by their parents. The aliment necessary for their feeble organs during their earliest stage, is elaborated in the crop of the old birds just before hatching; they ad- minister it according to their instinctive knowledge of the fit intervals, and all we have to think of is to see that they suffer no deficiency of their accustomed ra- tions. But with such utterly dependent younglings, a fixed and safe household establishment is the thing, without which all other comforts are worthless to them. Now, there are three modes in which a home is usually supplied to Pigeons in this country. First, by the old-fashioned square Dovecotes, built of solid mate- rials, and capable of accommodating a large number of birds, such as we see forming part of the outbuildings of manorial houses, which have enjoyed the privilege of keeping them for many years. Secondly, in small open wooden boxes, either placed against walls and gables, or elevated and isolated on poles; the birds, as before, constantly having free access, and being totally unconfined, though usually forming a smaller population than in the former case. And thirdly, in a room, or chamber, or Pigeon-loft appropriated to the purpose, which can be closed or opened at the pleasure of the owner, containing also separate cages for special pur- poses, and in short all the apparatus requisite for the systematic practice of breeding, and of regulating the CHAP. IL] MODES OF PIGEON-KEEPING. 37 pairing and rearing of the inmates, according to de- terminate rules. This last mode, which may be made equally profitable as regards the increase of stock, is the only one which can prove satisfactory to the fancier, or to the experimental naturalist. The first system is slovenly and semi-barbarous, belonging rather to feudal times, and a primitive state of agriculture, than to the present day. The second plan may do to furnish an ornamental addition to the outbuildings of a resi- dence, or to accommodate a few children’s pets, but is otherwise unsatisfactory; and therefore it is, that of this third mode of Pigeon-keeping we shall first and principally give an account. The apartment in one’s house or its appendages which can be most conveniently appropriated as a Pigeon- loft, is seldom open to much choice. Where a selection can be made, a sheltered and sunny aspect is most desirable ; a lofty situation is especially eligible for town-resident amateurs. An adequate amount of win- dow-light is wanted more for the pleasure of the owner than for the requirements of the birds, which appear naturally to prefer obscure retreats for their home and breeding-place. Pigeons can see to feed late after sun- set, when it is quite dusk, and when other domestic birds would give it up. The power of sight which they have to distinguish distant objects, seems extensible also to those that are but faintly illuminated. Their eye is convertible from a telescope to a night-glass. The main external feature of the Pigeon-loft is the trap; and none can be better than a projecting box; an old tea-chest has often served the purpose efficiently, with the sides, top, and bottom either quite closed and boarded in, or made of lattice-work, the back opening 38 THE TRAP. (CHAP. T1; into the Pigeon-loft and the front consisting of a latticed door, or rather a drawbridge, conducting the birds to the open space in which they are to exercise their powers of flight. The drawbridge (from which the trap derives its use and name) opens at the top and turns on hinges below. It is raised or let down by a string, which should pass through the loft, so that it can be drawn up, and the trap closed by the owner outside or beneath the loft, or in an adjoining chamber, without disturbing the birds, after he has ascertained, by peep- ing through a chink or aperture, that they have entered their apartment. The peculiar fittings of the trap, as most suitable to the room to which it is attached, are best left to some clever carpenter who is experienced in such work, and do not need further detail here, except to state, that at the opening by which the trap enters the loft, it is usual to have pieces of lath hanging ver- tically and freely suspended from a wire above, in such a way as to allow the entrance and prevent the egress of the birds. These the owner can raise at pleasure. The trap here figured is copied from one now in use by Mr. Brown, of St. Margaret’s, Norwich. A differ- ence exists between this, and most others, in that only the outer door or drawbridge of this trap is outside the building ; by which means, that gentleman says, there is some convenience gained. The little swinging doors hang on a wire; they are round, and are broader to- wards the bottom, i. e., long cones, so as to be steadied by their own weight, as in the woodcut. The accommodations provided as nesting-places, and their arrangement, must also very much depend upon circumstances. ‘The most important point is, that there a a 5 Aiie- Sete zoa ad CHAP: 11] THE TRAP. 39 should be at least two convenient Pigeon-holes or breed- ing-places to each pair of birds, and that there be not the least pretext for their disturbing each other or S quarrelling on this account. In other respects, it may ` Exterior. Interior. Trap of Pigeon-loft. A, the door of the trap (outside the building). B, the inner end of the trap where the swinging doors hang. CC, the string used to pull up the outer door of the trap. Trap of Pigeon- loft. Interior showing the loose bars called *‘ the bolt. B, the little swinging doors on the inner end. C, the string which pulls up the outer door. NESTING-PLACES. (CHAP, II. be said of Pigeon-lockers, as of governments, “ which e'er is best administered, is best.” In the rare “ Trea- tise on Domestic Pigeons,” an excellent plan is thus suggested :— “ You may erect shelves, of about twenty inches broad, for breeding places, allowing eighteen inches between shelf and shelf, that Powters may not be under the necessity of stooping for want of height, for in that case they would contract an habit of playing low, which spoils their carriage. In these shelves partitions should be fixed at about three feet distance, making a blind, by a board nailed against the front on each side of every partition, which will make two nests in the extent of every three feet; and the Pigeons will not be liable to be disturbed, as they will then sit in private. (This is an excellent plan, for a reason to be hereafter men- tioned.) Some fix a partition between each nest, which prevents the young ones from running to the hen sitting at the other end, and thereby cooling her eggs; for in breeding time, when the young ones are about a fort- night or three weeks old, the hen, if a good breeder, will lay again, and leave the care of the young ones to the cock. Others let them breed in partitions entirely open in front, for the greater convenience of cleaning out their nests. I find by experience, that nests made on the floor are much more convenient than otherwise, if the loft will admit of it, for it prevents the young ones falling out of their nests, which sometimes breaks a leg, and very often lames them, and also gives them a chance of being fed by other Pigeons, as well as their parents, which frequently happens. In every nest should be placed a straw basket, or earthen pan, that has not been glazed, which prevents the straw from slipping a e CHAP. 11,] FOOD AND LUXURIES. 41 about, both which are made for this purpose, and the size must be in proportion to the Pigeons you breed: for instance, a pan, fit for a Tumbler, or other small Pigeon, should be about three inches high, and eight inches over at the top, and sloping to the bottom like a wash-hand bason, and that in proportion for other larger Pigeons, remembering to put a brick close to the pan, that they may with greater safety get upon their eggs; and by the means of this pan, the eggs are not only prevented from rolling out of the nest, but your young Pigeons from being handled when you choose to look at them, which often puts them into a scouring. Some prefer the basket, as judging it the warmest, and not so liable to crack the egg when first laid; others the pan, as not so apt to harbour vermin, and being easier cleaned; and say that the foregoing inconveniences are easily remedied by putting in a sufficient quantity of clean straw, rubbed short and soft, or frail; the frail is most valued, because it lays hollow, and lasts a great while, the dung shaking off it as occasion requires.’ * Although in the country, and such situations where the Pigeons may safely be allowed almost entire liberty, it is not necessary to furnish a loft with hoppers or meat boxes (of which there are several patterns to be had); still it may be as well to feed them occasionally, i. e., four or five times a week, in their chamber, even though it may be wished to see them take their food on the ground with the other poultry as a general rule. For this purpose it will be sufficient to throw down a moderate supply of peas or barley on their floor, which we suppose to be swept and fresh gravelled with some * Treatise on Domestic Pigeons (Lond. 1765), pp. 4-6. 42 WATER SUPPLY. (CHAP. II. degree of regularity. The object of thus feeding them within-doors is partly to confirm their affection for the spot, and partly to give the forward squeakers that may have quitted the nest, a chance of learning to peck for themselves. Colder, old mortar, and the lime-rubbish from dilapidated buildings, when it can be had, is an excellent thing to strew their floor with, in addition to the gravel; if it is not obtainable, a few lumps of clay or brick-earth, and a spadeful of dry loamy soil may be put down here and there. Two other luxuries should never be wanting, salt and water; day by day it should be looked to that there is a sufficiency of these. They will be more effectual than almost anything in prevent- ing the birds from straying, and, if you wish it, in tempt- ing your neighbours’ birds to repeat their chance in- trusions. The salt may be of any coarsely-granulated kind, set down in an earthen pan; it can be eaten more readily than rock-salt, and is therefore more agreeable. Fanciers who are more superstitious than cleanly, can prepare the Salt-Cat according to the most potent and the nastiest recipe *, but we have found that the mineral in its natural state answers every purpose of keeping the birds healthily contented with their lot, and so have avoided handling ingredients amongst which assafcetida is not the most disagreeable. As to the water supply, every earthen-ware and glass shop affords plenty of choice; the open pan gives the * “So named, I suppose, from a certain fabulous oral tradition of baking a cat, in the time of her salaciousness, with cummin seed, and some other ingredients, as a decoy for your neighbours’ pigeons.” —Treatise, p. 31. “Some make use of a goat’s head boiled in urine, with a mixture of salt, cummin, and hemp.”——The New and Complete Pigeon- Fancier, by Daniel Girton, Esq., p. 59. oo CHAP. 11] WATER SUPPLY. 43 birds an opportunity of bathing, in which they délight ; but they will soon splash out all the water from that, and therefore a reservoir with a narrow opening is more Sure to satisfy the wants of the community. It is best to provide one of each. Of the latter kind none can be preferable to that described in the “ Treatise,” af- fording, as it does, opportunity for a lecture on Hydro- Statics. “ The water-bottle should be a large glass bottle with a long neck, holding four or five gallons (the carboys, in which various fluids are received by dispensing che- mists, are very suitable for the purpose), and its belly made in the form of an egg, to keep them from dung- ing on it; but the shape is not material, as a piece of paste-board, hung by a string at three or four inches above the bottle, will always prevent that, by hindering them from settling thereon. This bottle should be placed upon a stand, or three-footed stool, made hollow at top to receive the belly, and let the mouth into a small pan; the water by this means will gradually de- scend out of the mouth of the bottle as the Pigeons drink it, and be sweet and clean, and always stop when the surface of the water meets with the mouth of the bottle. “ The reason of which is evident ; for the belly of the bottle being entirely close at top, keeps off all the ex- ternal pressure of the atmosphere, which pressing hard Upon the surface of the water in the pan, which is con- tiguous to that in the bottle, is too potent for the small quantity of air which is conveyed into the belly of the bottle with the water, and which consequently, as being the lighter matter, rises to the top of the bottle, as it Stands in its proper situation; but the water being 44 OUT-DOOR PIGEON-HOUSES. [CHAP. II. sucked away by the Pigeons, that it no longer toucheth the mouth of the bottle, the confined air exerts its power, and causeth the water to descend ’till they become conti- guous as before.” * Of the small Pigeon-houses that are affixed to walls, or elevated on poles, there is a considerable variety. Among the former, the best are those which are con- trived on the principle of having two nesting-places accessible to each pair of birds. Sometimes the whim of the architect makes them to represent baby-houses, or mansions adorned with battlements and turrets, and one is amused with the incongruity of seeing a Pigeon peep out at a Gothic window. But strict criticism is not applicable to castles in the air. The great objec- tion to all such Pigeon-houses is, that they are subject to every variation of temperature, are ill sheltered from pelting rains and stormy winds, and allow but little control to be exercised over the birds themselves. The best pole-house with which we are acquainted is that of which a plan and elevation is given in the accom- panying cuts. A pair of birds take possession of the suite of apartments whose landing place is marked a. They will probably pass through the vestibule B when they first bring in straws for a nest, and deposit them in one of the chambers, as c: when the young are a fortnight or three weeks old, the hen will probably leave them mostly to the care of the cock, and make a fresh nest and lay in the opposite apartment D. As soon as the first pair of young are flown, o will be vacant for the hatching of a third brood, and so by shifting alternately from parlour to study, and never * Treatise, pp. 8-10. a E ES a E a a N E — CHAP. II.] POLE-HOUSE. 45 being idle, a good pair of parent birds will produce quite a little flock by the end of the summer. 10x 4 | Bx 2 M1 ¥6 ae c A 2ft 104 But the old manorial Dovecote belonging to bygone days is a substantial cubical building, with a pyrami- | dal tiled roof, surmounted by an unglazed lantern by | which the Pigeons enter. It frequently forms the upper half of a square turret, and then can only be entered 46 MANORIAL DOVECOTES. [CHAP. IT. by a ladder without, the lower half being used as a cow-house, cart-shed, or root-house. It is usually so- lidly built of either brick or stone, and the interior fittings are of brick also. Nesting-places are thus made to occupy the four entire walls, except where the open- ing for the door prevents them. The place gets cleaned out twice or thrice in the year, and is very snug; but as the birds which die are not removed when they ought to be, it is sometimes very offensive, to the human sense at least. In many places in the west of England brick nesting-boxes for common Dove-house Pigeons are built outside the walls, according to the exact pattern of those in the ancient Dovecotes, but the plan has none of the security, warmth, and quiet of the old system, and retains all its disadvantages. On Colonel Petre’s estate at Westwick in Norfolk, an arch is thrown across the road, and the pediment and upper portions of each pier are tenanted by Pigeons. The idea was probably sug- gested by Capability Browne, who assisted in laying out the grounds. The effect is really very good, and the birds thrive and evidently enjoy the vicinity of the lake as a convenient watering and bathing place. But those gentlemen who reside in a rocky district might contrive the most picturesque of all Dovecotes, by hollowing out a space in the face of a cliff, and fashioning the en- trance as nearly like a natural cavern as possible. A few pairs of Rock Doves once settled here in lockers hewn in the rock itself, would indeed feel themselves at home; and if an elevated spot were selected, their out-door proceedings would be observable from the man- sion and pleasure-grounds generally, and could not fail to form an agreeable point of view. The above-mentioned cubical, brick-built receptacles a CHAP. IL] DOVECOTES OF YORE. 47 are the Dovecotes to which so many privileges once attached, though they are now nearly obsolete. It is certain that Dovehouse Pigeons were kept for use and profit at an early period of English History. In Degge’s “ Parson’s Counsellor,” Ellis’s edition, p. 314, we find that “ there was a canon made by Robert Win- chelsea, Archbishop of Canterbury, and his clergy, in the year 1305, whereby it was declared, that ‘all and every parishioner shall pay honestly and without diminution to their churches the below mentioned tithes; that is to Say, . . . of Pigeons . . . d&e. &c., on pain of excommunication,’ ” although the claims of the clergy on these birds do not seem to have universally obtained in England. For in Blomefield’s elaborate history of Nor- folk we find that, “in the time of King James I. there was a long suit about the customs of the Rectory of Dice or Diss, and at length it was ended, and an ex- €mplification under seal passed” of what the rector was to receive in kind, and what in lieu thereof. Goslings, Eggs, Bees, and Milk, are mentioned, but not a word about young Pigeons, a delicacy which would have been hardly omitted, had they been then and there subject to payment of tithes. Neither are they enumerated among the customary payments from copyhold tenants, which in those days seem to have been very strictly exacted, Among all the oppressive claims that were then insisted upon, none appears, that we can find, on the poor Pigeons or their Dovecote. See Blomefield’s account of the Manor of Brisingham. The “ Parson’s Counsellor,” at p. 343, indicates somewhat of a middle course: “ But of young Pigeons in Dovecotes or in Pigeon-holes, about a man’s house, tithes shall be paid if they be sold ; but if they be spent in the family no tithe shall be paid for them.” + Ie ate Emm Nn ane y7 SPANISH DOVECOTES. [CHAP. II. But Mr. Borrow, who is always amusing, though he is often severe upon the ignorance of the parish priests of the Peninsula, gives an entertaining instance of clerical privileges in connection with Pigeon-houses. A priest, who afterwards talks of Holy Pablo’s (Paul’s) first letter to Pope Sixtus, (Qu.? the Epistle to the Romans,) is made to say, “‘I hope you will look in upon me, Don Jorge, and I will show you my little library of the Fathers, and likewise my Dovecote, where I rear nu- merous broods of Pigeons, which are also a source of much solace and at the same time of profit.’ “ < I suppose by your Dovecote,’ said I, ‘ you mean your parish, and by rearing broods of Pigeons, you al- lude to the care you take of the souls of your people, instilling therein the fear of God and obedience to his revealed law, which occupation must of course afford you much solace and spiritual profit.’ “ Nuns. Powters. / / Jacobins. Carriers. Lace Pigeons. Frizzled Pigeons. II. Pigeons which are found both in a domestic and a wild state :— Blue Rock Dove Indian Rock Pigeon (Columba livia of authors). (Columba intermedia of Strick- land). Dovehouse Pigeon Collared Turtle (Columba affinis of Blythe). (Turtur risoria). III. Pigeons not capable of true domestication :— The Passenger Pigeon. Bronze-winged Pigeons. The Long-tailed Senegal Pigeon. Harlequin Pigeons. &e. &e. &e. &e. Py Bald-pate. Runt. Tur bit. Fantail. CHAPTER IV. DOMESTIC PIGEONS. FANTAILS; their powers.—Effects of crossing.—Accident to one.—Pigeon Paon.—The lean poet of Cos.—Runts.—Pigeon mondains.—Comparison of eggs and weights.—Synonyms of Runts.—Runts at sea.—Rodney’s bantam.—Pecu- liarities of Runts.—Runts in Italy.—Effects of crossing.—Trumpeters.—Arch- angel Pigeons.—Nuns.—Jacobines.—Columbarian distinctions.—Supposed cari- cature.—Turbits.—Temminck’s ideas.—Owls.—Progress of the young.—Rapid growth.—Barbs.—_Tumblers.—Their performance in the air.—Feats of wing.— The Almond.—Peculiarity of form.—Learning to tumble.—Baldpates.—Hel- mets.—Powters and Croppers.—Their carriage, flight, and colouring. —Defects and remedies.—Crosses.—Carriers.—Castle of the birds.—How they find their way.—Phrenological hypothesis.—Carriers in Turkey.—Sir John Ross’s birds. —Explanation.—Antwerp Carriers.—De Beranger.—English Carriers,—Oriental origin.—Lace and Frizzled Pigeons.—Eggs and young of the Columbide. —Quarrels and attachments.—Mating.—Love of home.—Food.—Merits of the Runts.—Etymology of the Trumpeter. Faytaizs are by no means the miserable degraded monsters that many writers would induce us to believe CHAP. Iv FANTAILS.—EFFECTS OF CROSSING: 87 them to be. They may be, and often are, closely kept in cages, or dealers’ pens, till they are cramped and out of health, The most robust wild pigeon would become so under the same circumstances. But if fairly used, they are respectably vigorous, It is a mistake to suppose that they are deficient in power of flight, unless their muscles have been enfeebled by long incar- ceration. Their tail is not so much in their way, and therefore not so unnatural (if hard names be allowed to have any force), as the train of the Peacock. It is true the tail of the Fantail consists, or ought to consist, of thirty-six feathers—three times the number which most other Pigeons can boast of; but it is an excellent | aérial rudder notwithstanding. A pair of Fantails given | me early this spring (1850) by a friend living a few | miles distant, were suffered to fly very soon after their ia} arrival here, on the supposition that they could not | i possibly return home by their own carriage. Nor did they. But they took a very decided flight of half a mile Hi in the direction of their old home, and then finding they i could not make out their way, flew back again. Then, | instead of nesting in the Pigeon-loft, the cock bird chose to carry his bundle of twigs to the gutter on the | roof of our house, in a snug nook just out of the way of the rain-stream; and they would have hatched there but for the late severe frosts of that season, which addled their eggs. When Fantails breed with other Pigeons, in the off- spring sometimes the fan tail entirely disappears, some- times a half fantail remains; and I am cognisant of a | case where, by coupling a true Fantail with such a bird l | as the last mentioned, the pure race was re-established. It is probable (but I am not able to state it) that in ¢ FANTAILS.— PECULIARITIES. (CHAP. Iv. this case the true Fantail was a male, and the half-bred of male Fantail parentage. In cross-bred Pigeons, as far as my own observations have gone, the male influ- ence is nearly paramount. Similar facts have also oc- curred in the much larger experience of the London Zoological Society, as I am assured by Mr. James Hunt, their intelligent head-keeper. Results with the same tendency have proceeded from crosses in other genera, as is instanced in Lord Derby’s wonderful experiment with the common Colchicus and versicolor Pheasants, as detailed in the December number of the Quarterly Review for 1850, by which it appears that a solitary male bird may prove competent to introduce his species to Great Britain, by a temporary alliance with a female quite an alien to his own blood. Ina letter from Mr. Edward Blythe, dated Calcutta, October 8, 1850, he kindly informs me, “A native friend of mine has this _ season bred two fine Hybrids between the male Pavo | muticus and the common Peahen, apparently a male and | afemale. They take much after the papa, and the male should be a splendid bird when he gets his full plu- mage.” The same is the rule with many quadrupeds, Mules are not greatly in favour with ladies and gentle- men in England, and therefore the less is known about them by educated people; but the humbler class of Horse and Donkey dealers will tell at once, by the ears and hoofs, as well as by the temper and disposition, whe- ther any Mule, offered for sale, had a Mare or a Donkey for its mamma. The Mule children of the latter animal are much more valuable, as they exhibit not only the form, \ but the docility of the Horse rather than of the Ass. Fantails are mostly of a pure snowy white, which, with their peculiar carriage, gives them some resem- CHAP. Ty.] A FANTAIL’S MISADVENTURE. 89 blance to miniature Swans. Rarely, they are quite black; occasionally, they are seen white, with slate- coloured patches on the shoulders, like Turbits. A sin- gular habit is the trembling motion of the throat, which seems to be caused by excitement in the bird. The same action is observed in the Runts, in a less degree. The iris of the Fantail is of a dark hazel, the pupil black, which gives to the eye a fulness of expression quite different to what is seen in most other birds. I mention this, because Colonel Sykes, in the Transactions of the Zoological Society *, makes the colour of the iris an important guide in determining the affinities or dissimi- larities of species, believing it occasionally to manifest even generic distinctions. Now amongst fancy Pigeons the iris varies greatly, and is thought of much conse- quence, as is known to every amateur. ‘The cere, at the base of the Fantail’s bill, looks as if covered withawhite =, powder. These birds, Willughby tells us, are called “4/7 Broad-tailed Shakers; ‘ Shakers, because they do almost constantly shake, or wag their heads and necks up and down; Broad-tailed, from the great number of feathers they have in their tails; they say, not fewer than twenty- Six.. When they walk up and down, they do for the most part hold their tails erect like a Hen or Turkey-Cock.” + A friend writes, “ I had a white Fantail Pigeon which lived nine years, and died at last almost blind with old age. But the most curious thing which ever happened to her, is that she fell down one of the hothouse chimnies, and then walked along about sixty feet of the flue, that was nearly choked up with soot, before she got into the furnace, in which there luckily was no fire. The door happened to be shut, and poor * Vol. ii. pp. 7, 8. - + Willughby, p. 181. 90 PIGEON PAON. [CHAP. Iv. old Fanny lived there five days without food before her prison door happened to be opened. When at last she eame forth, instead of being milk white, she was all dingy, like a blackamoor.”—J. W. Pigeons generally can bear long fasts, and perform long journeys, better than common fowls. Their tena- ciousness of life under starvation must be considerable. I have seen the remains of a Pigeon that had been starved to death in a hole in a church wall; and the webs of the feathers had all been absorbed, leaving the shafts only remaining before the poor bird died at last. “ The Pigeon Paon or Peacock Pigeon,” says Tem- minck, “is so named, because it has the faculty of erecting and displaying its tail nearly in the same way in which the Peacock raises and expands his dorsal fea- thers. This race might also be called Pigeons Dindons, or Turkey Pigeons, their caudal feathers being also placed on an erector muscle capable of contraction and extension at pleasure.”—But here M. Temminck is surely in error: the tail of the Fantail is a/ways ex- panded and displayed, and when other domestic Pigeons do spread their tail in the actions of courtship, it is brought downwards, so as to sweep the ground like a stiff train, not upwards like the Turkey or the Pea- fowl. “ When they raise their tail,” they bring it for- ward; [and it is always raised and brought forward, except in flight;] “as they at the same time draw back the head, it touches the tail; and when the bird wishes to look behind itself, it passes its head between the in- terval of the two planes which compose the tail. They usually tremble during the whole time of this operation, and their body then seems to be agitated by the violent contraction of the muscles. It is generally while making ee ee Ee To = on me NNN RRR ŘS nn CHAP. 1V.) THE LEAN POET OF COS.—RUNTS. 91 love that they thus display their tail ; but they also set themselves off in this way at other times.” That is, in plain English and in matter of fact, the position in which the tail-feathers are fixed, is unalterable. “ These Pigeons are not much sought by amateurs ; they seldom quit the precincts of their aviary; appa- rently the fear of being carried away by the wind (which, acting forcibly upon their broad tail would infallibly upset them),* is the reason why they do not venture far from their domicile, nor undertake long journeys. Lastly, these Pigeons which cannot by their own powers travel far, have been transported to a great distance by Man; perhaps, even, they are not natives of our climate, for many doubts arise against their specific identity with the wild Rock Dove. Striking characters, such as the number of tail-feathers, do not permit us to consider the wild Rock Dove as the type of the Fantail Pigeons. “ The Fantails are furnished with a considerable num- ber of caudal plumes; the greater part of indigenous and exotic species of Pigeons, have generally only twelve\ « tail-feathers, more or less. The choicest have thirty | tail feathers; the majority of the Fantails have thirty- | two and even thirty-four, but such are rare. * In this respect the Fantails remind us of Ælian’s Philetas, the lean poet of Cos, who was so slim and slight, that, being liable to e carried away by the slightest acting force, he wore (they say) leaden soles to his sandals, lest he should be borne off by the wind, when it happened to be high. “ But,” remarks Ælian gravely, “ if he was so weak as to be unable to withstand the wind, how could he manage to carry about such a burden with him? J do not believe everything that I read (he was a writer); spè pèy ody Tò Asx Oty où mei.” The reader, therefore, need not load his Fantails with ee clogs on the questionable example of Philetas the Blown- ay. ~, S}; » hx 92 PIGEONS MONDAINS. [CHAP. IV. ‘The Shakers, and those which have the tail only partially elevated, are of this race.” The Runts are by far the largest and heaviest race of domestic Pigeons, and are less known and cultivated in this country than they deserve to be, mainly because their powers of flight are not such as to afford much amusement to the amateur. But they are very prolific, if placed in favourable circumstances. A pair, for which I am indebted to Mr. James Kemp, of Great Yarmouth, last season (1849) produced twelve young ones. Their heaviness unfits them for being the occu- pants of ordinary dovecotes; and they are best accom- modated in a low house or nesting-place, raised only a few feet from the ground. Many a rabbit-hutch would be very easily convertible into a convenient Runt-locker, where the birds might be petted, and wherein they would bring forth abundantly. The Runts prefer walk- ing and resting on the ground, to perching on buildings, or strutting on roofs*. Hence Buffon very properly calls them Pigeons mondains, which we might English by applying to them the designation of Ground-Doves, were not that term already appropriated by a family of foreign wild Pigeons. The eggs of Runts are much larger than those of other breeds, as may be seen by the outline here given, of the exact natural size, of eggs of the Runt, the Nun, and the Collared Turtle, to show _ their relative proportions. Buffon truly says that the mondains are nearly as big as little Hens. A note of * Their love of slightly-elevated nesting-places has long been observed. “Perchance these may be the same with those which, Aldrovandus tells us, are called by his countrymen Colombe sotto banche, that is, Pigeons under forms or benches, from their place ; of various colours, and bigger than the common wild Pigeons in- habiting Dove-cotes.”— Willughby, p. 181. CHAP. Iv.] COMPARISON OF EGGS AND WEIGHTS. 98 f RUNT. | | NUN. COLLARED TURTLE. ` their weight, and of that of a few other Pigeons, made Nov. 6, 1849, will show how much more ponderous they are than the rest of their brethren. Of course, live weights are given. Pair of Leghorn Runts „ Jacobins », Cinnamon Tumblers » Archangel Pigeons », Blue Rocks 6% í >, Croppers >» Nuns . 10 » Barbs x z 9 „ Blue Antwerp Carriers 3 Black do. Aine 3 A 3 Pair—Owl Cock, mated with Turbit Hen Pair of Collared Turtles Another pair of Leghorn Runts OOH H HH et He eH eS — ejo SYNONYMES OF RUNTS. [CHAP. IV. The contrast of weight is remarkable: but the point respecting Runts which most deserves the notice of speculative naturalists, is their extreme antiquity. The notices of them in Pliny, and other nearly contemporary writers, are but modern records; for Dr. Buckland enumerates the bones of the Pigeon among the remains in the cave at Kirkdale, and figures a bone which he says approaches closely to the Spanish Runt, which is one of the largest of the Pigeon tribe. Ever since the classic period these birds have been celebrated among the poultry produce of the shores of the Mediterranean. “ The greater tame Pigeon, called in Italian, Tronfo and Asturnellato ; in English, a Runt; a name (as I suppose) corrupted from the Italian Tronfo: though, to say the truth, what this Italian word Tronfo signifies, and consequently why this kind of Pigeon is so called, I am altogether ignorant. Some call them Columbe Russice, Russia-Pigeons, whether because they are brought to us out of Russia, or from some agreement of the names Runt and Russia, I know not. These seem to be the Campania Pigeons of Pliny. They vary much in colour, as most other domestic birds: wherefore it is to no purpose to describe them by their colours.” * Their name of Russia-Pigeons, I can in part explain. The Runts in my possession were purchased at Great Yarmouth, as ‘ Russian Carriers’—admirable letter- carriers they would be, when they can hardly carry themselves through the air! But they came by their title thus: Vessels from Yarmouth go laden with red herrings to the Mediterranean and the Levant, and having exchanged their cargoes there for fruits, oil, * Willughby, p. 181. CHAP. Iv.] RUNTS AT SEA.—RODNEY'S BANTAM. 95 maccaroni, &c., frequently sail thence direct to Russia —to St. Petersburgh or Archangel,—without touching port at Yarmouth, though they may even perhaps pass through the Roads, and get a glimpse of their town, and speak a friendly vessel or two. The Yarmouth sailors are very fond of buying Pigeons in the Mediter- ranean ports, and they are great pets on board ship*. They breed there in lockers and hen-coops, and are sometimes allowed their liberty, and permitted to fly round about the vessel, while she is pursuing her course on a fine day. If the breeze is but steady they get on very well, and enjoy themselves as much as they would in calm weather on shore. The mathematical reader will remember, that as the wind and the ship are both proceeding (we will suppose the ship to be sailing right before the wind) in one direction, the eacess of the velo- city of the wind above that of the ship is all the Pigeons would have to contend with; and that, ina fast sailer, is nothing formidable, while a moderate breeze is blowing. It is squally weather that would be their ruin; and then they are kept safe within-doors. At the Russian ports the ship parts with her cargo of fruits, &c., perhaps also with some of her Pigeons, and returns home, laden with tallow, hemp, hides, &c.; and, perhaps, the choicest of the birds are after all brought home to please a friendly * These feathered favourites at sea are particularly interesting. tere is one which ought to be immortalised. It would do capitally either for a statuette or a bas-relief. ; “In the famous victory of the 12th April, a little Bantam Cock perched himself upon the poop of Rodney’s ship, and at every broad- side that was poured into the ‘ Ville de Paris, clapt his wings and crew. Rodney gave special orders that this Cock should be taken care of as long as he lived.”—Southey’s Common Place Book, 2nd Series, p. 607. 96 RUNTS—THEIR PECULIARITIES. (CHAP, IV. townsman or townswoman. But they come from Rus- sia; and therefore, Russian they are called. From Alex- andria is usually obtained alargefeather-footed bird, much resembling, if not identical with, the Trumpeter. These are often styled Muscovy Pigeons. This summer I pur- chased in Great Yarmouth, of my thoroughly honest friend, Jack Hall, a pair of birds which were allowed to retain their name of Egyptian Pigeons. The vessel, on board which they were cruising, was wrecked in the Roads, and the crew and passengers, including four pairs of Pigeons, all saved. They were Runts of the second degree of magnitude, cinnamon coloured, with a slight vinous under tint. These Pigeons vary in colour; also in having feet feathered or not; and somewhat in bulk ; but the limits , of their variations are not hard for the experienced eye to detect, though not easy to describe. Fulness of the cere at the base of the bill, terrestrial habits of life, and plumpness and inactivity of body, are among their prin- cipal characteristics. Their prevailing colours are shades of brown, light slate colour, and white. Their cooing is less distinct than in other breeds, having a sort of muffled sound. They tremble when excited, though not so much as the Fantails. ‘Spanish Runt,” “ Leghorn Runt,” are both names which indicate their Mediterra- nean home. Many travellers in Italy have noticed, with retrospective relish, the size and flavour of these excel- lent birds. Weremember once at Montefiascone having complained (not very angrily) of a dinner-bill, which seemed to amount to more pauls than might have been expected in the not too stylish Albergho of that not too important town; but we were met by the unanswerable reply from the handsome padrona, “ Yes, Signore, the CHAP. 1V.) RUNTS IN ITALY.-—-EFFECTS OF CROSSING. 97 nota is high; but Ecco! Signore, you have had a flask of the famous Montefiascone—il rè di vino !—and two Pigeons!” The reader must have another instance; all the bet- ter that it is not a modern one. “ Wee came home by the island of Nisida, some two miles in compasse, belonging to one gentleman, who in it keeps all creatures tame by force, haueing no way to get from him, in sight of Caprea, once the delight of Tiberius, and so under the mountain Pausilippo again, with torches in our hands, it being night before wee could reach it, which wee passed safely ; the better by reason that the holy virgin is gouuernesse of this cauern, and hath a chappell dedicated to her in the middle of it. By this time you must coniecture wee had a good stomach to our supper, which wee made of pigeons, the best heare without controuersy in the world, as big as pullets.”* Notwithstanding the disproportion of size and incon- { gruity of habits, Runts breed freely with other domestic | Pigeons. One of my cock Runts mated with a Bald-pate: | all their offspring, except one bird, resembled. their father | entirely, and their mother not at all. Those were all eaten, so we did not see what their young would turn out tobe. Another male Runt mated with a Nun, with like result; all conventual character disappeared from the offspring, and the illegitimate family suffered extinction ia pie. Mr. James Kemp had a hybrid between a Brown Runt and a White Fantail, in which the fan tail was quite obliterated. The bird had no brown feathers, | being principally white: so that it resembled neither * Mr, Edward Browne to Mr, Craven, 1664. B 98 TRUMPETERS.—WHY SO CALLED. [CHAP. IV. parent. Which was male and which female I am unable to state. It was, however, larger than ordinary-sized Pigeons. “The TRUMPETER,” says the Treatise, “is a bird much about the size of a Laugher (some sort of Runt ?), and very runtishly made; they are generally pearl-ey’d, black-mottled, very feather-footed and leg’ d, turn-crown’d like the Nun, and sometimes like a Finnikin, but much larger, which are reckoned the better sort, as being more melodious ; but the best characteristic to know them, is a tuft of feathers growing at the root of the beak; and the larger this tuft is, the more they are esteemed: the reason of their name is from their imitating the sound of a trumpet after playing; the more salacious they are, the more they will trumpet; therefore, if you have a mind to be often entertained with their melody, you must give them plenty of hemp-seed, otherwise they will » seldom trumpet much, except in the spring, when they Aare naturally more salacious than usual.” Itseems more probable that the Trumpeter took itsname froin its military air: the helmet-like turn of feathers at the back of the head, the booted legs, and the fierce moustache at the base of the bill, give it quite a soldier- _ like appearance. I have not heard much in their “ trum- \ petings” that differs greatly from the cooing of other | Runts (for such they may be considered to be): perhaps ' the inspiration at the end of the coo may be a little more sonorous. But Pliny’s description (lib. x. 52) is applicable to all domestic Pigeons. “ In all, the song, similar and the same, is completed in a trine verse, be- sides a groaning conclusion. In winter they are mute, in spring vocal.” A well-grown moustache is the point ? cHAP.Iv.] ARCHANGEL PIGEONS—CHARACTERISTICS. 99 which the amateur is advised most strongly to insist © upon. Good Trumpeters are not common. Occasion- ally they are met with pure white. The AromancEL Piexon is not mentioned in any treatise on the subject that I have met with: nor can I - ascertain whether it owes its name to having been ori- ginally brought to us from the Russian port, or vid Arch- angel from some other quarter, as Tartary or India. My first glimpse of the bird was at Knowsley; and I have Since, through the liberal kindness of the Earl of Derby, become possessed of a pair from those. His lordship had them from the Messrs. Baker, of Chelsea. The colour- ing-of these birds is both rich and unique. The head, neck, and fore part of the back and body, is chestnut, or copper-colour, with changeable hues in different lights. The tail, wings, and hinder parts of the body are of a sort of blue-black ; but many of the feathers on the back and Shoulders are metallic and iridescent—a peculiarity not usual in other domestic Pigeons. The chestnut and blue- black portions of the bird do not terminate abruptly, but are gently shaded into each other. There is a darker bar at the end of the tail. The iris is very bright orange- red: the feet clean and unfeathered, and bright red. Archangel Pigeons have a turn of feathers at the back of the head very similar to that of the Trumpeter, or to_ Aldrovandi’s woodcuts of his Columba Cypria. It is the colouring rather than the form which so specially j distinguishes them. Their size is very much that of the Rock Dove, Itis curious, that of two Archangel Pigeons | sent me by a Yorkshire friend, one had the “turn” at | the back of the head, and the other was smooth-headed, or rather smooth-occiputed ; and the young they have H 2 omen” [CHAP. Iv. produced, when two have been reared, have mostly, if not always, been one “ turned ” and one smooth-pated bird, exactly as their parents. The older Ornithologists fur- nish no hint of Archangel Pigeons, that we have been able to find. A cock of this kind is now assiduously courting one of our cream-coloured Tumblers; but I am unable to describe the result of their crossing with other domestic breeds, which they doubtless will do. They are sufficiently prolific to be kept as stock birds; but they are at present too valuable, either as presents or for exchange, to be consigned to the hands of the cook. Still it is with the higher rather than the lower class of Pigeon-fanciers that they are in much request. Bigoted Tumbler-breeders and panting blowers-up of Powters will look on a pair of glowing Archangels with almost the same contemptuous glance that they would bestow on a parcel of “ Duffers,” or dovehouse Pigeons, packed up to be shot at for a wager. Nuns are dear little creatures. The former breed belongs to the “gravel eyes,” these are pleasing in- stances of the “pearl eye,” the iris being delicately shaded from pink into white. Their colouring is vari- ous. ‘The most beautiful specimens,” says Temminck, “are those which are black, but have the quill feathers and the head white: they are called Nonnains-Maurins.” But the most usual sort, and exceedingly pretty birds they are, are what Buffon styles coquille hollandais, or Dutch shell Pigeons, “ because they have, at the back of their head, reversed feathers, which form a sort of shell. They are also of short stature. They have the head black, the tip (the whole?) of the tail and the ends of the wings (quill feathers) also black, and all the CHAP. IV.] NUNS. 101 rest of the body white. This black-headed variety so strongly resembles the Tern (hirondelle de mer) that some persons have given it that name.” Nun. Barb. Jacobine. “The Nun,” says the Treatise, “ is a bird that attracts the eye greatly, from the contrast in her 102 NUNS—THEIR PECULIARITIES. [CHAP. IV. plumage, which is very peculiar, and she seems to take her name ‘entirely from it, her head being, as it were, covered with a veil. «Her body is all white; her head, tail, and six of her flight feathers ought to be entirely either black, red, or yellow, viz., if her head be black, her tail and flight should be black likewise; if her head be red, then her tail and flight should be red; or if her head be yellow, her tail and flight should also be yellow; and, accord- ingly, they are called either red-headed Nuns. yellow- headed Nuns, &c., and whatever feathers vary from this are said to be foul; for instance, should a black-headed Nun have a white, or any other coloured feather, in her head, except black, she would be called foul-headed ; or a white feather in her flight, she would be called foul- flighted, &c.; and the same’ rule stands good in the red-headed or yellow-headed ones; though the best of them all will sometimes throw a few foul feathers, and those that are so but in a small degree, though not so much valued in themselves, will often breed as clean- feathered birds as those that are not. “A Nun ought likewise to have a pearl eye, with a small head and beak; and to have a white hood, or tuft of feathers on the hinder part of the head, which the larger it is, adds the more beauty to the bird.” * In size, Nuns are somewhat less than the common dove-house Pigeons. Their flight is bold and graceful; they are very fairly prolific, and by no means bad nurses. A peculiarity in the new-hatched chicks of the , black-headed Nuns is, that their feet are frequently, \ perhaps always, stained with dark lead colour. All * Treatise, p. 124. ere EITC G ? CHAP. Iv.] JACOBINES.—‘‘ TOY” PIGEONS. 103 the Nuns are great favourites, except with those fanciers who are devoted. to monstrous Tumblers and Powters. A flock consisting entirely of the black-headed sort has a very pleasing effect; but one containing individuals of | all the procurable varieties of colour, (the arrangement of this on the birds, and their shape, being exactly similar,) would have a very charming appearance. I have seen a half-bred Nun and Carrier in which the Nun almost entirely predominated : respective sex of the parents, unknown. Jacopine, Ruffled Jack, Ruff, Pigeon carme, Co- lumba cucullata, and Capuchin, are names all appli- cable to the same type of bird, however bred or crossed, and all derived from some reference to ecclesiastical costume*. Where there are Nuns, it is natural to look for Friars in the neighbourhood ; and here they are, only not half so pretty, nor half so good. The Ja- cobines are about the most unproductive of our Pigeons ; they lay small eggs, which they incubate unsteadily, and, if they hatch them, nurse carelessly. It is best to transfer their eggs to some more trustworthy foster- parents. These are included among the Pigeons tech- nically called “toys;” Tumblers, Powters, and Car- riers being alone considered worthy of the serious attention of fanciers. It is really amusing to read of _* © Jacobines, called by the Low Dutch, Cappers, because in the hinder part of the head, or nape of the neck, certain feathers re- flected upward encompass the head behind, almost after the fashion of a Monk’s hood, when he puts it back to uncover his head. These | are called Cyprus Pigeons by Aldrovand, and there are of them | tough-footed. Aldrovandus hath set forth three or four either Species or accidental varieties of this kind. Their bill is short. The | Irides of their eyes of a pearl colour, and the head (as Mr. Cope ` told us) in all white.” — Willughby. Seine. came A yp PERE yore 104 COLUMBARIAN DISTINCTIONS. (CHAP. IV. the superiority and importance conferred by the pos- session of a first-rate stock of Pigeons. The following quotation will show the notions entertained on the sub- ject by genteel people in 1765 :— “It may not be amiss, before I conclude this head (The Almond T umbler), to remark a distinction which the society of Columbarians make between Pigeon- fanciers and Pigeon-keepers, viz., such gentlemen who keep good of the sort, whether they are almond, black- mottled, or yellow-mottled Tumblers, Carriers, Powters, Horsemen, Dragoons, Leghorn or Spanish Runts, Ja- cobines, Barbs, Turbits, Owls, broad-tailed Shakers, Nuns, Spots, Trumpeters, &c., are stiled fanciers; on the contrary, those who keep trash are called Pigeon- keepers, of which last denomination there are a sur- prising number. It is prodigiously amazing and un- accountable, that any gentleman will bestow food upon such as are not in reality worth the tares they devour, and can be accounted for no other way than by sup- posing such gentlemen utterly unacquainted with the true properties and perfections of the several species they entertain, which, it must be confessed, is rather a harsh supposition (except they breed for the spit only, and even then their table might be as amply supplied by the better sort), the expense of keeping either being equal in every respect, the difference arising only in the pur- chase of one pair. Should any objection be made to the expence of the first purchase of the better sort, I answer it is infinitely cheaper to bestow four or five guineas on one pair of good birds, than to begin with bad ones at eighteen-pence a pair, the value of which can never be enhanced. I hope I need not here apolo- gize, or be thought ill-natured by those gentlemen CHAP. Iv.] JACOBINES.—DEALERS TRICKS. 105 whose fancy may differ from mine, in giving my real sentiments and opinion so freely, as I have advanced nothing but matter of fact, and what is the result of many years’ experience.” * One feels inclined humbly to intreat this connois- seur, if he were surviving, to condescend to look in one day, and wring the necks of all one’s “trash.” There is a degree of sublimity in the idea of pigeon-pie com- posed of birds at five guineas the pair! The same author, however, describes the points of the Jacobine so clearly, that we cannot do better than refer to him again for aid. “It has a range of feathers inverted quite over the hinder part of the head, and reaching down on each side of the neck to the shoulders of the wings, which forms a kind of hood, something like a friar’s, from whence it takes the name of Jaco- bine; the fathers of that order wearing hoods to cover their baldness. Therefore the upper part of this range of feathers is called the hood; and the more compact these feathers are, and the closer they are to the head, so much the more the bird is valued: the lower part of this range of feathers is, with us, called the chain, but the Dutch call it the cravat—the fea- thers of which should be long and close, that were you to strain the neck a little, by taking hold of the bill, the two sides should fold over each other, which may be seen in some of the best. Sometimes the pigeon-dealers cut a piece of skin out between the throat and the chest, and sew it up again, by which means the chain is drawn closer. “ The Jacobine should have a very small head, with * Treatise, p. 65. as CARICATURE.——TURBITS. [CHAP. Iv. a quick rise, &c., and a spindle beak, the shorter the better, like that of a Tumbler, and a pearl eye. In regard to the feather, there are various coloured ones, such as reds, blues, mottled, blacks, and yellows ; the preference of which seems to be given to the last mentioned ; but whatever’ colour they are of, they should have a clean white head, with a white flight and white tail. Some of them have feathers on their legs and feet, others have none; and both sorts are equally esteemed according to the different inclinations of those who fancy them. “ The following being in itself so uncommon, and a fact, I cannot help taking notice of it; a person the other day passing through Fleet Street, seeing a print of this bird at a shop-window, stopped to make his observations thereon, and having well viewed it, he went in and purchased it, declaring to the seller, that he never saw a stronger likeness in his life; and as for the wig, it was exactly the same he always wore. For he imagined it altogether a caricature of one of his intimate acquaintance; and the person of whom he bought it, did not think it necessary at that time to undeceive him.” The Turpir* is the breed which the French writers have supposed to be the most isolated of the domestic races, and to have greater claims than any of hem to specific distinction. I cannot say that my * “ Turbits, of the meaning and original of which name I must ‘confess myself to be ignorant. They have a very short thick bill, like a Bullfinch; the crown of their head is flat and depressed ; the feathers on the breast reflected both ways. They are about the bigness of the Jacodines, or a little bigger. I take these to be the „n Candy or Indian Doves of Aldrovand, the Low Dutch Cortbeke.”— \ Willughby. CHAP. Iv.] TEMMINCK’S NOTIONS. 107 own experience or observations confirm this remark. It is just as distinct, and no more so, as the other domestic breeds. Whatever right they may be ad- judged to have to specific honours, the Turbit also has, / but no greater. $ Temminck complains of the difficulties which ama- teurs experience in making them propagate with other races supposed to be derived from the Biset; but two brown-shouldered hen Turbits in my possession have paired and bred, one with an Owl (Pigeon) the other with a Rock Dove, or Biset itself. In the former case, the young mostly resembled one the male and © the other the female parent, with a few foul feathers on each ; in the second case the young resembled the male parent, or Rock Dove, with scarcely a trace of the ma- ternal plumage. Instances sometimes occur of sterile males among Turbits ; a fact which may have led Tem- minck to suppose that these birds entertain some general aversion to the females of other breeds ; but like cases of infecundity occur with China Ganders and even with Turkey Cocks. Buffon says of the Pigeon Cravate, or Turbit, that it is scarcely larger than a Turtle, and that by pairing them, hybrids are produced, a statement which is | quoted by Temminck. But in one very important | point it differs from the Turtle; its time of incubation | is the same as that of other domestic Pigeons, whereas | the Collared Turtle at least hatches in a much shorter * period. According to the Treatise, “ This Pigeon is called * by the Dutch Cort-beke, or Short-bill, on account of the shortness of its beak; but how it came by the OWLS. [CHAP. IV. name of Turbit I cannot take upon me to deter- mine. “It is a small Pigeon, something larger than the Owl; its beak is short like that of a Partridge; and the shorter it is the more it is valued; it should have a round button head, with a gullet; and the feathers on the breast (like that of the Owl) open, and reflect both ways, standing out almost like a fringe, or the frill of a shirt; and the bird is valued in proportion to the goodness of the frill or purle. “In regard to their feather, the tail and back of the wings ought to be of one entire colour, as blue, black, dun, &c., the red and yellow ones excepted, whose tails should be white; and those that are blue should have black bars cross the wings; the flight feathers, and all the rest of the body should be white, and are called by the fanciers according to the colour they are of, ag black-shouldered, yellow-shouldered, blue-shouldered Turbits, &c. They are a very pretty light Pigeon; and if used to fly when young, some of them make very good flyers. _ There are some Turbits all white, black and blue, | which by a mistake are often called and taken for Owls,” pp. 127-8. And well they may be: distinction of colour is all that can be perceived by common eyes. It is said that in Owls, the feathers round the neck ought to have a certain, slight, hardly describable twist: but wishing only to describe the really typical domestic forms, I hesitate to give the Owls any paragraph to themselves. The iris in the brown-shouldered Turbit is dark hazel surrounding a large black pupil. The attention O CHAP. 1V.) RAPID GROWTH OF YOUNG COLUMBIDÆ. 109 of naturalists may be directed to the similarity in the shape and air of the head in the Fantail, the Jacobin, and the Turbit, all races with striking peculiarities of | feather. Turbits, if the faulty members of the family are rejected, are a satisfactorily prolific race. The results obtained from a bird of this breed, will serve as a special instance of the rapid rate of increase of the young among the Columbide in general. On the 27th of June, 1849, a male blue Owl that had mated with a female black-headed Nun, hatched one chick. The second egg, being clear or unfertilised, had been taken away from them some days previously. The egg producing this chick had been cracked three or four days before hatching, by a blow from the Owl’s wing, given in anger at my examining it. The chick had grown much in the few hours intervening between its exclusion and the time of my seeing it. It was blind, and covered with long yellow, cottony down. In the afternoon of the Ist of July, it first opened its eyes to the light. Now the average weight of a domestic Pi- geon’s egg is about half an ounce; rather more for the large breeds, as Runts and Powters, and rather less for the smaller ones, such as the parents of our present chick. A Collared Turtle’s egg weighs about a quarter ofan ounce. But on the 3rd of July, this little crea- ture, that on the 27th of June would hardly balance a half ounce weight, now weighed four ounces and a half, and its feathers, or rather its feather-cases, were prick- ing through its skin like a Hedgehog’s spines. On the 4th it weighed 5 oz. 6dr.; of course part of that weight was made up of the contents of the crop, which now contained a portion of hard food. July 6th, weight 8% 0z.; feather-cases very long and much started, the 110 INCREASE OF THE SQUABS. [CHAP. Iv. feathers themselves much protruding. J uly 9th, weight 10 oz.; only one parent attending to it. July 11th, weight 103 oz. July 14th, 11 oz. July 16th, 114 oz. July 18th, 117 0z.; the growth seemed now principally directed to the quill feathers, which accounts for its less rapid increase in weight. July 26th, the weight of the squeaker was 1240z.; it was capable of flying and feed- ing itself, and only wanted strength and a little corro- borative time, to be a perfect independent adult bird. At the same date of July 26th, the weight of the Owl, its male parent, was only 114 0z.; so that, in about a month, its own young one had exceeded it in weight. It takes many quadrupeds several years to attain the bulk of their parents; the chick of a common hen, at the end of a month from hatching, is very far indeed from equalling its mother in weight; but in the case of Pigeons, we have the enormous increment of growth from half an ounce to twelve ounces and a quarter, within that short period. The wonder is accounted for by our knowledge that, for the first fortnight, the chick has the assistance of two digestions in addition to its own; and that during the month it has to undergo little or no exertion of body or brain, but merely to _ Teceive a liberal supply of ready-prepared nutriment. | In another case, a Powter mated to a Nun produced ' one chick on the 16th of July, 1849. Its weight when hatched was half an ounce. Its bill was not pink, but tinged under the cuticle with a dark pigment; this character it derived from its Nun parent. But on the 15th, another pair of Pigeons, both Powters, had hatch- ed a couple of chicks, one perhaps during the previous night, the other not till the middle of the day; their joint weight was then 1 oz. On the 16th, it had reach- CHAP. Iv.] BARBS—IMPROVE WITH AGE. FPH ed to 14 oz. only: and on the 19th, the smallest chick — died, seemingly of starvation, as the old ones appear to have neglected it: the other chick had been transferred on the 18th to the Nun and Powter which had hatched on the 16th. Under their care, on the 20th the eyes of both squabs were open, and a little hard food was in their crops. On the 26th, their joint weight was 15 0z.; their crops were half filled with hard food, the webs of the feathers were protruding through many of the feather-cases, and the birds advanced as rapidly to- wards maturity as in the former instance. Bars are elegant little birds; very quiet and demure in their appearance, and yet full of fun and activity. Their chief characteristic is a naked, wrinkled, red skin round the eye, which the books say, most likely with truth, increases till they are four years old. But Pigeons improve much, both in appearance and in con- stitutional powers, with age. They live, I believe, and continue fertile, much longer than is generally ima- gined. Many young pairs of Pigeons are condemned because their owners do not exercise sufficient patience with them; and from their peculiar habit of settling in a fixed home, to which they will return, if they can, at all hazards, it is not easy to possess a good stock of birds without passing through this preliminary disci- pline of patient pigeon-feeding. The best, though not the only colour for Barbs, is an entire black. In such, the prismatic shadin gs of the neck are particularly bean- ` tiful. The rate at which they will breed is not to be , complained of: and as to their crossings, the rule of the — paramount influence of the male seems to obtain. A little hen Barb that had lost her mate, was soon taken under the protection of a blue Antwerp Carrier. The 119 TUMBLERS— THEIR MERITS. [CHAP. Iv. young she has reared have borne but little resemblance to herself, and a marked one to their papa. And now for the TumBLeERs, the prettiest of the pretty. In approaching them one had need have more courage than Master Slender in the presence of sweet Anne Page; for the dealers and ultra-fanciers are standing by, like so many duennas or chaperons over a supposed marketable beauty or vendible heiress; and whatever eloquence may escape the lips of the suitor who does not quite answer their views, coolness and reserve are the reception he must expect to meet with. But of all the Doves that cleave the air, give me, in its unsophis- ticated and vulgarly bred state, the pretty little Tumbler. Birds at two or three shillings the pair are better than those at two or three guineas, in spite of the Treatise; the learned author of which we may magnanimously gainsay, without fear of contradiction, as he is long since quietin his grave. The Tumbler, whether you Frenchify it as the Pigeon Culbutant, or Latinise it as the Colum- ba gyratriæ, is sure to attract notice for its intrinsic excellences. Do you want a bird to eat? It is as good as any; a merit, though a humble one. It breeds as freely, and with as little trouble; and there is nothing so neat and trim as it is among domestic birds, not even the most perfect of the Sebright Bantams. With its little round head and patting red feet, it is exactly a feathered goody-two-shoes. And then, its performances in the air! beating all the Cordes Volantes, or Tightrope Diavoli, into disgraceful inferiority. It is decidedly the most accomplished member of the aerial ballet. Pirouettes, capers, tours de force, and pas d’agilité, all come alike in turn. Other Pigeons cer- tainly can take any course in the air, from a straight CHAP. Iv.] TUMBLERS.—FEATS OF WING. 113 line, that would satisfy Euclid as being the shortest distance between two points, to circles and ellipses that remind us of the choreal orbits of the planets round the sun; but the Tumbler, while it is rapidly wheeling past some sharp corner in a tightly-compressed para- bola, seems occasionally to tie a knot in the air through mere fun; and in its descents from aloft, to weave some intricate braid, or whip-lash. This latter per- formance, I suspect, is quite a leger-de-vol, or sleight of wing ; the bird does now and then tumble heels over head, and perform somersets, which the best clown at Astley’s would be unwilling to risk at the same alti- tude above terra firma — for example, on the tip of a cathedral spire, or in the car of a balloon—but many of these intricate weavings are the result of some trick, best known to the performer, the real solution of which may be suspected to be the non-coincidence of the apparent centre of gravity of the bird with its real one. The Indian jugglers have a similar feat, in throwing aball in a spiral course instead of in an acute parab@la, more or less approach- ing to a vertical straight line; and the laws of motion would assure us that, with a homogeneous ball, such a feat is impossible, under the existing circumstances of the universe. But take a large hollow sperical shell, heavily loaded internally at one point of its circum- ference with lead, so that the centre of gravity of the mass is by no means in the centre of the hollow sphere, and a clever juggler, by a dexterous twist, will make it play strange freaks. Just so, the wings and tail of the Tumbler are made to follow the impulse which them- Selves have given, and to revolve round the solid body I 114 TUMBLERS.--MORNING PERFORMANCE. [cHApP. Iv. of the bird, in seemingly the most unaccountable fashion. Our birds have all been shut up over-night, so to-day let us have a morning performance, by special desire. Terpsichore, the saltatory Muse, belongs as much to air as to earth. House-tops, or better, tree-tops, shall be the boards of our rustic opera-stage ; clouds shall be the wings ; the blue sky, the flies; the rising sun shall do his best to fill the place of the gas in the footlights ; the orchestra are selected from the élite of Cocks and Hens, Ducks and Geese, with China Geese for the wind instruments and ophicleides, Thrushes and Larks for first fiddles, and the Cow and the Pig for a pedal bass,—though the threshing-machine in the distance best represents that. The audience is composed of yourself, your wife, three or four boys and girls, the nursemaid with the little one, the woman who is hang- ing out the the week’s washing in the orchard, and the gardener who is come with a wheelbarrow to fetch some columbine guano for his melon-bed. This fresh breeze is better than the smell of orange-peel; that hedge of sweet-briar is more fragrant, though less powerful, than a leaky gas-pipe. The word is given; open sesame falls the trap; the performers appear on their little platform, for all the world like the strolling actors in front of a show at a fair, cooing, bowing, advancing, retiring, in this their divertissement. They plunge into their air-bath like truant schoolboys into a brook during the dog-days. The respectable aldermanic Powter swells his portly paunch to the utmost, claps his wings smartly, and sails about in circles : it seems marvellous that he should be able to fly at all! But pe R SS einen mn SIE i CHAP. Iv.] TUMBLERS—OF DIVERS COLOURS. 115 that darling little cinnamon Tumbler, what a height ít | is! And now, seven times, I thought I counted, it | 1p went over ; but whether it was over, or under, or round- about, it would be difficult to say. Does your neck ache ? Pray do not complain of it; greater folks than us, | when the Hawk and the Heron were trying to over- | reach each other, had to strain their eyes and necks a, | great deal more to enjoy the sport, and had a chance too of scratching out the one, or breaking the other, by riding into a bramble-bush or a pit—a danger we are not likely to incur on this pleasant grass plot. But, 4 you see, the Fantails and the Runts are content to l decline these ambitious flights, and to make sure of what grain they can while the chickens are being fed. And now, as the Tumblers are descending to earth again, the business of ‘The Dovecote ” must proceed more steadily. “ Tumblers; these are small,” saith Willughby, “and of divers colours. They have strange motions, turning themselves backward over their heads, and shew like footballs in the air.” Among the prettiest || of them are what are called Kites, when purely, not un- » E naturally bred. Kites, are those Tumblers which are "=" ji | self, or whole-coloured, i. e., all black, or all cinnamon- colour, in various shades, or all cream-colour ; there are, besides, various “splashes,” as myrtle-splash, cinnamon- Splash, &c. But, it will be perceived, that, at any dis- tance from the eye, whole-coloured birds are by far the most telling in a group, and the most ornamental, where the birds are flown, and not mewed up in a loft all their lives long. “ The fancy” worship the Almond Tum- blers, which are curious enough when minutely in- Spected; but a quotation from the Treatise will show, E 116 ALMOND TUMBLERS. [CHAP. IV. that however beautiful near at hand, they can only look dirt-coloured when seen from any distance. “ I have had,” boasts the anonymous author of that shamefully, because unthankfully, plagiarised little volume, “ I have had some so remarkably beautiful in feather, that their flight, tail, back, and rump, have resembled a bed of the best and finest broken tulips that can be imagined, or a piece of the best and most high-polished tortoise-shell ; for the more they are variegated, particularly in the flight and tail (provided the ground be yellow) the more they are esteemed.” “ I have had some in my collec- tion that have had few feathers in them, but what have contained the three colours that constitute the almond or ermine, viz., black, yellow, and white, variously and richly interspersed.” “ In short, their beauty far sur- passes all description, and nothing but the eye can convey a just idea of them.” But all these intricate markings are lost to the eye, unless the Pigeon is kept almost as a cage-bird. For those who will have the perfect tri-colour Al- mond Tumbler, it is better, in purchasing young ones, not to form a judgment upon the birds them- selves, but, if it can be managed, to get a sight of their parents. The bill shrinks, that is, hardens, for some weeks after the old ones have ceased to feed them; and the gay colouring has only very partially appeared in early youth. At the first moult, many of the diverse markings break out for the first time, and Tumblers in general do not attain their complete beauty till they are at least two or three years old. Our experience is eon- firmed by the Treatise. “ It requires a very nice judgment to form any kind of true knowledge of them ; and amongst the whole circle of my acquaintance, there CHAP. Iv.] ALMOND TUMBLERS— DEFORMITIES. 117 are but very few that may be said to understand them : every time they moult their feathers, they increase in beauty for some years; and when in decline of life, they gradually decrease, till they become sometimes a mot- tled, splashed, or whole colour.”. We wish it had been recorded at what epoch of a Tumbler’s life the sun of its tricolorism begins to set. But what has caused the great wonderment about Al- | mond Tumblers, is their form; the whole thing, how- ever, is very simple. The common Tumbler, au naturel, has a compact little body, with a round head, a short beak, and neat little feet. But this did not content the fanciers. By pairing together birds, in which these qualities were the most exaggerated, they got bodies still more compact, heads yet rounder, beaks shorter, and feet neater. It was the breeder’s art carried to the uttermost, but no sample whatever of the creative power of man (I can hardly bring the pen to write the words!) according to Gallic phrase. As to the beaks, do what the fancier would, they still were not small enough, and then the penknife was brought into use to pare them down below the standard. The young of the birds so | operated on had not, perhaps, smaller beaks than those originally possessed by their parents, any more than a Wooden-legged man is necessarily the father of a wooden- legged family; but still they sold, and that was enough. And by coupling the most monstrous individuals of a race, a family of monsters are kept in existence for a time. Itis possible that a despot might be able to in- crease the number of club-footed men and women in his dominions, just as William of Prussia tried hard to suit all his extra-tall guardsmen with wives of equally alpine altitude ; but in the long run club feet might follow the 118 LEARNING TO TUMBLE. [CHAP. Iv. usual average, by the same law of nature—the best of despots—which has prevented the stature of the Prus- sians from becoming altogether colossal. Tumblers have been bred with their beaks so small that they cannot | feed their own young, and with their frames so com- | | pact, that they cannot fly to the top of their breeder’s | bedstead. They are called Tumblers, only because if they could fly they would tumble. The variation of the species Tumbler has been pushed to its utmost possible limits. Were the limit exceeded, the bird could not be propagated, if it could exist, at all. Tumbling in the air, on the part of good unsophisti- cated Tumblers, is to themselves an act of pleasure. They never do it, unless they are in good health and | spirits: their best performances are after being let out | from a short confinement. The young Tumbler, as soon | as it has gained sufficient strength of wing, finds out by i some chance that it can tumble; it is delighted at the | discovery, and goes on practising, till at last it executes | the revolution with satisfaction to itself—a feat the | French have not performed of late years. Often and | often the young Tumbler may be seen trying to get over, \ but cannot nicely; the same firmness of muscle and deci- - sion of mind are required to execute that coup, which em- power the leading men at Astley’s to throw their fortieth or fiftieth somerset backwards, and enable the première danseuse at the opera to drop from the air, and stand for a second or two in an impossible attitude on tiptoe. Beginners are incapable of such excellence. In short, the Treatise sums up all with an enthusiasm which distances criticism and overwhelms cavil. “ The Almond Tumbler is a very small Pigeon, with a short body, short legs, a full chest, a thin neck, a very a pe ae CHAP. Iv.] BALD-PATES.—HELMETS. 119 short and spindle beak, and a round button head, and the iris of the eye a bright pearl colour; and when in perfection is perhaps as great, if not the greatest curio- sity in the whole fancy of Pigeons; and would take up a. small volume to expatiate on and enter such a descrip- tion as it would admit of, and really deserves.” Tumblers with feathered feet and legs are not at all uncommon. Barp-patus are pleasing birds, with a very genuine look about them. The character of the head much re- sembles that of the Turbit and the Jacobine. Their name is derived from their having usually the head, tail, and flight feathers white, and the rest of the body of some uniform colour : those with slate-coloured bodies are as pretty as any. Sometimes the arrangement of this colouring is reversed; the body is white, and the head, tail, and quills coloured. They then answer to the description of a breed given in the Treatise. The Helmet is about the size of a Nun, or somewhat bigger: the head, tail, and flight feathers of the wings, are always of one colour, as black, red, yellow ; and I believe there are some blue, and all the rest of the body white; so that the chief difference between them and a i Non is, that they have no hood on the under part of the | head, and are commonly gravel-eyed. “ They are called Helmets from their heads being Covered with a plumage which is distinct in colour from the body, and appears somewhat like an helmet to cover the head.” * . Bald-pates are robust birds, strong flyers, good breeders, and sufficiently prolific to be kept for table * Treatise, p. 135, 120 POWTERS. [CHAP. IV. purposes. They are nothing new in the Pigeon world. Willughby describes them. ‘‘ Helmets. In these the head, tail, and quill feathers of the wings are always of one colour, sometimes white, sometimes black, red, yel- low, or blue; the rest of the body of another, different from that, whatever it be. These are also called Helmet by the Low Dutch, as Aldrovandus writes from the relalation of the fore-mentioned Dutchman.”* Aldro- vand’s own description is so nearly the same as this, that it is unnecessary to quote it. To this race are to be referred the Magpies, Spots, Swallows, &c. of the dealers. In all these the form, size and powers of the bird remain the same; there are certain variations of colour only, . which follow a definite rule in all the sub-races, the leading principle being that the head exhibits a marked contrast to the body. In none of these are the colours shaded or blended into each other, as is the case with the Archangel Pigeon; but, in all, the line of demar- cation is as sharp as the junction of the white and the chestnut in a piebald Horse. Buffon mentions them. “ Il y en a quon appelle aussi (besides the Nuns) Pigeons hirondelles.—C’est à cette variété quil faut rapporter le pigeon cuirassé de Jonston et de Wil- lughby.” $ PowreErs appear to us to be the most isolated of the domestic Pigeons; they bear little resemblance to any of the other kinds, and it is difficult to say to which breed they are most nearly related. If, as some writers have held, the inflation of the crop is the peculiar dis- tinction of the Pigeon, Powters ought to stand at the head of the whole family of Columbide. Provincially * Treatise, p. 182. + Columba galeata. Av. p. 63. i CHAP. Iy.] CROPPERS—THEIR CARRIAGE. 121 they are called Croppers, which is not a vulgarism, but an old form of speech. “ Oroppers, so called because they can, and usually do, by attracting the Air, blow up their Crops to that strange bigness that they exceed the bulk of the whole body beside ; and which, as they fly, and while they make that murmuring noise, swell their throats to a great bigness, and the bigger, the better and more generous they are esteemed.” * The hen Cropper also has an inflated crop like the male; the same in kind, though less in degree. When zealous fanciers want to form an opinion of the merits of a Cropper Pigeon, they inflate the crop by applying the bird’s mouth to their own, and blowing into it, ex- actly as if they were filling a bladder with air, till it is extended to the very utmost. Nor does the patient seem in the least to dislike the operation; but the con- trary; and when set upon its legs choke-full of wind, it will endeavour to retain the charge as tightly as it can, and appears actually to be pleased with, and proud of, the enormity of the natural balloon which it carries about with it. The only analogous case I am acquainted with is the fish which blows itself out with air, and then floats on the surface of the sea, belly upwards. I cannot agree with those who think the gait and- appearance of Cropper Pigeons at all displeasing or un- natural, although they certainly are a very marked and peculiar style of bird. We can admire the classic figure of Atlas with the globe upon his shoulders ; the Cropper is an Atlas wearing the globe under his shirt front. He * Willughby. Taa CROPPERS.—SMITERS. [CHAP. IV. has indeed something of a military air, and requires but a few finishing touches from a drilling-master to make his demeanour perfect in formality and politeness. We have seen gentlemen belonging to Her Majesty’s army, whose back-thrown head, super-erect carriage, taper waist, and well-padded breast, brought them very much to the model of a gigantic Cropper, and whose counte- nances betrayed no dissatisfaction with their own personal appearance; and a style of beauty which contents a man, may surely be allowed to please a bird. The feathered legs and the sweeping tail may be supposed to complete the likeness, by representing spurs and dangling and trailing what-nots. The flight also of the Oropper is stately and dignified in its way. The inflated crop is not generally collapsed by the exertion, but is seen to move slowly forward through the air, like a large permanent soap-bubble, with a body and wings attached to it. The bird is fond of clapping his wings loudly at first starting to take his few lazy rounds in the air; for he is too much of a fine gentleman to condescend to violent exertion. Other Pigeons will indulge in the same action in a less degree, but Croppers are the claqueurs par excellence ; and hence we believe the Smiters of Willughby to be only a synonym of the present kind. He says, “I take _ these to be those, which the fore-mentioned Hollander told Aldrovandus, that his countrymen called Draiiers. These do not only shake their wings as they fly: but also flying round about in a ring, especially over their females, clap them so strongly, that they make a greater sound than two battledores or other boards struck one against another. Whence it comes to pass, that their | CHAP. IV.] POWTERS — PECULIARITIES. 123 quill-feathers are almost always broken and shattered ; and sometimes so bad, that they cannot fly.” A | Smiters and Croppers, or something very like them, T must have been known and kept so long back even as I ; Pliny’s time. ‘Nosse credas suos colores, varietatem- que dispositam : quin etiam ex volatu queritur plaudere f in ceelo, varièque sulcare. Qué in ostentatione, ut vincte, l præbentur accipitri, implicatis strepitu pennis, qui non l nisi ipsis alarum humeris eliditur.” ‘“ You would think’ \ they were conscious of their own colours, and the va- | 4, | riety with which they are disposed: nay, they even ` attempt to make their flight a means of clapping in the, fn, air, and tracing various courses in it. By which osten- , Bi | tation they are betrayed to the power of the Hawk, as Le | A if bound, their feathers being entangled in the action of making the noise, which is produced only by the actual shoulders of their wings.” * Powters are of various colours; the most usual are blue, buff (vulgò cloth), splashed in various mixtures, and i | white. Pure white Powters are really handsome, and look very like white Owls in their sober circlings around the Pigeon-house. Apropos of the blue and the cloth- coloured birds, a friend asks, “ Have you ever observed | that if you pair a chestnut with a blue Pigeon, the cock | being, say the chestnut, the chances are that the young cock is blue, and the hen chestnut, and their offspring will come vice versd round again?”—H.H. This isa Curious alternation. Powters have deservedly a bad character as nurses, and it is usual to put the eggs of valuable birds under other Pigeons to hatch and rear ; but otherwise they are * Lib. x. 52. 124 POWTERS.—DEFECTS AND REMEDIES. [CHAP. IV. not deficient in natural powers, either of hardiness, flight, or memory. I am well acquainted with the party to whom the following case happened :— “ I once had a pair of Pigeons of the Cropper kind given to me by a friend. I confined them about a month, with the view of breaking off the thoughts of their former home; but as soon as they had their liberty, they flew towards their old habitation. The hen arrived immediately; but, strange to say, her mate did not till two years afterwards. No doubt he was trapped, and re- mained in confinement during the whole of that time. The distance to their old home was only four miles and a half, but what seems curious is, that a Pigeon should recollect his home after two years’ absence. My friend told me, that as soon as the Cropper cock got back again, he began to play the same tricks as he used to do before he was sent away to me.”—J. W. ` An objection to Powters is, that the largest-cropped birds seldom have their crops perfectly covered with feathers, but show a great deal of naked skin (from their rubbing off) which leaves the beholder to imagine the beautiful plumage which ought to be beheld. They are also apt to be gorged by over-feeding themselves; in which case we have proved the benefit of the directions in the Treatise, adding to them, however, a calomel and colocynth pill. “ When they have been too long from grain, they will eat so much that they cannot di- gest it; but it will lie and corrupt in the crop, and kill the Pigeon: if this, therefore, at any time happens, take the following method :— “ Put them in a strait stocking, with their feet down- ward, stroking up the crop, that the bag which contains the meat may not hang down; then hang the stocking CHAP. IV.] POWTERS—THEIR CROSSES. 125 upon a nail, keeping them in this manner till they have digested their food, only not forgetting to give them now and then a little water, and it will often cure them; but when you take them out of the stocking, put them in an open basket or coop, giving them but a little meat at atime, or else they will be apt to gorge again.”* No space remains to give the technical points of the Powters of the fancy, which would best be done by liberal quotation from the ‘Treatise. The author quite sympathises with the “ insanity” of the ancient Romans. He elaborately describes five properties of the standard Powter, and six rules for the manner in which a Powter should be pied, as “ published and in use among the columbarians ;” and sums up all philo- sophically thus :— “ A Powter that would answer to all these properties, might very justly be deemed perfect; but as absolute perfection is incompatible with anything in this world, that Pigeon which makes the nearest advances towards them is most undoubtedly the best.” + Some of the crosses between Powters and other Pigeons are held in esteem; that most prized is the cross with the Carrier, as being a bird of powerful flight. “ Light horsemen. This is a bastard kind, of one parent a Crop- per, the other a Carrier, and so they partake of both, as appears by the wattles of their bill, and their swollen throats. They are the best breeders of all, and will not lightly forsake any house to which they have been ac- customed.”t The same mixture of breeds often goes by the name of Dragoon. The Treatise applies the * Treatise, p. 38. + Th. p. 160. lt Willughby. CARRIERS. (CHAP. IV. term to the cross between the Horseman and the Tum- bler. There is another Horseman, of which the Treatise observes, “ It is to this day a matter of dispute, whether this be an original Pigeon, or whether it be not a bas- tard strain, bred between a Carrier and a Tumbler, or a Carrier and a Powter; and so bred over again from a Carrier; and the oftener it is thus bred, the stouter the Horseman becomes. “ The only thing that seems inclinable to favour the opinion that they are original, is a strain of this kind brought over from Scandaroon, which will fly very great lengths, and very swift; but still the answer readily occurs, that they may be bred originally the same way at Scandaroon, and so transmitted to us; but that we cannot determine.” CARRIERS are a race of Pigeons which from a remote antiquity have been employed in the office of fetching, rather than of carrying, letters. They thus bring in- telligence home from whatever place, within their power of return, they may have been purposely sent to. They do not carry letters out wherever they are bid, as some have supposed. They are the reverse of the General Post: that forwards a note to any part of the known world ; they will only deliver a note from any part of the world known to them. To avail one’s self of the services of Carrier Pigeons, birds must first have been sent to the place from which intelligence is desired: so that in cases where difficulty of access is likely to occur, considerable foresight has to be exer- cised. It would be no use wishing for the arrival of a courier Pigeon from a fortified town, or the Eddystone neem I tT AT i A CE CHAP. Iy.] CARRIERS.—CASTLE OF THE DOVES. 127 Lighthouse, if the one were in a state of siege, and the — other fairly in for six weeks bad weather. The birds have to be kept and confined in the places whence they may be required to start on any emergency. If the points from which intelligence is to be con- veyed are situated at great angular distances from each other and from the central home, different sets of birds have to be maintained. The Pigeon which will tra- verse with practised ease the space from London to Birmingham, may be unable to find its way from Bangor or Glasgow to the same town. Carrier Pigeons have been largely employed in con- veying messages across the English Channel; the Antwerp birds are so celebrated as to be cultivated as a Separate sub-race; and there are few seaport towns on our eastern and southern coast, from Great Yarmouth to Penzance, in which there are not one or two Pigeon- trainers resident, to whose hands a variety of birds are constantly entrusted. It is over seas and desert tracts that Pigeons are the most useful as well as the surest messengers ; in civilized and thickly-peopled countries they are less needed, and are moreover apt to get entrapped or shot, and their secret stolen from them. Accordingly we find that they have been much em- ployed in the East: our Carrier Pigeons are nothing but an imitation of Oriental example. From the Many instances that might be given, we select one less hackneyed than usual. “ The Castle of Kooshler, or Castle of the Birds (at Bagdad), borrows its name from the Doves, by which an old monk formerly residing at this convent conveyed his letters. The convent crumbled into ruins on the birth-night of the Prophet; the remains of it go now 128 HOW CARRIERS FIND THEIR WAY. [CHAP. Iv. by the name of the Doves. The letter-doves (Koordjer) of Bagdad remained, and became an institution cele- brated in Greece, Arabia, and Persia. The inhabitants of Bagdad feed them together, and separate then the coveys, sending them to Syria, Egypt, and even to Yemen and India, from whence they return with letters written on fine silk paper. There are examples that such a Dove has been sold for five hundred piastres. The merchants of Cairo feed a great number of such Doves to convey letters to (from ?) their correspondents at Damietta, Rosetta, Alexandria, Algiers, Tunis, and Morocco on one side, and to (from?) Jedda, Yenboo, and Mecca on the other. These Dove messengers are continually under way from and to Bagdad and Cairo, and I saw many of them during my stay in Egypt. It is from them that this convent bears its name.” * The great puzzle to most persons is, how the Pigeon finds its way through such long distances as we know to be occasionally traversed by it. A correspondent, whose name stands high in the scientific world, guesses that animal magnetism may have something to do with it. ‘I should like,” he writes, “to inclose a Pigeon in some active galvanic machine, of such a nature, that if a magnet was also inclosed, its poles would be re- versed, and see whether the Pigeon thus transported would find its way home. I can imagine a bird to have a sense of its own diamagnetic condition, and so keep a sort of rough dead reckoning when transported.” I once asked a Pigeon-fancier whether he believed that there ever existed such a person as an honest Pigeon-dealer; after some consideration, he replied, * Southey’s Common-Place Book, 2nd Series, p. 447. CHAP. IV] PHRENOLOGICAL DOCTRINE. 129 “No!” I believe that such people, though rare, still areto be found. But this galvanic experiment, if suc- cessful, would completely and practically baffle the old tricks of the trade. We should only have to purchase a lot of Pigeons, reverse their poles by galvanism, and then turn them loose at once, fearless of the traps, not of the seller, but of the breeders who sold them to the seller, who, when lost Pigeons are inquired after, is so seldom able to remember the name and address of the parties from whom he had them. M. Temminck, unfortunately—writing on Domestic Pigeons not from his own experience, but relying on Parmentier and others—does not say a word about the Carrier; an omission in his valuable work which will render any information I can communicate all the more welcome to my readers. It is doubtful how far the faculty or instinct of these birds would enable them to discover their home through long intervals of unknown country, where the space between, say, two of their horizons from their highest elevation, is all fresh and devoid of recognisable landmarks. It is usual not to trust to such a power of discovery in birds that are to be em- ployed on any important service, but to train them, by taking them further and further from home. In con- ducting this mode of education, many a time, when a boy, have I gone out for a country walk, with two or three Pigeons in my pocket, or wrapped up in a silk handkerchief tucked under my arm, to be tossed off at the furthest point of the excursion, and to be found at home on my arrival there. Mr. George Combe, and the phrenological writers, account for the feats performed by the Carrier and other Pigeons, by supposing them to result from the K 130 THE ORGAN OF LOCALITY. [CHAP. IV. actión of a special organ of the brain, which they have named Locality, and which, when highly developed in man, appears as “two large prominences, of singular form, a little above the eyes, commencing near each side of the nose, and going obliquely upwards and out- wards, almost as high as the middle of the forehead.” Sir George Mackenzie considers the primitive faculty to be that of perceiving relative position. The organ is affirmed to be large in the busts and portraits of all eminent navigators and travellers, such as Columbus, Cook, and Mungo Park. Dr. Gall believes the organ to be possessed by the lower animals, and relates several amusing stories of dogs returning to their homes from a great distance, without the possibility of their having been guided by smell or sight ; indeed, his whole work is full of delightful illustrations of natural history. Similar facts with regard to other animals and birds must occur to the memory of every reader ; and we must allow that no credible hypothesis for the means by which this surprising faculty is exercised has been offered, except by the phrenologists. Dr. Gall considers it to belong to the organ of Locality. The Falcon of Iceland returns to its native place from a distance of thousands of miles; and Carrier Pigeons have long been celebrated for a similar tendency, though of inferior power. The migrations of Swallows, Nightingales, Terns, &c., are attributed by Dr. Gall to periodical and involuntary excitement of the organ of Locality ; for this excitement, it cannot be denied, occurs even in birds kept in cages, and abundantly supplied with food. We must admit that at least some affections of the mind are subject to involuntary and periodical excitement of various intensity. A gentle- CHAP. Iv.] EXPERIMENT WITH CARRIERS. 131 man with whom I was well acquainted, who had the organ of Locality largely developed, made his way with ease from a point in Argyleshire to one in In- verness-shire with no other guides than a pocket com- pass and an indifferent map—a feat which will be appreciated by those who have ever had a peep at the mountains of Glencoe, Glencroe, and the Devil’s Stair- case, which he had to cross. We give a quotation respecting Carrier Pigeons from the «Phrenological Journal,”* because it is much to the purpose, as well as because that work is not likely to fall in the way of the generality of readers. “ Dr. Gall considers this surprising talent (of birds and ani- mals returning to their homes) to have some connexion With the organ of Locality. I do not pretend to offer any hypothesis in relation to this matter, but shall state merely a few doubts and suggestions; and having some time ago made an experiment, with the view of ascer- taining whether Carrier Pigeons can instinctively return to their homes from a distance, or whether, to make them useful as messengers, it be necessary to teach them the road, I think it may be interesting to you to learn the result. “ A pair of very fine Carriers having been sent me by a friend, I kept them for some time in the house, and, I think, for about three weeks in the Pigeon-house, in order to give them full time to forget their former place of residence. When permitted to fly abroad, they returned to their new habitation, where they soon had young; and when these were able to provide for themselves, and the female was a second time busied in * Vol. viii. p. 71. k 2 ap O N E E E EA T89 EXPERIMENT. [CHAP. IV. the work of incubation, it was considered the best time to make the experiment, as the male would then have the strongest inducement to return to his mate. Ac- cordingly he was sent, along with his two young ones, to a friend’s near Kelso. That place was well adapted by its situation for the object in view; for, as the road lies over the high ridge of the Lammermoor Hills, it was necessary for the bird to fly to a great distance in the proper direction, before he could see any part of the country of which he was likely to have acquired a knowledge, while taking pleasure excursions through the air in clear weather from his own home—a pas- time much indulged in, when he was first allowed to fly from the Pigeon-house, and which in all probability was prompted by a strong desire to know the appear- ance of the land. To avoid all danger from sports- men, the bird was let off from my friend’s house on the Sunday morning; and after rising to a considerable height, he took his course in a fair direction towards home. He was not seen for two days, but, being unable to find his way home, he returned to the place where he had last seen his young, and which he had only time to observe as he towered in the air before he took his direct line of flight. On the top of this house he lived for some weeks, and until a Pigeon-house was made in the roof, and his young allowed to go out after being confined a proper time to the house. This, I think, when joined with other observations on the subject, clearly proves that the Carrier is guided in his journey solely by memory, and a knowledge of the country he has to traverse. These birds, when employed to carry intelligence from one part to another, are trained by being taken, first, say five miles from CHAP. Iv.] CARRIERS IN TURKEY. 133 home, then ten, and so on till the whole journey is completed by short stages; and even should the bird know the road, it cannot travel in foggy weather. “ Among these animals, as among men, some are more easily taught than others, and the fanciers distinguish the best birds by the height and fulness of the mem- brane above the nostrils; and the method they prac- tise to set off an indifferent bird is to raise this mem- brane, and puff up the part by stuffing pieces of cork under it.” I have tried similar experiments with similar results. Inexperienced birds return home from short distances very easily, if the ground over which they have to fly lies all in one plain or in one valley; but if any high ground intervenes between the place where they are thrown off and their home, they are very apt to lose their way. When thus bewildered, they are liable to get shot during their endeavours to find the right course, and in many. parts of England Sunday does not afford them the exemption from unauthorized gunners which it ought to do. In short, even if the phrenological doc- trine be true, that the Pigeon finds its way by means of the organ of locality in its brain, still that organ re- quires to be exercised, in order to be of service on any unusual emergency. The Treatise takes the same view of the performances of Carriers. | “In Turkey they call them Bagatins, or Couriers ; j and the Turks and Persians make a common practice of breeding this sort of Pigeons in their seraglios, where there is one whose business it is to feed and train these birds for the use afterwards designed, which is done in this manner: when a young one flies very hard at home and is come to its full strength, they carry it in poonam 184 SIR JOHN ROSS'S CARRIERS. [CHAP. IV- a basket, or otherwise, about half a mile from home, and there they turn it out; after this they carry it a mile, then two, four, eight, ten, twenty, &., till at length they will return from the furthest parts of the kingdom. This practice is of admirable use ; for every bashaw has generally a basket full of these Pigeons sent him from the grand seraglio ; and im case of any insurrection, or other emergent occasion, he braces a letter under the wings (?) of a Pigeon, whereby its flight is not in the least incommoded, and immediately turns it loose ; but for fear of their being shot, or struck by a hawk, they generally dispatch five or six; so that by this means dispatches are sent in a more safe and speedy method than could possibly be otherwise con- trived. N.B.—If a Pigeon be not practised when young, the best of them will fly but very indifferently, and may very possibly be lost.” * The N.B. explains everything; and an excellent commentary on the principles of Pigeon-flying has been called forth by the cruel hoax that has gone the round of the papers respecting the Pigeons supposed to have arrived in Seotland from Sir John Ross in the Arctic Regions. It appears that Miss Dunlop, of An- nan Hill, presented Sir John, on his leaving Ayr on his chivalrous expedition, with two pairs of Carrier Pigeons, an old pair and a young one. It was arranged that he should dispatch the young birds when he had fixed him- self in winter quarters, and the old ones when he fell in with his missing friend Sir John Franklin, in search of whom he was about to expose himself to Arctic dan- gers. The gift was kindly meant, but very foolish: the * Page 76. qme — Sara EXPLANATION. 135 lady had much better have presented the voyager and his crew with an enormous and well-seasoned Pigeon- pie to eat, and a barrel of good Scotch ale to drink, on first coming in sight of the ice; for hope deferred maketh the heart sick, both with friends at home, and with sailors abroad. On Sunday, the 13th of November, 1850, two strange Pigeons were observed flying about the dovecote at Annan Hill, which being under repair at the time was unfortunately shut. Suspicion was excited, and on next Thursday they were traced to the seat of a neighbouring gentleman, and one was secured. The fact of their being captured elsewhere, proves that they were only a pair of stray Pigeons, in search of a home they knew not where, and not Miss Dunlop’s Pigeons come back again. “ Its feathers were ruffled and somewhat torn, showing, very probably, that the dispatch attached to it had worn off in the long and weary flight of somewhere about 2000 miles. Unfortunately, therefore, there is no written intelligence from the explorers. The other bird has not been caught. We remember no similar feat being performed by a Pigeon,” &c., &e. In the “Manchester Guardian,” Mr. J. Galloway throws discredit on the whole affair, in the following very sensible remarks :—“ Those who know anything of the habits of Pigeons, or the careful training requisite to enable them to accomplish long flights, will not easily be led astray by the clumsy invention of some ignorant wag, desirous of practising on the credulity of the pub- lic. Two Pigeons were said to have been seen at a considerable distance from their cot, because it was shut up. This would be contrary to their habits ; they 1386 NECESSARY TRAINING. [cHAP. rv. would remain at their old habitation until nearly fa- mished with hunger. Again: one of them had the fea- thers ruffled or disordered under the wing, as if a let- ter had been fastened there. Now an express flyer of Pigeons would just as soon think of tying a letter to a bird’s tail, as under its wing. The practice is to roll some fine tissue paper neatly round the leg, secured with a thread of silk; and thus the bird can travel, without the paper causing resistance or impediment to its flight. Then, more marvellous still, the creature must have flown 2000 miles !—a considerable distance of which must have been over snowy or frozen regions. In modern times, no such distance as 2000 miles has been accomplished by any trained Carrier Pigeon. The merchants and manufacturers of Belgium have done more to test the capabilities of Pigeons than any other people. Their annual Pigeon-races produce an excite- ment almost equal to our horse-races. In 1844 one of the greatest races took place, from St. Sebastian, in Spain, to Vervier. The distance would be about 600 miles. Two hundred trained Pigeons, of the best breed in the world, were sent to St. Sebastian, and only 70 returned. In another race to Bordeaux, 86 pigeons were sent, and 20 returned. A strange and mistaken notion prevails that it is only necessary to send a Carrier Pigeon away from home and that its instinct will invariably lead it . back. Let any one try the experiment, and send the best bred Carriers at once to Birmingham, and I ven- ture to assert that not one will return to Manchester without previous training—viz. taking them short dis- tances at a time and then increasing by degrees. It has been asserted that Pigeons are guided on their return CHAP. Iv.] ANTWERP CARRIERS. 137 home from long distances by instinct. Instinct is said , |.” to be unerring; not so the Pigeon’s flight. If instinct ” be the guide, why not fly through foggy weather with equal speed and facility as in clear sunshine? This, it | is notorious, they cannot accomplish. When the ground is covered with snow, Pigeons seem to miss their points of guidance, and are lost. This would seem to favour the opinion that they travel by sight, and are less in- debted to instinct than is generally imagined. Carrier Pigeons do not fly at night; they settle down if they cannot reach their home by the dusk of evening, and renew their flight at daylight next morning. The ve- locity of a Pigeon’s flight seems to be greatly overrated ; and no doubt your readers will be surprised to learn that a locomotive railway engine can beat a Carrier Pigeon in a distance of 200 miles.” The flight of the Carrier-Pigeon is clearly not con- ducted by the same principle which guides the Stork, the Quail, and the Woodcock, over wide seas, by night. That may be an excitement of the organ of locality ; this is not. I have had birds, that had been taken from home six or seven miles, come back at last at the end of two or three days; i.e., they could not find their way immediately. In the same time in which they accom- plished these six or seven miles, migratory birds would have passed over four or five hundred at least. The Pigeons alluded to by Mr. Galloway are the famous Antwerp Carriers. But Antwerp Carriers have been cruelly vituperated by De Beranger, because they are now mostly employed in matters of business rather than of gallantry. His complaint is not to be won- dered at; for when sensuality once lays hold of a man, it often becomes his sole idea. No apology is offered Moa ~ ~ — = e a. A pee ee a a a E E 138 DE BERANGER. [CHAP. IV for the translation of his verses; it seems to the trans- lator to be quite as good as the original. LES PIGEONS DE LA BOURSE. Prexons, vous que la Muse antique Attelait au char des Amours, Où volez-vous? Las, en Belgique Des rentes vous portez le cours ! Ainsi, de tout faisant ressource, Nobles tarés, sots parvenus, Transforment en courtiers de bourse Les doux messagers de Vénus. De tendresse et de poésie, Quoi! l'homme en vain fut allaité. L'or allume une frénésie Qui flétrit jusqw’à la beauté ! Pour nous punir, oiseaux fidèles, Fuyez nos cupides vautours ; Aux cieux remportez sur vos ailes La poésie et les amours. THE STOCK (EXCHANGE) DOVES. Ye Pigeons, whom the ancient Muse Once harnessed to the car of Love, Where haste ye? Shame! Oh bear ye news To Antwerp how the markets move ? Thus ill-famed nobles, idiots vain, In hope to shun their threaten’d fate, In stock-jobbing employ the train That erst on Venus used to wait. On sentiment and poetry Was infant Man thus vainly fed 2 Shall gold maintain a tyranny That strikes the pow’r of beauty dead ? In just revenge, ye faithful race, Far from these greedy vultures fly, And heay’nwards bear through distant space All sweet amours and poetry. CHAP. Iv.] ENGLISH CARRIERS. 139 De Beranger was the poet, or perhaps the prophet of Socialism, and it would have been well for himself, as for others, if all his Chansons had been as harmless as this one. It will be no great loss to the rising genera- tion, if the Pigeons do carry utterly away a great part of M. de B.’s poesie and amours ; but they will cer- tainly remove them not to the heavens, but to some lower destination. As Carlysle said of Diderot, who- ever has read De Beranger ought to wash thrice in running water—under a good hydropathic douche for instance—after the perusal, and be clean, if he can, by those means. The English Carrier is mostly black in colour, and has the fleshy excrescences around the eyes, and at the base of the bill, much more developed than the Ant- werp birds. It is above the ordinary size of Pigeons, and its form is a happy combination of strength with gracefulness. Its beak is long and straight, in contrast with that of Turbits and Tumblers; its head is long and oval ; its neck thin and taper. The Antwerp Car- rier is still more slim in its proportions, with great length | of wing. Its colour also is more various. Well-bred | birds of both varieties are often kept during their whole lives in dealers’ cages, and then little observation of their movements can be made; but when indulged ‘with liberty they are impetuous and active, even more so than the Rock Dove, which would be the next best bird to employ as a letter-carrier. Such incarcerated birds can sometimes be bought with a warranty of their having never been flown, but even then great caution must be exercised in letting them out for the first time. They are apt, in their joy at emancipation, to dart off in a straight line, as if by some instinctive impulse, even eae ee ORIENTAL ORIGIN. [CHAP. IV. though they have no known home to go to; and so lose themselves beyond the power of retracing their way. Their acquaintanceship with the other Pigeons of the same loft offers the best chance of regaining them in such cases. The result of all the learning that one can collect respecting the Carrier Pigeons, clearly indicates their oriental origin. “The Dutch,” says the Treatise, “ call this Pigeon Bagadat, probably from a corruption of the name of the city Bagdat, which was formerly old Babylon, which Nimrod built; because they judge this Pigeon in its way from Bazora to be brought through that city.” The name of Nimrod recalls the legend that Semiramis herself is said to have been changed into a Dove; which sounds as incongruous a metamor- phosis as if we were told that Catherine of Russia had been changed into a Dove; for neither of those ladies could be said to be Doves before the change. Mr. Layard tells us, that, according to a tradition resembling the Orphic legends, Aphrodite herself was born of an egg, which fell out of heaven into the Euphrates, and was incubated by two Pigeons. Appended to this are the Doves of Venus and the oracular birds of Dodona. And we are further informed that in the earliest sculp- tures of Nimrod, the king is only sedħ in adoration before one symbol of the deity—the figure, with the wings and tail of a bird inclosed in a circle, resembling the Ormuzd of the Persian monuments. The resem- blance of a modification of this to the winged globe of Egypt is pointed out by Mr. Layard; and our own dove- like representation of the Holy Spirit may be an em- blem borrowed from these abstrusely-ancient symbols. And the superstitious regard which the modern Rus- eS en CHAP. Iv.] LACE AND FRIZZLED PIGEONS. 141 sians still entertain for the family of Pigeons, may be attributed to the influence of traditions whose source is far earlier than the Christian era. Tue Lacs and the Frizztep Piczons are both great rarities : the latter I have never seen ; the former only in the collection of her Majesty the Queen, at Wind- . sor. The Treatise speaks of the Lace Pigeon as “ ori- | ginally bred in Holland, where I am informed there are great numbers of them; though not one that I know of is to be seen in England at present. It is in size ra- ther less than a common Runt, and like it in shape and make ; though I once saw a Shaker of this kind; their colour is white, and they are valued on account of their scarcity and the peculiarity of their feathers ; the fibres, or web, of which appear disunited from each other throughout their entire plumage, and not the least con- nected, as is common with all other Pigeons, where they form a smooth close feather.” The birds most nearly approaching to these in plumage are the Silky Fowls. The Frizzled Pigeon is called by the Treatise, The Frilled-back. “ What is chiefly remarkable in them,” it says, “ is the turn of their feathers, which appear as if every one distinctly had been raised at the extremity with a small round pointed instrument, in such a man- ner as to form a small cavity in each of them. Aldro- vandi figures a ‘‘ Columba crispis pennis,” without giving , a description of it; but proving, however, that among | Pigeons, as among Fowls, there have existed, for some hundred years at least, Frizzled—or, as they are called by some, Friesland—races of birds. Beyond these there appear to me to be no other va- rieties of solely domestic Pigeons which demand notice; but a few supplemental particulars may be given before 142 SUPPLEMENTAL PARTICULARS. [CHAP. Iv. closing the chapter. “The eggs of the Columbide are all, as has been stated, much alike, and always pure white. Those of the Ring Dove are, however, more blunt and rounding in shape than the eggs of the do- | mestic birds, and do not taper so much. The young jalso of the different species vary very little at first. The old birds frequently, from some cause, seem to neg- lect one of their offspring, not giving it an equal quan- tity of food with the other one; nor does this neglected chick reach the size of its companion (which far out- strips it in growth) until it can feed itself. [Sometimes one of the two squabs is actually starved to death by the undue favouritism of the parents towards the other.] J have never known the eggs produce two hens, though I have frequently had instances of the young birds prov- ing both to be cocks ; and this may be discovered by the incessant bickerings they keep up, at the time when they ought to be forming a quiet matrimonial attach- ment. Some of the larger Pigeons, as the Runts and Powters, often have fierce engagements, dealing each other severe Swan-like blows with the wing, for an hour together. Hamlet useda metaphor which was only par- tially correct when he said, ‘But I am Pigeon-livered, and lack gall To make oppression bitter.’ Shakspeare elsewhere acknowledges that even Pigeons may occasionally be choleric. ‘The smallest worm will turn being trodden on; And Doves will peck in safeguard of their brood.’ Henry IV., Act 2, Scene 2nd (8rd Part). “ He also, in ‘ As you like it’ (Act 4, Scene 1), remem- bers the harshness with which the male bird drives the CHAP. IVv.] QUARRELS AND MATCHES. 143 truant female to her nest— I will be more jealous of thee than a Barbary Cock-pigeon over his hen.’ Which is saying a good deal, for Pigeons can buffet smartly. Indeed, I well remember, when a child, being terribly scared one day by a Powting Pigeon. I had gone up into a hay-loft when the old cock bird was sitting on his eggs at the corner of a truss of hay, just the height of my head. The place was nearly dark, and on passing close by him, he saluted me with a couple of sound boxes on the ear, accompanied by what I then thought a deep groan! “In their wing to wing engagements, the younger cocks generally succeed in mastering the elder ones. I have noticed, that when a hen Pigeon loses her mate by death or other accident, she generally goes off, and is lost to her owner, unless a husband be quickly sup- plied; but if the cock is the survivor, he will soon pro- vide himself with a mate from some quarter, though not always perhaps to the taste of his master. The conju- gal love and fidelity of these birds has always been made a great deal of; but there is no bird that will form a new attachment in so short a space of time. Wishing one day to pair a cock Pigeon more suitably, I took away the hen in the afternoon, and shut up the cock with his new companion. By the middle of next day they had paired, and were become excessively agreeable to each other. They were then let out, and by the afternoon of the day after had commenced build- ing. [In such cases, however, they are very apt to go back to their first love, unless he or she is utterly made away with.] It seems to be a rule among Pigeons (if food is plentiful and the weather not too severe), that as soon as ever the web of the young quill feathers appears on the squabs, the parents again commence building. | T44 MODE OF MATING. (CHAP. Iv. They still continue their care of the former ones after the second young are hatched, but seem often much re- lieved by their sudden disappearance into the depths of a pie. —H. H. But true love does not always run on thus smoothly : with Pigeons, if the cock is not a bit of a tyrant, the hen is apt to be an indomitable vixen. “ Notwithstand- ing they are very constant,” says the Treatise, “ when paired to each other, seldom parting, except when either of them grows sick or very old, yet ’t is difficult to make them pair to one’s mind. « Therefore, to oblige them to this, there should be two coops erected, called by the fanciers matching places, close together, with alath partition between them, that they may see each other ; and should be so contrived, that they may both eat and drink out of the same ves- sels, feeding them often with hemp-seed, which makes them salacious ; and when you observe the hen to sweep -her tail to the cock, as he plays in the other pen, which is termed shewing, you may put her in to him, and they will soon be matched. « But if, for want of this convenience, you are obliged, at first, to put them both into one coop, always put the cock in first for a few days, that he may be the master of the place, especially if the hen be a virago; otherwise they will fight so much as perhaps may settle in them an absolute aversion for ever after. But the cock, being master, will beat the hen, if refractory, into compli- ance,” * . Females in general will put up with any treatment, rather than with indifference and neglect. A woman * Treatise, p. 13. CHAP. IV.] FURTHER CHARACTERISTICS. 145 was one day discoursing with me respecting the virtues of her husband: “’E’s a werry good ’usband, Sir, a werry good ’usband indeed. To be sure, he do beat me now and then; but you know, Sir, men must have @ little reckeration ! ” Pigeons are thirsty creatures ; they like the neigh- bourhood of water, and seem heartily to enjoy the act of drinking. This is performed by plunging the head in, nearly up to the eyes, and taking a full draught at once, instead of sipping like cocks and hens. In incubation, they will not sit, like hens, much beyond their proper time ; it is after the young have appeared that the as- siduity of the parents is most manifested. Shakspere beautifully describes the character that was “as patient as a female Dove When that her golden couplets are disclosed.” “ The attachment of Pigeons to the place where they have been bred is well known, and the pertinacity with which they will return to their former abode, even after the greatest care and pains have been bestowed on them, is often most extraordinary. In one case I knew a hen to fly back eight times to her old habitation, although at the distance of some miles; and this bird could be easily identified, some one having drawn a slight line of scar- let paint round each eye, contrasting with her white head and neck. Pigeon dealers, some of whom are the great- est imaginable, will take advantage of this at- tachment to home; and in one case I ascertained a bird to have been sold three times over, to as many different persons ! “ Every year, exactly at the same time, viz. the be- ginning of July, the whole of our Pigeon stock, and also that of our neighbour, work most indefatigably at two L 146 [CHAP. IV. or three spots in our old pastures and park. What they get there I have never been able to ascertain, as there seem to be no available seeds of any kind to be had in these places. It is only for about a fortnight that the Pigeons frequent them. ‘Although our domestic Pigeons usually make use of only a moderate quantity of small sticks or straws in constructing their nests, yet there are occasionally a few curious exceptions. Last year I had a pair that took a fancy to build between some hurdles placed upright as a fence. Not being able to make a firm foundation, they first collected an immense mass of straw and other material, to fill up the space between them: after which they made the nest in the usual style."—H. H. The usual food of domestic Pigeons is gray peas, but they will thrive also on wheat, barley, and the smaller pulse and grain. Tares are mostly too dear with us to feed them with. They are fond of the seeds of many wild plants, and no doubt render good service in pre- venting the increase of weeds in those fields which they frequent. A great treat to them is to throw out the rubbish, after a threshing of wheat or barley is dressed, on some lawn, or in some orchard, where it can do no harm. They will search days together amongst this for dross corn, poppy-seeds, &c., and get many a meal from the minute tit-bits that would be utterly lost to cocks and hens. Nor, as they do not scratch, are they inju- rious in gardens, unless their little foot-prints be thought an eye-sore. They will not disturb anything which the gardener has properly deposited in the ground, and what they do pick up is what otherwise would be wasted. Hemp-seed, so often recommended, is apt to bring on skin disease. or CHAP. IV.] COMPARISON OF BREEDS. 147 The reader may here be disposed to ask, which is the most advisable sort of Pigeon to keep ; to which we re- ply that tastes differ ; please yourself without consulting others. If handsome, court-yard, table-birds are de- sired, we should much be disposed to recommend the larger breeds. But Runts, for some reason which is not very clear, are held in but little esteem in England. Fanciers disregard them because they are neither ele- gant in shape, beautiful in feather, nor pleasing in flight. Their size ought to recommend them for economical purposes, unless our climate, so unlike that of their native birth-place, the shores of the Mediterranean, is unfavourable to their profitable increase. But their great size makes them remarkable ornaments to the aviary, and their history, as far as we can guess at it, ought to attract the attention of the naturalist. “ The Leghorn Runt,” says the Treatise on Domestic Pigeons, “is a stately large Pigeon, some of them seven inches, or better; in legs, close feathered ; and firm in flesh, extremely broad-chested, and very short in the back; he carries his tail, when he walks, somewhat turned up, like a Duck’s; but when he plays, he tucks it down ; his neck is longer than any other Pigeon’s, which he carries bending, like a Goose or a Swan. [Some of these particulars show an approach to the Fantails.| He 18 Goose-headed, and his eye lies hollow in his head, With a thin skin round it much like the Dutch Tum- blers, but broader ; his beak is very short for so large a bird, with a small wattle (cere?) on it, and the upperchap alittle bending over the under. Mr. Moore says they are avery tender bird, but I must beg leave to dissent from that opinion of them, having kept them several winters ma little shed or room, one side of which was entirely L 2 RUNTS AND TRUMPETERS. [CHAP. IV, open, and exposed to the easterly winds, with no other fence but a net, which kept them confined. Care should be taken of their young ones, for they rear but few in the season, if left to bring them up themselves; there- fore it would be most proper to shift their eggs under a Dragoon, or some other good nurse, remembering to give them a young one to feed off their soft meat; if this method be pursued, they will breed very well. “ I have had a hen of the Leghorn breed that weighed two pounds two ounces avoirdupois weight; and have killed of their young ones which, when on the spit, were as large as middling spring fowls. It should be observed that these, and all other Runts, increase in bulk, till they are three or four years old. As to their feathers, they are various, but the best that I have seen were either white, black, or red-mottled. Leghorn Runts are more valued than any other sort of Runts, though there is a vast difference in them ; some of them being very bad ones, though brought from Leghorn.” There does not appear to be any great distinction be- tween the Leghorn, Spanish, and Roman Runts. Some of the latter are so big and heavy that they can hardly fly, which circumstance, if not the result of domestica- tion, would account for their disappearance in a wild state. \ The Runt was well known to Aldrovandi. He gives a woodcut of it, rude, but characteristic, and with the tail famously tucked up. The Trumpeter belongs to that family of extra-sized Pigeons, the Runts, which are so little valued in this country, although speci- mens, when to be met with, are rarely cheap. It is a bird which many would call ugly, but. is of striking appearance, from being so much larger than the Pigeons R CHAP. IV.] COMPARISON OF BREEDS. 149 usually seen, as well as from its thickly-feathered feet and legs, and the military cut of its head. I quite be- lieve that it received its title of Trumpeter rather on account of the helmet-like crest at the back of the head, and the tuft of feathers at the base of the beak, which have very much the air of well-curled mustachios, than because its coo is specially sonorous or brazen. May not the word Trumpeter be a corruption of the Italian Tronfo, or Runt? Temminck includes the Trumpeter in his brief account of the Pigeon Romain, or Runt, the Columba hispanica of Latham. He says, “ Some of these are found rough-footed, with very long feathers on their toes, which seem to incommode the bird in its move- ments ; others are tufted, the only difference being in the feathers of the occiput, which are turned and set up.” These have great claims on our favour from their classical associations: Turbits, Nuns, and Tumblers are both pretty and profitable ; but the Pigeon of greatest interest, a pure flock of which is almost an aristocrati- cal appendage to a mansion, is the bird which stands at the head of the following chapter. Blue Rock Pigeon (Columba livia). CHAPTER V. PIGEONS WHICH ARE BOTH DOMESTIC AND WILD. The Blue Rock Dove.—Varro’s account. — Distinguished from Dovehouse Pigeons.—Disposition.—Experiment.—Gregariousness.—Crossing with Carriers. —Less kept than formerly.—Maritime haunts.—Colonel Napier.—Rock Pigeons in Sutherland.—Differ in habits from Fancy Pigeons.—Characteristic plumage. —Productiveness.—Quality of flesh.—Dovehouse Pigeon.—Indian Rock Pigeon. —Mr. Blyth’s account.—Columba affinis.—Question of distinctness.—Pigeon matches.—Apology.—Numbers shot.—Pigeon-shooting in France.—Tempera- ture of the bird.—Value as nurses.—The Collared Turtle.—Native haunts.— Disposition.—_How far domestic.—Escapades.—Food.—Pairing.— Nesting and incubation.—Education of the young.—Severe discipline.— Watchfulness.— Voices.—Interesting pets.—Plumage and varieties.—Hy brids.—Heralds of Peace. —The Irish Dove. Wuen there is no good standard translation of an author whose testimony is of importance on any dis- Si aval * CHAP. VJ VARRO’S ACCOUNT. 151 puted point, it is better to quote the passage in its original words than to incur any suspicion of having given a weak or warped rendering, after the example of Chaunteclere’s explanation to the faire Damoiselle Perte- lote, as related by Chaucer :— “ For al so siker as In principio Mulier est hominis confusio. (Madame, the sentence of this Latine is, Woman is mannes joye and mannes blis.) ” We therefore quote here a few sentences from Varro, because two thousand years ago he recorded some pecu- liarities in the races of Domestic Pigeons (and other passages of similar import are to be found in other ancient authors) which appear to us to be opposed to, if not irreconcileable with, the theories of some mo- dern naturalists. “Si unquam reeiorecoreoPeroy constituisses, has tuas esse putares, quamvis feræ essent. Duo enim genera earum in mregioreporgoQsiw e8336 solent: Unum agreste, ut alii dicunt, saxatile, quod habetur in turribus, ac colu- minibus villæ, a quo appellatæ columbæ, quæ propter timorem naturalem summa loca in tectis captant; quo fit ut agrestes maxime sequantur turres, in quas ex agro evolant suapte sponte, ac remeant. Alteram genus illud columbarum est clementius, quod cibo domestico con- tentum intra limina januæ solet pasci; hoc genus maxime est colore albo; illud alterum agreste sine albo, vario. Ex his duabus stirpibus fit miscellum tertium Senus fructûs causa.” * This passage may be fairly translated thus :—“ If ever you should establish a Dovery, you would consider the birds your own, although they were wild. For two * Varro, ili. 7. DISTINCTIONS. (CHAP. V. sorts of Pigeons are usually kept in a Dovery; the one belonging to rural districts, and, as others call it, a Rock Pigeon, which is kept in towers, and among the beams and rafters (columinibus) of a farm-house, and which is on that account named columba, since from na- tural timidity it seeks the highest parts of roofs; whence it happens that the rustic Pigeons especially seek for towers, to which they may at their own plea- sure fly from the fields, and return thither. The second kind of Pigeons is more quiet ; and, contented with the food given it at home, it accustoms itself to feed within the limits of the gate. This kind is of a white colour principally, but the country sort is without white or va- riegated colours. From these two original stocks a third mixed or mongrel kind is bred for the sake of the produce.” The complete agreement of the above description with the Pigeons kept at the present day, ought to ope- rate as a check against the too hasty adoption of the belief that all our Tame and Fancy Pigeons are derived and descended from the Columba livia or Blue Rock ; or at least, which is all we ask, it may serve as a reason- able excuse for those who think they see sufficient grounds for entertaining a doubt respecting the accuracy of the generally-received opinion. One source of error is a - careless use of terms; and we frequently find that per- sons, when speaking of Dovehouse Pigeons, only mean a mixed rabble of birds produced by allowing all sorts of mongrels to breed together as they will,—Varro’s “‘miscellum tertium genus,” in short; but these ought no more to be called Dovehouse Pigeons, than a pack of promiscuously-bred village curs ought to be called a pack of hounds: they are Tame Pigeons, that is all. CHAP, v.] DISPOSITION. 153 fa But whenever we use the term “ Dovehouse Pigeon” in | these pages, we wish to be understood to indicate not the | Blue Rock Pigeon, the Columba livia, but the Columba | affinis, to be next described. Both species tenant the | Dovecotes belonging to old English farms and Manor- houses, in a little more than half-tame state. Both birds occupy the rocks, ruins, and caves of Europe, in a condition which has often been called feral, rather than wild ; and both have at this moment an instinctive love and aptitude for the same unmodifiable semi-domestic life, in which we find them indulging for all preceding ages of time, till historic records cease to aid our search. The very early notices in ancient authors of the exist- ence in their days of a gentler, tamer, more stay-at- home race of Domestic Pigeons, is equally remarkable. Most people imagine that if Blue Rock and real Dovehouse Pigeons, such as we have specified, are reared in confinement, and petted and indulged in oc- casional flights and excursions, like Nuns, or Tumblers, or Powters, they will henceforward become as confiding in their manners, and as trustworthy as them in respect to the extent of their wanderings. The circumstance which first taught me the contrary, and led to a just ap- preciation of the distinction laid down by Varro, was this :—I had purchased a pair of Nuns, supposing them to be male and female; they proved a couple of hens, laying conjointly four eggs, and commencing incubation in the regular family style, exactly as in a former work T have stated that two female Swans will do, if they can- not find a mate of the opposite sex. To incubate four probably unfertilized eggs was a waste of vital warmth; SO we removed these, and substituted a couple of Blue Rock Pigeon’s eggs, which were kindly supplied to me 154 EXPERIMENT. [CHAP. Vv. by a neighbour who has a pure and choice stock. Two birds were reared, and they remained confined in company with the other Pigeons in the loft. During this time they were certainly shyer and wilder than other squeakers of the same age, and avoided, as much as they could, the society of the rest of their companions. Our whole stock of Pigeons then—a miscellaneous lot about four and twenty in number—had never been flown, but were kept constantly in confinement. When the Blue Rocks were about two months old, it was hoped that the other birds had become sufficiently attached to their home to be allowed to take a little outdoor exer- cise, and it was never suspected that any caution need be exercised with young birds hatched upon the spot. So one evening the prison door was thrown open: circle after circle was traced in the air; great was the clap- ping of wings, and proud were the struttings upon the roof-ridge. But our confidence was not abused, though some of them were old birds, and had been brought from a former home. They all re-entered their loft, except one or two that could not find their way in on this first indulgence with liberty, and which were taught the mode of entrance on the occasion of a subsequent airing ;—all, except the strongest Blue Rock, the other not being yet able to perform long and continued flights. _ Instead of entering the house at reasonable supper- time, the runaway amused itself with illustrating Vir- gil’s beautiful line “ Radit iter liquidum, celeres neque commovet alas.” “Tt cuts its liquid way, nor moves its rapid wings.” It honoured us fora short time by spending the night on the roof of the house; where it passed the day, or CHAP, v.] GREGARIOUSNESS. 155 how it fed, we knew not. At last it took its departure for good and all, and we subsequently learned that it had joined the parent colony, consisting of Blue Rocks only, about a quarter of a mile distant, from which it had been brought in the egg. I have since induced a few of these birds to stay with me, but only by placing their eggs under other Pigeons to hatch in my own loft. All attempts to get young Blue Rocks to settle with the rest of my flock have failed. They have always left us, as soon as they had sufficient strength of wing to do so. My neighbour’s Blue Rocks often pass over our house, but they never alight to make the acquaintance of the Pigeons here: the most they do is to sink gracefully a little in their course, without altering its direction, and at once continue their journey to some distant field ; for the Blue Rock Dove is not always “ contented with the food given it at home,” but will, if so minded, stray far and wide in search of provender. Powters and Fan- tails may be satisfied to lead an idle life, and to subsist on what is offered to them without exertion; but the Blue Rock prefers to earn for itself its daily bread, and likes the meal gained by independent toil, better than the feast held out as a temptation to sink into a condi- tion of indolent servility. Blue Rock Pigeons are fond of living in large socie- \ _ ties. He who has most of these birds will be sure to continue to have most, from desertion, as well as in- crease. They decidedly prefer associating with their own counterparts and congeners, to mingling on easy and equal terms with tame Pigeons of quiet habits. Persons who keep a pure stock are averse to the intru- sion of any of the fancy kinds: this may be merely intended as a precaution to maintain the purity of blood; ee LESS COMMONLY BRED. ` CHAP. V. but the rule may be a traditional one, suggested by the fear lest the presence of these unwelcome strangers should drive the wilder birds to seek other haunts, where they may be undisturbed by the sight of new faces. “The New and Complete Pigeon-Fancier,” by Daniel Girton, Esq., without date, tells us, p. 45, “ The Dove- cote, or common Blue Pigeon, being both prolific and hardy, is most worthy the attention of country people, as it is generally remarked that the small Pigeons rear ) the greatest number of young ones ; but when the breed of Pigeons proves too small, it will be proper to inter- mix with the Dovecote a few of the common tame | Sort; im the procuring of which, care must be taken not to select them of glaring colours, for the rest will not easily associate with them. Carriers seem to be kept as Dovehouse Pigeons in the East, and the Blue Rocks would in England answer as letter-carriers better than many of the fancy kinds: the range throughout which they tra- verse is so exceedingly extensive, that they would find their way from any moderate distance without difficulty. When crossed with Carriers, the result is a larger, longer-shaped bird, of considerable power. The Blue Rock is not even mentioned in the excellent “ Treatise on Domestic Pigeons,” attributed to Dr. Moore, from which subsequent pamphlets published as guides to Pigeon-Fanciers have taken so much without acknow- ledgment. It is not very common now in Norfolk to meet with an old Dovecote stocked with the real Columba livia, its place being mostly occupied by a few pairs of mon- grels. ‘The species, though not rare, is far from being so frequent as it used to be: and it looks as if the more cua, v.| MARITIME HAUNTS. 157 general tillage of the land, and the increase of popu- lation in many parts of the kingdom, had driven the birds away to take refuge in a quieter home, find wilder districts to traverse in their foraging excursions, and leave the old nesting-places to be occupied by a more tame-spirited race. So that an ancient Dovecote, well filled with a thriving colony of Blue Rock Pigeons, is really an aristocratical affair ; and it ought to be valued and maintained in the same manner as the old oaks and elms, or the rookeries and heronries belonging to an estate. An inspection of the provincial game and poultry-shops will show that a large proportion of the young Pigeons now brought to table are not Blue Rocks, but Dovehouse Pigeons; besides Powters, and Tum- blers, and perhaps foul-feathered or cross-bred birds of other tame kinds: many of the Tumblers are sold dead for sixpence or ninepence each, which, when adult, would fetch in London very fair prices from amateurs. , And Tumblers of the ordinary kind—not the much- | valued specimens of hereditary deformity, with spheri- | cal heads and no beak—are now found more profitable | in many situations to breed young birds for the market than the capricious unmanageable Blue Rock Dove. Maritime localities seem to be the favourite haunts of this bird, whether wild or tame; and as Venus is fabled to have arisen from the sea, so her emblematic and attendant Doves are delighted to frequent its vi- cinity. I have seen them at Great Yarmouth fly down to the beach, to drink of the small pools of salt water left there by the tide, though plenty of fresh water was to be had within, for them, an easy distance. Rocky islets, and caverns in sea-washed cliffs, are known to be of all habitations the most attractive to them. The MARITIME HAUNTS. [CHAP. V> coasts and innumerable islands of the Mediterranean are still famous, as they have been ever since the his- toric memory of man, for the plenty and excellence of the Rock Pigeons which have located themselves in va- rious situations there. Colonel Napier, in his amusing and spirited “ Wild Sports of Europe,” thus describes his meeting with them at Marfa, a decayed palace or villa situated at the western extremity of Malta:— “On learning that our professed vocation was to wage war on the beasts of the earth, the fowls of the air, and fishes of the sea, the old Pensioner who was in charge of the place, and was known by the name of Sans Façon, expressed his regret that it was too early in the season for the Tunny fishery, which he described as being well worth seeing, and which has been cele- brated in history even from the times of the Pheenicians. He, however, proposed to accompany us on a shooting excursion, and promised to indicate the usual abodes of the Blue Pigeon, which in great numbers frequents all the precipitous cliffs forming the boundary of this rocky coast. We accordingly sailed out, and proceeding in a southerly direction towards the cliffs, went over ground such as in all my wanderings I had never before wit- nessed, * i * * * = x “ Leaving this scene of desolation—this wide bed of lava and volcanic deposit—we gradually ascended, as the abrupt and rocky shore now assumed a still bolder ap- pearance, and rose to stately cliffs, at whose foot broke the foaming surge with a dull and sullen sound, subdued and deadened to our ears by the fearful height we had attained above the angry and boiling billows. This was the resort of our feathered foes (?), who, started from their nest by the stones hurled over the perpendi- CHAP. V.] ROCK PIGEONS OF SUTHERLAND. 159 cular sides of the precipice by old Sans Facon, afforded us capital shots; but as all our victims found a watery grave, we were soon convinced that to secure the killed and wounded a boat would be necessary, in which to coast along under the cliffs; and it was now too late to think of such an accessory.”* Another acute sporting naturalist gives a companion picture, sketched on British ground. “Blue Rock Pigeons live in all the caves on the coast of Sutherland, and are to be seen flitting to and fro from morning to night. “Although the wind had now fallen, the swell was tre- mendous, dashing the spray half way up the rocks. It was a curious sight to see the Rock Pigeons flying ra- pidly into the caves, sometimes dashing like lightning through the very spray of the breakers, scarcely topping the crests of the waves, which roared and raged through the narrow caverns where these beautiful birds breed. The Rock Pigeons were very numerous here, and con- Stantly flying between their wild but secure breeding- places and the small fields about Durness. I shota few of them, and found their crops full of green food, Such as clover, the leaves of the oat, &. [Fancy Pigeons rarely if ever practise the habit of eating green food.| A number of small shells were also in the Crop of every bird. The Rock Pigeon is a very beauti- fully-shaped little bird, rather smaller and shorter than | eng the common house Pigeon [i. e. the domestic Rock | Dove}, of which it is plainly the original stock. They Seem very restless, seldom remaining long in one field, but constantly rising and flitting away to some other * Vol. ii. pp. 64-6. PECULIAR HABITS. [CHAP. V. feeding-ground, with an uncertain kind of flight; but when alarmed, or going straight home, they fly with very great rapidity. [The domesticated birds have ex- actly the same habits.] They are easily tamed when caught young. The eggs seem very difficult to get at ; nothing but a ladder will enable a person to reach them, and it is almost impossible either to procure such a lad- der, or if procured, to carry it to the cavens where they breed.” * Great confusion has arisen, and erroneous theories have been founded, by attributing to the Fancy Pigeons the habits of the Blue Rocks, and vice versa, and so proving the question by arguing from imaginary pre- mises. ‘Thus Temminck, to prove the original identity of the above-mentioned birds, says “ Our Dovehouse Pigeons, voluntary captives, (are they captive at all ?) nevertheless sometimes abandon the commodious esta- blishments which we offer them, and desert our Dove- - cotes; they appear to throw themselves into their an- cient state of nature, and select the crannies of old towers, or hollow places in trees (?), in which they make their nest and rear their young; and these latter, whe- ther by instinct or need, often return to install them- selves afresh in the very buildings from which their parents had fled.” The next sentence explains the whole matter, now that we have a clue. “ Moreover, these deserter Pigeons, which are also called Rock Doves, do not differ in any manner from the Biset of the Dovehouse, nor even from the wild Biset.”ł Now, the fancy Pigeons, the truly tame Pigeons, do not reassume wild habits; when they lose their way, or * St. John’s Tour in Sutherland, vol. i. p. 285. + Hist. des Pig. et Gall., vol. i. p. 126. A SS kA ta h tt ; CHAP. v.] PLUMAGE AND WEIGHT. i 161 escape from a new and therefore a distasteful home, they do not betake themselves to the rocks or to the ruins, | but enter a or loft, or join some other flock of | tame Pigeons: the Pigeons which do assume that state | of independence are always either Blue Rocks, or Co- lumbæ affines, not Powters, Fantails, &c. Whereas the Blue Rocks do not voluntarily take up their home in a trap, but, as my experiment proved, will escape from a home that is too much interfered with, even when hatched by that quiet bird the Nun. How many Blue Rocks has a Pigeon-fancier ever trapped? Buffon, though his theory of the diversities of species amongst \ Pigeons is far bolder than Temminck’s, does not make — this confusion in the habits of the real Dovehouse and the Fancy Pigeons. A main characteristic in the plumage of the Columba livia is the absence of spots, which are so remarkable a feature in that of the C. affinis. The bill is dark slate- colour, with a whitish cere at the base: the head also is slate-colour, continued down the neck and belly, with iridescent hues of green and purple. The back and wings are paler slate-colour, or a sort of French gray. The quill- feathers are darker towards the tips. Across the wings are two very dark bands; the rump is whitish ; the tail is of the same colour as the head, each feather being darker at the portion near the end, so as to form a dark Semicircular band when the tail is outspread in flight. The feet and toes are coral-red; the claws black. The irides are bright orange, shaded to yellow towards the pupil, which is black. ‘The joint weight of three birds now brought in for inspection is 2lbs. 90z. The only | variety of the Columba livia which I have ever seen, or heard of on any authority, are light blue specimens, M 162 VALUE OF FLESH. [CHAP. V. with the bars on the wings and tail very distinct ; such birds are extremely beautiful, and it may be suspected whether many of these are not merely individuals that have quite arrived at their adult plumage. In sheltered situations, with plentiful food, they will breed nearly all the year round, except during moult- ing time. Blue Rocks were with me the first to recom- mence laying this autumn (1850). A pair had two eggs on the 19th of November. The next pair to breed were a Blue Rock hen and a cock Tumbler that had mated together. The flesh of the young birds is excellent, and by some connoisseurs is esteemed superior to that of any other species; but it must be made into pies, being seldom fat enough to roast. For this purpose we must have recourse to the large lazy Runts. But “ Pigeons,” saith Willughby, “are far harder to concoct than Chickens, and yield a melancholy juyce. They say that the eating of Dove's flesh is of force against the plague; insomuch that they who make it their constant or ordinary food are seldom seized by pestilential diseases ; others commend it against the palsie and trembling; others write that it is of great use and advantage to them that are dim-sighted. The flesh of young Pigeons is restorative, and useful to re- cruit the strength of such as are getting up, or newly recovered from some great sickness: to us it seems to be most savoury, and if we may stand to the verdict of our palate, comparable to the most esteemed.” The distinction between the Blue Rock and the Dove- house Pigeons has long been known to dealers, less so to fanciers, and scarcely acknowledged by naturalists. The latter bird is much the more common inhabitant of Dovecotes, and when it betakes itself to a feral state, CHAP, v.] DOVEHOUSE PIGEON. 163 e eer a Dovehouse Pigeon (Columba affinis of Blyth). exhibits less dislike to the neighbourhood of man. A | few pairs build their nests among the cornices and capi- | tals of the public buildings even in London; and the | church steeple of Morningthorpe in Norfolk was lately tenanted by some of these birds, whose nesting-places had been pulled down*. Mr. FE, Blyth} gives an account of the Rock Pigeon of India, which he believes to be distinct from that of Urope, and of some domestic Pigeons of the same * A still stranger settlement was this: “The other day, ex- ‘mining a wooden railway-bridge across a drain, I found several peons building underneath, in spite of the thundering of the as which were constantly passing within a few inches of their eads.” — W. W, C. + Annals of Matuial History, vol. xix. p. 101. M 2 164 INDIAN ROCK PIGEON. [CHAP. v. Continent ; and if anything would prove that the Fancy Pigeons are not lusus nature from our Rock Pigeon, it would be his supposition that “sports,” as nearly as possible coinciding with ours, are also derived from the independent Indian original. He writes as follows: “ Columba intermedia, Strickland, Ann. and Mag. N. Hist., 1844, p. 89.—Indian Rock Pigeon. These birds rarely, if ever, perch upon trees, except under peculiar circumstances, as when a Dovecote of Domestic Pigeons is placed near a tree with large and convenient shaped boughs, in which case the Pigeons will commonly resort to the latter to sit and roost, but never to form their nests. In their wild state it is probable that they never perch atall, retiring to roost and nestle in caverns and small hollows of rocks or sea-cliffs, in the absence of which they select buildings that offer suitable re- cesses, breeding in the capitals of pillars and whatever other convenient nooks they find. Hence, when unmo- lested, these house Pigeons soon become familiarised with man, and require little encouragement to merge into the domestic condition. “The common wild Blue Pigeon of India is most closely allied to the European C. livia, but it is rather a deeper slaty-gray, with invariably a deep ash-coloured rump; whereas C. livia has as constantly a pure white rump: there appears to be no other distinction between them, unless it be that the play of colours on the neck is finer in the Indian bird. The same difference in the colour of the rump is observable in the Domestic Pigeons of the two countries, whenever these tend to assume the normal colouring; for the tame Indian Pigeons are as clearly derived from the wild O. interme- dia as those of Europe are from C. livia.” ~~ M CHAP. v.] WHETHER DISTINCT. 165 The fact of such derivation is here assumed, without questioning the truth of the doctrine. But it does ` Seem to us a most curious result, and contrary to the — Course of chances, that so anomalous a monstrosity as | the Fantail (if it be monstrosity), should be equally generated, with such complete similarity as to be a du- plicate specimen, from two distinct and aboriginal spe- cies, one existing in India, the other in Europe. It appears just as improbable as that two wild species | of Brassica, one native of Asia, the other of Europe, Should each throw off, as seedlings, an identical variety’ of brocoli. Mr. Blyth goes on to describe the Indian Rock Pigeon :—* Colour slaty-gray, darker on the head, breast, upper and lower tail-coverts, and tail, which last has a blackish terminal band not well defined ; nuchal Feathers divergent at their tips, and brightly glossed with Changeable green and reddish-purple ; two black bars on the wing; the primaries tinged with brownish, and the outermost tail feather having its external web gra- dually more albescent to the base. rides brownish- orange, the lids bluish-white; bill black, with a white Mealiness at the tumid base of its upper mandible ; and legs reddish-pink, Length 13 by 23 inches; of wing 8? inches.” j What follows is especially deserving of attention from the speculative naturalist :—‘‘ In some specimens, > particularly among the semi-domestic, slight dusky Streaks occur on the shafts of the lesser wing-coverts, which streaks, in the latter, are often much more deve- loped, spreading across the feathers and spotting the Whole wing; such birds much resembling (except in the rump not being white) a race of wild Pigeons that 4 SP d DISCRIMINATIONS. [CHAP. V. > are abundantly brought at times to the London mar- _ kets—all of them shot birds; but the latter have not, in | addition, the two black bands on the wing well-defined, as | seems to be regularly the case with this variety of Columba intermedia. Moreover, in the English bird, the spotting of the lesser wing-coverts does not occur on the shafts of the feathers, but partly margins each web, excepting near the edge of the wing, where the feathers are un- spotted. I suspect that the wild Rock Pigeons of the south of England are mostly of the kind alluded to, which may be designated C. affinis: while those of North Britain, and it would seem of Europe generally, are true C. livia.” We quite agree with this discriminating separation of the blotched Pigeon from the softly-shaded and de- cidedly-barred colouring of the genuine Blue Rock Dove. Some time since this distinction was pointed out to us, and its permanence insisted upon, by an ex- perienced Norwich Pigeon-dealer, named Alexander, who is no longer on earth, and who died in the posses- sion of much unrecorded knowledge on the difficult subject of Fancy Pigeons. The markings on the wing of the Columba affinis somewhat resemble those of the Passenger Pigeon, but no one will surely assert that there is any derivation in this case. Many Pigeon- dealers distinguish the affinis fromthe Blue Rock Pigeon, A calling it the ‘ Dovehouse,” vulgo “Duffer;” but both are equally occupants of Dovecotes, and both are equally ready to assume the wild or feral state, though the for- mer is more commonly found so, at least in the southern _ half of England. There is reason to believe that in domestication they would breed with each other: but the claims of C. affinis to be regarded as a species de- CHAP, v.] SPECULATIONS. 167 serve to be fairly considered, although Mr. Yarrell has | not admitted it into his arrangement of British birds. It did not enter into that gentleman’s plan to include ` domesticated varieties ; and he doubtless regarded this as a mere offspring of altered conditions from a state of nature, and a case of “ breaking,” as it is called, in co- louring. But what is it that we give to, or provide for, our Tame and Dovehouse Pigeons, that should give rise to such wonderful physical changes? The Fancy kinds, after we have received them in that character, are indeed confined, over-fed, and kept warm, without, however, any remarkable novelties being ever struck out, that any one can ùndértake to demonstrate. But the others have much their usual food and exercise and dwellings: they are not more snug in the Pigeon-loft than they would be in a hole in a rock, or in a ruin: they cannot fill their crops fuller in the court-yard than they would on the barley stubble, the pea-field, or the new-sown wheat: and to us the great wonder is that naturalists have not Shrunk from admitting effects without causes Bite so readily as they have done. Mr. Blyth proceeds: “ Here, again, we Hajro three closely-allied species (namely, the intermedia, the livia, and the affinis), analogous to the three yéllow-footed Hurrials, or arboreal fruit-eating Doves; and if they are to be regarded as mere varieties of the same, what limits can be assigned to the further variation of wild Species? Col. leuconota is but a step more removed, and I doubt not would equally merge and blend with the others in a state of domesticity. Equally allied are Treron sphenura and Tr. cantillans ; Tr. apicauda and Tr, oxyura ; and if we grant also some variation of size, PIGEON-MATCHES. [CHAP. V. we have Tr. bicincta and Tr. vernans; Tr. Malabarica and Tr. chloroptera; Turtur Chinensis and T. Suratensis; T. meena and T. auritus, &e., &c., which might be re- garded as local varieties of the same; and we might thus go on reducing the number of species ad infinitum, with no useful definite result, but to the utter confusion of all discriminative classification. However closely races may resemble, if they present absolute and con- stant differences, whether of size, proportions, or colour- ing, and if they manifest no tendency to grade from one to the other, except in cases of obvious intermixture, | we are justified in considering them as distinct and sepa- rate ; and more especially if each, or either, has a wide range of geographic distribution, without exhibiting any climatal or local variation;” If this bold and judicious dictum be applicable to any family of birds, it assuredly is to the Columbides f which, else, might be made to represent almost an un- broken sliding-scale, from one extreme member of it to the other. So we will now take advantage of the im- pression made upon the reader, and leave him to think over the matter quietly by himself. The bird now under notice is the species most usually employed in the trials of skill called “ Pigeon- matches.” Blue Rocks will do, but are not so easily to be had: the low-priced mongrels of Fancy Pigeons are objected to, as often affording by their colour an un- fairly easy mark, and apt to be less bold and dashing in their escape from the trap. The Dovehouse Pigeon, or “ Duffer,” is the victim which has the most frequently to run the gauntlet for its life. Pigeon-matches have been much carped at, and even openly condemned, by unthinking persons, who do not CHAP. V.] APOLOGY. 169 intend to be hypocrites, but who, to escape the charge of inconsistency, ought to abstain altogether from Pigeon- pie at least. It is so easy to talk humanely, when not the slightest point of self-denial is involved thereby ; but if Pigeons are to be killed and eaten, it is surely a greater act of generosity, to say to the victims, “There, $0! flee for your lives ; save yourselves if you can, for the present!” than to wring so many dozen necks, and toss the fluttering bodies on the ground. Many, of Course, are shot; but some escape; the maimed and Wounded rarely suffer long, as the camp-followers of Such meetings keep a sharp look-out, and bag every bird Which is touched without falling within the proper dis- tance. And when these trials of skill are made the Subject of unfavourable remark, it is forgotten that we live in a land of butchers, and poulterers, and people licensed to deal in game; and that in this crowded Population, and in these heaving troublesome times, No one knows whose turn it will next be to have to Search for a home in lands where people must often either be their own poulterers, keepers, and butchers even, or go unsypplied. The lady whose husband or brother is out in the bush, gun in hand, searching after fresh meat, which she and her children may not have tasted for days, or perhaps weeks, and which he is anxiously hunting for, as necessary to the health, it may be the life, of one of his ailing companions in the Wilderness, will then call to mind, with wonder and Contempt, the sneers which in former days she may ave heard thrown out respecting the sinfulness of Shooting. ~The remembrance that her friend and pro- tector once made a successful hit at a Pigeon-match, Will not then make her less confide in or respect him. CE | j atl ii i | | ji | it f NUMBERS SHOT. [CHAP. V. But there is betting at Pigeon-matches !—so there may be on any occasion ; and betting on trials of skill is surely less culpable than on matters of chance. Heavy bets have been made on which of two drops of rain on a window-pane would first run down to the bottom ; but the ultra-precise folks ought not, therefore, to blame the rain for falling. They are at liberty to censure the bettors as much as they please; but they should not grumble at the circumstance either that rain falls, or that Pigeons are shot with guns. Had I the happiness to be blessed with a son,it would be an early care to have him taught the skilful, and, I hope, judicious use of firearms. The sterling English good sense of that worthy pillar of the Church, Thomas Fuller, B.D., Prebendarie of Sarum, declared that, “ above all, shoot- ing is a noble recreation, and an half-liberal art. A rich man told a poor man that he walked to get a stomach for his meat: And I, said the poor man, walk to get meat for my stomach. Now shooting would have filled both their turns; it provides food when men are hungry, and helps digestion when they are full.” ! And the chance of the poor Duffers getting away is really greater than may be imagined. Every one who handles a gun is not necessarily a dead shot. In “ Bell’s Life in London” for June 8, 1849, one record out of many of such doings may be found; and an ex- tract is given, just to show that for a Pigeon to be thrust into the fatal trap, is by no means an inevitable sentence of death “On Friday week Mr. R. Rollings and Mr. W. Green (both of Barnsley) shot a match at Hyde Park, Sheffield, for £50 a side, at 20 birds each, 21 yards rise, 1?oz. of shot, Hyde Park boundary ; Mr. Rollings CHAP, v.] MATCHES IN FRANCE. 171 won, killing 12 out of 20, Mr. Green only scoring 7 out of 17. Mr. James Fox, corn-factor, and a gentleman from Barnsley, shot for £2 at 5 birds each, 21 yards rise, 120z. of shot, the usual boundary ; they tied, kill- ing 2 each.” If this were the rule, the Pigeons would certainly prefer falling into the hands of the gunner rather than of the poulterer; but we read further on that a sweepstakes was also shot for by seven gentle- man, at 3 birds each, distance according to calibre; Messrs. Porter and Willcox killed all their birds, and divided. It must also be confessed that the birds which escape, on returning to their homes, may perhaps be again re-caught and sold, to be shot at just once more. It would be no more than fair if every owner of a Dove- © Cote were to give every ’scaped Pigeon a twelvemonth’s grace afterwards at least. The sport is also disapproved of by the high authority of « Nimrod Abroad ;” but he does not make out his Case against it so well as some of the friends of hu- Manity might wish. “ Pigeon-shooting,” he says, “is carried on upon a large scale in the Tivoli Gardens, in Paris. It is one of those modern innovations on legiti- mate sporting which I could never bring myself to ap- prove of; and were I to require an argument against it, on the score of wanton cruelty, I should find it in the fact of the almost incredible number of a hundred and ninety thousand Pigeons having been let out from the traps in these gardens alone, since the year 1831.” But Mr. Apperley’s book was published in 1842, or ll years afterwards. The division of 190,000 by 11 gives 17,272 per annum,—not 1500 per month, nor 400 per week; i.e. not a hundred a day to supply a lux- urious metropolis, especially fond of patés, entreés, and 172 LIVE TEMPERATURE. [CHAP. V. the little piquant dishes for which the smaller birds are in such demand ; so that the poulterer, to furnish the re- quisite supply, will have to be much more wanton in his destructiveness, if not in his cruelty, than the Pigeon shooters. “ This exhibition was founded by an Englishman of the name of Bryon, who is the publisher of the French ‘Racing Calendar,’ and I received from him the fol- lowing curious facts :—‘ At its commencement, sixteen poor peasants were employed to bring the birds from Normandy and Picardy, travelling on foot with their dossers (hottes) on their backs. They are now enabled, by the liberal reward of their labours, to convey them, to the amount of 2000 per week, in well-appointed car- riages, drawn by horses of their own.’ [It is likely, we have seen, that many of the Pigeons that travel thus to Paris in state, in carriages, with their own horses, re- turn exulting on their wings, to their native Dove- cotes. | “To this extent may some good be said to arise out of evil. And one more benefit has sprung out of this mania for Pigeon-shooting; it has created a great im- provement in gun-making, and has been the cause of one of the first artists in that line in London transfer- ring his business to Paris, where I have reason to be- lieve he has met with much encouragement; and no doubt Paris gun-makers have taken a leaf out of his book.” * The high temperature of the living Pigeon ought to be noticed, before we quite quit these birds: when handled, especially in a partially-fledged state, they * Vol. i. pp. 208, 4. CHAP. v.] VALUE AS NURSES. 173 feel quite at fever-heat. The blood, fresh-drawn from the living bird, was a most virtuous remedy with the old practitioners: and Willughby informs us that “A live Pigeon cut asunder along the back-bone, and clapt hot upon the head, mitigates fierce humours and dis- cusses melancholy sadness. Hence it is a most proper medicine in the phrensie, headache, melancholy, and gout. Some add also in the Apoplexy. Our physi- cians use to apply Pigeons thus dissected to the soals of the feet, in acute diseases, in any great defect of Spirits or decay of strength, to support and refresh the patient, that he may be able to grapple with and master the disease. For the vital spirits of the Pigeon still remaining in the hot flesh and blood, do through the pores of the skin insinuate themselves into the blood of the sick person now dis-spirited and ready to stagnate, and induing it with new life and vigour, enable it to perform its solemn and necessary circuits.” * The modern substitute for a live Pigeon cut asunder would be perhaps a hot foot-bath, or even a mustard plaister, or a simple poultice. Several pairs of these birds are usually kept by breeders, to act as nurses to those more valuable Pigeons which are notoriously bad feeders of their young. The mode is, to substitute a couple of the eggs desired to be hatched, for those of any Dovehouse pair that happen to have laid within a few days of the Same time. But it is worth knowing, that squabs of about a fortnight old, which chance to be neglected by their parents at that early period of their existence,—as now and then will be the case in the best-regulated * Page 183. 174 THE COLLARED TURTLE. [CHAP. V. Pigeon-lofts,— may often be reared by mouth. The human nurse takes a small quantity of peas or wheat, and water, into his or her mouth, then, taking the squab in hand, inserts its bill into the mouth so pro- visioned ; and, after a trial or two, the young bird will take its food in this manner as readily as if it were fed by its feathered parent, and thus progress till it is able to peck for itself from the ground. THE COLLARED TURTLE *. (Columba risoria of Linnæus, Turtur risorius of authors.) The charming little creatures which we now approach are admitted into the class of Pigeons that are found both in a wild and a domestic state rather by courtesy than by right. Still, the entreé shall be granted to them, although Mr. Jenyns has omitted them in his “ Manual of British Vertebrata,” in which domesticated, naturalized and ex- tirpated species are included. In their wild condition they are met with in Southern Europe, Northern and Western Africa, and in Western Asia ; in their tame state they are dispersed all over the civilized globe, where the winter temperature does not forbid their introduction, As domestics, they can hardly be said to have yet re- ceived a sufficient training. Their intellect has just * A confusion exists, in the minds of many people, between the Common Turtle, Columba Turtur, which is frequent in a wild state in England during the summer months, and the Collared Turtle, or Turtle Dove in popular English, or Turtur Indicus, as given by Al- drovandi, according to custom cum latyro altero, which in England is only known in captivity. As the European Ring-Pigeon has a simi- lar ornament on the neck with our species, a further distinction has been founded on its cry of triumph, which strongly resembles a laugh, and from which it has been called the Turtur risortus, or Laughing Turtle. CHAP. y.] HOW FAR DOMESTIC. 175 attained to that child-like stage of development, that they love everything about them intensely, and are pleased with everything they see ; but if they were once lost in the labyrinth of a lane, or in the mazes of a grove, they would wander up and down, like the babes in the wood, picking a seed here and a berry there, searching in vain all the while for their wished-for cage or chamber, till they were drowned in the first thunder storm, or perished by the first frosty night. And then the Robin Red-breast, or the sighing wind, would cover them with leaves, and complete their sylvan funeral. If we could but advance this incomplete mental growth only just a little, and add to it the intelligence and do- mesticity of the fowl, and the local memory of the Carrier, we should then have a bird which, in spite of the tenderness of its constitution, would occupy a very important place in our rural economy. One objection to the popularity of the new live stock might be, that Englishmen are nearly as obstinate as Jews in matters of eating. Many good things do we despise and reject, only because we have not the courage to taste them. Pigeon-pie is orthodox, but one filled with Turtle Doves Would be repugnant to a sentimental stomach. Turtle Doves are, nevertheless, excellent eating. We do not object to innocent lamb, nor to gentle veal, nor to dear little chickens, nor to baby-like sucking-pig : why Such prolific and easily-reared delicacies as Collared Turtles should be tabooed is scarcely explicable. Per- haps they may henceforth come in fashion as a side- dish. A moderate-sized aviary would produce them in Considerable numbers at no great cost. But if we want to proceed further, the grand scheme of nature is unalterable by us. We cannot educate and PP a a 176 PRISONERS AT LARGE. [CHAP. v. improve the Collared Turtle to be a Dovehouse Dove— at least a two-thousand years’ trial has proved unavail- ing. These unyielding limits assigned by the Creator must be acknowledged to have an existence as a rigid law. The correct interpretation of such psychological facts regarding the inferior animals, and their proper inferences, are what it is so desirable, now-a-days, to in- sist on. The Collared Turtle, we know, has been intrusted sometimes with a sort of half-liberty—the run of a large mansion, or the permission to pop in and out a greenhouse ;—but which is in reality much about the same degree of licence as would be granted to the five- year-old heir of a noble family: he is just allowed to exercise himself under strict observance. He is not permitted to go abroad on his parole, because people are assured that the parole would not, and could not, with his present thoughtlessness, be kept. And so the Col- lared Turtle is allowed to play at domesticity, but is, all the while, only a jealously-watched captive. The Raso- rial peculiarity of eminent domesticability, as assumed by Mr. Swainson, fails to be apparent in the family of Pigeons, as well as in the true Rasores themselves. Among the many scores, or hundreds, of species com- prised therein, how many of them are truly domestic- able? My own birds have often got loose in summer time; and they seemed to think it excellent fun to do so. And then they would go cooing about with short flights from tree to tree, sometimes keeping close at home, sometimes getting out of bounds and losing themselves. The coo answers the purpose of a call- note when the pair are invisible to each other among the branches. It has escaped from Aristotle, in his CHAP. v.] ESCAPADES, 177 account of Pigeons, that blinded Turtles were frequently kept as decoy-birds. But our runaways were at last heartily glad to be caught and brought home ; and like truant schoolboys on the approach of night-fall, would rather encounter a scolding, or even a whipping, than face the horrors of a supperless night, without a bed to lie on ! These outbreaks sometimes lead them into scrapes which they little anticipate. One spring morning, eleven years ago this season, an old parishioner of mine, a carter by trade, on his usual journey to and from Norwich, was surprised by a pair of Collared Tur- tles hovering about his head and shoulders, as he was riding leisurely on his tumbril, and showing themselves desirous of alighting thereon. Doubtless they were tired with some, to them, long flight from comfortable quarters. He secured one, the male (as he might the other had he chosen), and brought it home. It has been kept ever since in a small cage, and seems perfectly happy and healthy, having no domestic troubles to vex it. I would have brought the people a mate for their bird, but they were contented with the single one; and as the old couple are both turned of eighty, their little captive may probably survive them. A lady residing near Cork had, in 1849, a bird of equal age with this. A communication with which she has favoured me will show exactly with what amount of truth the term “ domestic” is applied to the Collared Turtle. “ My opportunities of observing the attachment of these birds to place, have been very limited ; for, owing to the damp and cold of our climate, I have never ven- tured them out in the open air, except during the day ; N 178 ATTACHMENTS. [CHAP. V. and then the plan adopted to secure them from flying away was, to keep the female either in my hand or shut up in a large cage, thus surely preventing the male from straying out of sight; for the Collared Turtle is a most loving and devoted husband. However, one bird, an old bachelor who had no wife, once flew out through an open window; but I succeeded in bringing him back from an open garden, by calling him repeatedly, until he recognised my voice. The little creature seemed frightened, and was greatly delighted to find himself again perched cooing on my shoulder. One of our Doves, a great pet, will, when it chooses, find its room quickly enough, though it may have to travel from the furthest part of the house to arrive at it."—S. A. D. Mr. Richard Dowden (Rd.) of Rathlee, the father of the preceding informant, observes—* The mythological use of Doves, as an emblem of affection, is common among us; but to make them also representatives of friendship would be a mistaken notion ; for these birds, though tame, are not affectionate to those who keep them. Still it is no error in their history to make them ‘ Venus’ birds ;’ for their attachment to each other is strong, and the uneasiness of one, when separated from the other, remarkable, not in the one taken away only, but in that left behind ; and when one of ours was caught and held, the other constantly braved the danger and perched close to its mate. I once saw a pair in Glengal Wood, County Tipperary, sitting faithfully side by side on a tree, but they must have escaped from an aviary, and in all probability would not outlive the wetness, even if they could the coldness, of an Irish winter. For though common in the south of Europe and in Asia Minor, they are, in those countries, only CHAP. y,] FOOD AND HABITS. 179 birds of passage. They appear at times in Portugal, and are shot there for food. “ These birds may be easily kept. They will live well on wheat, barley, bread in crumbs, or even boiled Potatoes. They ought to have a flat vessel of water to wash in, as well as to drink, sufficient earth with gravel to rub themselves in, and from which they can select Stones for swallowing into their gizzards, for the tritu- ration of their food. They should also have a piece of rock-salt, which all the group are very fond of, and it Seems to be a wholesome stimulant to their system. Cages are too small for their healthy, handsome, and vivacious existence. They like to fly at times from Perch to perch in a room, which should be well lit, not exposed to cold, and, above all things, frequently cleaned Cut. They enjoy sunshine much, and in it exhibit very elegant attitudes, and good contrivances to receive as Much of its light and warmth as possible. “ The Collared Turtle is strictly monogamous, and it from their constancy and tender affection for one an- other (for their attentions deserve the name) that the characteristic has been proverbial. Observation shows that with respect to these birds the rhymes ‘ Love and sein Wooing and Cooing,’ have reason in them. The male is somewhat larger- than the female, and the colours a little lighter, but the distinction is so slight as to require a practised eye to notice it. The male is also a bolder bird, so pugnacious as to fight even with inani- Mate objects ; although the female, when sitting on her eggs, or when nurturing her young, is courageous, and even passionate. The distinction between the grain- eating and the strictly rapacious birds is in this circum- Stance very remarkable: the females of the last divi- N 2 is 180 NESTING AND REARING. (CHAP. V. sion being the boldest, the strongest, and the most beautiful. Most of the Columbide are strong flyers ; but frequently when allusion is made to this power, it is not our bird which is called ‘the Dove.’ Shak- speare, our constant resource in the poetry of natural history, makes Juliet say,— € Love’s heralds should be thoughts : Therefore do nimble-pinioned Doves draw Love’— meaning the Carrier Pigeon; which is also beautifully alluded to in Moore’s sacred melody of ‘The Dove let loose in Hastern skies.’ “ The Laughing Dove builds a rather careless plan ofa nest. In conformity with Mr. Rennie’s description in the ‘ Architecture of Birds,’ it is a platform-builder : both male and female assist in the work. The birds sit alternately and assiduously. The cooing of the bird which is not sitting is incessant, and the attention paid to the one on the eggs most exemplary and cre- ditable to their family character. After the chick is hatched, a white secretion is supplied, from the crop of both male and female, to the young; its bill is then quite soft, and is thrust down the throat of the parent birds for nutriment; which action, like most functions of necessity, is a pleasure to the giver as well as to the receiver. This lactiferous secretion has led to the existence of the once problematical notion respect- ing ‘ Pigeons’ milk.’ As the bird grows and begins to peck, the parents put him on his own resources ; the se- cretion grows less; the young bird sheds the outside skinny covering of his soft or sucking bill; it gradually hardens so that he can peck gravel and corn; and his parents turn him adrift to form other friendships for himself, as they then have done with him.” CHAP. V.] EDUCATION OF THE YOUNG. 181 Miss Dowden adds (and T can confirm her observa- tions), “I have often watched with interest what may be called the education of the young birds. When they are about a month old, the female considers it high time for them to learn to support themselves. She therefore refuses to feed them more than twice a day. But the youngsters, not liking the trouble of picking up the hard grains of wheat, &c., become clamorous, and chase whichever parent happens to come in their way, stoutly demanding food all the while. The mother acts up firmly to her principles; so, finding her unyielding, they then attack their unfortunate father. He cannot resist their cries and flapping of wings, and good- naturedly opens his mouth for the reception of the soft Spoon-shaped bills. But he is made to suffer for his weakness; the lady soon drives away the petitioners, and then beats her lord right well, laughing heartily all the while, for attempting to interfere with her system of instruction.” | This discipline is often so severe, and commenced so early, that the young ones must be removed and brought up by mouth, if it is intended to rear them at all. The Collared Turtle will also exercise its combativeness on any strange bird of moderate size that ventures to in- trude within its aviary. _ “Tt is amusing,” Miss Dowden continues, “to see the little things trying to coo, going through all the move- ments, but only uttering a whistling sound. The laugh 18 easily accomplished, for at a very early period of their lives the birds are able to make this exulting sound. I am not sure that Papa noticed to you the great watch- fulness of the Dove. Each time during the night that the clock strikes, my birds announce the fact by cooing IESS WATCHFULNESS AND VOICES. [CHAP. V. loudly. Any noise is observed by them, and never passed over in silence.” With us, the sound of a piano in an adjoining room, or the tramp of footsteps in a passage close by, excites the never-forgotten coo. Of all sleepers the Collared Turtle is one of the lightest ; and the beautiful allusions in the Holy Scriptures to “mourning like a Dove,” have a most apt reference to the wakefulness of sorrow. The voice consists principally of a coo, very loud for the size of the bird, and a recovering suspiration, which has an audible sound. There is also a slight note of alarm, like a low grunt, which is likewise used by them as an indication of recognition when pleased. The note of triumph, the laugh, appears to be emitted on the same occasions that the common Cock crows, such as in warlike exhibitions, or after having flown down from a height, at the appearance of sunlight perhaps, or such-like exhilarating events. A young friend of ours interpreted the coo to mean “ Pope o’ Rome, Oh! Pope o’ Rome, Oh!’—but this translation of the Tur- tle’s notes, it ought to be mentioned, was made before recent events had occurred to render such an invocation highly objectionable. The prettiest performance is when the birds coo a duet: it is then very like the tenor at an opera singing the refrain of an air, which is immediately repeated an octave higher by the responsive prima donna. Another observant friend furnishes the following account :—‘ A pair of Turtle Doves I kept tame for Some time were exceedingly amusing and interesting little birds. At first they were confined in a large wicker cage, but afterwards were gradually allowed their entire freedom, which they never abused. They do not CHAP. v.] CHARACTERISTICS. 183 Seem to be affected by the cold in winter, if common Care be taken not to expose them on severe nights, and they breed amazingly—seven or eight times in the year, if permitted to hatch; but if the eggs are taken away (and I was generally obliged to do this), nearly twice as often. These Doves build a slight nest of sticks, the hen being the architect, and the cock bringing material. She lays two white eggs. “ Young birds do not have the black ring round the neck distinctly marked till they have moulted. They are fed on canary seed (hemp seed is apt to give them Skin disease), bread, and bits of biscuit, which last they are very fond of, and would come into the room to per- Secute me till the box was opened for them. They were Coaxing little creatures, and would come and sit by me when reading, sometimes on my shoulder, merely for the Sake of company. The cock puts himself into the most ridiculous attitudes when pleased. Like most pets, they came to an unlucky end, the hen being choked by trying to get out of a window not opened sufficiently to admit her body to pass through.” —H. H. Their feet are formed for walking and perching ; they feed on the ground accordingly, but most usually roost upon a perch. Their colour is a light fawn of different depths of shade, the back the deepest, with a nearly black half-collar on the hind neck, inserted within a very narrow white circlet, which throws up the dark collar brilliantly. The irides are crimson, the pupil black, the bill black, the feet lake red. Mr. Blyth States +, that ‘Besides the common cream-coloured * Annals of Natural History, vol. xix. p. 182. 184 HYBRIDIZING AND INCUBATION. [CHAP. v. domestic race, a small albino variety is frequently bred in cages, in different parts of India, with wings measuring 5% to 6 inches; but its form of tail and other proportions are as in T. risorius and T. vinaceus. | This bird is often interbred with the cream-coloured | race, producing offspring of intermediate size and shade | of colouring.” I have seen birds of this kind, under the name of White Persian Doves, and believe them to be specifically distinct, and of considerable ornithological interest. The black collar is entirely obliterated: in the White Turkey, it should be remembered, the breast- tuft remains black. The circumstance of interbreeding is not, just now, of much force either way. At the Regent’s Park Zoological Gardens, in 1848, were two strange hybrids between the Passenger Pigeon of North America and the Collared Turtle of North Africa. In outline and proportion they most resembled the former parent, in size they not much exceeded the latter progenitor. They certainly were handsome crea- tures, without any look of being artificial or unnatural. But they were both males: and the object then was to obtain a female or two from the same cross, and so found a new species, Quod erit demonstrandum. It is odd that, in such interminglings of what the Creator sent | forth pure and sincere, the result, if any, should almost H always be males; the female chicks, we may suppose, | having too feeble a hold on life to come into actual existence or prolonged vitality, and the males being mostly useless for further increase of their kind. A wide distinction between the Pigeons and the Turtles is indicated by the time of incubation of our present bird being only fifteen days from the laying of a —— ore CHAP. v.] EMBLEMS OF PEACE. 185 the first egg. The eggs; too, are laid on consecutive days. It is desirable that the comparison should be extended to other Columbidæ that have bred in this country; and though few of them will submit to the examination, their eggs might be transferred to more manageable Pigeons or Turtles. The growth of the chick of the Collared Turtle is even more rapid at first than in Pigeons; afterwards it proceeds at a slower pace. The little thing is hatched blind, and Weak, and covered with fawn-coloured down. On the fourth day its eyes are partially open, and feather Stumps begin to appear on the wings. Both the parents will sometimes be on the nest, and strive which can administer food the fastest. In five days more it is pretty well covered with feathers, and begins to squeak. The Doves and the Pigeons have been associated with earliest history as the companions of our race, and have borne the emblematic character of peace ever since. The first was— “The surer messenger, A Dove, sent forth, once and again, to spy Green tree, or ground, whereon his foot may light, The second time returning, in his bill An olive leaf he brings, pacific sign.” The most modern remarkable instance is to be read in the newspapers for August, 1849, when, on the occa- Slon of the Queen’s visit to Dublin, as the procession Passed under an arch at Eccles Street, a Dove was lowered from a window into the Royal carriage, which her Majesty took gently in her hand, and placed beside €r, amid loud cheers from the vast multitude assembled at this point. It was an Irish mistake to offer a Dove 186 THE IRISH DOVE. [CHAP. V. to such a visitor. A spinster Turtle might have pleased Elizabeth ; a loving pair ought to have been presented to Victoria. But, in any way, it is acceptable as a peace offering, if the token be but sincere. One only hopes that the Dublin Dove may not prove the offspring of that faithless breed which is hatched in the celebrated Groves of Blarney. CHAPTER VI. PIGEONS NOT CAPABLE OF TRUE DOMESTICATION. The Stockdove.—Natural instincts.—The Ring Dove.—Mischief done by.—The Turtle Dove.—Peculiarities.—Australian Pigeons. — Whether domesticable.— The Wonga-Wonga.—Claims to notice.—Mr. Gould’s opinion.—Bronze-winged Pigeons.—Native habits—Water guides.—Temminck’s account. — Plumage.— Interest of Australian Pigeons.—Have bred in confinement.—Captain Sturt’s 4ccounts.—A bstinence from water.—Aid in extremities.—Ventriloquist Pigeon. —Geopelia tranquille.—Harlequin Bronze-wing.—First discovery.—Food and habits.—Their doings at Knowsley.—Graceful Ground Dove.—Minute birds and beasts of Australia.—Mr. Gould’s account.—Crested Australian Pigeons.— Their breeding at Knowsley.—Habits in captivity—The Passenger Pigeon.— Disposition.—Escaped birds.—The Long-tailed Senegal Dove.—Their song.— Synonyms.—Aviary management. Herz we have a wide field, from which only a few gleanings can be gathered in illustration of our main Subject, which the reader will perceive to be “ Birds in their relation to human society.” The precedence in these notices shall be given to the Pigeons of our own Island. The Stock Dove (C. Gnas) makes a very elegant and Pleasing aviary bird. Its plumage is rich, bluish gray being the prevalent hue; and the changing colours of the neck are more gemlike than those of common Pigeons. Taken from the nest when young, it is easily reared, and becomes as familiar and apparently as much attached to home as the other sorts usually kept. But as the birds get older, a pining for the woods comes over them ; they make excursions to the neighbouring groves, returning less and less frequently to the place where they have been nurtured and are still supplied with food by man, till at last they are utterly fascinated by 188 THE RING-DOVE. [CHAP. VI. the delights of sylvan freedom, and become followers of Robin Hood and other forest-haunting outlaws: not that they love man less, but that they love the woods more. If, therefore, they are to be retained in captivity, an aviary must ever be their prison ; unless it be preferred that they should go at large in a still more sorrowful condition, with a clipped wing or a shortened pinion *, The Rine Dove (C. Palumbus) is a much larger bird, of perhaps still more beautiful plumage, which is too well known to be particularized here. It is, how- ever, less docile, and more difficult to rear. The best way to procure them for the aviary is to get from the nest three-quarter grown squabs, and feed them, by mouth, with peas and water. They are too large to be easily brought up by domestic Pigeons as foster-parents. “ I have been consoling myself,” writes a friend, “for bad success with chickens, by rearing Wild Ducks and Wood Pigeons. The former do well at present, and are amusing little creatures, not very wild either; the latter I have in two instances hatched under my pigeons, and for one week they have tended them well; but, after that, finding out, I suppose, the trick put upon them, they have deserted their foster-children. The result of this experiment is not yet conclusive, and may, after all, be a mere accident. If I can get eggs easily, I shall probably try again, taking care to put them under a different pair from either of the others. The Ring Dove is a very great ornament to our dark fir woods and cedars, and will frequently build in some beeches close to where the domestic birds are housed; of which, how- ever, they never take the slightest notice.” —H. H. * “ A neighbour here kept a Stockdove and a Blue Rock toge- ther in vain for a long time.”—D. L., Keswick, Cumberland. CHAP. vI] THE TURTLE DOVE. 189 Ring Doves are irregularly migratory, sometimes appearing in large flocks, the numbers composing which Seem incredible when estimated. They commit great havoc on the new-sown grain and the buds of the young clover plant; they also eat great quantities of mast and the seeds of noxious weeds. Rewards have been offered in Scotland for their destruction, with the view of keeping them down; but this is of little use unless at the same time a tall net, over which they could not fly, could be stretched somewhere, as a colossal fence, be- tween Norway and our eastern coast. The best means of reducing their numbers is to publish their excellence for the table at the times when they do not feed upon turnips. Then they punish the farmer indeed, pecking holes in the bulbs for the frost and wet to work upon. The young birds would be acceptable in London in the height of the fashionable season; but then no game- keeper will allow a gun to be fired in his preserves, lest more valuable prey should be driven into the next parish. The Turre Dove (C. Turtur) is a very pretty, very untrustworthy little creature, less known than the pre- ceding. When reared from the nest, it becomes tame enough to be even an interesting cage bird; but a pair thus educated, and seemingly contented, in a green- house, slipped out cunningly, and were never heard of again. Perhaps, by the time their flight was discovered, they had got half way to Africa; for the very best part Only of the year will suit them with us. They adopt the family habits of drinking deeply at a draught, and tickling each other's heads. The coo might be mistaken for the croaking of a frog or toad. When heard close at hand, it has a sort of burring, bubbling sound, and 190 AUSTRALIAN DOVES. [CHAP. VI. consists of two syllables or measures, the second being reduplicated, and the whole accented like the words, “Ah! Mamma!” The Turtle Dove is much the smallest of our native Columbidw. The plumage may be generally described as ashy brown: the spot on the side of the neck, and the white tips to the tail feathers, are the most ornamental points of it. In the spots on the neck trifling variations occur, which may safely be referred to age. In Shropshire, this bird is believed to be found nowhere else except about the Wrekin, and hence is claimed by them as the Wrekin Dove; but the species has a most extensive geographical range. Such exclusive possession of the Turtle Dove is no more a fact than that the Wrekin is Mount Ida, or that the Shropshire gentry dwell on the top of it to represent the gods and goddesses. Curiosity and hope next lead us to glance at Aus- tralia, to ascertain whether any of the numerous members of the Pigeon family found on that vast island be, by possibility, attachable to our own family circle, Five species only of Pigeons (for the Passenger is hardly admissible, and affinis not yet acknowledged) are found in Kurope* ; the Ring Dove, the Stock Dove, the Rock Dove, the Common Turtle, and the Collared Turtle ; the latter being merely an occasional visitant. One of these has been domesticated, and another tamed and all but domesticated, from time immemorial. It will look like an unusual exception to the doctrine of chances, if, among the small number of five, out of the * . . . The Turtur Senegalensis, however, is recognised as a European species, and has been found abundantly in Greece. (Ann. Nat. Hist. vol, 18, p. 18), CHAP, VI] WHETHER DOMESTICABLE. 191 long entire list of Columbide, we should happen to possess in this island the sole species of the family which is capable of domestication. Twenty-one species are already described by Mr. Gould in Australia alone, and it is not too much to say that not one of them has yet had a trial fora few (of their) successive generations. The nearer any creatures are to attaining the faculty of domesticability, without actually arriving at the re- quired docility of disposition, the more disappointing and provoking are they to the baffled experimenter. New species, and from new countries, afford matter for Speculative trial, which becomes the more hopeful as the Subject of it approaches nearer to races which have already submitted to our sway. The Collared Turtle, With a little more love of home, and a little more per- Sonal affection, would be as securely our dependent vassal as the Fantail and the Tumbler. How exciting if there be any likelihood of success with the Australian Pigeons! It will surely be acknowledged that these -hewly-discovered creatures deserve to be fairly tested, Species by species, (to see what is in them, not what we can make of them,) to secure the chance that, amidst the multitude of blanks for the poultry-yard, some grand prize, like the Turkey from America, may unexpectedly turn up. It will be remarkable, indeed, if, after every patient endeavour, among all the Pigeons, the C. livia and its reputed descendants are the only truly domesticable Species. It will be an apt comment on the great things man is to do, the domestic races he is even to create! Tt will be a broad hint, as good nearly as the admonition of an ever-present Prophet, could we but understand it 192 THE WONGA-WONGA. [CHAP. VI. as such, that there does exist a Power who formed his own rules of action without consulting us; who was in the act of creating, ordering, and providing, while we, as yet, were utterly nought; and whose influence will continue to govern the Universe long after our amazing powers have ceased to act upon it. If we cannot mould the lower animals, is it more likely that we should be able to modify the inborn instincts of our fellow-creatures, by using ever so much perseverance and assiduity, after a fair experiment has been made that they do run counter to our views? Or is it wiser that we should be content with things as we find them, and take others as they are, ruling our own hearts with diligence, as far as assistance shall be given us to exercise self-government, under the belief that all our strongest forces are but feeble; and that the forces in antagonism to them are either energized or permitted by the One Great Fountain of Might ? None of the Australian Pigeons have as yet been actually domesticated, and we will begin with that which best promises to be domesticable ; and, for this object, Mr. Gould has liberally allowed us to transcribe from his “ Birds of Australia”—a book accessible to but few—some interesting passages relating to the Wonea- wonea Pieron, the Leucosarcia picata of his nomen- clature (Aevxd;, white, and c£, flesh), the Columba picata of Dr. Latham: picata being Latin for “ be- smeared with pitch,” in allusion to the black-patched plumage of the bird. “The Pigeon,” he observes, “forming the subject of the present memoir must always be an object of more than ordinary interest, since, independently of its attractive plumage, it is a CHAP. VI.] MR. GOULD’S OPINION. 193 great delicacy for the table; its large size and the whiteness of its flesh rendering it in this respect second to no other member of its family, the one at all approxi- mate to it being the Geophaps scripta. It is to be re- Sretted that a bird possessing so many qualifications as the present species should not be generally dispersed over the country; but such is not the case. To look for it on the plains, or in any of the open hilly parts, would be useless; no other districts than the brushes which Stretch along the line of coast of New South Wales, or those clothing the sides of the hills, are favoured with its presence: its distribution, therefore, over Australia depends mainly upon whether the surface of the country be or be not clothed with that rich character of vegeta- tion common to the south-eastern portion of the conti- nent. As the length of its tarsi would lead one to expect, the Wonga-wonga spends most of its time on the ground, where it feeds upon the seeds and stones of the fallen fruits of the towering trees under whose Shade it dwells, seldom exposing itself to the rays of the sun, or seeking the open parts of the forest. While traversing these arborean solitudes, one is frequently Startled by the sudden rising of the Wonga-wonga, the Noise of whose wings is quite equal to, and not very different from, that made by a Pheasant. Its flight is not of long duration, this power being merely employed to remove it to a sufficient distance to avoid detection Y again descending to the ground, or mounting to the branch of a neighbouring tree. Of the nidification of this valuable bird I could gain no precise information. tis a species that bears confinement well, and, with an ordinary degree of attention, may doubtless be rendered omesticated and useful. The sexes present no external o 194 BRONZE-WINGED PIGEONS [CHAP. VI. difference in the markings of their plumage, but the female is somewhat inferior to the male in size.” * The sentence in italics is the one which has caused the introduction of the whole passage here. The Wonga-wonga, there is every reason to believe, has been in this country alive: any one who may chance to possess it should be told what hopes are entertained of its capabilities ; but, at present, no account of its being naturalized or domesticated has reached me. Ture Bronze-wincep Picrons.—The Columbide, or entire family of Pigeons, containing a great number of known, and probably not a few still undescribed species, -have been divided into several genera by modern natu- ralists. One of these, Columba, includes our common Dovehouse and Domestic Pigeons; another, Peristera of Swainson, Phaps of Gould, takes in the subjects at present under consideration. The Bronze-wings follow next to the Leucosarcia in interest; which, however, arises from totally different considerations. No hope of domestication can be admitted here, even if it were allowable for others. According to Mr. Gould’s opinion, with which he has kindly favoured me, “ Of all the Australian Pigeons, the Bronze-wings are the species most likely to become naturalized in this country. Not that I think this can ever be accomplished; the climate being so different, and the habits of the birds totally unadapted for a country so highly cultivated as England. They love to dwell on the most sterile plains, where they feed almost exclusively on grass-seeds*, and * See vol. v. pl. 63. + The food of the genus Phaps is thus described in Dr. Leichhardt’s Expedition to Port Essington :—“ The Bronze-winged Pigeon lived here on the red fruit of Rhagodia, and the black berries of a species CHAP. vI] GUIDES TO WATER. 195 whence, on the approach of evening, they wing their way, with arrow-like swiftness, to the water-holes many miles distant, for a supply of that element so essential to life; besides which, they are nearly all strictly migratory birds. Still, any attempt to introduce them would be most praiseworthy; but I fear that their habits would not become sufficiently modified to render it Successful.” The same high authority, in his valuable “ Introduc- tion to the Birds of Australia,” (which he has printed for the use of his scientific friends, and which is parti- cularly acceptable to those who have no opportunity of access to the costly folio edition,) speaking of the Bronze- Wings generally, states that the members of this genus “not only form an excellent viand for the settlers, but One of the greatest boons bestowed upon the explorer, Since they not only furnish him with a supply of nutri- tious food, but direct him by their straight and arrow- like evening flight, to the situations where he may find Wwater—that element without which man cannot exist.” He has styled the genus Phaps (Ma), palumbus, avis), adopting the designation first given by Mr. Selby, and mentions three species, chalcoptera, elegans, and histrionica. Africa has her Honey-guide, and Australia may boast er Water-witch. The Bronze-wing is the friendly of Jasmine; and seems also to pick occasionally the seed vessel of a uellia, which is very frequent on all the flats of Comet Creek.” Rag “ Shot some Bronze-winged | Pigeons ; in the crop of one J a small Helix with a long spire—a form I do not remember ever having seen before in the colony.” p. 99. “Large flocks of P eristera (Phaps) héstrionica, the Harlequin Pigeon, were lying on the patches of burnt grass on the plains; they feed on the brown Seeds of a grass which annoyed us very much by getting into our Stockings, trowsers, and blankets.” p. 297. pas 196 TEMMINCK’S ACCOUNT, [CHAP. VI. indicator of waters in the wilderness. Let us listen to the story of one who thus found aid in his extremity :— “ As the sun declined, we got into open forest ground, and travelled forwards in momentary expectation, from appearances, of coming in sight of water; but we were obliged to pull up at sunset on the outskirts of a larger plain without having our expectation realized. The day had been extremely warm, and our animals were as thirsty as ourselves. Hope never forsakes the human breast; and thence it was that, after we had secured the horses, we began to wander round our lonely bivouac. It was almost dark, when one of my men came to in- form me that he had found a small puddle of water, to which he had been led by a Pigeon*. It was, indeed, small enough, probably the remains of a passing shower; it was, however, sufficient for our necessities, and I thanked Providence for its bounty to us.”’+ Temminck’s description of the Bronze-wing is most inviting. It is one of the most beautiful Pigeons known to him. “ Brilliant specks, of a radiant lustre, are sprinkled on the wings of this bird, whose plumage, generally of a uniform colour on the rest of the body, aids still more to relieve the dazzling richness of these spots, which shine like so many rubies, sapphires, and opal stones. “ Captain Philip, in his voyage to New South Wales, and Surgeon-General White, in his voyage to Port Jack- son, make mention of this Pigeon: Labillardiére, who also killed it in New Holland, had already found it at Diemen’s Cape: the naturalists who accompanied * In the maps, the name of “ Pigeon Ponds,” given to welcome pools of water, still marks the mode of their first discovery. Tt Sturt’s Expedition into South Australia. CHAP. vI] INTEREST OF THE BIRD. 197 Captain Baudin brought home two individuals killed at the Canal d’Entrecasteaux. The species appears in general very abundant in all parts of the Pacific Ocean ; they are found at Norfolk Island, in different parts of New Holland, and are especially very common in the environs of Sidney Cove and the Baie Botanique.” Here, then, is a bird, which flits before the eyes of Cur fellow-subjects and blood-relations at the antipodes; which must have engaged the attention, and doubtless often diverted the sad remorseful thoughts, of the Convict; which excited the curiosity, and satisfied the Cravings after fresh meat, of such men as Sir Joseph Banks and Captain Cook. When we see it caged in our Presence, and trimming its glittering epaulettes in the Sun, we cannot look upon it with indifference—without Some wish that it could be made to dwell, unrestrained, ™ our Dovecotes, and afford matter of instruction to our children, by the innumerable associations and lessons Connected with its history. Temminck continues, “ The Lumachelle (whence comes this name ?) Pigeons delight in sandy and arid Places : they love to remain on the ground or on low ranches; at the Baie Botanique they are only seen from the end of September till February (the spring there), They always appear in pairs; they usually make their nests in the holes of trees at a slight dis- tance from the ground, often on the ground itself, and lay two white eggs ; their principal food is a small fruit resembling a cherry: the kernels of this fruit are always found in their gizzard. Itis easy to make sure of their place of retreat, for their very sonorous cooing, at a certain distance, resembles the lowing of cows. e natives of New Holland designate the Lumachelle 198 PLUMAGE. [CHAP. VI. by the name of Goad-Gang ; the English call it Ground- Pigeon, which signifies Pigeon de terre. (Perhaps this may be a confusion of species.) “ The adult male is fifteen inches and a half from the point of the bill to the extremity of the tail; the forehead is pure white, and is softly shaded into light rose colour; this becomes more violaceous in approach- ing the occiput, and forms, in passing over the eyes, a sort of horse-shoe. The orifices of the ears are covered with small white feathers. The prevailing colour on the upper parts is an ashy brown; each feather is mar- gined with earthy yellow. The greater wing coverts have towards their extremity a spot of radiant bright- ness. The glancing reflections of the ruby and the opal shine only in emulation of these feathers, which, by their re-union, when the wing is in a state of rest, form two transverse bands over this part ; these feathers are tipped with a lovely pearly white. The small and middle coverts have also these same brilliant spots, more or less irregularly distributed; they are tipped with yellowish grey. On the secondary quills of the wings are large circles (miroirs) of purplish green. The tail is composed of eighteen ash-coloured feathers, with a black stripe towards their extremity; the two middle feathers are the colour of the body; the under part of the tail is also ashy grey, but all the feathers are tra- versed by a brown bar. The lower parts of the body are grey, with vinous tints on the breast. The inner part of the wings is rusty rufous; the bill is blackish, but its base is reddish ; the feet are red. “ The female has no white on her forehead ; all the head is ashy grey: this colour prevails over the other parts of the bird, but the tints are in general less clear cmar. vL] KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR HISTORY. 199 than in the male; the edges of all the feathers are yellowish white; their radiance does not approach that of the ruby, but the reflections are rather of a metallic green. The circles (miroirs) on the secondary feathers are also smaller and duller. “The young Lumachelles have their plumage of a blackish ash colour, and all the feathers are margined with umber brown. The forehead and throat are whitish, and the circles are of a sombre hue, with Slightly-greenish reflections.” In these birds, the rich metallic lights which adorn the necks of our Pigeons seem transferred to the wings. The Australian Pigeons are specially interesting, in- asmuch as their history, from the first acquaintance of civilized man with them, is likely to remain ever acces- sible to future naturalists, and so will hereafter furnish a record of what modifications, if any, captivity and domestication are able to effect in their outward appear- ance and inward disposition. They have not yet all been brought alive to this country ; but every fresh Ship-arrival may obviate that cause of ignorance here, respecting their capabilities. It is in England, proba- bly, that their domesticability, and readiness to breed in confinement, will be really tested, as has been the case with the Black Swan and the Cereopsis ; for the Colonists are too glad to depend upon the domestic creatures of the Old World, and have too much heavy Work—such as searching for mines into the bowels of the earth, and tracing the vast extent of horrible burn- ing deserts—to bestow, as yet, much pains on the wild indigenous creatures of the land. That is a task which requires more leisure, ease, and wealth, than ought to e possessed by the subduers of a virgin wilderness. 200 HAVE BRED IN CONFINEMENT. [CHAP VI. It is unnecessary to remark how much Australia owes to the Old World on the score of live stock. Captain Sturt even suggests, with great reasonableness, that the camel may yet be found available for exploring the deserts of the interior, and deciding the question of the inland sea. [We may wonder, half seriously, why some bold adventurer has not risked a balloon-ascent for the sake of a good bird's-eye view into the untrodden solitudes.] For the main sources of their agricultural wealth—cattle and sheep, the Australians are indebted to Europeans: we should like, if such be in the order of things, to get something back from them in re- turn. The Black Swan seems likely to become na- turalized, if not eS a useful, at least as a very pleasing, denizen of British park scenery. The indigenous truly gallinaceous birds are strangely scanty in number; and others, very nearly allied to them, are of such peculiar habits (not incubating their own eggs, but burying them in large mounds to be hatched), that it is not easy to suppose how they could be managed in domestication, We therefore turn to the Columbide with some degree of hope and interest; convinced, however, that the rank as domesticable creatures which they shall be found to fall into, after three or four gene- rations bred under the superintendence of man, will be ultimately the place they are destined by Providence to _ occupy in the scale of creation. Some of this family, as the Crested Marsh Pigeon, and the common Bronze-wing, have already bred in confinement; the lovely little Geopelia cuneata, when imported more numerously or bred here, so as to be lower in price, is sure to become a general favourite. These may be fairly expected to arrive at least at the $ M 2 F omr. vi.] COMPULSORY MIGRATIONS. 201 ` position of the Collared Turtle ; it remains to be proved whether the Wonga-wonga, Mr. Gould’s special protégée, will turn out as manageable as he anticipates. The migratory habits of the Australian Pigeons are an apparent bar to their domestication ; but, in truth, they have no choice, except to migrate. In the interior deserts, nearly all the birds are compelled to change their ground, as the terrific summer advances: and no Steat wonder! The wonder would be if they did not Migrate. Captain Sturt—who, during his all but suc- cessful attempt to reach the central point of the con- tinent, found himself locked up, by despair of procuring Water, in the desolate and heated region into which he had penetrated, as effectually as if he had wintered at the Pole—after a time was deserted by the feathered tribes. Pigeons, Bitterns, Cockatoos, and other birds, all passed away simultaneously in a single day; and well they Might. Captain Sturt naturally envied the Cockatoos their power of wing, to explore a way for his party to scape from the horrors amidst which they were pent. Stones that had lain in the sun were with difficulty held in the hand: the men could not always keep their feet Within the glowing stirrups: if a match fell to the Sround it ignited, and the earth was thoroughly heated to the depth of three or four feet; writing was a labo- Tlous task, for the lead had dropped out of their Pencils, and the ink dried so rapidly in their pens that there was no time to linger over choice of phrase : their air ceased to grow, and their nails were as brittle as glass : the atmosphere on some occasions was so rarified, that they felt a difficulty in breathing, and a burning Sensation on the crown of the head, as if a hot iron had been there: they were obliged to bury their wax 202 ABSTINENCE FROM WATER. [CHAP. VI. candles to keep them from melting away: they planted seeds in the bed of the creek, but the sun burnt them to cinders the moment they appeared above the ground: at three o'clock one afternoon the mercury in a thermo- meter fixed behind a tree about five feet from the ground, was standing at 182°; on removing it into the sun it rose to 157°! [and yet we complain, if we. fall in with the cool temperature of 80°:] a thermometer, graduated only to 127°, was placed in the fork of a tree, sheltered alike from the wind and the sun, the mercury being then up to 125°; an hour afterwards its further expan- sion had burst the bulb of the instrument. In the midst of this fiery furnace, the intense and oppressive heat of which Captain Sturt cannot find language to describe, a few native savages contrive to exist by shift- ing about from creek to mud-pool; and here also the Crested Pigeon delights to dwell. “ In riding amongst some rocky ground, we shot a new and beautiful little Pigeon, with a long crest (Geophaps plumifera). The habits of this bird were very singular, for it never perched on the trees, but on the highest and most exposed rocks, in what must have been an intense heat; its flight was short, like that of a Quail, and it ran in the same manner through the grass when feeding in the evening.” We shall notice the faculty which certain Australian Kingfishers possess of living without water to drink ; a similar power of abstinence is to a degree enjoyed (shall we say?) by other inhabitants of the same ter- rible wastes, for which the words arid, desert, inhospit- able, are far too feeble epithets. The Talpero, Hapa- tolis Mitchelii, an animal with many of the habits of our rabbit, but not much larger than a mouse, must live CHAP. VI] AUSTRALIAN DROUGHTS. 203 for many months together without water, feeding on the tender shoots of plants; and the Bronze-wing and Harlequin Pigeon, Phaps chalcoptera and histrionica, just take an evening sip of the muddy pool they have flown so far to taste, and are off again to their parching haunts, after having only just wetted their bill. Captain Sturt remarks, “ It is astonishing, indeed, that so small a quantity asa bare mouthful, should be sufficient to quench their thirst in the burning deserts they inhabit.” It is quite impossible for fireside travellers to more than guess at the joy of expected rescue to life from a horrible death, which the movements of an Australian Pigeon can inspire. Captain Sturt’s narrative of such an event is the more touching that it is unaffected. “None of the horses would eat, with the exception of Traveller. The others collected round me as I sat under a tree, with their heads over mine, and my own horse pulled my hat off my head to engage my attention. Poor brute! I would have given much at that moment to have relieved him, but I could not. We were all of us in the same distress, and if we had not ultimately found water, must all have perished together. Finding that they would not eat, we saddled and proceeded onwards. At the head of the valley Traveller fell dead, and I feared every moment that we should lose the colt. We made straight for the spot where we expected to relieve both ourselves and our horses, but the water was gone. Mr. Sturt poked his fingers into the mud and mois- tened his lips with the water that filled the holes he had made, but that was all. In this situation, and with the apparent certain prospect of losing my own and Mr. Browne’s horse, and the colt which was still alive 204 AID IN EXTREMITIES. (CHAP. VI. when the men left him, not more than a mile in the rear, we continued our search for water, but it would have been to no purpose. Suddenly a Pigeon topped the sand-hill—it being the first bird we had seen—a solitary bird; passing us like lightning, it pitched for a moment, and for a moment only, on the plain, about a quarter of a mile from us, and then flew away. It could only have wetted its bill, but Mr. Sturt had marked the spot, and there was water ! Perhaps I ought to dwell for a moment on this singular occurrence, but I leave it to make its own impression on the reader's feelings. I was enabled to send back to the colt, and we managed to save him; and as there was a sufficiency of water for our consumption, I determined to give the men a day of rest, and to try if I could find a passage across the desert a little to the eastward of the north.” * The power of ventriloquism is a faculty that one would hardly expect to find amongst Pigeons. Some of these birds, however, do possess it. Whether it is ex- ercised generally, or on occasions only, does not appear. Those who have kept the common Bronze-wing say that it can throw its voice to a distance, making it sound as if it came from some bird a long way off, though the creature itself is in a cage at one’s elbow. In Wilkin- son’s “Manual for Emigrants,”+ a South Australian night is thus described :—“ It was nearly full-moon, and the sky unclouded, every object being seen with distinctness almost to as great a distance as in the daytime. No sound broke the stillness except the dis- tant lowing of cattle, and the unearthly sound made by the Bronze-wing Pigeons.” * Expedition into Central Australia, vol. ii. Dene + Oh. ii. p. 330. CHAP. vI.] VENTRILOQUIST PIGEONS. 205 Another species, Geopelia tranquilla, one of the tiny Ground-Doves, exercised its talents in puzzling Captain Sturt during his exploring expeditions. He says, “ This bird frequents the banks of the Darling and the Murray, but is not so common as the Geopelia cuneata. I first heard it on the marshes of the Macquarie, but could not see it. The fact is that it has the power of throw- ing its voice to a distance, and I mistook it for some time for the note of a large bird on the plains, and sent a man more than once with a gun to shoot it, without Success. At last, as Mr. Hume and I were one day sitting under a tree on the Bogan Creek, between the Mac- quarie and the Darling, we heard the note, and I sent my man Frazer to try once more if he could discover What bird it was, when, on looking up into the tree under which we were sitting, we saw one of these little Doves, and ascertained from the movement of its throat that the sound proceeded from it, although it Still fell on our ears as if it had been some large bird upon the plain. I have therefore taken upon me to call it ‘ Ventriloquist.’ ” Tun Harrequin Bronzz-wine, Phaps (Peristera of Gould) histrionica, is an extremely beautiful bird, which has lately bred in this country under most paradoxical circumstances, if we were to estimate its degree of hardi- ness from the climate of its native regions. It is an instance, very similar to the Guinea-fowl, that practical zoology is as much an empirical science as practical Chemistry ; and that we can form no safe à priori con- clusions respecting the constitutional powers of any untried living creature. Everything must be tested, both singly and in combination, or by inter-breeding, at zoology will still want, after her list of forms is 206 HARLEQUIN BRONZE-WING. [CHAP. VI. complete, is experiment upon. experiment with each available species. The Harlequin Bronze-wing derives its name proba- bly as much from the black mask with which its face is covered, as from the gay colours with which other parts of its person are decorated. Its first discovery is thus recorded :— “On breaking through a low scrub, we crossed a ridge of sand, on which numerous pine-trees were grow- ing. The day was excessively hot, and the horses in the team suffered much. I therefore desired Morgan to halt, and, with Mr. Browne, rode forward in the hope of finding water, for he had shot a new and beautiful Pigeon, [Peristera histrionica,] on the bill of which some moist clay was adhering ; wherefore we concluded that he had just been drinking at some shallow, but still unexhausted, puddle of water near us: we were, however, unsuccessful in our search, but crossed pine ridge after pine ridge. “As we crossed the plains near Flood’s Creek we flushed numerous Pigeons; a pair, indeed, from under almost every bush of rhagodia that we passed. This bird was similar to one Mr. Browne had shot in the pine forest, and this (Dec. 9th) was clearly the breed- ing season; there were no young birds, and in most of the nests only one egg. We should not, however, have encumbered ourselves with any of the young at that time, but looked to a later period for the chance of being able to take some of that beautiful description of Pigeon home with us. The old birds rose like Grouse, and would afford splendid shooting if found in such a situation at any other period than that of incubation : at other times however, as I shall have to inform the CHAP. vI] SUDDEN MIGRATIONS. 207 reader, they congregate in vast flocks, and are migra- tory. “When Mr. Browne and I were in this neighbour- hood before, [near the Depot, where they were detained six months by the drought, ] he had some tolerable sport, ` shooting the new Pigeon, the flesh of which was most delicious. At that time they were feeding upon the seed of the rice-grass, and were scattered about ; but we now (Feb. 8th) found them, as well as many other birds, congregated in vast numbers, preparing to migrate to the north-east, apparently their direct line of migra- tion; they were comparatively wild, so that our only chance of procuring any was when they came to water.” * Another discoverer describes the bird. ‘ The pond here was so much frequented by Pigeons, and a new sort, of elegant form and plumage, was so numerous that five were killed at two shots. The head was jet- black, the neck milk-white, the wings fawn-colour, having the lower feathers of purple. I had no means of preserving a specimen, but I took a drawing of one, by which I find it has been named Geophaps (now Peristera) histrionica.” + Mr. Gould found the Harlequins under circumstances which proved that they must have made a sudden flight —taking their equally sudden departure—from the glowing hot-bed of the central regions; on which he remarks, “The great length of wing which this bird Possesses, admirably adapts it for inhabiting such a country as the far interior is generally imagined to be, Since by this means it may readily pass with great ease, and in a short time, over a vast extent of country ; this * Captain Sturt. + Sir T, Mitchell’s Expedition into Tropical Australia, p. 323. iy” erence tne CCN AE ON nt 208 HAVE BRED AT KNOWSLEY. [CHAP. VI. great power of flight is also a highly necessary qualifica- tion to enable it to traverse the great distances it is probably often necessitated to do in search of water. “ On dissecting the specimens obtained, I found their crops half-filled with small hard seeds, which they pro- cured trom the open plains, but of what kinds I was unable to determine.” * The reader is now particularly requested to compare in his imagination the burning wastes of which the bird is native, with an account of its doings, of its own free choice, in England. For the details I am indebted to the kindness of the Earl of Derby, and it will be most respectful to his Lordship to give them in his own words. Sept. 20, 1850.—*“ I have already told you of the success we have had in breeding the Australian Doves, and that a pair of the Harlequin Bronze-wing had made a nest on the ground inthe open Pheasautry, merely under the wired part, and close to the low front wall; in con- sequence of which Thompson took the precaution, by way of some protection against rain or other storms, to place a board as a sort of pent-house, or lean-to, from the wall over her, while she was yet sitting. Yet this never disturbed her; but since her couple of young have been hatched, she occasionally amuses herself by changing their place for some reason or other, which she manages by inducing them to flutter along the ground after her to the distance of a foot or two, by which means she has of course now removed them from under the shelter of the board, and into the open air, and in consequence I fear they may have sustained * Birds of Australia. CHAP. vI] SPECKLED GROUND-DOVE. 209 Some damage from the rain of last night, which for a — time was rather heavy, but as yet I have heard of none Such happening. Of this species I have four adults, and this is the second nest made, if I may call it such, for the eggs were laid on the bare grass. Of the first pair of young one died early, and the other is, I should Say, full grown, but has not as yet the markings about the head that the old ones have. The second pair, which I saw yesterday, were about half-fledged, but Seem to have very little down.” Probably if the squabs had been coddled up in heat, they might not have thriven so well. Still their being reared at all is an extraordinary fact. The temperature of their birth-place at Knowsley would be at least 60° or 70° lower than that in Australia. Who can guess at any creature’s powers of endurance, their own included, till they try them? But hardihood is not the universal rule with Pigeons that have been brought up to the bakings of the great Australian oven. One elegant little Dove, our next subject, found by the same explorers in the same heated deserts, can hardly be got through a British winter in a snug cage in a warm room. Let all intending purchasers of such keep their cash in their purses till the spring importation has arrived. SPECKLED Dove, or GRACEFUL Grounp-Dove, Geo- Pelia cuneata.—“ All that we read or imagine of the Softness and innocence of the Dove is realized in this beautiful and delicate little bird. It is very small, and has a general purple plumage approaching to lilac. It as a bright red skin round the eyes, the iris being also red, and its wings are speckled over with delicate white Spots. This sweet bird is common on the Murray and the Darling, and was met with in various parts of the P 210 MINUTE ANIMAL FORMS. [CHAP. VI- interior, but I do not think that it migrates to the north-west. Two remained with us at the Depôt in lat. 39° 40’, long. 142°, during a great part of the win- ter, and on one occasion roosted on my tent ropes near a fire. The note of this Dove is exceedingly plaintive, and is softer, but much resembles the coo of the Turtle- Dove.”* Australia is a land of minute forms of animated nature, and this is one of the most charming. To behold is to admire ; to possess is to cherish with the interest called forth by fragile beauty. Itis probably quite the smallest existing Pigeon. The same continent also is inhabited by that beautiful little Quail the Syndicus Chinensis, which is not larger than a young Guinea-fowl that has, just broken the shell. What minute, insect-like things its young ones must be! The little Grass Par- roquets, not bigger than Larks, are well known: and among quadrupeds, there is the Flying Opossum Mouse, Acrobates pygmea, less than a mouse in size, and with a tail like an Emeu’s feather (in fineness, not in double- ness)—a pet calculated to rouse the jealousy of all the American Flying Squirrels, or European Dormice, that were ever fondled in a lady's apron. Mr. Gould’s graphic account both makes us desire the bird, and indicates the diet and position most suitable for it in our aviaries. “ Its natural food being the seeds of grasses and leguminous plants, it is observed more frequently on the ground than among trees. I sometimes met with it in small flocks, but more often in pairs or singly. It runs over the ground with a short bobbing motion of the tail, and while feeding is so re- * Captain Sturt. CHAP. VI.] CRESTED PIGEONS. 211 markably tame as almost to admit of its being taken by the hand ; and if forced to take wing, it merely flies to the nearest trees, and there remains motionless among the branches until it again descends to the ground. I not unfrequently observed it close to the open doors of the huts of the stock-keepers of the interior, who, from its being so constantly before them, regard it with little interest. “ The nest is a frail but beautiful structure, formed of the stalks of a few flowering grasses, crossed and inter- woven after the manner of the other Pigeons. It utters a rather singular note, which at times very much resem- bles the distant crowing of a cock. The eggs are white, and two in number, 41 of an inch long by = broad. The sexes, although bearing a general resemblance to each other, may be readily distinguished by the smaller size of the female, by the browner hue of her wing- feathers, and by the spotting of her upper surface not being so numerous or so regular as in the male.” There are two known crested Pigeons in Australia, belonging to different genera: first, the Guornars Piumirura*, one of the very small doves, which we are Not aware has been brought alive to this country; the other, OcypHars LOPHOTES, or CRESTED MARSH PIGEON, has bred both at Knowsley and in the Zoological Society's Gardens. Captain Sturt says, “The locality of this beautiful Pigeon is always near water. It is a bird of * These pretty little Pigeons had been first observed by Brown in the course of our yesterday’s stage, who shot two of them, but they Were too much mutilated to make good specimens. We frequently Saw them afterwards, but never more than two, four, or six together, Tunning with great rapidity and with elevated crest over the ground, and preferring the shady rocks along the sandy bed of the river,” Leichhardt’ Expedition to Port Essington, p. 284. P Ì 912 THEIR BREEDING AT KNOWSLEY. [CHAP. VI. the depressed interior [parts of the interior of Australia are below the level of the sea, reminding us of the Dead Sea, another sterile hollow on the earth’s surface], never ascending to higher land, where there are extensive marshes covered with the Polygonium geranium. In river valleys, on the flats of which the same bramble grows, the Ocyphaps lophotes is sure to be found; but there is no part of the interior over which I have tra- velled where it is not, and it is very evident that its range is right across the continent from north to south. The general colour of this bird is a light purple or slate colour, and its form and plumage are both much more delicate than that of the Bronze-wing ; but it is by no means so fine a bird, its flesh being neither tender nor well-flavoured. It builds in low shrubs in exposed situations, and lays two eggs on so few twigs that it is only surprising how they remain together.” There are several points connected with the breeding of the Marsh Pigeon in England, for the knowledge of which I beg to express my thanks to the Earl of Derby, that well deserve the attention of naturalists. In the first place, there are several birds, natives of the southern hemisphere, whose descendants, as well as themselves, show their constitutions to be excited by the seasonal periods of their original home, though they themselves have for years been inhabitants of the northern half of the world. One of these, as will be seen, is the Emeu; another is the Ocyphaps lophotes. Feb. 12. “I have a few of the Crested Pigeon (of the Marshes) of Australia, a pair of which last season made three nests, and laid therein, but only once reared a young one. A short time since, going into the place where they were, and looking up, I saw something CHAP, VL] A SINGLE YOUNG ONE REARED. 213 which appeared like their nest in the top of a tree, and called Thompson’s attention toit. He said he had been there in that place the day before I came, and had not then seen anything of the sort; and to-day he has just told me he thinks, but cannot be sure, the female has begun to lay, but he does not like to climb to look, for fear of disturbing them. This is another proof of Australian birds retaining their native habits as to time, and I think a stronger one than the Black Swans’, as they seem to breed at all periods.” Their bad success the previous season might, I thought, have arisen from their being themselves Scarcely adult birds. I have found that, both in Fancy _ Pigeons and in Collared Turtles, the first pair or two of eggs are generally clear. Domestic Pigeons are more prolific breeders as they advance in years. The cock bird especially becomes more useful and assiduous as a nurse. But his Lordship does not admit this plea. Feb. 19, 1850. “ I am rather led to doubt the solu- tion you suggest, for our birds having laid three times last year and only rearing a single young one (viz., that they were themselves young birds), from the circum- Stance that another pair in the Regent's Park also nested thrice, and, I believe, did not rear more, if so many ; and it is hardly likely that all the birds obtained that Season should be young, and none adult. Their breeding thrice, or rather nesting thrice with us, we can partly account for, as in one instance the nest was disturbed.” This had been previously explained. Nov. 9, 1849. “As to the Australian Doves of which you speak in your letter, I perfectly agree in the opinion that several of them may be ultimately made useful to a certain degree of domesticity. You speak of the Ocyphaps 214 ONLY ONE EGG LAID. [CHAP. VI. lophotes, which you think you saw here breeding, and in which your recollection is quite correct. But ours is not the only, or perhaps the most successful, instance of the fact. In the Zoological Society's Gardens at the Regent's Park a pair have, as I am told by Mr. Mitchell, bred this last season three different times, and, as I think, they have reared young. In my own Menagerie, where I have two pairs of these birds, both have made nests and laid, but only one pair has reared a young one, which is doing very well, and at present is quite equal in size to the parents, though for some time it continued very small. They soon after their arrival formed a nest among the boughs of a fir-tree at one end of the inclo- sure; but as the female had one of the wings a little injured, so as not to permit her flying quite well, the work did not succeed, and was abandoned. As she re- covered, the task was again commenced in the same tree; but, as the wired inclosure in which they were, together with some small Antelopes, was required to be subdivided, although the workmen were carefully kept away from that end, the nest was again deserted after one, if not two, eggs had been laid, and we thought it was the gambolling of the Antelopes that disturbed the birds. A third attempt succeeded. Two eggs were laid, and one was hatched as I have told you, and has never from the first looked back. The other pair did not hatch.” A second remarkable fact is the habit which some captive Pigeons fall into of laying only one egg, instead of their usual number, two. “ This season (Feb. 19, 1850) only one egg has been laid by the Ocyphaps, and that some days since ; so that it remains to be seen whether that is or is not their OHAP. VI.] THE PASSENGER PIGEON. 215 proper number. The usual number for this tribe of birds to lay is held generally to be two, but im some species it is said to be limited to one egg only. My man Thompson asserts that he has never known our Passenger Pigeons to have more than one young one in a nest, and I think he has told me that they only lay a single egg. This is in confinement; while Audubon positively speaks of two squabs in the same nest. This seems an odd, and I think unusual, effect of domestica- tion.” It is a very natural effect of restraint and im- prisonment, of want of sufficient exercise, of incomplete change of diet. Though, if these flighty strangers can make themselves comfortable anywhere in Great Britain, _ they ought to do so at Knowsley. A few words on two more aviary Pigeons, each the representative of a vast continent, and this chapter must be concluded. The first is the famous PASSENGER bird of North America. It appears, from the latest accounts, that the enor- mous flocks in which these birds make their irregular change of locality are gradually diminishing in vastness ; and we know, that as men increase wild creatures decrease. The descriptions of Audubon would hereafter be liable to doubt, were they not supported by such strong contem- porary evidence. And it becomes interesting to ascer- tain whether the bird will, in the first place, breed in Captivity ; and, secondly, whether it can be prevailed on to assume domestic habits. For, though the flesh may nauseate when thrown into the market by tons Weight at a time, it may be acceptable if offered in braces and leashes. The first point has been decided some years ago. Audubon tells us, “ My noble friend the Earl of Derby has raised a great number of these 216 TRULY A BRITISH SPECIES. [CHAP. VI. birds, and has distributed them freely. It is not, there- fore, very surprising that some which have escaped from confinement have been shot; but that this species should naturally have a claim to be admitted into the British Fauna appears to me very doubtful.”* As to its domesticability, some hope might seem to be enter- tained from the following, which I have from Mr. T. S. Woodcock, of St. Mary’s Gate, Manchester: “I have seen cart-loads of the Passenger Pigeon brought to New York, as they visit the vicinity in their mi- grations. This is the only wild species that I have known attempted to be kept tame, and the instance was my own. A straggling flock having passed over New York, one of the birds (perhaps being fatigued) flew so low as to strike a chimney, and fell to the ground, and before it had time to recover itself it was in my pos- session. I kept it in a cote in the garden, with other Pigeons, and it became tolerably tame, and, I thought, had mated; but, the door being left open, out it flew, and, though it remained in the garden several days, I could not recover it, and its affection for its mate would not reconcile it to voluntary imprisonment.” This was really behaving in a much more promising manner than either our Ring Dove or Common Turtle would have have done. They would have been off instantly, sans ceremonie, without lingering two or three days out of politeness to their hospitable entertainer. For it will be remembered that the mating was only a compulsory union, a complete Hobson’s choice of fellowship. My own scaped specimen did not tantalize usso long. For in February, 1849, I had the honour to receive some of * Ornith. Biog., vol. v. p. 552. ee ee hg. CHAP. vr. SCAPED BIRD. _ 217 his Lordship’s spare stock of these birds. Three pairs arrived here in strong health and beautiful plumage. Audubon’s remark is quite correct, that their feathers are separated from the skin with the least touch; and the principals and assistants at Knowsley must be clever fellows to secure the birds in the spacious Pheasantry of which they have the unlimited range, and send them forth with so little damage. In removing the birds from the basket in which they arrived, one, a hen, slipped from my grasp. She dashed off, and went through the window of the room like a cricket ball, making the glass rattle on the gravel outside. Instantly the whole house- hold, not very numerous, ran out of doors, and were ` gazing at the clouds with stare of various vacancy. I Soon discovered, what we might have guessed, that the bird had fallen stunned on the ground; so she might have been retaken; but the interval was too long. On approaching her, she mounted to the top of a spruce fir, Sat there gazing around for five or six minutes (I would not allow her to be shot for a specimen), and then darted off like a bullet from a gun—whither, would be agreeable news. At this moment she is probably wandering un- Shot somewhere between Cringleford Hall and the moon. If any sportsman in these realms is unfortunate enough to bring down a female Passenger Pigeon, I beg to in- form him that she is no addition to the British Fauna, but my lawful property ! An odd male, left in solitude by this elopement, was Placed in a cage by himself, with the intention of giving im some common hen Pigeon as a companion ; but he Sulked and died in a few days, before his new associate Was introduced to him. A pair of the others were kept for many months in a cage in my living-room. Though 218 LONG-TAILED SENEGAL DOVE. [CHAP. VI. they gradually lost a little of their wildness, they ac- quired nothing of tameness, much less of domestic attachment. They were of opposite sexes, yet they quarrelled incessantly. They always reminded me of those miserable unions in which it is easier to lead the horse to water than to make him drink. The male was the smaller and weaker bird, and he was perpetually hen pecked, till he was worried into, not his grave, but the bird-stuffer’s glass-case. Another pair were transferred to a friend, who wrote thus of them: “ The Passengers are well, and exqui- sitely beautiful ; but beyond this, and the curious Grebe- like fashion of resting on their perch, (how they enjoy a sloping one !) there is really nothing to note. They are the most strangely uninteresting birds I ever came across, never uttering a note, or being seen to eat, except the hen one day, and which she seemed heartily ashamed of being caught doing. They sit up as if they had a wire drawn through them, and I fear their tempers are not good and trusty.” —H. H. Audubon well describes the curious motion of the neck in these birds when they are walking along the ground, and pictures the effect of their wheeling flight when in flocks, the mass now appearing all blue, and then all sunny red. This is caused by the simultaneous exposure to view of the bosoms of the birds, which in the males are of a bright vinous cherry-colour. Tue LoNG-TAILED SENEGAL Dove is equally propa- gable in an aviary, unmanageable in a cage, and unsus- ceptible of domestication. A pair liberally sent from Knowsley at the same time with the Passengers, still survive ; but though of opposite sexes, they long kept up such fierce engagements, that they were obliged to be CHAP. vI] THEIR SONG. 219 indulged with a separate maintenance. Notwithstanding their native tropical habitat, they seem perfectly hardy here. Lord Derby informs me, “ I have on former oc- casions turned -out a few of the Pigeon tribe, which I did not find it convenient to keep in what is called the Old Pheasantry, but I am somewhat discouraged in this proceeding ; as, though they have staid in the planta- tions around where they were released, and have bred and even reared their young in some instances, they have gradually disappeared. What we turned out here were the Passenger Pigeons of America, and the Long- tailed Senegal Pigeons.” The Senegals might very likely be naturalized in England, if poaching naturalists would allow them. In the woods about Knowsley they have been heard, utter- ing their curious song, which sounds very like the com- mencement of a negro melody, and may even have given a rythmical hint to the musical Blacks, — RY i i | | li i f | ES i | { | RRR RE g j een and soon. Two crochets to one bar, and four quavers to the next, in regular succession, all on one note. The learned say that the Doves are nearly allied to the Cuckoos. At any rate the song of many of them admits of quite as precise a notation*. Our bird is not the Turtur Senegalensis, or Neck- laced Turtle Dove, of Blyth, but probably the Columba vinacea of Gmelin. There is great confusion in the * « The coo of T. risorius somewhat resembles the sound cuckoo, Pronounced slowly and with a pause between the syllables, the Second being much prolonged and at first rolled.”"—Blyth. See M. Sundevall, in An. Nat. Hist. 220 AVIARY TREATMENT. [CHAP. VI. Latin nomenclature, though little in the English, if the epithet “ Long-tailed” be but borne in mind. The valuable “ Catalogue of the Knowsley Collection,” now in the course of publication for the Earl of Derby, by Mr. Louis Fraser, will doubtless ease our minds of many of these difficulties. All the Pigeons here mentioned are suitable for the aviary only, except the Geopelia cuneata, a pair of which, if the gardener were but good-natured, would thrive best in the dry stove. There seems, however, no rea- son why a hot-house should not be devoted to the convenience of birds, instead of plants, in a large esta- blishment. For the welfare of foreign Pigeons in an aviary, live turf, calcareous earth, gravel, shell-sand or calcined oyster shells, salt, fresh water, and shallow bathing-places, are desirable. Our ordinary grain and pulse may suffice for their diet, but it should not be for- gotten that many of them are vegetable and fruit-eaters; it is wise, therefore, to offer to any little known species that may come to hand, cabbage, swede-turnips, hips, haws, snow-berries, &c., in their season. A shelf screened off in an obscure corner near the roof will sometimes tempt them to breed: a wooden bowl, stuck among the branches of a tree, will give the hint that eggs may be laid there. If I do not err, I saw one of Lord Derby’s Australian Doves sitting on a wooden bowl. A few sticks and straws laid about are great inducements to amorous birds to begin furnishing their apartment. Finally, whoever has the taste to amuse his leisure with this kind of relaxation, will also have the tact to know that Nature is the best aviary-guide. So adieu to the Doves !—But we must have one Dove more !—“ PerrsteRa JamarcensIs. Go in pairs, CHAP. vI] PERISTERA JAMAICENSIS. 221 feed on the ground, build a coarse nest with two or three cross sticks, easily domesticated, excellent for the table.” Witness Sir W. Jardine.* If one were sure that the words were used in their strict meaning only, I would Soon organise a conspiracy to rob the cleanly and cho- lerific island of Jamaica of a few pairs of her easily domesticable Ground Doves. * An, Nat. Hist., vol. xx. p. 374. er a == Reon Bee. on pace =e Aw T Chick of Curasson. CHAPTER I. THE CRACIDH—CURASSOWS. Want of precise information.—Expected results from the Zoological Society.— Its great advantages.—Disappointments.—Causes thereof.—Erroneous Assump- tions.—The limited power of Man.—Domesticability of Cracide.—Former attempts.—Natural disposition of the bird.—Imported long ago.—IIl success at the Zoological Gardens.—The Cracide at Knowsley.—Arboreal habits.—Of tender constitution.—Curassows at home.—Tame, not domesticated.—Not Common in S. America.—M. Ameshoft’s festin d Heliogabale.—Eggs. “THE Correso is a larger Fowl than the Quam; the Cock is black, the Hen is of a dark brown. The Cock has a Crown of black Feathers on his head, and appears UNCERTAINTIES. [CHAP. I. very stately. These live also on Berries, and are very good to eat; but their bones are said to be poisonous ; therefore we do either burn or bury them, or throw them into the water, for fear our Dogs should eat them.” # We do not now believe the bones of the “ Correso” to be poisonous, nor take much precaution to keep them out of the way of such dogs as have the chance of eating them; but with really important and even with veritable particulars concerning this bird and the species allied to it, we are very little better acquainted than was the voyager whom we have just quoted. The information at present obtainable in books, or elsewhere, respecting the mere rarity or abundance of curassows in their na- tive country, the degree to which they have been, not tamed, but truly and actually domesticated there, and the amount of success likely to be attained in increas- ing them as a serviceable stock of poultry in England, is of a most conflicting character. For instance, no- thing that can be called even moderate success has hitherto attended the efforts made to propagate them in Great Britain; while in Holland, we are told, one gen- tleman used occasionally to produce them on his dinner- table. Their flesh is reputed so exquisite a viand, and their manners and appearance are known to be so gen- tle and engaging, that, although some persons might object to the loudness and harshness of their voice, they ought certainly to be added to our list of profitable live stock, if such an alliance with them can possibly be effected; if it cannot, the actual impossibility of their naturalisation here ought to be proved and publicly an- nounced. after being fairly tested, and the causes of it ascertained, in order to prevent well-meaning experi- * Dampier’s Voyages. ae ee > CHAP, 1.] EXPECTED RESULTS. O25 mentalists from oibo further expense in useless efforts, and to stop the continued lamentations in agri- cultural and natural history books that they are not yet generally reared in our farm-yards; which lamentations are to be found in almost every ornithological work which mentions the tribe. The investigation of the difficulty, moreover, whether it shall finally be pro- nounced to be superable or insuperable, may perhaps establish some principles to` guide us in speculating on the probable results of future similar experiments. At the present date, their high price, varying from 6l. to 12/. the pair, shows that they are anything but vulgar birds, and that a hindrance to their rapid increase on the old continent has hitherto existed in some yet un- discovered cause. When the Zoological Society of London was esta- blished, nearly 30 years ago, it was intended by its Projectors to bear the same relation to Zoology as a Science, by the introduction of living birds and animals, that the Horticultural does to Botany; and sanguine hopes were naturally and reasonably entertained of its being the means of making numerous and valuable Additions to our stock of domesticated creatures. Our Preserves were to be made the retreat of unknown game birds ; Bustards, Guans, Curassows, and a throng of °reign Ducks and Geese, were to give variety to the Poultry yard and luxurious plenty to the larder; Al- pacas, Guanacos, and Vicunas were to come in as useful auxiliaries to the sheep farm, and an addition to our ocks and herds; and even one or two new beasts of urden, beautiful as the Zebra, docile as the Horse, agile as the Antelope, and perhaps of half-elephant Power in strength, were hoped to be procurable. At Q a E a aema mi Bpr PLT ee s> = r —— Dil C Mr ASAE e | 296 THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [CHAP. L C the outset, Sir Stamford Raffles directed his attention more particularly to the scientific department; while Sir Humphrey Davy was to look principally to its practical and immediate utility to the country gentleman and the farmer ; and although the Society was too soon deprived by an early death of the great services of both those gentlemen, they have left most able successors. Scien- tific Zoology has really advanced with rapid strides ; but, in spite of every effort, the practical results and available importations have unfortunately been exceedingly few. It should also be remembered, that the Society has had unprecedented means at command; that it is com- posed of noblemen and gentlemen of rank, wealth, edu- cation, and ability ; that similar experiments on the do- mestication of untried creatures have been concurrently carried on in other establishments—witness the princely menageries of the Karl of Derby and of Sir Robert Heron; that it makes no secret of its proceedings and their re- sults, but with a courtesy and liberality which deserve the fullest acknowledgment, gladly affords every. aid to the naturalist who is in true and earnest search after information. But, notwithstanding all this, it is an undeniable re- proach to Ornithology, and, it must be confessed, to Zoology in general, that those sciences, in the literature to which they have as yet given rise, have proved of little service as far as regards any suggestions respect- ing what we are likely to expect and obtain from com- paratively untried birds and animals. Compare them with Botany and Horticulture, and it might be pro- nounced, in a hasty judgment, that they ought to retire abashed. From Botany and Horticulture we have in recent times derived wholesome and substantial vegeta- a a CHAP. 1] DISAPPOINTMENTS. 227 bles ; plentiful, grateful, and luxurious fruits; forms of delicate and fragile beauty to decorate the mansions of the wealthy patrons of the science; continual additions to our woods, our shrubberies, our hothouses, our cottage Gardens: nay, by the sanative force of herbs, even dis- ĉase has been arrested, the irritation of incipient in- Sanity allayed, fever mitigated—in short, life prolonged and made more comfortable during its prolongation. What, meanwhile, have Ornithology and Zoology effected to increase our useful store, for the last three hundred Years? We do not say, nothing; but we dare not say, much more than nothing. _ After a very few years’, perhaps months’ observation, horticulturists will undertake to pronounce whether a New plant be suited or unsuited to exposure in this climate, and what is the best mode of turning it to the Sreatest use or ornament, under either condition ; and if it cannot be turned to any use, but can be kept for ‘ts showy appearance merely, will soon tell us that it is useless, except as a specimen, why it is so, and how it may best be retained in health and beauty. But Orni- thology and Zoology have imparted little practical know- edge respecting those creatures about which the poul- try-maid, the shepherd, and the herdsman, could not already give us information. Even Agriculture, which Yequires so heavy a ballast of capital to carry her along Steadily on her way—even Agriculture has introduced urnips, Swedes, Mangold-wurtzel, and other additional crops, within the memory of our fathers and grand- fathers: but Ornithology does not to this day publicly decide, in print at least, whether birds, like those now Under consideration, promising truly or falsely to be as Valuable as Turkeys and Guinea-fowls, and which have Q2 228 CAUSES OF DISAPPOINTMENTS. [CHAP. I. been kept captive in Europe at least 250 years, are, or are not, easily and profitably propagable in British farm- yards. The above-mentioned short-comings, and the reason why we cannot yet refer to Zoology for a decided answer as to what creatures, still in a state of nature, may be reckoned upon as hereafter reclaimable for the use and service of Man, can be accounted for in two ways. First. In studying any class of natural phenomena, the ‘mode is, to collect together all the facts, specimens, and reasonings, bearing in any manner upon the subject, which come within the inquirer’s reach—in fact, to make an intellectual and a material museum of things pertaining to that department; and then, by careful and persevering inspection and comparison, to discover what they mean, to observe in what theoretical direction they tend, to what conclusions they point and lead the way; and thus, sometimes by patient reasoning and working the problem out, occasionally and rarely by a sudden comprehension of the hidden riddle, to arrive, if not at the very truth itself, at least at a close ap- proximation to it. Now, the science of Zoology is at the present epoch in the exact position of a student ac- cumulating observations, collecting specimens, and com- paring theories of natural phenomena; she is as yet but a humble learner and investigator of a most varied and intricate field of knowledge; she is rather in a con- dition to receive hints and to be thankful for contribu- tions of information, than either to dogmatise boldly, or to lead the way into unknown regions by means of the possession of any unvarying compass of well-ascer- tained principles for her guidance. * The time has not yet arrived,” Mr. Gould truly remarks, in his magnificent CHAP. 1.] FALSE HOPES- 229 and admirable “ Birds of Australia,” “ when a philoso- Phic view of the Ornithology of the world (much less of its entire Zoology) can be achieved ; hundreds of species and many forms yet remaining to be discovered, with- out a knowledge of which any general arrangement Must necessarily be most imperfect. [If this be true of the mere bodily organs of the creatures that are to be studied, with what increased force is it applicable to their habits, disposition, and capabilities!] I am not Speaking in disparagement of the attempts at classi- fication that have hitherto been made, all and each of Which has its own individual merits. We are in truth merely the pioneers preceding the great master mind, which will doubtlessly arise at some future period, en- dowed with the capacity requisite for the classification of the immense mass of materials we at present pos- Sess, and with which future researches will make us acquainted.” * A second cause why the practical results of Zoology appear to be so far from commensurate even to the degree of perfection already attained by its system of Classification, is, that erroneous principles—such at least we humbly believe them to be—have often been assumed ; and that it has been taken for granted that the attainment of certain ends are within the scope of uman control and direction (such as changing the in- nate disposition and natural constitution of animals), Which lie in reality utterly beyond and above our influ- “nce. We repeatedly make the attempt to arrive at Useful results by following up this deceptive anticipation, and, as a matter of course, we repeatedly fail. What Success has attended the establishment of the Camel on * Notice to the Introduction. WRONG ASSUMPTIONS. [CHAP. I. the plains of Tuscany? Has it been as thrifty and useful as in its native desert, or has the race barely been propagated and kept going on as a curiosity and a show ? Similar questions might be asked respecting numerous other creatures. We would be extremely cautious in de- pending too much on any analogy derived from plants, but, we may ask, which tender herb from South America have we succeeded in rendering hardy, capable of enduring our damps and frosts? Can we as yet even say that we have completely and thoroughly acclimated the Potato? It is also apt to be assumed, without the least sup- porting proof given, that Man is the originator, or, as some writers rather profanely word it, the creator, of numerous domesticated races, whose companionship is _ almost necessary to his comfort, sometimes even to his existence; and it is argued from these, to say the least, questionable premises, that as we have done so much for ourselves already, we can continue to go on and do more; as we have made the Dog, the Sheep, the Pigeon, and the Fowl what they are, we can of course proceed in our work of reclaiming and creating (alas! what blind and presumptuous worms we are!) new races to any extent; we are not only destined to conquer the world which lies before us, but we are to raise up a new set of animals suitable for future purposes ! We do not wish to exaggerate this point unfairly, but we do wish to exhibit it in the full force with which it is made to bear upon that very important subject—the history of the creatures we now retain, and are likely to reclaim to a domestic state. The same key-note is taken up, with scarcely an instance of wavering, by a whole series of writers on natural history ; and the strain is continued with an increasing swell, and re-echoed from a eee CHAP, I.] LIMITED POWERS OF MAN. 280 men of deservedly great name and reputation, down to the ranks of the humblest and most parrot-like of their plagiarists. We are constantly meeting with such phrases as the following—* The triumphs of human art and reason over the natural instincts of the inferior animals ;” “ The reduction, not only of their physical force, but of their mental powers, to human authority ;” “Tt was easy to domesticate the heavy and inactive birds, [in what country do farmers’ wives bring fat young Bustards to market ?] but those that possessed rapidity of flight required more time and care to subjugate ;” &e. &e. &e. It is needless to multiply examples; they will occur to every reader: almost the sole dissentient we remember who hesitates to drift quite so rapidly down this popular current is Colonel Hamilton Smith, in the views he has so temperately and judiciously set forth in his two excellent volumes on the Dog, in the “ Na- turalist’s Library.” We might urge that. the power assumed. by Man to rule so completely the destinies of his fellow-creatures (though spiritually inferior, yet formed of the same ele- mentary materials and animated by similar mysterious Vital forces) is improbable, from the unlikelihood that One creature should exert so vast an influence on the Position in creation of other creatures differing so little (except, as we have remarked, spiritually) from him- Self*; that it is irreligious to boast that we have done * « What call’st thou solitude? Is not the earth With various living creatures, and the air Replenished, and all these at thy command To come and play before thee? Knowest thou not Their language and their ways? They also know, And reason not contemptibly. With these Find pastime, and bear rule; thy realm is large.” ` Paradise Lost, book viii., line 369. 232 DOMESTICABILITY OF CRACIDÆ. [CHAP. I. and can do so much for ourselves, and are, so far, inde- pendent of the beneficent and providential forethought of a higher Power for the gift of the humble companions and inarticulate ministers on earth which add so much to our comfort. We should express the convictions of many, in declaring that the doctrine of the perpetual progression of organic forms, in opposition to their per- manency (or, what we believe to be the truth, their slight variation within certain preseribed and impass- able limits), if supposed to take place in consequence of an innate power or law working within them of itself, contradicts those principles of natural theology and that belief in an Almighty Benevolent Creator, which are happily all but universally received. We might most easily enlarge upon this topic; but it will be better and more satisfactory to show that history, as far as we can trace it—that experiments and attempts carefully and perseveringly made—and that observations about _ which there can be no doubt, all tend to contradict, instead of confirming, the theories to which we have alluded. We will now see what bearing the Cracide and their domesticability have upon the subject. The late Mr. Bennett, in his Gardens of the Zoo- logical Society Delineated,” an elegant and well-known work, published in 1831, very naturally observes, that, “ Of all the gallinaceous birds in the collection, the most interesting are those which hold out to us a pros- pect of supplying our farm-yards with new breeds of poultry of a superior kind. Such are especially the Curassows. In many parts of South America these birds have long been reclaimed; and it is really sur- prising, considering the extreme familiarity of their manners, and the facility with which they appear to pass CHAP. I,] FORMER ATTEMPTS. 233 from a state of nature to the tameness of domestic fowls, that they have not yet been introduced into the poultry-yards of Europe. That, with proper treatment, they would speedily become habituated to the climate, we have no reason to doubt; on the contrary, numerous examples have shown that they thrive well even in its northern parts ; and M. Temminck informs us that they have once at least been thoroughly acclimated in Hol- land, where they were as prolific in their domesticated State as any of our common poultry. The establish- ment, however, in which this had been effected was broken up by the civil commotions which followed in the train of the French revolution, and all the pains Which had been bestowed upon the education of these birds were lost to the world by their sudden and com- plete dispersion. The task, which had at that time been in some measure accomplished, still remains to be Performed; and it may not be too much to expect that the Zoological Society may be successful in perfecting What was then so well begun, and in naturalising the Curassows as completely as our ancestors have done the equally exotic, and, in their wild state, much less familiar, breeds of the Turkey, the Guinea-fowl, and the Peacock. Their introduction would certainly be most desirable, not merely on account of their size and beauty, but also for the whiteness and excellence of their flesh, which is Said by those who have eaten it to surpass that of the Guinea-fowl or of the Pheasant in the delicacy of its flavour.” My. Swainson, relying mainly (too much, we think, With deference) on the circumstance that the Curassows and Guans are included in the circle of his rasorial types, also expresses a sanguine hope, accompanied by ee a ee ae Se a a eR E N ` 3 = NATURAL DISPOSITION, (CHAP. I. a reproach for past neglect, that an important addition to our poultry stock is about to become firmly esta- blished in this country. « It ig singular that so little pains have hitherto been taken to domesticate these American Fowls; since, by their sociability and gentle- ness, they evince every disposition to live under the do- minion of Man. The flesh, as we know from personal experiment, is particularly delicious.” More lately, the author of the article on Poultry in “ Knight’s Farmer's Library,” only just completed, an able writer, and formerly attached to the Zoological Society, who may be considered to give the most recent notice respecting the practicability of domesticating these birds, observes—*« It may be deemed wrong in us to enumerate the Curassows among our domestic poul- try, and indeed our great object here is to draw atten- tion to them, as most valuable additions to our feathered stock. They are not only readily susceptible of domes- tication, but they have been domesticated; and on this ground we claim, for certain species at least, a place in the present work.” The Curassows approach to the size of Turkeys and Pea-fowl, and congregate in flocks; the Guans range with our Pheasants in point of magnitude, though rather exceeding them, and go in pairs. When caught young and tamed, they appear to make themselves even more at home than common fowls, being almost as sly, in- quisitive, and full of tricks as Monkeys or Parrots. In- stead of looking out for any secret place of retirement, they readily make use of whatever accommodation we prepare for them, preferring, if they can, to penetrate into our houses, and even our sitting and sleeping rooms. They live on very friendly terms with other —_ CHAP. 1] “IMPORTED LONG AGO. 235 poultry, much more so than Guinea-fowl do, neither fearing their co-mates, nor yet attempting to tyrannise Over them. Who, then, that has a poultry-yard and its usual ap- purtenances, can help wishing to introduce therein a few of these most promising and inviting creatures, about which so strong a primd facie case has been made out? If we closed our record and description here, many of our readers might perhaps be inclined at once to commence the experiment. Before they do so, we will request their attention to the pleadings on the other side of the Court. The birds themselves are no novel importation from the western world: a few rare species have of late been brought over-sea for the first time, but those which are recommended as most likely, not merely to live, but to increase in a domesticated state, have been introduced to Europe nearly, perhaps quite, as long as the Turkey, which has been propagated with such ease and rapidity. Aldrovandi (a.D. 1637) gives very recognisable descrip- tions and figures of both the crested and the galeated Curassows, which were communicated to him by Ferdi- nand, Grand Duke of Tuscany: he also figures and describes a bird which is undoubtedly a Guan. This, however, and two of his Curassows are represented as tailless, of course from defective specimens. He speaks of them all as Indian Cocks and Hens. Edwards * figures the Currassow- Bird and the Cushew- Bird (Galeated Curassow) from life. “The Cushew- Bird takes its name from the knob over its bill, which in Shape much resembles an American nut called the * Gleanings of Nat. Hist., part ii. pl. 295. 236 ILL SUCCESS IN LONDON. [CHAP. I, Cushew. It is the Pauzi of Nieremberg*. Whether this last-described bird be specifically the same with the foregoing, I am at a loss absolutely to de- termine. I know it is very rare with us in comparison to the Curassow, which is common in the aviaries of our nobility who wre curious in birds.” His plate is dated 1758 ; therefore, to go no further back than this notice, here is a period of a hundred years for them to have adapted themselves to a settlement in Great Britain ; for if they were common in 1758, we may believe that they had been introduced at least some years before. But they have not, like Turkeys, as yet been dispersed over Europe, nor repaid any attempts that have to the present been made with them in this country. An amateur, who was anxious to give them a trial, applied to Mr. Yarrell to know what success had been attained at the Zoological Gardens; and that gentleman, with his usual kindness, returned the following reply :— “There are several species of Curassows in the Gar- dens, but no successful instance of rearing the young. On one occasion a female made a nest in the middle of a thick bush, at about three feet from the ground, laid her two eggs, and sat upon them steadily, but the eggs had not, probably, received the influence of the male, as no chicks were produced. This is the only instance at the Zoological Gardens of a female incubating. They drop their eggs about anywhere. Two eggs were placed under a hen Turkey some seasons since, and two young ones were hatched out, but they were so wild that they would not allow the keeper to come near them, and at length, to avoid him, they ran into the water * Pages 233-236. CHAP. I] THE CRACIDZ AT KNOWSLEY. Rou from the island on which they were hatched, and were both drowned. Sir Robert Heron, of Stubton, near Stamford, Lincolnshire, has reared some, but not many.” This was written four or five years ago, but the pro- pagation of Curassows and Guans remains in statu quo. In vain have the Society offered prizes to the breeder of the greatest number of Cracide : the feathered strangers will bear the voyage across the Atlantic very well, but, when arrived, they cannot be persuaded to found a colony and occupy, by themselves and their descendants, the very comfortable quarters we are so ready to provide for them. They resolutely continue to misquote Byron’s lines— “ The prison’d Eagle will not pair, nor I Obey your acclimating phantasy.” Let not the reader suppose that they have not had every temptation, and opportunity, and means of increasing offered to them, if they would but so far condescend to gratify us. During the summer of 1849, we enjoyed the great privilege of first visiting the unrivalled me- nagerie at Knowsley. We found the Curassows and Guans lodged in a series of lofty and charming aviaries, Open to the air and sunshine, and inclosed only by wire netting, except at the back, which consists of a range of houses to which the birds can retire at pleasure, and which in cold and damp weather are kept at an agree- able temperature. Their inclosures are planted with Shrubs and flowers; green turf, varied with clean gravel, Covers the ground; a small, clear stream of water is ever flowing through each separate little garden ; not Cleanliness merely, but the most pleasing neatness is Preserved; there is no crowding, no opportunity for | | | | en ee ARBOREAL HABITS. [CHAP, I. bickering and jealousy; and surely, any other set of domesticable, philo-progenitive birds would be con- stantly piping, in the exuberance of their content- ment— “ Let us own, if there be an Elysium upon earth, It is this! it is this !” Well, Lord Derby’s Cracide had done not much more than those in London, we believe not quite so much as those at Sir Robert Heron’s, which, added altogether, is not a great deal in the way of encouragement to en- terprising breeders. One male bird at Knowsley, yield- ing a little to the fascination of the spot, had prepared. for his mate a bower of love. And where does the reader think it was placed? The gallant Curassow had mounted a tall holly-bush, and thereon made a nest about the size and shape of a peck basket, interlacing the twigs, and then lining them with the prickly leaves, which he had cropped, as a comfortable couch for the Hen and her nestlings. The whole thing was an insult to any incubating female, and she treated it with the neglect that such a structure of chevaua de frises de- served. But even if this family of birds could be tempted to breed freely with us, under any circumstances, many of their natural habits would be found extremely inconve- nient, to say the least. “It should be remembered,” Mr. Martin truly reminds us, “ that they are arboreal in their habits, and natives of the forest of a hot cli- mate, and consequently should be accommodated, as far as possible, in a manner consistent with their habits and requirements. We have seen Curassows with their toes lost from the effect of cold and wet.” Let your poultry- maid, country reader, when she next turns her eye upon ee CHAP. 1.] OF TENDER CONSTITUTION. 239 the rookery at the back of your house, say how she would like the charge of fowls that nested, laid, and hatched in that manner; and when your lady takes your arm for a stroll through the stove and greenhouse, you will hear whether she would consent to turn out the gay things for summer bedding, to make room for the Curassows and Guans, lest their toes should « damp off” like the shoots of Heliotropes and Verbenas. These arrangements and considerations are not at all ro- mancing or imaginary, nor must they be neglected by acclimators of the Cracide. The venerable Dr. Neill, of Canonmills, near Edinburgh, who has effected more than most naturalists in inducing a Guan even to lay, thus informs us of the locality in which the interesting event has taken place :—A Penelope cristata is kept in a large cage occupying one end of a greenhouse. It is a female, and generally once a year lays two or three eggs, very imperfectly covered with shell.” It is thus clear that they are, in this climate, green- house birds during the winter. Mr. Gould is of opinion that they might possibly do out of doors all the year round in Italy; but as their propagation in confinement has failed so completely everywhere in Europe (we do not except the often-quoted instance in Holland), the only chance of naturalising them lies in allowing them (what they are not usually trusted with here) complete liberty during the finer months of the year, and full permission to follow their native habits. What those habits are, and how much nearer they resemble those of a rookery than the hen-house, we are informed by a recent traveller had penetrated far into the interior of South Ame. ca, :— “ Of Curassows, or Mutuns, we never shot but one CURASSOWS AT HOME, [CHAP. I. variety, the crested, of which we had found the nest near Serpa. But other species were common about the forests, and these, with others still brought from the upper country, were frequently seen domesticated [read ‘tamed ’]. They are all familiar birds, and readily allow themselves to be caressed. At night they often come into the house to roost, seeming to like the company of the parrots and other birds. They might easily be bred(?) when thus domesticated [tamed], but the facility with which their nests are found renders this no object at Barra. They feed upon seeds and fruits, and are considered superior, for the table, to any game of the country.” * He elsewhere relates :— “ As we drew up by the bank for breakfast, a crested Curassow or Mutun, Crax alector, flew from the top of a low tree near us, and one of the Indians darted up for the nest. There were two eggs, and tying them in his handkerchief, he brought them down in his teeth. These eggs were much larger thana Turkey’s egg, white and granulated all over. The crested Curassow is a bird about the size of a small Turkey. The general plumage is black, the belly only being white, and upon its head is a crest of curled feathers. This species has a yellow bill. It is called the Royal Mutun by the Brazilians, and in the vicinity of the river Negro is not uncommon. With several other varieties of its family it is frequently seen (in unprecise language) domesti- eated, and is a graceful and singularly familiar bird in its habits. According to some authors this bird lays numerous eggs, but each of the three nests which we * Edwards’ Voyage up the Amazon, p. 144, CHAP. 1] TAME, NOT DOMESTICATED. 24] found during this day contained but two, and the tauch assured us that this was the complement. The nest was in every case about 15 feet above the ground, and was Composed of good-sized sticks, lined with leaves and Small pieces of bark.” * Sonnini says that Curassows, like nearly all the birds in the same country, have no fixed time for laying, but prefer the rainy season, which, in Guiana, lasts six or Seven months, to the dry season; that they usually lay but once a year, and take very little trouble about the Construction of their nests, making them of a few dry Sticks, rudely interwoven with grass, and with a few leaves placed at the bottom. We may imagine them to be very like rooks’ nests, only larger. The eggs, he informs us, are about the same size and shape as those of Turkeys, but are white, and have a thicker shell. The number laid varies according to the age of the fe- males, which never produce fewer than two, nor more than six. None of these writers appear to have seen _ With their own eyes any poultry-yards actually stocked with and producing Curassows: they find them captive and familiar, and describe their condition in language Which conveys a false idea. They might as justly Speak of domesticated Parrots and Monkeys in England, or even of domesticated Falcons and Herons, because these creatures, when compelled to live in our society, Wisely determine to make a virtue of necessity, and Settle themselves as comfortably as their new circum- Stances will permit. The plumage of Curassows, and perhaps all Cracide, Seems to change considerably as the birds advance in * Edwards’ Voyage up the Amazon, p 122. R 949 NOT COMMON IN SOUTH AMERICA. (CHAP. I; years. This may afford a clue to the perplexity which has harassed some Ornithologists respecting their nu- merous species, and the varieties “ caused by domesti- cation,” according to their theory. This is a fashionable and an easy way of solving a difficulty; but it ought first to be proved, that the Cracide are, even in their native country, really domesticated at all. Mr. Swainson, instead of finding such plenty of Cu- rassows, tells us that, through all the tracts of Brazil and its different provinces which he traversed, solely with a view of collecting its zoological productions, he was not fortunate enough to procure a single specimen of the Crax alector, although he sometimes heard of. its being occasionally seen by the remote planters located on the verge of the unoccupied tracts. As to this, or any other species, being kept in the poultry-yards of the native Brazilians, he never saw a single reclaimed specimen through a tract of territory which he tra- versed, extending some hundreds of miles. In Guiana, he adds, these birds have long become so scarce, that in a collection of many hundreds made in that country by Mr. Schomberg, there are not three specimens of the whole genus. Mr. Darwin, during his voyage with the Beagle, saw nothing of Curassows in South America, except a very few wild ones in the damp islands at the mouth of the Parana. Similar localities are given by Mr. Swainson, from personal observation, as their favourite haunts, namely, thickly-wooded marshes, and the vicinity of water. It is odd that Holland should be the only European country in which they are said to have really thriven. Temminck, who alone is quoted, often at second-hand, CHAP. 1] M. AMESHOFF’S FEAST. 248 for the record of this success, certainly does observe that in captivity Curassows are quite as familiar and con- fiding as Turkeys, Pea-fowl, and Guinea-fowl, and attri- butes their infecundity in that state to the want of their having received special attention and peculiar treat- ment; but unfortunately he does not tell us what those Soins particuliers have been, or ought to be. He in- Stances the success attained in M. Ameshoff’s me- Nagerie, but gives no details; and he makes us doubt whether the success was really so very great, by calling the dinner at which Curassows were served, ce Jestin digne des temps d’Heliogabale, and informing us that on the same occasion exotic Pheasants, Chinese Mandarin Teal, and Louisiana Ducks, were produced at table, in order to display the magnificence of the menagerie. In Short, it was a mere feast of bravado and a vain piece of ostentation, in which any rich man could now more easily indulge than M. Ameshoff, without having bred his dainty fowl in such plentiful abundance. The cir- _ Cumstance, too, occurred in Temminck’s early childhood, and he speaks from hearsay and distant memory, not from mature observation. We have now laid before the reader, fairly, we hope, Some of the pros and cons of the claims of the Curassow family upon the patronage of the British poulterer or amateur breeder. We shall next give some details re- Specting one species, with which we have hada personal trial and experience. It will be for others to sum up the evidence in the end, and decide what encourage- Ment there is for further attempts; but we cannot help entertaining a strong prejudice that the Cracide are, like the Parrot tribe, very tameable and docile as indi- viduals; but that, in consequence of their refusal to R 2 a astern ar m EGGS. [CHAP. I- breed (except so rarely that the exception confirms the rule) in confinement, the race never has been and never can be truly domesticated. For, without taking into consideration any unsuitability of climate, it is retained alive in our public and private menageries almost en- tirely by successive importations from South America ; and if the stock could not be renewed from that source, but depended upon its propagation here for a continued existence, it would soon altogether become extinct and unseen in Great Britain. The eggs of the Cracidæ seem to be large in propor- tion to the size of the bird, and whitish or light cream- coloured, with a slightly granulated surface. I am in- debted to the Earl of Derby for the loan of eggs of the Crax globicera and Yarrellii. The former measures 9% inches round its long circumference, and 84 inches round the middle, being a very short oval: the latter is 77 inches round lengthwise, and 6} round the middle. The Chick figured at the head of this chapter is a Curassow, species not certain. HSI a i) MN VY Eye-browed Guan (Penelope superciliaris). CHAPTER II. THE CRACIDH—PENELOPES (COMMONLY GUANS). Difficulty of discriminating the species.—State in which the young are hatched. —Easily tamed.—Produce few young in a tame state.—Mode of distinguishing Species.—Organ of voice.—Its efficiency.—The Cracide as poultry.—Mr. Ben- nett’s and Mr. Martin’s hopes.—Causes of failure.—Have had a fair trial.— Curassow dinner.—Cracide in Holland.—Temminck’s expectations ; plausible but unfounded.—Determine on an experiment.—Unsuitability of South Ameri- ĉan organisms to Great Britain.—Instances.—Few exceptions.—The reversed Seasons of the north and south hemispheres one cause.—Mr. Darwin’s account.— Guans at the Surrey Gardens.—Their native habits and diet.—Our own mishaps. —Troublesome tameness of the birds.—Tricks and dangers.—Impudence and “apriciousness.—Possible profitableness !—Narrative of a coadjutor.—His ill- Success.—Our own.—Habits of the Eye-browed Guan.—Amount of success at nowsley. _ Tux genus of birds now under consideration, which 1S composed of not a few species, and doubtless of more 246 DIFFICULTY OF DISCRIMINATION. [CHAP. II. than are at present recorded and distinguished, is usually known by the term Guan * ; this, however, is the specific name of the Penelope cristata in Temminck’s admirable account of the bodily forms of the tribe, and it would be better and more conducive to precision, to retain Penelope as the generic term. We should consequently decide to adopt it as such in the present chapter, did not the length of the word, as well as the previous currency of the shorter term, render it somewhat incon- venient for familiar use. But anything is better than confusion of ideas. The various species of Penelope have been the despair and plague of scientific naturalists and skin-merchants, in consequence of the puzzling similarities and gradations in their external appear- ance. Some writers, adopting an idea which they have inherited from their predecessors, get out of the difficulty, by saying that these slight varieties in plu- mage and outward form are only the usual and necessary consequences of domestication, whereas, although the birds are most easily tamed, we cannot find any proof of a score of individuals having been reared in domes- ticity, either in South America or in Great Britain. The circumstance that some species at least are hatched in a less developed state than other gallinaceous chicks, and remain nestlings as long as ten or twelve dayst, ap- * «The Quam is as big as an ordinary Hen Turkey, of a blackish dun colour; its bill like a Turkey’s; it flies about among the Woods; feeds on Berries, and is very good meat.”—Mr. Dampier’s Voyages to the Bay of Campeachy, An. 1676, Vol. i, Part 2., p. 66. t“ Ces oiseaux construisent leur nid au milieu des arbres bien touffus, et le plus près du tronc qu’ils peuvent, de sorte qu’on a bien de la peine à les découvrir, Lorsque les ceufs sont éclos, la mére nourrit les petits dans le nid, jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient un peu grands, et que leurs plumes commencent à sortir; alors, agés seulement de douze à quinze jours, ils descendent à terre avec leur mère, qui les es CHAP. 11] ` EASILY TAMED. 24.7 pears to have been quite disregarded, although it would be an insuperable objection to making use of the as- Sistance of a hen, or any other stepmother, except another Guan, that we are acquainted with, in hatching their eggs and tending and rearing their young when hatched. The extreme ease with which they are tamed, and the strong and even troublesome attachments which they form to Man, are very remarkable, when coupled with the rarity of their increase in a domesticated state, reminding us in some degree of the Elephant among ` quadrupeds. The vastness of their native woods se- cures them from anything like extermination at pre- Sent; but were the human race to make, by any possi- bility, serious encroachments upon the principal forests of the Brazils, the whole family of Guans, if dependent on propagation in captivity for its continuation, would probably verge rapidly towards its extinction. Humboldt and Temminck have pointed out a mode mène comme nos poules mènent leurs poussins.” —Temminck, Art. Penelope Marail, p. 65. “The young (Curassows), as we believe, are not in so forward a State, on their exit from the egg, as the young of the ground-breeding gallinaceew.”—-Martin, Art. Poultry, p. 567. These statements are not borne out by observations made in ngland. “T can neither confirm nor deny what you state from Temminck as to the young Curassows remaining in their nest ten or twelve days, It certainly has not been so with us, but then in our case the Young were not brought out by their own parents, or in a climate which in any way could be compared to their own. Possibly it was Otherwise in the cases alluded to by Professor Temminck, I can only say that here I am not aware of any difference from the habits of other gallinaceous birds, except their disinclination to creep under their nurse like other chicks. I donot recollect even that the Young seem to look to their nurse’s bill for their food as the young Landrails do at first, and as they surely would if it was the natural custom of the tribe to be so fed.”—E. of D. E Ena a = p aa, nra N — ae a "ea 2% 248 CERTAIN CRITERION.’ [CHAP. 11. of distinguishing the species of this genus, similar to that which has been so successfully applied by our dis- tinguished countryman Yarrell to the Swans; namely, by observing the very remarkable windings of the wind- pipe meach. A reference to this criterion, when pos- sible, is found to relieve the bewildered naturalist from uncertainties into which the little dissimilarity of the outward appearances betray him.* In the Penelopes, the windpipe, before entering the cavity of the body and communicating with the lungs, makes various cir- cuits on the surface of the muscular part of the breast, between the skin and the flesh. These circuits are constantly formed on the same plan in the same species, as far as opportunities have yet occurred of observing their comparative anatomy; and it is very curious, on skinning a bird, to find the windpipe meandering on the outside of the flesh, looking almost as if the internal organs had been protruded or ruptured by accidental violence. But so far from this being a defect or an in- firmity, we find that some of the arrangements and contrivances, by means of ligaments, tissue, &e., to pre- vent any displacement of the windwipe from its intended position (for instance, those in the Penelope marail, and in the Penelope parrakoua), are beautiful examples of design, and are worthy of quotation in any future work on Natural Theology. The consequence of this long and externally-winding trachea is a voice of great variety x * « J'invite les naturalistes, à ne point décider trop legérement sur l’apparent identité des espèces, qui composent le genre Pénélope ; je my suis souvent abusé, avant d'avoir bien saisi les caractères qui distinguent ces espéces, dont le plumage n'offre que peu ou point de dissemblance ; et chez lesquelles, les caractéres qui tiénnent aux Sormes entériewres, sont trés-peu apparents.” — Temminck. D Pr and so on, keeping always to the same note in the scale. It is generally, not always, preceded by two or three frog-like croaks, and the whole strain may be taken to * Temminck, Hist. des Pig. et Gall., tom. i, p. 2, MIGRATIONS. mean, “Mate! Mate! come hithér! come hither!” This dactyl-phrase might easily be made the ground- work and leading idea of a new set of “ Quail Waltzes,” or “ Valses des Cailles,” containing less necessary dis- cord and fewer noises than many modern compositions favour our ears with. We recommend to this class of Composers the perusal of a really curious and clever book, “The Music of Nature,” by Mr. Gardiner of Lei- cester, which will furnish them with many valuable hints. The dactyl-song is strictly a call note, which adds to its interest. We had kept Quails in our dining- room for several months without hearing it, because they lived in company; but, on parting a couple, and placing their cages in Separate apartments, we were soon favoured with a specimen of their vocal accom- plishments. The wonderful migrations of the Quail will occur to every tyro. Their numbers are astounding. Millions must quit their native home, never to return. They are imported, for the table, by thousands into England alone, besides the bevies that find their way hither not in cages, and at their own travelling charges. The numbers slaughtered at every halting-place during this passage all the way from Africa must be quite incal- culable. The marvel is partly explained by Colonel Montagu*:—* Dr. Latham remarks that he has known two instances where twenty eggs have been found in the nest of a Quail. This prolificacy is the occasion of the immense flocks that are annually noticed on their passage, spring and autumn, in various parts of the south of Europe.” In Great Britain their numbers are * Dictionary, Rennie’s Edition, p. 395. CHAP. x.] DESTRUCTION. 8v comparatively few, but still are greater in many dis- tricts, Cambridgeshire for instance, than is commonly suspected. They are little noticed, by reason of their small size, their colour, which resembles loamy earth, the circumstance of their never perching, their trick of squatting when surprised, and, we suspect, their noc- turnal habits when on the move. They really are not rare birds here, but we have no notion how they swarm at certain seasons on the Continent. “There is no part of Great Britain where we can go regularly out for a day’s Quail shooting as in France (where these birds abound in the month of August), or the more southern parts up the Mediterranean, where they sometimes cover the country for miles. The Quails are so far plentiful on the left bank of the Tagus that many of the officers, indifferent shots, while in winter quarters at Vallada, thought nothing of going over, and returning to their dinner with ten or twelve couple, although with every disadvantage in point of guns and ammunition.” * Another sportsman of some repute, Colonel Napier, tells us that “ Malta is not a field where the sportsman has a very extensive range, either in the quality or quantity of his game, the Quail being the only bird coming, properly speaking, under that denomination, which is to be found in the island, and these only at certain periods—in the spring, on their passage from Africa across the Mediterranean, and on their return in autumn. They then make their appearance in great numbers, but dreadful is the slaughter which takes place in their serried ranks, as war is waged on them by every ‘ Smitch cacciadore’ who can muster anything * Colonel Hawker’s Instructions, p. 218. 378 ANCIENT HISTORY. [CHAP. X- in the shape of fire-arms, from a blunderbuss to a horse- pistol, Quail, at the above seasons, a few Rabbits, Blue Pigeons, Turtle-Doves, Blackbirds, and Beccaficos are almost the only living animals to be found here in a wild state.”* The same thing takes place on the main land. “ Like Malta, the country about Alexandria is, in the spring and autumn, visited by large quantities of Quail, in their periodical emigrations; and their ap- pearance is always the signal for a greater variety of ‘Cockney sportsmen’ than were ever mustered at Black- heath or Epping. Mounted on donkeys, armed with all manner of projectiles, duly rigged out in sporting cos- tumes—shooting-jackets and gaiters—every merchant's clerk here fancies himself a ‘ Cacciadore,’ and proudly sallies forth on a Sunday morning to the plains of Ram- lah, where numerous sanguinary deeds are committed, not only on the Quail tribe, but on every unoffending Lark, Houpou, or unfortunate Dove whom these ardent votaries of Nimrod can possibly get a pot-shot at; and towards evening, dozens of these gay foresters may be seen returning through the Damietta gates, and proudly displaying to the wondering Arabs whole strings of these noble trophies of the chase !”’ + In reading these amusing accounts we can hardly avoid more serious thoughts that call to mind historic occurrences which took place ages ago. “At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread : and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. And it came to pass, that at even the Quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew * Wild Sports in Europe, &e., vol. ii. p. 49. + Idem, p. 348, CHAP. x.] THE QUAIL OF SCRIPTURE. 379 that lay was gone up, behold upon the face of the wil- derness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.”* The “small round thing” has of late had a very remarkable and unlooked-for illustration, for an account of which the reader is re- ferred to the Gardener's Chronicle of September 29, and to the Atheneum of October 6, 1849. As to the Quails, there have been various hypercritical cavils. Scott’s notes tell us that “ there are different opinions concerning the meaning of the word translated Quails. Some imagine that they were a species of locusts; (others even fancy that they were flying fish!) but the language of Scripture uniformly leads us to consider them as wild fowl, of whatever species they might be.” But there seems no good reason to suspect any mis- translation in those passages of the Old Testament which relate to Quails: their great though partial abundance continues to this day. It was left for the sound knowledge of Colonel Sykes, who is quoted by Mr. Yarrell to set the matter at rest in a very few words. ‘ There is another mode to connect the bird of Scripture with the Coturnia dactylisonans, and this is readily done by the simple fact of its being the only Species of Quail that migrates in multitudes; indeed we have not any satisfactory account that any other Species of Quail is migratory. Aristotle mentions the habit; and Pliny states they sometimes alight on vessels in the Mediterranean, and sink them!”}+ The joint weight of our own pair of Quails is seven and a half ounces. We will therefore propose the following sum to our arithmetical friends: given the number of * Exodus xvi. 12, 13, 14. + British Birds, vol. ii. p. 359. 380 COLONEL SYKES’S REASONING. (CHAP. x. tons burden of a trading vessel in Pliny’s days, how many Quails would it take to load it to the sinking point ? Colonel Sykes proceeds to adduce modern naturalists and travellers as witnesses to the prodigious numbers of these birds that are captured, one hundred thousand being, on one occasion, taken in one day, and judiciously adds, “ With these facts before us, considering the positive testimony of the Psalmist that the unexpected supply of food to the Israelites was a bird, and that bird agreeably to the Septuagint and Josephus a Quail, that only one species of Quail migrates in prodigious numbers, and that species the subject of the present notice, we are authorized to pronounce the Coturnix dactylisonans to be the identical species with which the Israelites were fed. We have here proof of the perpetuation of an instinct through 3300 years,—not pervading a whole species, but that part of a species existing within certain geographical limits; an instinct characterised by a peculiarity which modern observers have also noticed, of making their migratory flight by night: ‘at even the Quails came up.’ As might be ex- pected, we see the most ancient of all historical works and natural history reflecting attesting lights on each other.” Here is a small fragment out of infinity brought be- fore our view,—a minute portion from eternity,—a mere touch of Omnipotence! A thousand years are as one day ;—the same now with us, as with the Israelites of yore ;—and the same onwards, till any new order of nature shall be called forth by special intervention. “He rained flesh upon them as thick as dust: and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea. He let it = oq CHAP. x.] DO NOT ALL MIGRATE. 381 fall among their tents: even round about their habita- tion. So they did eat, and were well filled; for he gave them their desire: they were not disappointed of their lust.”* But what is so extraordinary in the migrations of the Quail is, that all the birds do not migrate,—like Storks, and Cranes, and Swallows, and Cuckoos, and so on,—but in all the countries where they are found considerable numbers remain to be the parents of future swarms. Even in Great Britain some continue all the year round, without feeling the mys- terious impulse to return southwards}. When they do stream forth to cover the land, it seems as if the lavish bounty of Providence chose at those periods to scatter, with open hand, an abundant supply of food throughout the expectant nations—a feast to the hungry. Who can tell how many shipwrecked mariners, escaped with their bare lives from the squalls of the Mediterranean, - —how many famishing families, isolated in the Archi- * Ps. lxxviii. 28-30. + © We should be deceived in supposing that the emigrations of these birds are determined by the cooling of the atmosphere: these migrations, which are often performed by Partridges also, are deter- mined by the locality and by the dearth of alimentary substances; for we know that even the Quail of Europe, that bird whose periodic change of place seems an indispensable need, is stationary in some countries of the globe, where it never migrates.”——Temminck, Hist. Nat. des Pig. et Gall., tom. iii. p. 463. The following passage proves that they are sometimes settled in their localities in India :—“ In a valley near Jangamar, there are astonishing numbers of Quails and Partridges, for the maintenance of which the Khan causes millet and other seeds to be sown, that they may have plenty of food; and a number of people are appointed to take care that no person may catch any of these birds, which are so tame, that they will flock around their keepers at a whistle, to re- Ceive food from their hands. ‘There are also a great number of small huts built in different parts of the valley, for shelter to these birds, uring the severity of winter, where they are regularly fed by the keepers.” —Marco Polo: Kerr’s Voyages. 382 CAPTIVE QUAILS.. [CHAP. X pelago of the Levant, have, since the epoch of the Exodus, been saved by the sudden flight of birds wafted to their isle by some propitiously-shifting wind, and have felt with thankful hearts that He who feeds the Ravens has fed them! In the case of the Israelites we are referred to a miracle. Miracles we are told have ceased. But a miracle cannot, to the minds of common- sense people, be very clearly distinguished from the action of a particular Providence,—a series of ever- working miracles. That the superintendence of a par- ticular Providence has not yet been withdrawn from us, working out good from evil, strength from weakness, those feel most assured whose frail bark has been driven through stormy waters, whether metaphorically, in the pelting, crushing, sometimes foundering, troubles of life, or literally, in the tempestuous seas, where there was little but the compass, and a firm trust and faith, to prevent all heart and courage from giving way. The flight of Quails, and like unlooked-for aids, have been the inspiring accompaniments on more than one Exodus from heartbreaking sorrow and oppression. Quails in captivity are of far inferior interest to what they claim in a state of nature. A few solitary indivi- duals are kept as cage birds, but more frequently on the Continent than here, for the sake of their song, or call. But they fail to excite much personal favour towards themselves. We have had them more than a twelve- month under our eye, without being able to call forth any signs of attachment to ourselves; they only become a little less wild, but will still either squat, or flutter, if suddenly intruded upon too closely. Few aviaries are, or ought to be without them, for the sake of their his- torical associations; but in those places they are more CHAP. x.] DISTINCTIVE PLUMAGE. 383 subject to suffer from adverse accidents than if kept in a low cage. When disturbed, or impelled to migrate, as during their evening restlessness, they mount almost perpendicularly with a strong and sudden flight, and fall either stunned by a hard roof, or rebounding from an elastic one, often with severe injury. Thus Mr. Rayner complains, `“ My Quails fed and lived as the Pheasants did, but at night invariably took to flight in the aviary, and I suppose beating themselves against the wirework at the roof, fell eventually into a fountain of water which was in the centre of the aviary, and were drowned. I had several pair in succession, but this was the fate of all.” Most persons on seeing our own caged Quails for the first time, suppose them to be not adult birds, but the growing young of Partridges or some other game bird which they are less accustomed to behold: and Buffon tells us that Theophrastus found so great a resemblance between the Partridge and the Quail that he gave to the latter the name of dwarf Partridge. “ But,” says Temminck, “as the species of these two genera seem to have considerable analogy, both in their carriage, and in the form of their bill and feet, and as this appearance of generic identity, if judged of at the first glance, is of a nature to mislead and embarrass the classifier as to the place which he ought to assign to those species, I will point out preliminarily the surest mode of distin- Suishing a Quail from a Partridge. This marked cha- racter is taken from the form of the wings. All the birds which compose the genus Partridge have the three Outer quill feathers the shortest, regularly slanting one beyond the other, the fourth and fifth being the longest; Whilst in all the species which compose the genus Quail, WHETHER POLYGAMOUS. [CHAP. X. Coturnix, the first species is that wherein the outer quill feather is the longest. I have found this character invariable in all the species; always coinciding with other differences less easy to seize: in short, in con- nection with the manner of life and the habits of the different species of these two genera.” * Temminck, as is usual with him when he reasons from his own observations and does not adopt the no- tions suggested to him by others, makes the identity of appearance of the common Quail throughout its wide range over Europe, Asia, and Africa, an argument for the permanency of the forms stamped upon organic beings at their first creation. “In Europe,” he says, “ we have but one single species of Quail, which equally belongs to Africa and to Asia, two climates very dif- ferent in temperature from the cold and temperate countries of Europe, but under whose influence the Quail has experienced no sort of alteration in the colours of its plumage—a fact which, supported by so many others of the same nature that are often men- tioned in this work, is a new incontestible proof that the temperature of the atmosphere, and the combined influences of air and light, do not operate with so much efficacy upon the colours of the plumage of birds and of the fur of animals, as Buffon and many other naturalists pretend.” Most books tell us that the Common Quail is poly- gamous, which may perhaps be correct. Temminck says, “ Bechstein seems not to believe in the polygamy of this bird, but I believe that he is wrong.” We, how- ever, vote on the side of Bechstein, having been quite * See also Col. Sykes’s Paper on the Quails and Hemipodii of India in the Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. CHAP. x.] WANT OF AFFECTION. 385 unable to keep more than a pair associated together in the same cage: the supernumerary birds, whether cocks or hens, being soon worried to death by the others. When our hen Quail accidentally broke her thigh, we fancied that the male bird showed greater signs of at- tachment and interest while his companion lay disabled on the floor of the cage, than would have been exhibited by most polygamous birds, and these little marks of at- tention were continued till her recovery by the uniting of the fractured bone. It may be that the hens are jealous amongst themselves, and will not bear the pre- ‘sence of a rival. Itis not every female that, like the Domestic Hen, or the Wives of the Sultan, will quietly allow their lord to bestow his attentions, with their cognizance, upon other favourites: though how it is managed at Constantinople we can hardly guess, unless the internal arrangements of the seraglio are upon a principle that has furnished a hint for the model prison at Pentonville. From what can be learned of the wild habits of the Quail, although he is at times so unreason- ably troublesome to the hens, we should call him nei- ther monogamic nor polygamic, but agamic, or not marrying at all, from the very short and slight attach- ment which subsists between the sexes. ‘‘ The male,” Says Temminck, “ abandons the female for ever, as soon as she begins to sit, taking no interest in the brood; we may, therefore, without injury to the young family, decoy and snare the males in the last days of July and the beginning of August: the same sport carried on with Partridges at the same time of year would de- Stroy whole coveys.” Here is a lesson for improvident, negligent, and spendthrift fathers of families: it mat- ters not whether they be drawn for soldiers, transported, oie 386 BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY. [CHAP. X; or otherwise disposed of: what should be a loss to their wives and children, becomes, in truth, a real gain ; whereas the kind and faithful Partridge fulfils his duty, and is respected accordingly. The little Quails take after their parents; as soon as they are strong enough, they separate with perfect indifference, and it is rare afterwards to find two together; they prefer to pursue each his or her solitary devices, till a spontaneous im- pulse collects them in bands immediately preparatory to their migratory movements. We have by observation verified Temminck’s assertion that the Quail moults twice a year: the old ones moult in August, the time when many (for we have seen that some are permanent visitors) would proceed southwards; in the spring both young and old moult a second time, before the commencement of that flight which brings the great body into Europe. The only case of the common Quail breeding in confinement in England, that I have been able to ascertain, is given in the subjoined note *; * In March, 1849, a pair of Quails which for two winters had been kept in the house in a cage, were placed by Lady Rowley in one of the compartments of a small mew on the lawn at Tendring Hall in Suffolk, The mew is bricked two feet from the ground, wired in front and at the sides, closed at the back, and partly covered overhead ; several pairs of Doves were kept in the other divisions of the mew. The weather was severe in the ensuing April, with sharp frosts during several nights. The Quails, however, did not appear to mind the cold; neither did they seem to care for the constant cooing of the Doves. In May the hen laid ten eggs, and hatched nine of them in June. Four of the young birds died during the first moult- ing; the remaining five lived through the winter of 1849-50. In the month of February the birds fought excessively, and one of them ` was so much injured that it died. The others were immediately separated in pairs; but all the young birds have since died, either from want of variety of food, or from some other cause unknown. The old birds were fed on wheat, with a little hemp-seed, and their young ones with Partridge food, and a little chalk was occasion- CHAP. x.] DIET. 387 though, were more frequent success a point of any im- portance, I do not think it impossible to attain it, by allowing a pair of birds to have a large aviary to them- selves, with a portion screened off so as to allow them to retire to complete seclusion, and provided with earth, turf, and growing corn, in imitation of their natural haunts. The male had better be removed as soon as the female is seen to be scratching out a nest*. The hen with her tiny brood would be exceedingly pretty and interesting objects could their wildness be conquered. Temminck states the time of incubation to be three weeks, and that the chicks run as soon as hatched. Quails do not seem to care for green food, either in the shape of unripe seeds, buds, or leaves, like many other gallinaceous birds, but feed on ripe seeds, worms, and insects. They drink frequently, and do not shell their seeds like linnets and canaries, but swallow them whole like Poultry. Our birds always have two small turfs in their cage, one with the grass upwards, the other reversed: the first attracts but little of their attention, the latter is soon torn to pieces by their search after grubs and their endeavours to dust them- selves in the mould. They are very apt to become epi- ally given to them. They delighted to hide themselves under boughs which had been placed for them in the mew. They are fond of busking and rubbing their feathers in the sand, and seemed much to enjoy fresh turf when given to them in their habitation. The pair of old Quails were tolerably tame when first placed in the mew. The two young hens laid thirteen eggs this summer (50), but did Not sit. * « The nest is made by the female, but, like the Partridges, the eggs are deposited almost on the bare ground ; these also, unlike the Uniform tint which we find prevailing in those of the true Partridges, are deeply blotched with oil-green, and, except in form, are somewhat Similar to those of the Snipe.’—Sir W. Jardine, Game Birds, p. 96. CEES 388 EPILEPTIC. (CHAP. X- leptic, and suffer severely from the disease for months, without being killed by it, as one would expect. It is painful to see them with their head distorted, twisting and pirouetting on one spot as the fit comes on. The symptoms are well known to the London poulterers ; better, perhaps, than to their customers; for the lia- bility of Quails to this disorder is stated by Pliny as one reason for abstaining from their flesh :— “ To Quails the seed of a poisonous plant ( Hellebore) is the most grateful food: for which cause they are banished from our tables; they are also usually rejected with disgust on account of the epileptic fits which attack them alone amongst animals, except man.” * These prejudices have long since passed away, and the birds, with all their infirmities, are in high request. It is a pity that the fashion does not in England extend to the legions of small birds, which make such ineal- culable havoc on our grain and in our gardens, destroy- ing our roofs, blighting our fruit crops in the bud, and our esculent vegetables in the seed. The plague and nuisance of them would be called intolerable, if it were not inevitable.. Let then some one set the example of clearing them away by the aid of side dishes and third courses. ‘‘ Nothing is better,” says Col. Hawker, p. 432, “ than a dish of small birds fried, and eaten with oil and lemon juice.” M. Ude, in his elaborate and thoroughly professional work on Cookery, speaks, we think, more slightingly of Quails than they deserve, if a judgment be pronounced on their intrinsic merits without any reference to their London price :—“ Young Quails are called Cailleteaux, * Lib. x. 83. CHAP. x.] MODES OF COOKING. 389 but, owing to their enormous price in England, they are very seldom, if ever, to be procured at the poulterer’s. A dish of fillets of young Quails is never attempted ; the expense would be extravagant, without any other merit. Quails in my opinion have no flavour, and from the circumstance of confinement and bad feeding are never very fat; it is only their rarity that makes them fashionable.” Nevertheless, he gives half a dozen re- ceipts for cooking them, a request to have any one of which executed would thunderstrike an old-fashioned English cook, and make her give warning the moment she had recovered from her amazement. We may guess how she would look on being summoned into the breakfast-room, and requested to listen attentively while her mistress ordered a dish of Quails au Gratin, and read to her the following easily understood directions for preparing it :—‘ Bone six quails, pick them nicely ; take a little farce fine or quenelle, made in preference with the flesh of young rabbits; fill the bodies of the quails with the farce: then raise a kind of dome ona dish, and with a spoon make room for the birds: next make an opening in the middle ; let it be either round or square, according to the shape of the dish. Puta Sweet-meat pot within the opening; cover the birds with layers of bacon, and put the dish into the oven for about a quarter of an hour, or twenty minutes at most, till the birds are done. Drain the fat carefully, take out the pot; then take six slices of bread cut in the shape of cock’s combs, which fry in the butter till they are of a light brown, and put them one by one between the birds. Serve a ragoût à la financière in the mid- dle, and cover the birds and the gratin over with a good — Espagnole, well reduced.” QUAIL-FIGHTS, [CHAP. X? The reader, having taken breath, shall now be sup- plied with a less laborious mode of cooking them, for which we are indebted to a high authority in such mat- ters, and which is simply to roast them with a thin piece of bacon tied over the breasts, the sauce the same as for a roast pigeon, and with the accompaniment of fried bread crumbs, as with a dish of Larks. The London Quails are usually fatted on hemp-seed; but rice, not too much boiled, is the best food for them, as it makes their flesh more delicate and less oily. The town-fed Quails are probably better for the table than those taken wild, except at certain seasons. Those we have eaten on the Continent soon after their migration have been decidedly dry. Such countless legions moving together must half- starve each other, but when dispersed amidst an abund- ance of any favourite food, they improve correspondingly in condition; witness Captain Mundy in his amusing Sketches in India:—*In the cool of the afternoon we strolled for an hour in the grain-fields, and shot several brace of Quails, which, at this season, are like little flying pats of butter! I have heard it averred that these delicate bonnes-bouches are sometimes so fat in the grain-season, that, when they are shot, they burst, from their own weight, as they fall on the parched ground.” * This excursion to the East brings us to the subject of Quail-fighting, in which we are likely to be perplexed by the circumstance that three species are made use of by the Orientals to engage in single combat, viz. our own common Quail; the Caille fraise, Coturnix excalfac- toria, or Hand-warming Quail, of Temminck, a small * Vol. i. p. 148. CHAP. X.] DISTINCTION OF SEX. 59i species, the total length of which does not exceed four inches; and the Hemipodius pugnax, or Pugnacious Hemipod, or Half-foot, so called because, having no hind toe, the back half of the foot may be said to be wanting. The last seems to be the favourite gladiator, the females even engaging in the set-to; and the pro- bability is that when Quail-fights * are mentioned, as in the following extract, the Hemipod is the bird to which the anecdote applies. «On our return from the beast fight, a breakfast awaited us at the Royal Palace of Lucknow, and the white table-cloth being removed, Quails, trained for the purpose, were placed upon the green cloth, and fought most gamely, after the manner of the English cockpit. This is an amusement much in fashion among the natives of rank, and they bet large sums on their birds, as they lounge luxuriously round, smoking their houkahs.”’} j For aviary purposes the hen of the common Quail is much more difficult to obtain in England than the cock. A simple rule for those who are not learned ornitho- logists is, that the hen has a decidedly speckled breast, and that if a bird when placed alone, especially in a darkened room, utters the cry which foreigners have aptly spelt pick-wérwick, pick-wérwick, instead of Pick- erwick, as given by English naturalists, it is a male.” * In allusion to Quail-fighting, Shakspeare thus makes Antony acknowledge the ascendant fortunes of Cæsar :— Races with Pigeons in Belgium, 136. Rats destroyed by Storks, 344. RED FEET oF PIGEONS, cause of, 11. Rine Doves, 188; migrations of, 189. Rock Pigeons, 13; not changed by being tamed, 15. è Rogers’ lines on the Pigeon, 26. Roman Pigeon-fanciers, 18; mode of fatting Pigeons, 27. Ross, SIR JoHN, 134. Rurss, 103. : z RunrTs, 92; largest of domestic Pi- geons, 92; termed, Pigeons Mon- dains, 92; their weight, 93; their an- tiquity, 94; why called Russia-Pi- geons, 94; the Campania Pigeons of Pliny, 94; peculiarities of, 96; ex- cellence for the table, 96; crosses with, 97; Leghorn, 147. RURAL POLICE, 448. RUSSIA-PIGEONS, 94. Russran veneration for Pigeons, 23. SALT, supply of, in the Dovecote, 42. SALT-CAT, recipe for, SANDWICH ISLAND Goose, 426; Ber- nicle, 428. :SEA-SIDE, haunts of the Blue Rock Pigeon, 157. SENEGAL Dove, 218; song of, 219. SHAKERS, 89. SHAKSPEARE on Pigeons, 142, 145, 180. Sitcx PowTERS, treatment of, 124. Srece of Jerusalem, 25; of Harlem,26. SMITERS, 122. SNIPES, 319. SpanisH Pigeon-breeder, 48. ‘SpecKLED Dove, 209; the smallest Pigeon existing, 210. SPOONBILLS, 320. ‘Souass, newly hatched, 35, 58. a Joun’s Tour in Sutherlandshire, 59. Stock Doves, 187. Stor, White, 314, 335; Indian, 315. Straw BASKET, or pan, 40. Srruruious BIRDS, 362; plumage, 372. Strurrt’s (Capt.) Expedition in Aus- tralia, 201, 203, 206, 311. Swxnen, Storks in, 349. Syxes (Col.) on Quails, 379. Synvrap in captivity, 304. Temminck on Blue Rock Pigeons, ik 160; Bronze-winged Pigeons, 196; Crested Turkey, 275; Curassows, 242; domestic races of animals, 733 Fancy Pigeons, 75; Fantails, 90; Guans, 250, 254, 2573; Pigeon- houses, 32; Quails, 374, 383. TENACITY oF LiFe in Pigeons, 89. THEORIES of French Naturalists, 73. Trnuncuuus, or Kestrel Hawk, 30. TITRES of Pigeons, 47. TRAP for Pigeon-loft, 37. TRASH, 104. TREATISE on Domestic Pigeons quoted, 40, 43, 98, 101, 107, 116, 119, 124, 133, 144. TRICKS of Tumbler Pigeons, 112. TRUMPETERS, 98, 149. TUMBLERS, 112; Almond, 115; ex- cellence, 112; high prices, 112; Kites, 115; tricks, 112; perform- ances, 114; practice tumbling, 118. TURBITS, 77, 106; termed Pigeon Cravate, 77, 107; colour, 108. TURKEY, Carrier Pigeons in, 133. TURTLE, collared, 174. TURTLE Doves, 12, 189; Roman mode of fatting, 27. UDe, on Quails, 388. VARRO, on Carrier Pigeons, 19; on Dovecotes, 50; on Domestic Pi- geons, 151. VENETIAN Pigeon-fanciers, 33. VENTRILOQUISM of Pigeons, 204. WADERS, in Captivity, 313; their strange aspect, 316. WARFARE, use of Pigeons in, 24. WATER, supply of, in the Dovecote,42. WATER BOTTLE, 43. WATER GUIDEsin Australia, 196, 204. WATER-HENS, 280; anecdotes, 284, 288,291; eggs,296; in captivity, 291; mode of diving, 285; mode of run- ning on the water, 285, 294; nesting- places, 295; paradoxical habits, 28] ; plumage, 287; post-mortem exa- mination, 285; self-willed, 284. WATER RAIL, 319. Werecut of Pigeons, 93, 161. WHITE STORK, 314, 335; anecdote, 337; gratitude, 337; habits, 342; haunts, 348; virtues, 335. WIDOWED HEN PIGEON, 61. WILD Pigeons, 187. WILD AND DOMESTIC PIGEONS, 150. WILLUGHBY on Fancy Pigeons, 89, 92, 103, 106, 115, 120, 121, 162, 173. WINDPIPEs of the Guans, 248. WINGLESS BIRDS, 362. 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