Chapter V: Domestic Pigeons (1)

ENUMERATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL BREEDS—INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY—VARIATIONS OF A REMARKABLE NATURE—OSTEOLOGICAL CHARACTERS: SKULL, LOWER JAW, NUMBER OF vertebræ—CORRELATION OF GROWTH: TONGUE WITH BEAK; EYELIDS AND NOSTRILS WITH WATTLED SKIN—NUMBER OF WING-FEATHERS, AND LENGTH OF WING—COLOUR AND DOWN—WEBBED AND FEATHERED FEET—ON THE EFFECTS OF DISUSE—LENGTH OF FEET IN CORRELATION WITH LENGTH OF BEAK—LENGTH OF STERNUM, SCAPULA, AND FURCULUM—LENGTH OF WINGS—SUMMARY ON THE POINTS OF DIFFERENCE IN THE SEVERAL BREEDS.

I have been led to study domestic pigeons with particular care, because the evidence that all the domestic races are descended from one known source is far clearer than with any other anciently domesticated animal. Secondly, because many treatises in several languages, some of them old, have been written on the pigeon, so that we are enabled to trace the history of several breeds. And lastly, because, from causes which we can partly understand, the amount of variation has been extraordinarily great. The details will often be tediously minute; but no one who really wants to understand the progress of change in domestic animals, and especially no one who has kept pigeons and has marked the great difference between the breeds and the trueness with which most of them propagate their kind, will doubt that this minuteness is worth while. Notwithstanding the clear evidence that all the breeds are the descendants of a single species, I could not persuade myself until some years had passed that the whole amount of difference between them, had arisen since man first domesticated the wild rock-pigeon.

I have kept alive all the most distinct breeds, which I could
procure in England or from the Continent; and have prepared
skeletons of all. I have received skins from Persia, and a large
number from India and other quarters of the world.[1] Since my
admission into two of the London pigeon-clubs, I have received the
kindest assistance from many of the most eminent amateurs.[2]

The races of the Pigeon which can be distinguished, and which breed
true, are very numerous. MM. Boitard and Corbié[3] describe in
detail 122 kinds; and I could add several European kinds not known
to them. In India, judging from the skins sent me, there are many
breeds unknown here; and Sir W. Elliot informs me that a collection
imported by an Indian merchant into Madras from Cairo and
Constantinople included several kinds unknown in India. I have no
doubt that there exist considerably above 150 kinds which breed
true and have been separately named. But of these the far greater
number differ from each other only in unimportant characters. Such
differences will be here entirely passed over, and I shall confine
myself to the more important points of structure. That many
important differences exist we shall presently see. I have looked
through the magnificent collection of the Columbidæ in the British
Museum, and, with the exception of a few forms (such as the
Didunculus, Calænas, Goura, etc.), I do not hesitate to affirm that
some domestic races of the rock-pigeon differ fully as much from
each other in external characters as do the most distinct natural
genera. We may look in vain through the 288 known species[4] for a
beak so small and conical as that of the short-faced tumbler; for
one so broad and short as that of the barb; for one so long,
straight, and narrow, with its enormous wattles, as that of the
English carrier; for an expanded upraised tail like that of the
fantail; or for an œsophagus like that of the pouter. I do not for
a moment pretend that the domestic races differ from each other in
their whole organisation as much as the more distinct natural
genera. I refer only to external characters, on which, however, it
must be confessed that most genera of birds have been founded.
When, in a future chapter, we discuss the principle of selection as
followed by man, we shall clearly see why the differences between
the domestic races are almost always confined to external, or at
least to externally visible, characters.

Owing to the amount and gradations of difference between the several breeds, I have found it indispensable in the following classification to rank them under Groups, Races, and Sub-races; to which varieties and sub-varieties, all strictly inheriting their proper characters, must often be added. Even with the individuals of the same sub-variety, when long kept by different fanciers, different strains can sometimes be recognised. There can be no doubt that, if well-characterised forms of the several races had been found wild, all would have been ranked as distinct species, and several of them would certainly have been placed by ornithologists in distinct genera. A good classification of the various domestic breeds is extremely difficult, owing to the manner in which many of the forms graduate into each other; but it is curious how exactly the same difficulties are encountered, and the same rules have to be followed, as in the classification of any natural but difficult group of organic beings. An “artificial classification” might be followed which would present fewer difficulties than a “natural classification;” but then it would interrupt many plain affinities. Extreme forms can readily be defined; but intermediate and troublesome forms often destroy our definitions. Forms which may be called “aberrant” must sometimes be included within groups to which they do not accurately belong. Characters of all kinds must be used; but as with birds in a state of nature, those afforded by the beak are the best and most readily appreciated. It is not possible to weigh the importance of all the characters which have to be used so as to make the groups and sub-groups of equal value. Lastly, a group may contain only one race, and another and less distinctly defined group may contain several races and sub-races, and in this case it is difficult, as in the classification of natural species, to avoid placing too high a value on the number of forms which a group may contain.

In my measurements I have never trusted to the eye; and when
speaking of a part being large or small, I always refer to the wild
rock-pigeon (_Columba livia_) as the standard of comparison. The
measurements are given in decimals of an inch.[5]

Illustration: Fig. 17—The Rock-Pigeon, or Columba livia.[6] The parent-form of all domesticated pigeons.

_COLUMBA LIVIA_ or ROCK-PIGEON.

Illustration:

Illustration:

I will now give a brief description of all the principal breeds. The diagram above may aid the reader in learning their names and seeing their affinities. The rock-pigeon, or _ Columba livia_ (including under this name two or three closely-allied sub-species or geographical races, hereafter to be described), may be confidently viewed, as we shall see in the next chapter, as the common parent-form. The names in italics on the right-hand side of the page show us the most distinct breeds, or those which have undergone the greatest amount of modification. The lengths of the dotted lines rudely represent the degree of distinctness of each breed from the parent-stock, and the names placed under each other in the columns show the more or less closely connecting links. The distances of the dotted lines from each other approximately represent the amount of difference between the several breeds.

Illustration: Fig. 18—English Pouter.

GROUP I.

This group includes a single race, that of the Pouters. If the most strongly marked sub-race be taken, namely, the Improved English Pouter, this is perhaps the most distinct of all domesticated pigeons.

Race I. Pouter Pigeons.
(Kropftauben, German. Grosses-gorges, or Boulans, French.)

_Œsophagus of great size, barely separated from the crop, often inflated. Body and legs elongated. Beak of moderate dimensions._

_Sub-race I._—The improved English Pouter, when its crop is fully inflated, presents a truly astonishing appearance. The habit of slightly inflating the crop is common to all domestic pigeons, but is carried to an extreme in the Pouter. The crop does not differ, except in size, from that of other pigeons; but is less plainly separated by an oblique constriction from the œsophagus. The diameter of the upper part of the œsophagus is immense, even close up to the head. The beak in one bird which I possessed was almost completely buried when the œsophagus was fully expanded. The males, especially when excited, pout more than the females, and they glory in exercising this power. If a bird will not, to use the technical expression, “play,” the fancier, as I have witnessed, by taking the beak into his mouth, blows him up like a balloon; and the bird, then puffed up with wind and pride, struts about, retaining his magnificent size as long as he can. Pouters often take flight with their crops inflated. After one of my birds had swallowed a good meal of peas and water, as he flew up in order to disgorge them and feed his nearly fledged young, I heard the peas rattling in his inflated crop as if in a bladder. When flying, they often strike the backs of their wings together, and thus make a clapping noise.

Pouters stand remarkably upright, and their bodies are thin and elongated. In connexion with this form of body, the ribs are generally broader and the vertebræ more numerous than in other breeds. From their manner of standing their legs appear longer than they really are, though, in proportion with those of _C. livia_, the legs and feet are actually longer. The wings appear much elongated, but by measurement, in relation to the length of body, this is not the case. The beak likewise appears longer, but it is in fact a little shorter (about ·03 of an inch), proportionally with the size of the body, and relatively to the beak of the rock-pigeon. The Pouter, though not bulky, is a large bird; I measured one which was 34½ inches from tip to tip of wing, and 19 inches from tip of beak to end of tail. In a wild rock-pigeon from the Shetland Islands the same measurements gave only 28¼ and 14¾. There are many sub-varieties of the Pouter of different colours, but these I pass over.

_Sub-race II. Dutch Pouter._—This seems to be the parent-form of
our improved English Pouters. I kept a pair, but I suspect that
they were not pure birds. They are smaller than English pouters,
and less well developed in all their characters. Neumeister[7] says
that the wings are crossed over the tail, and do not reach to its
extremity.

_Sub-race III. The Lille Pouter._—I know this breed only from
description.[8] It approaches in general form the Dutch Pouter, but
the inflated œsophagus assumes a spherical form, as if the pigeon
had swallowed a large orange, which had stuck close under the beak.
This inflated ball is represented as rising to a level with the
crown of the head. The middle toe alone is feathered. A variety of
this sub-race, called the claquant, is described by MM. Boitard and
Corbié; it pouts but little, and is characterised by the habit of
violently hitting its wings together over its back,—a habit which
the English Pouter has in a slight degree.

_Sub-race IV. Common German Pouter._—I know this bird only from the figures and description given by the accurate Neumeister, one of the few writers on pigeons who, as I have found, may always be trusted. This sub-race seems considerably different. The upper part of the œsophagus is much less distended. The bird stands less upright. The feet are not feathered, and the legs and beak are shorter. In these respects there is an approach in form to the common rock-pigeon. The tail-feathers are very long, yet the tips of the closed wings extend beyond the end of the tail; and the length of the wings, from tip to tip, and of the body, is greater than in the English Pouter.

Illustration: Fig. 19—English Carrier.

GROUP II.

This group includes three Races, namely, Carriers, Runts, and Barbs, which are manifestly allied to each other. Indeed, certain carriers and runts pass into each other by such insensible gradations that an arbitrary line has to be drawn between them. Carriers also graduate through foreign breeds into the rock-pigeon. Yet, if well-characterised Carriers and Barbs (see figs 19 and 20) had existed as wild species, no ornithologist would have placed them in the same genus with each other or with the rock-pigeon. This group may, as a general rule, be recognised by the beak being long, with the skin over the nostrils swollen and often carunculated or wattled, and with that round the eyes bare and likewise carunculated. The mouth is very wide, and the feet are large. Nevertheless the Barb, which must be classed in this same group, has a very short beak, and some runts have very little bare skin round their eyes.

Race II.—Carriers.
(Türkische Tauben; pigeons turcs, dragons.)

_Beak elongated, narrow, pointed; eyes surrounded by much naked, generally carunculated, skin; neck and body elongated._

_Sub-race I. The English Carrier._—This is a fine bird, of large size, close feathered, generally dark-coloured, with an elongated neck. The beak is attenuated and of wonderful length: in one specimen it was 1·4 inch in length from the feathered base to the tip; therefore nearly twice as long as that of the rock-pigeon, which measured only ·77. Whenever I compare proportionally any part in the carrier and rock-pigeon, I take the length of the body from the base of the beak to the end of the tail as the standard of comparison; and according to this standard, the beak in one Carrier was nearly half an inch longer than in the rock-pigeon. The upper mandible is often slightly arched. The tongue is very long. The development of the carunculated skin or wattle round the eyes, over the nostrils, and on the lower mandible, is prodigious. The eyelids, measured longitudinally, were in some specimens exactly twice as long as in the rock-pigeon. The external orifice or furrow of the nostrils was also twice as long. The open mouth in its widest part was in one case ·75 of an inch in width, whereas in the rock-pigeon it is only about ·4 of an inch. This great width of mouth is shown in the skeleton by the reflexed edges of the ramus of the lower jaw. The head is flat on the summit and narrow between the orbits. The feet are large and coarse; the length, as measured from end of hind toe to end of middle toe (without the claws), was in two specimens 2·6 inches; and this, proportionally with the rock-pigeon, is an excess of nearly a quarter of an inch. One very fine Carrier measured 31½ inches from tip to tip of wing. Birds of this sub-race are too valuable to be flown as carriers.

_Sub-race II. Dragons; Persian Carriers._—The English Dragon differs from the improved English Carrier in being smaller in all its dimensions, and in having less wattle round the eyes and over the nostrils, and none on the lower mandible. Sir W. Elliot sent me from Madras a Bagdad Carrier (sometimes called khandesi), the name of which shows its Persian origin: it would be considered here a very poor Dragon; the body was of the size of the rock-pigeon, with the beak a little longer, namely, 1 inch from the tip to the feathered base. The skin round the eyes was only slightly wattled, whilst that over the nostrils was fairly wattled. The Hon. C. Murray, also, sent me two Carriers direct from Persia; these had nearly the same character as the Madras bird, being about as large as the rock-pigeon, but the beak in one specimen was as much as 1·15 in length; the skin over the nostrils was only moderately, and that round the eyes scarcely at all wattled.

_Sub-race III. Bagadotten-Tauben of Neumeister_ (Pavdotten-or
Hocker-Tauben).—I owe to the kindness of Mr. Baily, jun., a dead
specimen of this singular breed imported from Germany. It is
certainly allied to the Runts; nevertheless, from its close
affinity with Carriers, it will be convenient here to describe it.
The beak is long, and is hooked or bowed downwards in a highly
remarkable manner, as will be seen in fig. 24-D when I treat of the
skeleton. The eyes are surrounded by a wide space of bright red
skin, which, as well as that over the nostrils, is moderately
wattled. The breast-bone is remarkably protuberant, being abruptly
bowed outwards. The feet and tarsi are of great length, larger than
in first-rate English Carriers. The whole bird is of large size,
but in proportion to the size of the body the feathers of the wing
and tail are short; a wild rock-pigeon, of considerably less size,
had tail-feathers 4·6 inches in length, whereas in the large
Bagadotten these feathers were scarcely over 4·1 inches in length.
Riedel[9] remarks that it is a very silent bird.

_Sub-race IV. Bussorah Carrier._—Two specimens were sent me by Sir
W. Elliot from Madras, one in spirits and the other skinned. The
name shows its Persian origin. It is much valued in India, and is
considered as a distinct breed from the Bagdad Carrier, which forms
my second sub-race. At first I suspected that these two sub-races
might have been recently formed by crosses with other breeds,
though the estimation in which they are held renders this
improbable; but in a Persian treatise,[10] believed to have been
written about 100 years ago, the Bagdad and Bussorah breeds are
described as distinct. The Bussorah Carrier is of about the same
size as the wild rock-pigeon. The shape of the beak, with some
little carunculated skin over the nostrils,— the much elongated
eyelids,—the broad mouth measured internally,—the narrow head,—the
feet proportionally a little longer than in the rock-pigeon,—and
the general appearance, all show that this bird is an undoubted
Carrier; yet in one specimen the beak was of exactly the same
length as in the rock-pigeon. In the other specimen the beak (as
well as the opening of the nostrils) was only a very little longer,
viz., by ·08 of an inch. Although there was a considerable space of
bare and slightly carunculated skin round the eyes, that over the
nostrils was only in a slight degree rugose. Sir W. Elliot informs
me that in the living bird the eye seems remarkably large and
prominent, and the same fact is noticed in the Persian treatise;
but the bony orbit is barely larger than that in the rock-pigeon.

Amongst the several breeds sent to me from Madras by Sir W. Elliot there is a pair of the _Kali Par_, black birds with the beak slightly elongated, with the skin over the nostrils rather full, and with a little naked skin round the eyes. This breed seems more closely allied to the Carrier than to any other breed, being nearly intermediate between the Bussorah Carrier and the rock-pigeon.

The names applied in different parts of Europe and in India to the several kinds of Carriers all point to Persia or the surrounding countries as the source of this Race. And it deserves especial notice that, even if we neglect the Kali Par as of doubtful origin, we get a series broken by very small steps, from the rock-pigeon, through the Bussorah, which sometimes has a beak not at all longer than that of the rock-pigeon and with the naked skin round the eyes and over the nostrils very slightly swollen and carunculated, through the Bagdad sub-race and Dragons, to our improved English Carriers, which present so marvellous a difference from the rock-pigeon or _Columba livia._

Race III.—Runts.
(Scanderoons: die Florentiner Tauben and Hinkeltauben of
Neumeister; pigeon bagadais, pigeon romain.)

_Beak long, massive; body of great size._

Inextricable confusion reigns in the classification, affinities, and naming of Runts. Several characters which are generally pretty constant in other pigeons, such as the length of the wings, tail, legs, and neck, and the amount of naked skin round the eyes, are excessively variable in Runts. When the naked skin over the nostrils and round the eyes is considerably developed and wattled, and when the size of body is not very great, Runts graduate in so insensible a manner into Carriers, that the distinction is quite arbitrary. This fact is likewise shown by the names given to them in different parts of Europe. Nevertheless, taking the most distinct forms, at least five sub-races (some of them including well-marked varieties) can be distinguished, which differ in such important points of structure, that they would be considered as good species in a state of nature.

_Sub-race I. Scanderoon of English Writers_ (die Florentiner and Hinkeltauben of Neumeister).—Birds of this sub-race, of which I kept one alive and have since seen two others, differ from the Bagadotten of Neumeister only in not having the beak nearly so much curved downwards, and in the naked skin round the eyes and over the nostrils being hardly at all wattled. Nevertheless I have felt myself compelled to place the Bagadotten in Race II., or that of the Carriers, and the present bird in Race III., or that of the Runts. The Scanderoon has a very short, narrow, and elevated tail; wings extremely short, so that the first primary feathers were not longer than those of a small tumbler pigeon! Neck long, much bowed; breast-bone prominent. Beak long, being 1·15 inch from tip to feathered base; vertically thick; slightly curved downwards. The skin over the nostrils swollen, not wattled; naked skin round the eyes, broad, slightly carunculated. Legs long; feet very large. Skin of neck bright red, often showing a naked medial line, with a naked red patch at the distal end of the radius of the wing. My bird, as measured from the base of the beak to the root of the tail, was fully 2 inches longer than the rock-pigeon; yet the tail itself was only 4 inches in length, whereas in the rock-pigeon, which is a much smaller bird, the tail is 4-5/8 inches in length.

The Hinkel-or Florentiner Taube of Neumeister (Table 13 fig. 1) agrees with the above description in all the specified characters (for the beak is not mentioned), except that Neumeister expressly says that the neck is short, whereas in my Scanderoon it was remarkably long and bowed; so that the Hinkel forms a well-marked variety.

_Sub-race II. Pigeon cygne and Pigeon bagadais of Boitard and Corbié_ (Scanderoon of French writers).—I kept two of these birds alive, imported from France. They differed from the first sub-race or true Scanderoon in the much greater length of the wing and tail, in the beak not being so long, and in the skin about the head being more carunculated. The skin of the neck is red; but the naked patches on the wings are absent. One of my birds measured 38½ inches from tip to tip of wing. By taking the length of the body as the standard of comparison, the two wings were no less than 5 inches longer than those of the rock-pigeon! The tail was 6¼ inches in length, and therefore 2¼ inches longer than that of the Scanderoon,—a bird of nearly the same size. The beak is longer, thicker, and broader than in the rock-pigeon, proportionally with the size of body. The eyelids, nostrils, and internal gape of mouth are all proportionally very large, as in Carriers. The foot, from the end of the middle to end of hind toe, was actually 2·85 inches in length, which is an excess of ·32 of an inch over the foot of the rock-pigeon, proportionally to the relative size of the two birds.

_Sub-race III. Spanish and Roman Runts._—I am not sure that I am
right in placing these Runts in a distinct sub-race; yet, if we
take well-characterised birds, there can be no doubt of the
propriety of the separation. They are heavy, massive birds, with
shorter necks, legs, and beaks than in the foregoing races. The
skin over the nostrils is swollen, but not carunculated; the naked
skin round the eyes is not very wide, and only slightly
carunculated; and I have seen a fine so-called Spanish Runt with
hardly any naked skin round the eyes. Of the two varieties to be
seen in England, one, which is the rarer, has very long wings and
tail, and agrees pretty closely with the last sub-race; the other,
with shorter wings and tail, is apparently the _Pigeon romain
ordinaire_ of Boitard and Corbié. These Runts are apt to tremble
like Fantails. They are bad flyers. A few years ago Mr.
Gulliver[11] exhibited a Runt which weighed 1 pound 14 ounces; and,
as I am informed by Mr. Tegetmeier, two Runts from the south of
France were lately exhibited at the Crystal Palace, each of which
weighed 2 pounds 2½ ounces. A very fine rock-pigeon from the
Shetland Islands weighed only 14½ ounces.

_Sub-race IV. Tronfo of Aldrovandi_ (Leghorn Runt?).—In Aldrovandi’s work published in 1600 there is a coarse woodcut of a great Italian pigeon, with an elevated tail, short legs, massive body, and with the beak short and thick. I had imagined that this latter character so abnormal in the group, was merely a false representation from bad drawing; but Moore, in his work published in 1735, says that he possessed a Leghorn Runt of which “the beak was very short for so large a bird.” In other respects Moore’s bird resembled the first sub-race or Scanderoon, for it had a long bowed neck, long legs, short beak, and elevated tail, and not much wattle about the head. So that Aldrovandi’s and Moore’s birds must have formed distinct varieties, both of which seem to be now extinct in Europe. Sir W. Elliot, however, informs me that he has seen in Madras a short-beaked Runt imported from Cairo.

_Sub-race V. Murassa (adorned Pigeon) of Madras._—Skins of these handsome chequered birds were sent me from Madras by Sir W. Elliot. They are rather larger than the largest rock-pigeon, with longer and more massive beaks. The skin over the nostrils is rather full and very slightly carunculated, and they have some naked skin round the eyes; feet large. This breed is intermediate between the rock-pigeon and a very poor variety of Runt or Carrier.

From these several descriptions we see that with Runts, as with Carriers, we have a fine gradation from the rock-pigeon (with the Tronfo diverging as a distinct branch) to our largest and most massive Runts. But the chain of affinities, and many points of resemblance, between Runts and carriers, make me believe that these two races have not descended by independent lines from the rock-pigeon, but from some common parent, as represented in the Table, which had already acquired a moderately long beak with slightly swollen skin over the nostrils, and with some slightly carunculated naked skin round the eyes.

Illustration: Fig. 20—English Barb.

Race IV.—Barbs.
(Indische Tauben; pigeons polonais.)

_Beak short, broad, deep; naked skin round the eyes, broad and carunculated; skin over nostrils slightly swollen._

Misled by the extraordinary shortness and form of the beak, I did not at first perceive the near affinity of this Race to that of Carriers until the fact was pointed out to me by Mr. Brent. Subsequently, after examining the Bussorah Carrier, I saw that no very great amount of modification would be requisite to convert it into a Barb. This view of the affinity of Barbs to Carriers is supported by the analogical difference between the short and long-beaked Runts; and still more strongly by the fact, that, young Barbs and Dragons, within 24 hours after being hatched, resemble each other much more closely than do young pigeons of other and equally distinct breeds. At this early age, the length of beak, the swollen skin over the rather open nostrils, the gape of the mouth, and the size of the feet, are the same in both; although these parts afterwards become widely different. We thus see that embryology (as the comparison of very young animals may perhaps be called) comes into play in the classification of domestic varieties, as with species in a state of nature.

Fanciers, with some truth, compare the head and beak of the Barb to that of a bullfinch. The Barb, if found in a state of nature would certainly have been placed in a new genus formed for its reception. The body is a little larger than that of the rock-pigeon, but the beak is more than ·2 of an inch shorter; although shorter, it is both vertically and horizontally thicker. From the outward flexure of the rami of the lower jaw, the mouth internally is very broad, in the proportion of ·6 to ·4 to that of the rock-pigeon. The whole head is broad. The skin over the nostril is swollen, but not carunculated, except slightly in first-rate birds when old; whilst the naked skin round the eye is broad and much carunculated. It is sometimes so much developed, that a bird belonging to Mr. Harrison Weir could hardly see to pick up food from the ground. The eyelids in one specimen were nearly twice as long as those of the rock-pigeon. The feet are coarse and strong, but proportionally rather shorter than in the rock-pigeon. The plumage is generally dark and uniform. Barbs, in short, may be called short-beaked Carriers, bearing the same relation to Carriers that the Tronfo of Aldrovandi does to the common Runt.

GROUP III.

This group is artificial, and includes a heterogeneous collection of distinct forms. It may be defined by the beak, in well-characterised specimens of the several races, being shorter than in the rock-pigeon, and by the skin round the eyes not being much developed.

Illustration: Fig. 21—English Fantail.

Race V.—Fantails.

_Sub-race I. European Fantails_ (Pfauentauben; trembleurs).

_Tail expanded, directed upwards, formed of many feathers; oil-gland aborted; body and beak rather short._

The normal number of tail-feathers in the genus Columba is 12; but
Fantails have from only 12 (as has been asserted) up to, according
to MM. Boitard and Corbié, 42. I have counted in one of my own
birds 33, and at Calcutta Mr. Blyth[12] has counted in an
_imperfect_ tail 34 feathers. In Madras, as I am informed by Sir W.
Elliot, 32 is the standard number; but in England number is much
less valued than the position and expansion of the tail. The
feathers are arranged in an irregular double row; their permanent
fanlike expansion and their upward direction are more remarkable
characters than their increased number. The tail is capable of the
same movements as in other pigeons, and can be depressed so as to
sweep the ground. It arises from a more expanded basis than in
other pigeons; and in three skeletons there were one or two extra
coccygeal vertebræ. I have examined many specimens of various
colours from different countries, and there was no trace of the
oil-gland; this is a curious case of abortion.[13] The neck is thin
and bowed backwards. The breast is broad and protuberant. The feet
are small. The carriage of the bird is very different from that of
other pigeons; in good birds the head touches the tail-feathers,
which consequently often become crumpled. They habitually tremble
much: and their necks have an extraordinary, apparently convulsive,
backward and forward movement. Good birds walk in a singular
manner, as if their small feet were stiff. Owing to their large
tails, they fly badly on a windy day. The dark-coloured varieties
are generally larger than white Fantails.

Although between the best and common Fantails, now existing in
England, there is a vast difference in the position and size of the
tail, in the carriage of the head and neck, in the convulsive
movements of the neck, in the manner of walking, and in the breadth
of the breast, the differences so graduate away, that it is
impossible to make more than one sub-race. Moore, however, an
excellent old authority[14] says, that in 1735 there were two sorts
of broad-tailed shakers (_i.e._ Fantails), “one having a neck much
longer and more slender than the other;” and I am informed by Mr.
B. P. Brent, that there is an existing German Fantail with a
thicker and shorter beak.

_Sub-race II. Java Fantail._—Mr. Swinhoe sent me from Amoy, in China, the skin of a Fantail belonging to a breed known to have been imported from Java. It was coloured in a peculiar manner, unlike any European Fantail; and, for a Fantail, had a remarkably short beak. Although a good bird of the kind, it had only 14 tail-feathers; but Mr. Swinhoe has counted in other birds of this breed from 18 to 24 tail-feathers. From a rough sketch sent to me, it is evident that the tail is not so much expanded or so much upraised as in even second-rate European Fantails. The bird shakes its neck like our Fantails. It had a well-developed oil-gland. Fantails were known in India, as We shall hereafter see, before the year 1600; and we may suspect that in the Java Fantail we see the breed in its earlier and less improved condition.

Illustration: Fig. 22—African Owl.

Race VI.—Turbit and Owl.
(Möventauben; pigeons à cravate.)

_Feathers divergent along the front of the neck and breast; beak very short, vertically rather thick; œsophagus somewhat enlarged._

Turbits and Owls differ from each other slightly in the shape of the head; the former have a crest, and the beak is differently curved; but they may be here conveniently grouped together. These pretty birds, some of which are very small, can be recognised at once by the feathers irregularly diverging, like a frill, along the front of the neck, in the same manner, but in a less degree, as along the back of the neck in the Jacobin. They have the remarkable habit of continually and momentarily inflating the upper part of the œsophagus, which causes a movement in the frill. When the œsophagus of a dead bird is inflated, it is seen to be larger than in other breeds, and not so distinctly separated from the crop. The Pouter inflates both its true crop and œsophagus; the Turbit inflates in a much less degree the œsophagus alone. The beak of the Turbit is very short, being ·28 of an inch shorter than that of the rock-pigeon, proportionally with the size of their bodies; and in some owls brought by Mr. E. Vernon Harcourt from Tunis, it was even shorter. The beak is vertically thicker, and perhaps a little broader, in proportion to that of the rock-pigeon.

Race VII.—Tumblers.
(Tümmler, or Burzeltauben; culbutants.)

_During flight, tumble backwards; body generally small; beak generally short, sometimes excessively short and conical._

This race may be divided into four sub-races, namely, Persian, Lotan, Common, and short-faced Tumblers. These sub-races include many varieties which breed true. I have examined eight skeletons of various kinds of Tumblers: excepting in one imperfect and doubtful specimen, the ribs are only seven in number, whereas the rock-pigeon has eight ribs.

_Sub-race I. Persian Tumblers._—I received a pair direct from Persia, from the Hon. C. Murray. They are rather smaller birds than the wild rock-pigeon, about the size of the common dovecot pigeon, white and mottled, slightly feathered on the feet, with the beak just perceptibly shorter than in the rock-pigeon. H.M. Consul, Mr. Keith Abbott, informs me that the difference in the length of beak is so slight, that only practised Persian fanciers can distinguish these Tumblers from the common pigeon of the country. He informs me that they fly in flocks high up in the air and tumble well. Some of them occasionally appear to become giddy and tumble to the ground, in which respect they resemble some of our Tumblers.

_Sub-race II. Lotan, or Lowtun: Indian Ground Tumblers._—These
birds present one of the most remarkable inherited habits or
instincts ever recorded. The specimens sent to me from Madras by
Sir W. Elliot are white, slightly feathered on the feet, with the
feathers on the head reversed; and they are rather smaller than the
rock or dovecot pigeon. The beak is proportionally only slightly
shorter and rather thinner than in the rock-pigeon. These birds
when gently shaken and placed on the ground immediately begin
tumbling head over heels, and they continue thus to tumble until
taken up and soothed,—the ceremony being generally to blow in their
faces, as in recovering a person from a state of hypnotism or
mesmerism. It is asserted that they will continue to roll over till
they die, if not taken up. There is abundant evidence with respect
to these remarkable peculiarities; but what makes the case the more
worthy of attention is, that the habit has been inherited since
before the year 1600, for the breed is distinctly described in the
‘Ayeen Akbery.’[15] Mr. Evans kept a pair in London, imported by
Captain Vigne; and he assures me that he has seen them tumble in
the air, as well as in the manner above described on the ground.
Sir W. Elliot, however, writes to me from Madras, that he is
informed that they tumble exclusively on the ground, or at a very
small height above it. He also mentions birds of another
sub-variety, called the Kalmi Lotan, which begin to roll over if
only touched on the neck with a rod or wand.

_Sub-race III. Common English Tumblers._—These birds have exactly
the same habits as the Persian Tumbler, but tumble better. The
English bird is rather smaller than the Persian, and the beak is
plainly shorter. Compared with the rock-pigeon, and proportionally
with the size of body, the beak is from ·15 to nearly ·2 of an inch
shorter, but it is not thinner. There are several varieties of the
common Tumbler, namely, Baldheads, Beards, and Dutch Rollers. I
have kept the latter alive; they have differently shaped heads,
longer necks, and are feather-footed. They tumble to an
extraordinary degree; as Mr. Brent remarks,[16] “Every few seconds
over they go; one, two, or three summersaults at a time. Here and
there a bird gives a very quick and rapid spin, revolving like a
wheel, though they sometimes lose their balance, and make a rather
ungraceful fall, in which they occasionally hurt themselves by
striking some object.” From Madras I have received several
specimens of the common Tumbler of India, differing slightly from
each other in the length of their beaks. Mr. Brent sent me a dead
specimen of a “House-tumbler,”[17] which is a Scotch variety, not
differing in general appearance and form of beak from the common
Tumbler. Mr. Brent states that these birds generally begin to
tumble “almost as soon as they can well fly; at three months old
they tumble well, but still fly strong; at five or six months they
tumble excessively; and in the second year they mostly give up
flying, on account of their tumbling so much and so close to the
ground. Some fly round with the flock, throwing a clean summersault
every few yards, till they are obliged to settle from giddiness and
exhaustion. These are called Air Tumblers, and they commonly throw
from twenty to thirty summersaults in a minute, each clear and
clean. I have one red cock that I have on two or three occasions
timed by my watch, and counted forty summersaults in the minute.
Others tumble differently. At first they throw a single
summersault, then it is double, till it becomes a continuous roll,
which puts an end to flying, for if they fly a few yards over they
go, and roll till they reach the ground. Thus I had one kill
herself, and another broke his leg. Many of them turn over only a
few inches from the ground, and will tumble two or three times in
flying across their loft. These are called House-tumblers, from
tumbling in the house. The act of tumbling seems to be one over
which they have no control, an involuntary movement which they seem
to try to prevent. I have seen a bird sometimes in his struggles
fly a yard or two straight upwards, the impulse forcing him
backwards while he struggles to go forwards. If suddenly startled,
or in a strange place, they seem less able to fly than if quiet in
their accustomed loft.” These House-tumblers differ from the Lotan
or Ground Tumbler of India, in not requiring to be shaken in order
to begin tumbling. The breed has probably been formed merely by
selecting the best common Tumblers, though it is possible that they
may have been crossed at some former period with Lotans.

Illustration: Fig. 23—Short-faced English Tumbler.

_Sub-race IV. Short-faced Tumblers._—These are marvellous birds,
and are the glory and pride of many fanciers. In their extremely
short, sharp, and conical beaks, with the skin over the nostrils
but little developed, they almost depart from the type of the
Columbidæ. Their heads are nearly globular and upright in front, so
that some fanciers say[18] “the head should resemble a cherry with
a barleycorn stuck in it.” These are the smallest kind of pigeons.
Mr. Esquilant possessed a blue Baldhead, two years old, which when
alive weighed, before feeding-time, only 6 ounces 5 drs.; two
others, each weighed 7 ounces. We have seen that a wild rock-pigeon
weighed 14 ounces 2 drs., and a Runt 34 ounces 4 drs. Short-faced
Tumblers have a remarkably erect carriage, with prominent breasts,
drooping wings, and very small feet. The length of the beak from
the tip to the feathered base was in one good bird only ·4 of an
inch; in a wild rock-pigeon it was exactly double this length. As
these Tumblers have shorter bodies than the wild rock-pigeon, they
ought of course to have shorter beaks; but proportionally with the
size of the body, the beak is ·28 of an inch too short. So, again,
the feet of this bird were actually ·45 shorter, and proportionally
·21 of an inch shorter, than the feet of the rock-pigeon. The
middle toe has only twelve or thirteen, instead of fourteen or
fifteen scutellæ. The primary wing-feathers are not rarely nine
instead of ten in number. The improved short-faced Tumblers have
almost lost the power of tumbling; but there are several authentic
accounts of their occasionally tumbling. There are several
sub-varieties, such as Bald-heads, Beards, Mottles, and Almonds;
the latter are remarkable from not acquiring their
perfectly-coloured plumage until they have moulted three or four
times. There is good reason to believe that most of these
sub-varieties, some of which breed truly, have arisen since the
publication of Moore’s treatise in 1735.[19]

Finally, in regard to the whole group of Tumblers, it is impossible to conceive a more perfect gradation than I have now lying before me, from the rock-pigeon, through Persian, Lotan, and common Tumblers, up to the marvellous short-faced birds; which latter, no ornithologist, judging from mere external structure, would place in the same genus with the rock-pigeon. The differences between the successive steps in this series are not greater than those which may be observed between common dovecot-pigeons (_C. livia_) brought from different countries.

Race VIII.—Indian Frill-back.

_Beak very short; feathers reversed._

A specimen of this bird, in spirits, was sent to me from Madras by Sir W. Elliot. It is wholly different from the Frill-back often exhibited in England. It is a smallish bird, about the size of the common Tumbler, but has a beak in all its proportions like our short-faced Tumblers. The beak, measured from the tip to the feathered base, was only ·46 of an inch in length. The feathers over the whole body are reversed or curl backwards. Had this bird occurred in Europe, I should have thought it only a monstrous variety of our improved Tumbler: but as short-faced Tumblers are not known in India, I think it must rank as a distinct breed. Probably this is the breed seen by Hasselquist in 1757 at Cairo, and said to have been imported from India.

Race IX.—Jacobin.
(Zopf-or Perrückentaube; nonnain.)

_Feathers of the neck forming a hood; wings and tail long; beak moderately short._

This pigeon can at once be recognised by its hood, almost enclosing
the head and meeting in front of the neck. The hood seems to be
merely an exaggeration of the crest of reversed feathers on the
back of the head, which is common to many sub-varieties, and which
in the Latztaube[20] is in a nearly intermediate state between a
hood and a crest. The feathers of the hood are elongated. Both the
wings and tail are likewise much elongated; thus the folded wing of
the Jacobin, though a somewhat smaller bird, is fully 1¼ inch
longer than in the rock-pigeon. Taking the length of the body
without the tail as the standard of comparison, the folded wing,
proportionally with the wings of the rock-pigeon, is 2¼ inches too
long, and the two wings, from tip to tip, 5¼ inches too long. In
disposition this bird is singularly quiet, seldom flying or moving
about, as Bechstein and Riedel have likewise remarked in
Germany.[21] The latter author also notices the length of the wings
and tail. The beak is nearly ·2 of an inch shorter in proportion to
the size of the body than in the rock-pigeon; but the internal gape
of the mouth is considerably wider.

GROUP IV.

The birds of this group may be characterised by their resemblance in all important points of structure, especially in the beak, to the rock-pigeon. The Trumpeter forms the only well-marked race. Of the numerous other sub-races and varieties I shall specify only a few of the most distinct, which I have myself seen and kept alive.

Race X.—Trumpeter.
(Trommeltaube; pigeon tambour, glouglou.)

_A tuft of feathers at the base of the beak curling forward; feet much feathered; voice very peculiar; size exceeding that of the rock-pigeon._

This is a well-marked breed, with a peculiar voice, wholly unlike that of any other pigeon. The coo is rapidly repeated, and is continued for several minutes; hence their name of Trumpeters. They are also characterised by a tuft of elongated feathers, which curls forward over the base of the beak, and which is possessed by no other breed. Their feet are so heavily feathered, that they almost appear like little wings. They are larger birds than the rock-pigeon, but their beak is of very nearly the same proportional size. Their feet are rather small. This breed was perfectly characterised in Moore’s time, in 1735. Mr. Brent says that two varieties exist, which differ in size.

Race XI.—Scarcely differing in structure from the wild _Columba
livia._

_Sub-race I. Laughers.—Size less than the Rock-pigeon; voice very peculiar._—As this bird agrees in nearly all its proportions with the rock-pigeon, though of smaller size, I should not have thought it worthy of mention, had it not been for its peculiar voice—a character supposed seldom to vary with birds. Although the voice of the Laugher is very different from that of the Trumpeter, yet one of my Trumpeters used to utter a single note like that of the Laugher. I have kept two varieties of Laughers, which differed only in one variety being turn-crowned; the smooth-headed kind, for which I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Brent, besides its peculiar note, used to coo in a singular and pleasing manner, which, independently, struck both Mr. Brent and myself as resembling that of the turtle-dove. Both varieties come from Arabia. This breed was known by Moore in 1735. A pigeon which seems to say Yak-roo is mentioned in 1600 in the ‘Ayeen Akbery’ and is probably the same breed. Sir W. Elliot has also sent me from Madras a pigeon called Yahui, said to have come from Mecca, which does not differ in appearance from the Laugher; it has “a deep melancholy voice, like Yahu, often repeated.” Yahu, yahu, means Oh God, oh God; and Sayzid Mohammed Musari, in the treatise written about 100 years ago, says that these birds “are not flown, because they repeat the name of the most high God.” Mr. Keith Abbott, however, informs me that the common pigeon is called Yahoo in Persia.

_Sub-race II. Common Frill-back_ (die Strupptaube).—_Beak rather longer than in the rock-pigeon; feathers reversed._—This is a considerably larger bird than the rock-pigeon, and with the beak, proportionally with the size of body, a little (viz. by ·04 of an inch) longer. The feathers, especially on the wing-coverts, have their points curled upwards or back-wards.

_Sub-race III. Nuns_ (Pigeons coquilles).—These elegant birds are smaller than the rock-pigeon. The beak is actually 1·7, and proportionally with the size of the body ·1 of an inch shorter than in the rock-pigeons, although of the same thickness. In young birds the scutellæ on the tarsi and toes are generally of a leaden-black colour; and this is a remarkable character (though observed in a lesser degree in some other breeds), as the colour of the legs in the adult state is subject to very little variation in any breed. I have on two or three occasions counted thirteen or fourteen feathers in the tail; this likewise occurs in the barely distinct breed called Helmets. Nuns are symmetrically coloured, with the head, primary wing-feathers, tail, and tail-coverts of the same colour, namely, black or red, and with the rest of the body white. This breed has retained the same character since Aldrovandi wrote in 1600. I have received from Madras almost similarly coloured birds.

_Sub-race IV. Spots_ (die Blasstauben; pigeons heurtés).—These
birds are a very little larger than the rock-pigeon, with the beak
a trace smaller in all its dimensions, and with the feet decidedly
smaller. They are symmetrically coloured, with a spot on the
forehead, with the tail and tail-coverts of the same colour, the
rest of the body being white. This breed existed in 1676;[22] and
in 1735 Moore remarks that they breed truly, as is the case at the
present day.

_Sub-race V. Swallows._—These birds, as measured from tip to tip of wing, or from the end of the beak to the end of the tail, exceed in size the rock-pigeon; but their bodies are much less bulky; their feet and legs are likewise smaller. The beak is of about the same length, but rather slighter. Altogether their general appearance is considerably different from that of the rock-pigeon. Their heads and wings are of the same colour, the rest of the body being white. Their flight is said to be peculiar. This seems to be a modern breed, which, however, originated before the year 1795 in Germany, for it is described by Bechstein.

Besides the several breeds now described, three or four other very
distinct kinds existed lately, or perhaps still exist, in Germany
and France. Firstly, the Karmeliten, or carme pigeon, which I have
not seen; it is described as of small size, with very short legs,
and with an extremely short beak. Secondly, the Finnikin, which is
now extinct in England. It had, according to Moore’s[23] treatise,
published in 1735, a tuft of feathers on the hinder part of the
head, which ran down its back not unlike a horse’s mane. “When it
is salacious it rises over the hen and turns round three or four
times, flapping its wings, then reverses and turns as many times
the other way.” The Turner, on the other hand, when it “plays to
the female, turns only one way.” Whether these extraordinary
statements may be trusted I know not; but the inheritance of any
habit may be believed, after what we have seen with respect to the
Ground-tumbler of India. MM. Boitard and Corbié describe a
pigeon[24] which has the singular habit of sailing for a
considerable time through the air, without flapping its wings, like
a bird of prey. The confusion is inextricable, from the time of
Aldrovandi in 1600 to the present day, in the accounts published of
the Draijers, Smiters, Finnikins, Turners, Claquers, etc., which
are all remarkable from their manner of flight. Mr. Brent informs
me that he has seen one of these breeds in Germany with its
wing-feathers injured from having been so often struck together but
he did not see it flying. An old stuffed specimen of a Finnikin in
the British Museum presents no well-marked character. Thirdly, a
singular pigeon with a forked tail is mentioned in some treatises;
and as Bechstein[25] briefly describes and figures this bird, with
a tail “having completely the structure of that of the
house-swallow,” it must once have existed, for Bechstein was far
too good a naturalist to have confounded any distinct species with
the domestic pigeon. Lastly, an extraordinary pigeon imported from
Belgium has lately been exhibited at the Philoperisteron Society in
London,[26] which “conjoins the colour of an archangel with the
head of an owl or barb, its most striking peculiarity being the
extraordinary length of the tail and wing-feathers, the latter
crossing beyond the tail, and giving to the bird the appearance of
a gigantic swift (Cypselus), or long-winged hawk.” Mr. Tegetmeier
informs me that this bird weighed only 10 ounces, but in length was
15½ inches from tip to beak to end of tail, and 32½ inches from tip
to tip of wing; now the wild rock-pigeon weighs 14½ ounces, and
measures from tip to beak to end of tail 15 inches, and from tip to
tip of wing only 26¾ inches.