a conspicuous black band, extending outwards and forwards
to the edge of the wing ; primary and secondary quill-feathers
bluish-grey ; the tertials french-grey, tipped1 with black, and
with a conspicuous band of black -below the black band on
the coverts, the light-coloured band of the great wing-coverts
intervening between the two dark bands ; lbwer part of the
back pure white '.rump and upper tail-coverts pearhgrey';
tail-feathers-twelve, of two colours, the basal two-thirds pearl-
grey with dark shafts, the ends lead grey; the chin bluish"
grey ; the throat purple and green; breast, and all the binder
surface of the body pearl grey; 'undèr wing-coverts and axillary
plume white; legs and toes reddish orange; the claws
brown.
- The whole length of the bird eleven inches afTd a^-half.
From the carpal- joint to the- end of the wing’ eight incheë-f
the first quill-feather »considerably longer than the fourth, but
a little shorter than the second and third, which are; nearly
equal in length, and the longest in the wing.
The females- are not quite so large as males, and their
colours generally less brilliant. Young birds in their first or
nestling plumage, before their autumnal mordt, may always
be distinguished from the young of the Stock Dovejby the
broad patch of pure' white on the lower part bf*the back.
Of the Rock Dove", and its descendants^ among ourDovC
house-pigeons, it is remarked, that ■ they, very" seldom Or'ever
roost on trees, or even - Settle in- them, .unless wounded by
shot,-or under peculiar circumstances, such as mentioned: By
Mr. Eyton in the account, of the Stock Dove in his work on
the Rarer British Birds. The Stuck Dové^ on the contrary,
róosts and lives almost exclusively in the woods, and the
other distinctions of voiceb and plumage have already
pointed oüt. Our Dove house-pigeons- possess great power
of vision, as well as speed and duration of. flight. Dr Jenner
says, “ my ingenious friend and neighbour, the date Rev.
Nathaniel- Thornbury, who had occasionally visited Holland,
informed me that the Pigeons about the Hague make daily
marauding excursions,- at cgijain seasons* to the opposite
sK&ra of Norfolk,-tb'i'feed on yqtcheh, a distance i of forty
leagues Domestic -Pigeons have been known- to live,
twenty years*^ but ten or'twelve-years are mote common, and
they are:not usually,very ^plific after five yea^Ss--^
One of the^: first consequences, of 'domestication,, it is well
known., is-the production of vatiOW'1 colours, • generally, how-
^|e^%retainirig*s©mei-Mdication i- of ?fhe original race, or repro-
dr^i4g^omiCi;bf the- briginaLtraits, .i^ ^ ^M o ^ b e not attended
to. -T.b.e'ft’numerbuS' and.-remarkable varieties. among.''what
are calleduFancy Pigeons, however first ’ estafili'shed, are now
rqaintamed; an l^ ^ p # tiia ted by| se^etjon. a n d ^ e s ^ tip n , and
,th em are ampngi the ? moStj curiou^. oki-zoologicakrer
sul|sj In sbme^ n s tancesi-r- a remarkajbl.e chang^ has been
effegt^’in thejpharacter ©f the feather; thus,in the. J# |b in s ,
m()rq,x^qucntly^|®^l|r.c>a'ty,s ;1sa]^^L]|bd| Jacks, ^ e |e ^ is a
ra.TT^p of^|e0her&finverted^q^^^,o;\ er the hmdc'r part, of the
h^-a^ and^rea.chi^'g on^badh s i ^ o f the neck, as low as
the*£\ ings, formi^gga hood^ AnoMer,>;change, - equally extra-
bcf^we^Tected life that^vaf^yT cabled the Brpad-
tailed jlhakers; t.J|l taihf&Sthers' in .these bkds, all bjeautifplly
spread,. amounts to «mir^six; though th # normal numbe^-of
talllfeatkers^jl but t^e|yp. -
Thef *changes, however* in jsbme fancy- P iMbns-.a^ rg| con:-'
fin e d ^ th e |e a th e rs|i^k ^ J^ c .a -tio n ^ in form-are,effected in
the bonel i A comparison ^h^%facm^Tumbler^and
tie Carrier exhibits the first n a s f || with ^ ? r y .small^round
head, and a short; stMght,?wConicakbeak,^ nS&' mpke than half
an inch in l e n g t h , . CM* beak ||||th e .Carrier Pigeon measures
an iricu and a half^in^ length-, with a proportionally
elongated head.' The properfies: 0%thp Carrier Pigeons, and
some allied varieties., have also excited considerable interest