being perfectly fertile--from these several reasons, taken together, we may
safely conclude that all our domestic breeds are descended from the rock-
pigeon or Columba livia with its geographical sub-species.

In favour of this view, I may add, firstly, that the wild C. livia has been
found capable of domestication in Europe and in India; and that it agrees
in habits and in a great number of points of structure with all the
domestic breeds. Secondly, that although an English carrier or a
short-faced tumbler differs immensely in certain characters from the
rock-pigeon, yet that by comparing the several sub-breeds of these two
races, more especially those brought from distant countries, we can make,
between them and the rock-pigeon, an almost perfect series; so we can in
some other cases, but not with all the breeds. Thirdly, those characters
which are mainly distinctive of each breed are in each eminently variable,
for instance, the wattle and length of beak of the carrier, the shortness
of that of the tumbler, and the number of tail-feathers in the fantail; and
the explanation of this fact will be obvious when we treat of selection.
Fourthly, pigeons have been watched and tended with the utmost care, and
loved by many people. They have been domesticated for thousands of years
in several quarters of the world; the earliest known record of pigeons is
in the fifth Aegyptian dynasty, about 3000 B.C., as was pointed out to me
by Professor Lepsius; but Mr. Birch informs me that pigeons are given in a
bill of fare in the previous dynasty. In the time of the Romans, as we
hear from Pliny, immense prices were given for pigeons; "nay, they are come
to this pass, that they can reckon up their pedigree and race." Pigeons
were much valued by Akber Khan in India, about the year 1600; never less
than 20,000 pigeons were taken with the court. "The monarchs of Iran and
Turan sent him some very rare birds;" and, continues the courtly historian,
"His Majesty, by crossing the breeds, which method was never practised
before, has improved them astonishingly." About this same period the Dutch