The free press., 1893-07-06
FANCY PIGEONS.
A Smithsonian Exhibit at the
Worlds Fair.
Habits and PeCuliaritieS or
Some of These Birds.

The Smithsonian Institution has
prepared most interesting exhibit
for the Worlds Fair, which is de-
signed to Illustrate in a very plctur-
esque fashion the manner i'll which all
of The fancy pigeons known at the
present day have been obtained by
breeding from the single original type
represented by the wild blue rock.
The breeding Of pigeons has been
carried on for so many centuries that
nobody knows when or where it first
bgan. The results accomplished by
it afford striking illustration of the
notifications in the animal kingdom
which the ingenuity Of man has been
able to bring about. From the ap-
pearance of the different types repre-
senting the various strains OF these
birds today it is almost impossible to
realize that all OF them could have
been produced by the simple process
of artificial selection from so plain
and commonplace looking a fowl as
the ancestor referred to.
That such ls the truth, however, Is
very easily proved. Left to mate as
they like these fancy pigeons quickly
loose their distinctive points and
rapidly degenerate, until within few
generations they revert to their proto-
type, the blue rock. 1t is likewise
with many creatures which mankind
has modified by breeding. All hens
would resume the common barnyard
aspect if they were let alone for
awhile, losing their beauty and much
of their egg-laying powers, while
those of the canide which human be-
ings have domesticated and called dogs
would become wolves and coyotes
again, hunAing in packs for living as
they used to do.
Some of the peculiarities of these
fancy breeds of pigeons are most ex-
traordinary. For example, the trum-
peter has such long feathers on its
head and feet that they have to be
trimmed. If this were not done it
could not see, and the feathers on the
feet would throw the eggs out of its
nest. This variety used to be bred to
cultivate its voice, which trumpeting
sound. When whole pigeon house
full of them was making this call in
unison tho effect was very odd. Lat
terly, however, the strain has been
bred for shape and not for trumpet
ing.
The carrier pigeon when we'll bred
has such big wattles that it can hardly
see. Most people suppose that the
carrier is the bird that carries letters,
but it does nothing of the sort. 1t is
the homer that flies with messages.
One of this latter kind is among the
stuffed birds on the cote shown in the
picture. 1t was a famous fowl when
alive and has a record of 400 miles.
The fantall nowadays is bred to such
point of nervousness for the sake of
making it bob its head prettily that it
finds difficulty in picking up its food,
while some of the tumblers cannot fly
three feet of the ground without fall
ing head over heels.
1t is an odd fact, by the way, that
two extra vcrtebrm have been devel-
oped in the poutcr pigeon by the breed
ing to which it has been subjected.
The idea for the exhibit of pigeons
was taken by Prof. Goode from some-
thing similar at the British Museum.
A series of models is to be shown
illustrating the development of the
chicken in the egg. Some people have
had an opportunity to observe certain
stages of this process at breakfast, but
it is worth moro serious study
Washington Star.
Individuality