Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-07-07
SOME FANCY PIGEONS.
EXHIBIT TO SHOW DEVELOP.
MENT BY BREEDING.
A House for the Fair Where the Different
Breeds of These Pigeons May Be
Observed - Habits and
Pcouliarittos.

The Smithsonian institution has
prepared most interesting exhibit
for the worlds fair which is designed
TO illustrate in very picturesque
fashion the manner in which all OF
the fancy pigeons known at the pres
ent day have been obtained by breed
ing from q single original type rep
resented by the wild blue rock, says
the Washington Star.
The breeding of pigeons has been
carried on for so many centuries that
nobody knows when or where it first
began. The results accomplished by
it afford striking illustration of the
notifications in the animal king Ion
which the ingenuity OF man has beer
able TO bring about From the APP
pearance of the different types repre-
senting the various strains Of these
birds TO day 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 q fowl as
the ancestor referred to.
That such is the truth, however,
is very easily proved. Left to mate
as they like these fancy pigeons
quickly lose their distinctive points
and rapidly degenerate until within
a few generations they revert TO their
prototype, the blue rock. 1t is like
wiso with many creatures which
mankind has modified by breeding
All hens would resume the common
dunghill aspect if they were let alone
for awhile. losing their beauty and
much of their egg.laying powers,
while those of the canidB which hui
man beings have dome5ticated ana
called dogs would become wolves and
coyotes again, hunting in packs for
a living as they used to do.
Some Of the peculiarities Of these
fancy breeds of pigeons are most ex-
traordinary. For example. tho
trumpeter 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
hGob NO val AbNl hnNh W 10 VI Oh
to cultivate its voice, which has
trumpeting sound. When whole
pigeon-house full of them was MAX
ing this call in unison the effect was
very odd. Latterly, however, the
strain has been bred for shape and
not for trumpetIng.
The carrier pigeon when well bred
has such big wattles that it can
hardly see. Most people suppose
that the carrier is the bird that car.
ries letters, but it does nothing Of
the sort. 1t is the homer that flies
with messages. The fantail nova
DAYS is bred TO such a point of ncrv-
BUSINESS for the sake of making it bob
its head prettily that it finds difficult
ty in picking up its food. while some
of the tumblers cannot fly three feet
off the ground without falling.
Among other exhibits 20 be shown
at the fair by the Smithsonian insti-
tuition is series of skulls showing
the crana OF all the classes of NAM
mails. The type specimens chosen are
the skulls of man, the monkey. the
goat, the penguin, the alligator, the
boa constructor. the turtle, the bull
frog, the hellbender, the grouper fish,
the alligator garfish and the stur-
geon The alligator gar is the tyrant
of Southern waters-an armored sur
vival of the ocean in an ancient epoch
before there were any mammals. 1t
will be observed that the list given
is in descending scale from the
geological point OF view. The difer-
ent bones of the skulls are painted
with different colors. so as TO show
how they correspond through all of
the crania. For example. the tenn
poral bone is blue in every one of the
skulls Thus the casual observer is
enabled to see at glance how nearly
the Osseous structure of man is re-
lated to that of the other vertebrate
animals.
Further on will be shown the
hands and feet of mammals, birds,
reptiles, batrachians and fishes. 1t
is intended to make plain the man
ner in which limbs are modified for
different uses and for different meth
DDS of locomotion. The matter will
be additionally illustrated by the
bony parts of the arms and legs Of
the bat, the turtle, the great aux.
the sloth, the monkey and man. To
these things will be added models ex
hibiting the development of teeth in
all sorts of animals.
1t is an odd fact, by the way, that
two extra vertebre have been de-
veloped in the pouter pigeon by the
breeding to which it has been sub
jected. The birds in the cote were
stuffed by Mr.. Nelson Wood. taxi.
dermist of the Smithsonian institu.
ton. The idea for the exhibit OF
pigeons was taken by Prof Goode
from something similar at the Britt
Museum. A series of models is to be
shown illustrating the development
of the chicken in the egg. Some
people have had an opportunity tc
observe certain stages of this pro
cess at breakfast, but il is worth
more serious study.
Different Now.
Witherbv-T wish | could get me 2