. Our domestic animals, their habits, intelligence and usefulness;. e thanour other domestic birds, theties of friendship that unitehim to house and can fly with a rapidityand to a distance unat-tainable by man — solong as the science of bal-looning is in its infancy. It is difficult to say whenthe pigeon was first known asa domestic animal. We knowcertain that he was such in ]toric times, so that his taming must dateback to the youth of our planet. Allpigeon races descend from a wild pigeonstill existing, the rock pigeon, called also thewood pigeon, or ringdove. This species is spre
. Our domestic animals, their habits, intelligence and usefulness;. e thanour other domestic birds, theties of friendship that unitehim to house and can fly with a rapidityand to a distance unat-tainable by man — solong as the science of bal-looning is in its infancy. It is difficult to say whenthe pigeon was first known asa domestic animal. We knowcertain that he was such in ]toric times, so that his taming must dateback to the youth of our planet. Allpigeon races descend from a wild pigeonstill existing, the rock pigeon, called also thewood pigeon, or ringdove. This species is spreadthroughout Europe, Asia, and Africa ; but it isfound especially, and in vast numbers, amongthe islands of the tropical seas. In view of theincredible variety of species, it is almost incom-prehensible how they could all have come fromone stock; yet the fact was proved by earliest mention of tamed pigeons is,according to Professor Lepsius, the famousEgyptologist, during the period of the ThirdDynasty; consequently, three thousand yearsbefore The The wild pigeon is noted for its very badnests. Legend says that, finding it impossibleto make a good one, and seeing the skill withwhich the magpie made hers, he asked her tobe so good as to give him lessons. The mag-pie consented to this on condition that thepigeon should give her a cow. The pigeonagreed ; but after watching the magpie a fewmoments he said he had learned enough, andrefused to keep his promise. A judge was sum-moned, and having decided that thepigeon had no right to receivefurther instruction, the latterhas, ever since, made shock-ingly bad pigeons, so frequentin Greece since the endof the fifth century beforeChrist, were long beforethat held sacred in thecountries of Asia. Theywere kept in great flocksaround the temples of Aphro-dite, and in Syria no one daredlay hands on them. They firstcame to Europe through Italy, wheregreat numbers of white and coloreddoves were kept
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidourdomesticanima01voog
