Origin of Species Variorum

→ becoming 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

not having become 1872

→ these species having 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

— these species presenting certain 1872

→ in certain respects, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

OMIT 1872

→ in most other respects to 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

OMIT 1872

→ the 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

in most respects; — the occasional re-appearance of the 1872

→ marks occasionally appearing 1859 1860

black marks occasionally appearing 1861 1866 1869

black marks 1872

→ the 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

— and lastly, the 1872

→ I can feel no doubt 1859 1860

we may safely conclude 1861 1866 1869 1872

→ Columba 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

rock-pigeon or Columba 1872

→ C. livia, or the rock-pigeon, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

the wild C. livia 1872

→ an almost perfect series 1859 1860 1861

in these two cases, and in some but not in all other cases, an almost perfect series 1866 1869

OMIT 1872

→ extremes of structure. 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

and the rock pigeon, an almost perfect series; so we can in some other cases, but not with all the breeds. 1872

→ for 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

are in each eminently variable, for 1872

→ are in each breed eminently variable; 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

OMIT 1872

species of pigeons to breed freely under domestication;

— these

these

supposed species being quite unknown in a wild state, and their →becoming

anywhere

nowhere

feral; →these species having very abnormal

characters,

characters

→in certain respects, as compared with all other Columbidæ, though so like →in most other respects to the

rock-pigeon

rock-pigeon;

→the blue colour and various →marks occasionally appearing in all the breeds, both when kept pure and when crossed; →the mongrel offspring being perfectly fertile; — from these several reasons, taken together, →I can feel no doubt that all our domestic breeds

are

have

descended from the →Columba livia with its geographical sub-species.

In favour of this view, I may add,

first,

firstly,

that →C. livia, or the rock-pigeon, 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

although

an English carrier or

a short-faced

short-faced

tumbler differs immensely in certain characters from the rock-pigeon, yet

that, by

comparing the several sub-breeds of these

breeds,

two races,

varieties,

more especially those brought from distant countries, we can

make,

make

→an almost perfect series between

them

the

→extremes of structure. Thirdly, those characters which are mainly distinctive of each

breed

breed,

→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;

fantail,

→are in each breed eminently variable; and the explanation of this fact will be obvious when we

~~come to~~

come to

treat of

Selection.

selection.

Fourthly, pigeons have been

watched

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

Ægyptian

ægyptian

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