From feathered base of beak to end of tail: 14.25
From feathered base of beak to oil-gland: 9.5
From tip of beak to end of tail: 15.02
Of tail-feathers: 4.62
From tip to tip of wing: 26.75
Of folded wing: 9.25
Beak.—Length from tip of beak to feathered base: .77
Beak.—Thickness, measured vertically at distal end of nostrils: .23
Beak.—Breadth, measured at same place: .16
Feet.—From end of middle toe (without claw) to distal end of tibia: 2.77
Feet.—From end of middle toe to end of hind toe (without claws): 2.02
WEIGHT: 14 1/4 ounces.)
(FIGURE 17. THE ROCK PIGEON, or Columba livia. The parent-form of all domesticated Pigeons. (5/6. This drawing was made from a dead bird. The six following figures were drawn with great care by Mr. Luke Wells from living birds selected by Mr. Tegetmeier. It may be confidently asserted that the characters of the six breeds which have been figured are not in the least exaggerated.))
DIAGRAM 1. DOMESTIC PIGEONS.
Columba livia or ROCK-PIGEON—
—GROUP I.—(SUB-GROUP (RACE) 1.)—German P.
—Lille P.—
—Dutch P.
—ENGLISH POUTER.
—GROUP II.—(SUB-GROUPS (RACES) 2, 3, 4.)—Kali-Par—Bussora—
—Murassa.
—Dragon—ENGLISH CARRIER.
—Bagadotten—Scanderoon—Pigeon Cygne—RUNT.
—TRONFO.
—BARB.
—GROUP III.—(SUB-GROUPS (RACES) 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.)—
—Java Fantail—FANTAIL
—Turbit—AFRICAN OWL.
—Persian Tumbler—Lotan Tumbler—Common Tumbler—SHORT-FACED TUMBLER.
—INDIAN FRILL-BACK.
—JACOBIN.
—GROUP IV.—(SUB-GROUPS (RACES) 10, 11.)— —TRUMPETER. —LAUGHER. —ENGLISH FRILL-BACK. —NUN. —SPOT. —SWALLOW. —DOVECOTE PIGEON.
I will now give a brief description of all the principal breeds. Diagram 1. may aid the reader in learning their names and seeing their affinities. The rock-pigeon, or Columba livia (including under this name two or three closely-allied sub-species or geographical races, hereafter to be described), may be confidently viewed, as we shall see in the next chapter, as the common parent-form. The names in italics on the right-hand side of the page show us the most distinct breeds, or those which have undergone the greatest amount of modification. The lengths of the dotted lines rudely represent the degree of distinctness of each breed from the parent-stock, and the names placed under each other in the columns show the more or less closely connecting links. The distances of the dotted lines from each other approximately represent the amount of difference between the several breeds.