The flight of one of these birds is steady, direct, and rapid, hut the rate of speed has been ex aggerated. and is now known to be on the average only about 30 miles an hour and rarely 45 miles. It begins with a spiral flight upward as soon as the bird is released from its confine ment (usually in a portable dark basket). which is continued to a sufficient height to enable the bird, searching the horizon, to catch sight of sonic landmark with which it has previously been made familiar. Its memory in this respect is marvelous; and it may he assisted by that instinctive faculty for direction which seems innate in ninny wild animals. (See MIGRATION OF ANIMALS.) then directs its course straight toward that point, when it will sight another landmark and so proceed from known place to place until it reaches home. Many societies in various parts of the world are breed ing these pigeons and perfecting their abilities, and 500-mile races are frequently run.
The pigeons are a family, Columbida., of the eharadriiform suborder Columba, which also in cludes the families Didida• (see Douro) and Didunculida. (or tooth-billed pigeons). The Columbidn are divided by structural features into several subfamilies: (1) Gourime, containing the gouras (q.v.). (2) Peristerime, containing such tropical groups as the Nicobar pigeon, the wonga wonga of Australia, the bronze-wings, and several other robust. often terrestrial forms of
the East and \Vest Indies; also the ground-doves of American warn) latitudes; the scaly doves of the Andean region; the American mourning doves: together with the many species of turtle doves of the Old World. (3) Columhime, the typical pigeons. (4) the fruit pigeons, in the widest sense. about 120 species, most of which are Oriental and African.
B1111.1mliAPITY. Excellent popular accounts of pigeons in general will be found in the Standard and the Royal Natural Histories; by Evans in Birds (New York. 1900) ; and by Newton. in Dictionary of Birds (New York, 1896), the latter with many bibliographical references. Mono graphs have been prepared by Temminek (1808 11), Prevost ( 1838-43 I, and Selby (1835), but the most recent. is Salvadori's vol. xxi. (London. 1893) of the Catalogue of Birds in the British, Museum. In respect to domestic pigeons. many, works exist. of which the foremost is Tegetmeier, Pigeons, Their Structure-, rte. (London. 1867) ; Darwin, (fniqin. of (London, 6th ed., 1852) ; id., Variation of Aninwls mut Pintas (London, 2d ed., 1875) ; helm, Cu/tin:led Plants and Domestic Animals (English trans. by Stallibrass, London, 1891) ; Rice. The Yu lon a I tendegrd Squnb Book (Boston, 1902) ; id., Robinson's .1lethod of Breeding Squubs 1902).