The Institutes of Akbar 217.3

217.3

Though he fly up so high as to be no longer visible, if the hen be exposed in a cage, he will get restless and drop himself instantly down to join her. This is very remarkable. Some of them come down with both wings spread, others close one; some close both; or they change alternately the wing which they close in flying. 6. The Ráth pigeon is chiefly used for carrying letters, though any other kind may be trained to bring letters even from great distances. 7. The Nisháwaré pigeon will fly up, and follow its cage to whatever place it be taken. It will fly out of sight, and stay away for a day or two, when it comes down, and remains in its cage. 8. The Párpá (having feet covered with feathers) will inhale air (?) and act as if it sighed. Some pigeons are merely kept for the beauty of their plumage, the colours of which receive peculiar names. Thus some are called shírází, shúshtarí, kashmírí, jogiyah, rezahdahan, magasí, and quran. Wild pigeons are called golah. If some of them are caught, they will be joined by a thousand others; they soon get domesticated. They return daily to the fields, and get on their return salt water to drink. This makes them vomit the grain which they had eaten on the fields. The grain is collected and given as food to other pigeons. People say that pigeons will but rarely live above thirty years.