In addition to his observations during the voyage with the “Beagle”, Darwin also paid extensive attention to organisms that were bred in captivity. An example are pigeons. Such organisms are often bred in order to manifest particular phenotypes desired by the breeder.  This is now referred to as “artificial selection.”

• Variation under Domestication, Charles Darwin (1868)

_{Photo: Pigeons in Irchel Park Zurich, Switzerland (Karin Niffeler, 2008).}

_{Graphics are reproduced with permission from John van Wyhe ed., The complete Work of Charles Darwin Online.}