第14章
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  TwoyoungcocksfrommywhiteGamehenwereatfirstsnowwhite;ofthese,onesubsequentlyassumedmaleorange—colouredhackles,chieflyontheloins,andtheotheranabundanceoffineorange—redhacklesontheneck,loins,andupperwing—coverts。Hereagainwehaveamoredecided,thoughpartial,reversiontothecoloursofG。bankiva。Thissecondcockwasinfactcolouredlikeaninferior\"pileCamecock;\"——nowthissub—breedcanbeproduced,asIaminformedbyMr。Tegetmeier,bycrossingablack—breastedredGamecockwithawhiteGamehen,andthe\"pile\"sub—breedthusproducedcanafterwardsbetrulypropagated。Sothatwehavethecuriousfactoftheglossy—blackSpanishcockandtheblack—breastedredGamecockwhencrossedwithwhiteGamehensproducingoffspringofnearlythesamecolours。

  IrearedseveralbirdsfromthewhiteSilkhenbytheSpanishcock:allwerecoal—black,andallplainlyshowedtheirparentageinhavingblackishcombsandbones;noneinheritedtheso—calledsilkyfeathers,andthenon—

  inheritanceofthischaracterhasbeenobservedbyothers。Thehensnevervariedintheirplumage。Astheyoungcocksgrewold,oneofthemassumedyellowish—whitehackles,andthusresembledinaconsiderabledegreethecrossfromtheHamburghhen;theotherbecameagorgeousbird,somuchsothatanacquaintancehaditpreservedandstuffedsimplyfromitsbeauty。

  WhenstalkingaboutitcloselyresembledthewildGallusbankiva,butwiththeredfeathersratherdarker。Onclosecomparisononeconsiderabledifferencepresenteditself,namely,thattheprimaryandsecondarywing—

  featherswereedgedwithgreenish—black,insteadofbeingedged,asinG。

  bankiva,withfulvousandredtints。Thespace,also,acrosstheback,whichbearsdark—greenfeathers,wasbroader,andthecombwasblackish。Inallotherrespects,evenintriflingdetailsofplumage,therewastheclosestaccordance。AltogetheritwasamarvelloussighttocomparethisbirdfirstwithG。bankiva,andthenwithitsfather,theglossygreen—

  blackSpanishcock,andwithitsdiminutivemother,thewhiteSilkhen。

  ThiscaseofreversionisthemoreextraordinaryastheSpanishbreedhaslongbeenknowntobreedtrue,andnoinstanceisonrecordofitsthrowingasingleredfeather。TheSilkhenlikewisebreedstrue,andisbelievedtobeancient,forAldrovandi,before1600,alludesprobablytothisbreed,anddescribeditascoveredwithwool。Itissopeculiarinmanycharactersthatsomewritershaveconsidereditasspecificallydistinct;yet,aswenowsee,whencrossedwiththeSpanishfowl,ityieldsoffspringcloselyresemblingthewildG。bankiva。

  Mr。Tegetmeierhasbeensokindastorepeat,atmyrequest,thecrossbetweenaSpanishcockandSilkhen,andheobtainedsimilarresults;forhethusraised,besidesablackhen,sevencocks,allofwhichweredark—

  bodiedwithmoreorlessorange—redhackles。Intheensuingyearhepairedtheblackhenwithoneofherbrothers,andraisedthreeyoungcocks,allcolouredliketheirfather,andablackhenmottledwithwhite。

  Thehensfromthesixabove—describedcrossesshowedhardlyanytendencytoreverttothemottled—brownplumageofthefemaleG。bankiva:onehen,however,fromthewhiteCochin,whichwasatfirstcoal—black,becameslightlybrownorsooty。Severalhens,whichwereforalongtimesnow—

  white,acquiredastheygrewoldafewblackfeathers。AhenfromthewhiteGame,whichwasforalongtimeentirelyblackglossedwithgreen,whentwoyearsoldhadsomeoftheprimarywingfeathersgreyish—white,andamultitudeoffeathersoverherbodynarrowlyandsymmetricallytippedorlacedwithwhite。Ihadexpectedthatsomeofthechickenswhilstcoveredwithdownwouldhaveassumedthelongitudinalstripessogeneralwithgallinaceousbirds;butthisdidnotoccurinasingleinstance。Twoorthreealonewerereddish—brownabouttheirheads。Iwasunfortunateinlosingnearlyallthewhitechickensfromthefirstcrosses;sothatblackprevailedwiththegrandchildren;buttheyweremuchdiversifiedincolour,somebeingsooty,othersmottled,andoneblackishchickenhaditsfeathersoddlytippedandbarredwithbrown。

  Iwillhereaddafewmiscellaneousfactsconnectedwithreversion,andwiththelawofanalogousvariation。Thislawimplies,asstatedinapreviouschapter,thatthevarietiesofonespeciesfrequentlymockdistinctbutalliedspecies;andthisfactisexplained,accordingtotheviewswhichImaintain,ontheprincipleofalliedspecieshavingdescendedfromoneprimitiveform。ThewhiteSilkfowlwithblackskinandbonesdegenerates,ashasbeenobservedbyMr。HewittandMr。R。Orton,inourclimate;thatis,itrevertstotheordinarycolourofthecommonfowlinitsskinandbones,duecarehavingbeentakentopreventanycross。InGermany(7/30。’DieHuhner—undPfauenzucht’Ulm1827s。17。ForMr。

  Hewitt’sstatementwithrespecttothewhiteSilkfowlseethe’PoultryBook’byW。B。Tegetmeier1866page222。IamindebtedtoMr。Ortonforaletteronthesamesubject。)adistinctbreedwithblackbones,andwithblack,notsilkyplumage,haslikewisebeenobservedtodegenerate。

  Mr。Tegetmeierinformsmethat,whendistinctbreedsarecrossed,fowlsarefrequentlyproducedwiththeirfeathersmarkedorpencilledbynarrowtransverselinesofadarkercolour。Thismaybeinpartexplainedbydirectreversiontotheparent—form,theBankivahen;forthisbirdhasallitsupperplumagefinelymottledwithdarkandrufousbrown,withthemottlingpartiallyandobscurelyarrangedintransverselines。Butthetendencytopencillingisprobablymuchstrengthenedbythelawofanalogousvariation,forthehensofsomeotherspeciesofGallusaremoreplainlypencilled,andthehensofmanygallinaceousbirdsbelongingtoothergenera,asthepartridge,havepencilledfeathers。Mr。Tegetmeierhasalsoremarkedtomethat,althoughwithdomesticpigeonswehavesogreatadiversityofcolouring,weneverseeeitherpencilledorspangledfeathers;

  andthisfactisintelligibleonthelawofanalogousvariation,asneitherthewildrockpigeonnoranycloselyalliedspecieshassuchfeathers。Thefrequentappearanceofpencillingincrossedbirdsprobablyaccountsfortheexistenceof\"cuckoo\"sub—breedsintheGame,Polish,Dorking,Cochin,Andalusian,andBantambreeds。Theplumageofthesebirdsisslaty—blueorgrey,witheachfeathertransverselybarredwithdarkerlines,soastoresembleinsomedegreetheplumageofthecuckoo。Itisasingularfact,consideringthatthemaleofnospeciesofGallusisintheleastbarred,thatthecuckoo—likeplumagehasoftenbeentransferredtothemale,moreespeciallyinthecuckooDorking;andthefactisallthemoresingular,asingold—andsilver—pencilledHamburghs,inwhichpencillingischaracteristicofthebreed,themaleishardlyatallpencilled,thiskindofplumagebeingconfinedtothefemale。

  Anothercaseofanalogousvariationistheoccurrenceofspangledsub—

  breedsofHamburgh,Polish,Malay,andBantamfowls。Spangledfeathershaveadarkmark,properlycrescent—shaped,ontheirtips;whilstpencilledfeathershaveseveraltransversebars。ThespanglingcannotbeduetoreversiontoG。bankiva;nordoesitoftenfollow,asIhearfromMr。

  Tegetmeier,fromcrossingdistinctbreeds;butitisacaseofanalogousvariation,formanygallinaceousbirdshavespangledfeathers,——forinstance,thecommonpheasant。Hencespangledbreedsareoftencalled\"pheasant\"—fowls。Anothercaseofanalogousvariationinseveraldomesticbreedsisinexplicable;itis,thatthechickens,whilstcoveredwithdown,oftheblackSpanish,blackGame,blackPolish,andblackBantam,allhavewhitethroatsandbreasts,andoftenhavesomewhiteontheirwings。(7/31。

  Dixon’OrnamentalandDomesticPoultry’pages253,324,335。ForgamefowlsseeFergusonon’PrizePoultry’page260。)Theeditorofthe’PoultryChronicle’(7/32。’PoultryChronicle’volume271。)remarksthatallthebreedswhichproperlyhaveredear—lappetsoccasionallyproducebirdswithwhiteear—Tappets。ThisremarkmoreespeciallyappliestotheGamebreed,whichofallcomesnearesttotheG。bankiva;andwehaveseenthatwiththisspecieslivinginastateofnature,theear—lappetsvaryincolour,beingredintheMalayancountries,andgenerally,butnotinvariably,whiteinIndia。

  Inconcludingthispartofmysubject,Imayrepeatthatthereexistsonewidely—ranging,varying,andcommonspeciesofGallus,namely,G。bankiva,whichcanbetamed,producesfertileoffspringwhencrossedwithcommonfowls,andcloselyresemblesinitswholestructure,plumage,andvoicetheGamebreed;henceitmaybesafelyrankedastheparentofthis,themosttypicaldomesticatedbreed。Wehaveseenthatthereismuchdifficultyinbelievingthatother,nowunknown,specieshavebeentheparentsoftheotherdomesticbreeds。Weknowthatallthebreedsaremostcloselyallied,asshownbytheirsimilarityinmostpointsofstructureandinhabits,andbytheanalogousmannerinwhichtheyvary。WehavealsoseenthatseveralofthemostdistinctbreedsoccasionallyorhabituallycloselyresembleinplumageG。bankiva,andthatthecrossedoffspringofotherbreeds,whicharenotthuscoloured,showastrongerorweakertendencytoreverttothissameplumage。Someofthebreeds,whichappearthemostdistinctandtheleastlikelytohaveproceededfromG。bankiva,suchasPolishfowls,withtheirprotuberantandlittleossifiedskulls,andCochins,withtheirimperfecttailandsmallwings,bearinthesecharacterstheplainmarksoftheirartificialorigin。Weknowwellthatoflateyearsmethodicalselectionhasgreatlyimprovedandfixedmanycharacters;andwehaveeveryreasontobelievethatunconsciousselection,carriedonformanygenerations,willhavesteadilyaugmentedeachnewpeculiarity,andthushavegivenrisetonewbreeds。Assoonastwoorthreebreedswereonceformed,crossingwouldcomeintoplayinchangingtheircharacterandinincreasingtheirnumber。BrahmaPootras,accordingtoanaccountlatelypublishedinAmerica,offeragoodinstanceofabreed,latelyformedbyacross,whichcanbetrulypropagated。Thewell—knownSebrightBantamsofferanotherandsimilarinstance。HenceitmaybeconcludedthatnotonlytheGame—breedbutthatallourbreedsareprobablythedescendantsoftheMalayanorIndianvarietyofG。bankiva。Ifso,thisspecieshasvariedgreatlysinceitwasfirstdomesticated;buttherehasbeenampletime,asweshallnowshow。

  HISTORYOFTHEFOWL。

  RutimeyerfoundnoremainsofthefowlintheancientSwisslake—dwellings;

  but,accordingtoJeitteles(7/33。’DievorgeschichtlichenAlterthumer’II。

  Theil1872page5。Dr。Pickeringinhis’RacesofMan’1850page374saysthattheheadandneckofafowliscarriedinaTribute—processiontoThoutmousisIII。(1445B。C。);butMr。BirchoftheBritishMuseumdoubtswhetherthefigurecanbeidentifiedastheheadofafowl。SomecautionisnecessarywithreferencetotheabsenceoffiguresofthefowlontheancientEgyptianmonuments,onaccountofthestrongandwidelyprevalentprejudiceagainstthisbird。IaminformedbytheRev。S。ErhardtthatontheeastcoastofAfrica,from4to6degsouthoftheequator,mostofthepagantribesatthepresentdayholdthefowlinaversion。ThenativesofthePellewIslandswouldnoteatthefowlnorwilltheIndiansinsomepartsofS。America。FortheancienthistoryofthefowlseealsoVolz’BeitragezurCulturgeschichte’1852s。77;andIsid。GeoffroySt。—Hilaire’Hist。Nat。Gen。’tome3page61。Mr。Crawfurdhasgivenanadmirablehistoryofthefowlinhispaper’OntheRelationofDomesticatedAnimalstoCivilisation’readbeforetheBrit。Assoc。atOxfordin1860andsinceprintedseparately。IquotefromhimontheGreekpoetTheognis,andontheHarpyTombdescribedbySirC。Fellowes。IquotefromaletterofMr。

  Blyth’swithrespecttotheInstitutesofManu。),suchhavecertainlysincebeenfoundassociatedwithextinctanimalsandprehistoricremains。Itis,thereforeastrangefactthatthefowlisnotmentionedintheOldTestament,norfiguredontheancientEgyptianmonuments。ItisnotreferredtobyHomerorHesiod(about900B。C。);butismentionedbyTheognisandAristophanesbetween400and500B。C。ItisfiguredonsomeoftheBabyloniancylinders,betweenthesixthandseventhcenturiesB。C。,ofwhichMr。Layardsentmeanimpression;andontheHarpyTombinLycia,about600B。C。:sothatthefowlapparentlyreachedEuropeinadomesticatedconditionsomewhereaboutthesixthcenturyB。C。IthadtravelledstillfartherwestwardbythetimeoftheChristianera,foritwasfoundinBritainbyJuliusCaesar。InIndiaitmusthavebeendomesticatedwhentheInstitutesofManuwerewritten,thatis,accordingtoSirW。Jones,1200B。C。,but,accordingtothelaterauthorityofMr。H。

  Wilson,only800B。C。,forthedomesticfowlisforbidden,whilstthewildispermittedtobeeaten。If,asbeforeremarked,wemaytrusttheoldChineseEncyclopaedia,thefowlmusthavebeendomesticatedseveralcenturiesearlier,asitissaidtohavebeenintroducedfromtheWestintoChina1400B。C。

  Sufficientmaterialsdonotexistfortracingthehistoryoftheseparatebreeds。AboutthecommencementoftheChristianera,Columellamentionsafive—toedfightingbreed,andsomeprovincialbreeds;butweknownothingaboutthem。Healsoalludestodwarffowls;butthesecannothavebeenthesamewithourBantams,which,asMr。Crawfurdhasshown,wereimportedfromJapanintoBantaminJava。Adwarffowl,probablythetrueBantam,isreferredtoinanoldJapaneseEncyclopaedia,asIaminformedbyMr。

  Birch。IntheChineseEncyclopaediapublishedin1596,butcompiledfromvarioussources,someofhighantiquity,sevenbreedsarementioned,includingwhatweshouldnowcallJumpersorCreepers,andlikewisefowlswithblackfeathers,bones,andflesh。In1600Aldrovandidescribessevenoreightbreedsoffowls,andthisisthemostancientrecordfromwhichtheageofourEuropeanbreedscanbeinferred。TheGallusturcicuscertainlyseemstobeapencilledHamburgh;butMr。Brent,amostcapablejudge,thinksthatAldrovandi\"evidentlyfiguredwhathehappenedtosee,andnotthebestofthebreed。\"Mr。Brent,indeed,considersallAldrovandi’sfowlsasofimpurebreed;butitisafarmoreprobableviewthatallourbreedshavebeenmuchimprovedandmodifiedsincehistime;

  for,ashewenttotheexpenseofsomanyfigures,heprobablywouldhavesecuredcharacteristicspecimens。TheSilkfowl,however,probablythenexistedinitspresentstate,asdidalmostcertainlythefowlwithfrizzledorreversedfeathers。Mr。Dixon(7/34。’OrnamentalandDomesticPoultry’1847page185;forpassagestranslatedfromColumellaseepage312。ForGoldenHamburghsseeAlbin’NaturalHistoryofBirds’3volumeswithplates1731—38。)considersAldrovandi’sPaduanfowlas\"avarietyofthePolish,\"whereasMr。BrentbelievesittohavebeenmorenearlyalliedtotheMalay。TheanatomicalpeculiaritiesoftheskullofthePolishbreedwerenoticedbyP。Borelliin1656。Imayaddthatin1737onePolishsub—

  breed,viz。,theGolden—spangled,wasknown;butjudgingfromAlbin’sdescription,thecombwasthenlarger,thecrestoffeathersmuchsmaller,thebreastmorecoarselyspotted,andthestomachandthighsmuchblacker:

  aGolden—spangledPolishfowlinthisconditionwouldnowbeofnovalue。

  DIFFERENCESINEXTERNALANDINTERNALSTRUCTUREBETWEENTHEBREEDS:

  INDIVIDUALVARIABILITY。

  Fowlshavebeenexposedtodiversifiedconditionsoflife,andaswehavejustseentherehasbeenampletimeformuchvariabilityandfortheslowactionofunconsciousselection。AstherearegoodgroundsforbelievingthatallthebreedsaredescendedfromGallusbankiva,itwillbeworthwhiletodescribeinsomedetailthechiefpointsofdifference。Beginningwiththeeggsandchickens,Iwillpassontotheirsecondarysexualcharacters,andthentotheirdifferencesinexternalstructureandintheskeleton。Ienteronthefollowingdetailschieflytoshowhowvariablealmosteverycharacterhasbecomeunderdomestication。

  [EGGS。

  Mr。Dixonremarks(7/35。’OrnamentalandDomesticPoultry’page152。)that\"toeveryhenbelongsanindividualpeculiarityintheform,colour,andsizeofheregg,whichneverchangesduringherlife—time,solongassheremainsinhealth,andwhichisaswellknowntothosewhoareinthehabitoftakingherproduce,asthehand—writingoftheirnearestacquaintance。\"

  Ibelievethatthisisgenerallytrue,andthat,ifnogreatnumberofhensbekept,theeggsofeachcanalmostalwaysberecognised。Theeggsofdifferentlysizedbreedsnaturallydiffermuchinsize;butapparently,notalwaysinstrictrelationtothesizeofthehen:thustheMalayisalargerbirdthantheSpanish,butGENERALLYsheproducesnotsuchlargeeggs;whiteBantamsaresaidtolaysmallereggsthanotherBantams(7/36。

  Fergusonon’RarePrizePoultry’page297。Thiswriter,Iaminformed,cannotgenerallybetrusted。Hegives,however,figuresandmuchinformationoneggs。Seepages34and235ontheeggsoftheGamefowl。);

  whiteCochins,ontheotherhand,asIhearfromMr。Tegetmeier,certainlylaylargereggsthanbuffCochins。Theeggs,however,ofthedifferentbreedsvaryconsiderablyincharacter;forinstance,Mr。Ballancestates(7/37。See’PoultryBook’byMr。Tegetmeier1866pages81and78。)thathisMalay\"pulletsoflastyearlaideggsequalinsizetothoseofanyduck,andotherMalayhens,twoorthreeyearsold,laideggsverylittlelargerthanagoodsizedBantam’segg。SomewereaswhiteasaSpanishhen’segg,andothersvariedfromalightcream—colourtoadeeprichbuff,oreventoabrown。\"Theshapealsovaries,thetwoendsbeingmuchmoreequallyroundedinCochinsthaninGamesorPolish。SpanishfowlslaysmoothereggsthanCochins,ofwhichtheeggsaregenerallygranulated。Theshellinthislatterbreed,andmoreespeciallyinMalaysisapttobethickerthaninGamesorSpanish;buttheMinorcas,asub—breedofSpanish,aresaidtolayhardereggsthantrueSpanish。(7/38。’TheCottageGardener’October1855

  page13。OnthethinnessoftheeggsofGame—fowlsseeMowbrayon’Poultry’

  7theditionpage13。)Thecolourdiffersconsiderably,——theCochinslayingbuff—colouredeggs;theMalaysapalervariablebuff;andGamesastillpalerbuff。Itwouldappearthatdarker—colouredeggscharacterisethebreedswhichhavelatelycomefromtheEast,orarestillcloselyalliedtothosenowlivingthere。Thecolouroftheyolk,accordingtoFerguson,aswellasoftheshell,differsslightlyinthesub—breedsoftheGame。IamalsoinformedbyMr。Brentthatdarkpartridge—colouredCochinhenslaydarkercolouredeggsthantheotherCochinsub—breeds。Theflavourandrichnessoftheeggcertainlydifferindifferentbreeds。Theproductivenessoftheseveralbreedsisverydifferent。Spanish,Polish,andHamburghhenshavelosttheincubatinginstinct。

  CHICKENS。

  Astheyoungofalmostallgallinaceousbirds,evenoftheblackcurassowandblackgrouse,whilstcoveredwithdown,arelongitudinallystripedontheback,——ofwhichcharacter,whenadult,neithersexretainsatrace,——itmighthavebeenexpectedthatthechickensofallourdomesticfowlswouldhavebeensimilarlystriped。(7/39。Myinformation,whichisveryfarfromperfect,onchickensinthedown,isderivedchieflyfromMr。Dixon’s’OrnamentalandDomesticPoultry。’Mr。B。P。Brenthasalsocommunicatedtomemanyfactsbyletter,ashasMr。Tegetmeier。Iwillineachcasemarkmyauthoritybythenamewithinbrackets。ForthechickensofwhiteSilkfowlsseeTegetmeier’PoultryBook’1866page221。)Thiscould,however,hardlyhavebeenexpected,whentheadultplumageinbothsexeshasundergonesogreatachangeastobewhollywhiteorblack。Inwhitefowlsofvariousbreedsthechickensareuniformlyyellowishwhite,passingintheblack—

  bonedSilkfowlintobrightcanary—yellow。ThisisalsogenerallythecasewiththechickensofwhiteCochins,butIhearfromMr。Zurhostthattheyaresometimesofabufforoakcolour,andthatallthoseofthislattercolour,whichwerewatched,turnedoutmales。ThechickensofbuffCochinsareofagolden—yellow,easilydistinguishablefromthepalertintofthewhiteCochins,andareoftenlongitudinallystreakedwithdarkshades:thechickensofsilver—cinnamonCochinsarealmostalwaysofabuffcolour。ThechickensofthewhiteGameandwhiteDorkingbreeds,whenheldinparticularlights,sometimesexhibit(ontheauthorityofMr。Brent)fainttracesoflongitudinalstripes。Fowlswhichareentirelyblack,namely,Spanish,blackGame,blackPolish,andblackBantams,displayanewcharacter,fortheirchickenshavetheirbreastsandthroatsmoreorlesswhite,withsometimesalittlewhiteelsewhere。Spanishchickensalso,occasionally(Brent),have,wherethedownwaswhite,theirfirsttruefeatherstippedforatimewithwhite。TheprimordiallystripedcharacterisretainedbythechickensofmostoftheGamesub—breeds(Brent,Dixon);

  byDorkings;bythepartridgeandgrouse—colouredsub—breedsofCochins(Brent),butnot,aswehaveseen,bythesub—breeds;bythepheasant—Malay(Dixon),butapparentlynot(atwhichIammuchsurprised)byotherMalays。

  Thefollowingbreedsandsub—breedsarebarely,ornotatall,longitudinallystriped:viz。,goldandsilverpencilledHamburghs,whichcanhardlybedistinguishedfromeachother(Brent)inthedown,bothhavingafewdarkspotsontheheadandrump,withoccasionallyalongitudinalstripe(Dixon)onthebackoftheneck。Ihaveseenonlyonechickenofthesilver—spangledHamburgh,andthiswasobscurelystripedalongtheback。Gold—spangledPolishchickens(Tegetmeier)areofawarmrussetbrown;andsilver—spangledPolishchickensaregrey,sometimes(Dixon)withdashesofochreonthehead,wings,andbreast。Cuckooandblue—dunfowls(Dixon)aregreyinthedown。ThechickensofSebrightBantams(Dixon)areuniformlydarkbrown,whilstthoseofthebrown—

  breastedredGameBantamareblack,withsomewhiteonthethroatandbreast。Fromthesefactsweseethatyoungchickensofthedifferentbreeds,andevenofthesamemainbreed,differmuchintheirdownyplumage;and,althoughlongitudinalstripescharacterisetheyoungofallwildgallinaceousbirds,theydisappearinseveraldomesticbreeds。PerhapsitmaybeacceptedasageneralrulethatthemoretheadultplumagediffersfromthatoftheadultG。bankiva,themorecompletelythechickenshavelosttheirstripes。]

  Withrespecttotheperiodoflifeatwhichthecharacterspropertoeachbreedfirstappear,itisobviousthatsuchstructuresasadditionaltoesmustbeformedlongbeforebirth。InPolishfowls,theextraordinaryprotuberanceoftheanteriorpartoftheskulliswelldevelopedbeforethechickenscomeoutoftheegg(7/40。AsIhearfromMr。Tegetmeier;seealso’Proc。Zoolog。Soc。’1856page366。Onthelatedevelopmentofthecrestsee’PoultryChronicle’volume2page132。)butthecrest,whichissupportedontheprotuberance,isatfirstfeeblydeveloped,nordoesitattainitsfullsizeuntilthesecondyear。TheSpanishcockispre—eminentforhismagnificentcomb,andthisisdevelopedatanunusuallyearlyage;

  sothattheyoungmalescanbedistinguishedfromthefemaleswhenonlyafewweeksold,andthereforeearlierthaninotherbreeds;theylikewisecrowveryearly,namely,whenaboutsixweeksold。IntheDutchsub—breedoftheSpanishfowlthewhiteear—lappetsaredevelopedearlierthaninthecommonSpanishbreed。(7/41。Onthesepointssee’PoultryChronicle’volume3page166;andTegetmeier’PoultryBook’1866pages105and121。)Cochinsarecharacterisedbyasmalltail,andintheyoungcocksthetailisdevelopedatanunusuallylateperiod。(7/42。Dixon’OrnamentalandDomesticPoultry’page273。)Gamefowlsarenotoriousfortheirpugnacity;

  andtheyoungcockscrow,claptheirlittlewings,andfightobstinatelywitheachother,evenwhilstundertheirmother’scare。(7/43。Fergusonon’RareandPrizePoultry’page261。)\"Ihaveoftenhad,\"saysoneauthor(7/44。Mowbrayon’Poultry’7thedition1834page13。),\"wholebroods,scarcelyfeathered,stone—blindfromfighting;therivalcouplesmopingincorners,andrenewingtheirbattlesonobtainingthefirstrayoflight。\"

  Theweaponsandpugnacityofallmalegallinaceousbirdsevidentlyservethepurposeofgainingpossessionofthefemales;sothatthetendencyinourGamechickenstofightatanextremelyearlyageisnotonlyuseless,butinjurious,astheysuffermuchfromtheirwounds。ThetrainingforbattleduringanearlyagemaybenaturaltothewildGallusbankiva;butasmanduringmanygenerationshasgoneonselectingthemostobstinatelypugnaciouscocks,itismoreprobablethattheirpugnacityhasbeenunnaturallyincreased,andunnaturallytransferredtotheyoungmalechickens。Inthesamemanner,itisprobablethattheextraordinarydevelopmentofthecombintheSpanishcockhasbeenunintentionallytransferredtotheyoungcocks;forfancierswouldnotcarewhethertheiryoungbirdshadlargecombs,butwouldselectforbreedingtheadultswhichhadthefinestcombs,whetherornotdevelopedatanearlyperiod。Thelastpointwhichneedherebenoticedisthat,thoughthechickensofSpanishandMalayfowlsarewellcoveredwithdown,thetruefeathersareacquiredatanunusuallylateage;sothatforatimetheyoungbirdsarepartiallynaked,andareliabletosufferfromcold。

  SECONDARYSEXUALCHARACTERS。

  Thetwosexesintheparent—form,theGallusbankiva,differmuchincolour。Inourdomesticbreedsthedifferenceisnevergreater,butisoftenless,andvariesmuchindegreeeveninthesub—breedsofthesamemainbreed。ThusincertainGamefowlsthedifferenceisasgreatasintheparent—form,whilstintheblackandwhitesub—breedsthereisnodifferenceinplumage。Mr。Brentinformsmethathehasseentwostrainsofblack—breastedredGames,ofwhichthecockscouldnotbedistinguished,whilstthehensinonewerepartridge—brownandintheotherfawn—brown。A

  similarcasehasbeenobservedinthestrainsofthebrown—breastedredGame。Thehenofthe\"duck—wingedGame\"is\"extremelybeautiful,\"anddiffersmuchfromthehensofalltheotherGamesub—breeds;butgenerally,aswiththeblueandgreyGameandwithsomesub—varietiesofthepile—

  game,amoderatelycloserelationmaybeobservedbetweenthemalesandfemalesinthevariationoftheirplumage。(7/45。SeethefulldescriptionofthevarietiesoftheGame—breedinTegetmeier’PoultryBook’1866page131。ForCuckooDorkingspage97。)AsimilarrelationisalsoevidentwhenwecomparetheseveralvarietiesofCochins。Inthetwosexesofgoldandsilver—spangledandofbuffPolishfowls,thereismuchgeneralsimilarityinthecolouringandmarksofthewholeplumage,exceptingofcourseinthehackles,crest,andbeard。InspangledHamburghs,thereislikewiseaconsiderabledegreeofsimilaritybetweenthetwosexes。InpencilledHamburghs,ontheotherhand,thereismuchdissimilarity;thepencillingwhichischaracteristicofthehensbeingalmostabsentinthemalesofboththegoldenandsilvervarieties。But,aswehavealreadyseen,itcannotbegivenasageneralrulethatmalefowlsneverhavepencilledfeathers,forCuckooDorkingsare\"remarkablefromhavingnearlysimilarmarkingsinbothsexes。\"

  Itisasingularfactthatthemalesincertainsub—breedshavelostsomeoftheirsecondarymasculinecharacters,andfromtheircloseresemblanceinplumagetothefemales,areoftencalledhennies。Thereismuchdiversityofopinionwhetherthesemalesareinanydegreesterile;thattheysometimesarepartiallysterileseemsclear(7/46。Mr。HewittinTegetmeier’PoultryBook’1866pages246and156。Forhen—tailedgame—cocksseepage131。),butthismayhavebeencausedbytoocloseinterbreeding。

  Thattheyarenotquitesterile,andthatthewholecaseiswidelydifferentfromthatofoldfemalesassumingmasculinecharacters,isevidentfromseveralofthesehen—likesub—breedshavingbeenlongpropagated。Themalesandfemalesofgoldandsilver—lacedSebrightBantamscanbebarelydistinguishedfromeachother,exceptbytheircombs,wattles,andspurs,fortheyarecolouredalike,andthemaleshavenothackles,northeflowingsickle—liketail—feathers。Ahen—tailedsub—breedofHamburghswasrecentlymuchesteemed。ThereisalsoabreedofGame—

  fowls,inwhichthemalesandfemalesresembleeachothersocloselythatthecockshaveoftenmistakentheirhen—featheredopponentsinthecock—pitforrealhens,andbythemistakehavelosttheirlives。(7/47。’TheField’

  April20,1861。Thewritersayshehasseenhalf—a—dozencocksthussacrificed。)Thecocks,thoughdressedinthefeathersofthehen,\"arehigh—spiritedbirds,andtheircouragehasbeenoftenproved:\"anengravingevenhasbeenpublishedofonecelebratedhen—tailedvictor。Mr。Tegetmeier(7/48。’ProceedingsofZoolog。Soc。’March1861page102。Theengravingofthehen—tailedcockjustalludedtowasexhibitedbeforetheSociety。)hasrecordedtheremarkablecaseofabrown—breastedredGamecockwhich,afterassumingitsperfectmasculineplumage,becamehen—featheredintheautumnofthefollowingyear;buthedidnotlosevoice,spurs,strength,norproductiveness。Thisbirdhasnowretainedthesamecharacterduringfiveseasons,andhasbegotbothhen—featheredandmale—featheredoffspring。Mr。

  GrantleyF。Berkeleyrelatesthestillmoresingularcaseofacelebratedstrainof\"polecatGamefowls,\"whichproducedinnearlyeverybroodasinglehen—cock。\"Thegreatpeculiarityinoneofthesebirdswasthathe,astheseasonssucceededeachother,wasnotalwaysahen—cock,andnotalwaysofthecolourcalledthepolecat,whichisblack。Fromthepolecatandhen—cockfeatherinoneseasonhemoultedtoafullmale—plumagedblack—breastedred,andinthefollowingyearhereturnedtotheformerfeather。\"(7/49。’TheField’April20,1861。)

  Ihaveremarkedinmy’OriginofSpecies’thatsecondarysexualcharactersareapttodiffermuchinthespeciesofthesamegenus,andtobeunusuallyvariableintheindividualsofthesamespecies。Soitiswiththebreedsofthefowl,aswehavealreadyseen,asfarasthecolourofplumageisconcerned,andsoitiswiththeothersecondarysexualcharacters。Firstly,thecombdiffersmuchinthevariousbreeds(7/50。I

  ammuchindebtedtoMr。Brentforanaccount,withsketches,ofallthevariationsofthecombknowntohim,andlikewisewithrespecttothetailaspresentlytobegiven),anditsformiseminentlycharacteristicofeachkind,withtheexceptionoftheDorkings,inwhichtheformhasnotbeenasyetdeterminedonbyfanciers,andfixedbyselection。Asingle,deeply—

  serratedcombisthetypicalandmostcommonform。Itdiffersmuchinsize,beingimmenselydevelopedinSpanishfowls;andinalocalbreedcalledRed—caps,itissometimes\"upwardsofthreeinchesinbreadthatthefront,andmorethanfourinchesinlength,measuredtotheendofthepeakbehind。\"(7/51。The’PoultryBook’byTegetmeier1866page234。)Insomebreedsthecombisdouble,andwhenthetwoendsarecementedtogetheritformsa\"cup—comb;\"inthe\"rose—comb\"itisdepressed,coveredwithsmallprojections,andproducedbackwards;inthehornedandcreve—coeurfowlitisproducedintotwohorns;itistripleinthepea—combedBrahmas,shortandtruncatedintheMalays,andabsentintheGuelderlands。InthetasselledGameafewlongfeathersrisefromthebackofthecomb:inmanybreedsacrestoffeathersreplacesthecomb。Thecrest,whenlittledeveloped,arisesfromafleshymass,but,whenmuchdeveloped,fromahemisphericalprotuberanceoftheskull。InthebestPolishfowlsitissolargelydeveloped,thatIhaveseenbirdswhichcouldhardlypickuptheirfood;andaGermanwriterasserts(7/52。’DieHuhner—undPfauenzucht’1827

  s。11。)thattheyareinconsequenceliabletobestruckbyhawks。

  Monstrousstructuresofthiskindwouldthusbesuppressedinastateofnature。Thewattles,also,varymuchinsize,beingsmallinMalaysandsomeotherbreeds;incertainPolishsub—breedstheyarereplacedbyagreattuftoffeatherscalledabeard。

  Thehacklesdonotdiffermuchinthevariousbreeds,butareshortandstiffinMalays,andabsentinHennies。Asinsomeordersmalebirdsdisplayextraordinarily—shapedfeathers,suchasnakedshaftswithdiscsattheend,etc。,thefollowingcasemaybeworthgiving。InthewildGallusbankivaandinourdomesticfowls,thebarbswhicharisefromeachsideoftheextremitiesofthehacklesarenakedornotclothedwithbarbules,sothattheyresemblebristles;butMr。BrentsentmesomescapularhacklesfromayoungBirchenDuckwingGamecock,inwhichthenakedbarbsbecamedenselyre—clothedwithbarbulestowardstheirtips;sothatthesetips,whichweredarkcolouredwithametalliclustre,wereseparatedfromthelowerpartsbyasymmetrically—shapedtransparentzoneformedofthenakedportionsofthebarbs。Hencethecolouredtipsappearedlikelittleseparatemetallicdiscs。

  Thesickle—feathersinthetail,ofwhichtherearethreepair,andwhichareeminentlycharacteristicofthemalesex,differmuchinthevariousbreeds。Theyarescimitar—shapedinsomeHamburghs,insteadofbeinglongandflowingasinthetypicalbreeds。TheyareextremelyshortinCochins,andarenotatalldevelopedinHennies。Theyarecarried,togetherwiththewholetail,erectinDorkingsandGaines;butdroopmuchinMalaysandinsomeCochins。Sultansarecharacterisedbyanadditionalnumberoflateralsickle—feathers。Thespursvarymuch,beingplacedhigherorlowerontheshank;beingextremelylongandsharpinGames,andbluntandshortinCochins。Theselatterbirdsseemawarethattheirspursarenotefficientweapons;forthoughtheyoccasionallyusethem,theymorefrequentlyfight,asIaminformedbyMr。Tegetmeier,byseizingandshakingeachotherwiththeirbeaks。InsomeIndianGamecocks,receivedbyMr。BrentfromGermany,thereare,asheinformsme,three,four,orevenfivespursoneachleg。SomeDorkingsalsohavetwospursoneachleg(7/53。’PoultryChronicle’volume1page595。Mr。Brenthasinformedmeofthesamefact。WithrespecttothepositionofthespursinDorkingssee’CottageGardener’September18,1860page380。);andinbirdsofthisbreedthespurisoftenplacedalmostontheoutsideoftheleg。DoublespursarementionedinanancientChineseEncyclopaedia。Theiroccurrencemaybeconsideredasacaseofanalogousvariation,forsomewildgallinaceousbirds,forinstance,thePolyplectron,havedoublespurs。

  JudgingfromthedifferenceswhichgenerallydistinguishthesexesintheGallinaceae,certaincharactersinourdomesticfowlsappeartohavebeentransferredfromtheonesextotheother。Inallthespecies(exceptinTurnix),whenthereisanyconspicuousdifferenceinplumagebetweenthemaleandfemale,themaleisalwaysthemostbeautiful;butingolden—

  spangledHamburghsthehenisequallybeautifulwiththecock,andincomparablymorebeautifulthantheheninanynaturalspeciesofGallus;

  sothathereamasculinecharacterhasbeentransferredtothefemale。Ontheotherhand,inCuckooDorkingsandinothercuckoobreedsthepencilling,whichinGallusisafemaleattribute,hasbeentransferredtothemale:nor,ontheprincipleofanalogousvariation,isthistransferencesurprising,asthemalesinmanygallinaceousgeneraarebarredorpencilled。Withmostofthesebirdsheadornamentsofallkindsaremorefullydevelopedinthemalethaninthefemale;butinPolishfowlsthecrestortop—knot,whichinthemalereplacesthecomb,isequallydevelopedinbothsexes。Inthemalesofcertainothersub—breeds,whichfromthehenhavingasmallcrest,arecalledlark—crested,\"asingleuprightcombsometimesalmostentirelytakestheplaceofthecrest。\"

  (7/54。Dixon’OrnamentalandDomesticPoultry’page320。)Fromthislattercase,andmoreespeciallyfromsomefactspresentlytobegivenwithrespecttotheprotuberanceoftheskullinPolishfowls,thecrestinthisbreedmustbeviewedasafemininecharacterwhichhasbeentransferredtothemale。IntheSpanishbreedthemale,asweknow,hasanimmensecomb,andthishasbeenpartiallytransferredtothefemale,forhercombisunusuallylarge,thoughnotupright。InGamefowlstheboldandsavagedispositionofthemalehaslikewisebeenlargelytransferredtothefemale(7/55。Mr。TegetmeierinformsmethatGamehenshavebeenfoundsocombative,thatitisnowgenerallythepracticetoexhibiteachheninaseparatepen。);andshesometimesevenpossessestheeminentlymasculinecharacterofspurs。Manycasesareonrecordoffertilehensbeingfurnishedwithspurs;andinGermany,accordingtoBechstein(7/56。

  ’NaturgeschichteDeutschlands’b。31793s。339,407。),thespursintheSilkhenaresometimesverylong。Hementionsalsoanotherbreedsimilarlycharacterised,inwhichthehensareexcellentlayers,butareapttodisturbandbreaktheireggsowingtotheirspurs。

  Mr。Layard(7/57。OntheOrnithologyofCeylonin’AnnalsandMag。ofNat。

  History。’2ndseriesvolume141854page63。)hasgivenanaccountofabreedoffowlsinCeylonwithblackskin,bones,andwattle,butwithordinaryfeathers,andwhichcannot\"bemoreaptlydescribedthanbycomparingthemtoawhitefowldrawndownasootychimney;itis,however,\"

  addsMr。Layard,\"aremarkablefactthatamalebirdofthepuresootyvarietyisalmostasrareasatortoise—shelltom—cat。\"Mr。BlythfoundthesameruletoholdgoodwiththisbreednearCalcutta。Themalesandfemales,ontheotherhand,oftheblack—bonedEuropeanbreed,withsilkyfeathers,donotdifferfromeachother;sothatintheonebreed,blackskinandbonesandthesamekindofplumagearecommontobothsexes,whilstintheotherbreed,thesecharactersareconfinedtothefemalesex。

  AtthepresentdayallthebreedsofPolishfowlshavethegreatbonyprotuberanceontheirskulls,whichincludespartofthebrainandsupportsthecrest,equallydevelopedinbothsexes。ButformerlyinGermanytheskullofthehenalonewasprotuberant:Blumenbach(7/58。’Handbuchdervergleich。Anatomie’1805page85note。Mr。Tegetmeier,whogivesin’Proc。

  Zoolog。Soc。’November25,1856averyinterestingaccountoftheskullsofPolishfowls,notknowingofBechstein’saccount,hasdisputedtheaccuracyofBlumenbach’sstatement。ForBechsteinsee’NaturgeschichteDeutschlands’

  b。31793s。399note。ImayaddthatatthefirstexhibitionofPoultryattheZoologicalGardensinMay1845Isawsomefowls,calledFriezlandfowls,ofwhichthehenswerecrested,andthecocksfurnishedwithacomb。),whoparticularlyattendedtoabnormalpeculiaritiesindomesticanimals,states,in1805,thatthiswasthecase;andBechsteinhadpreviously,in1793observedthesamefact。Thislatterauthorhascarefullydescribedtheeffectsontheskullofacrestnotonlyinthecaseoffowls,butofducks,geese,andcanaries。Hestatesthatwithfowls,whenthecrestisnotmuchdeveloped,itissupportedonafattymass;butwhenmuchdeveloped,itisalwayssupportedonabonyprotuberanceofvariablesize。Hewelldescribesthepeculiaritiesofthisprotuberance;heattendedalsototheeffectsofthemodifiedshapeofthebrainontheintellectofthesebirds,anddisputesPallas’statementthattheyarestupid。Hethenexpresslyremarksthatheneverobservedthisprotuberanceinmalefowls。HencetherecanbenodoubtthatthisextraordinarycharacterintheskullsofPolishfowlswasformerlyinGermanyconfinedtothefemalesex,buthasnowbeentransferredtothemales,andhasthusbecomecommontobothsexes。

  [EXTERNALDIFFERENCES,NOTCONNECTEDWITHTHESEXES,BETWEENTHEBREEDSAND

  BETWEENINDIVIDUALBIRDS。

  Thesizeofthebodydiffersgreatly。Mr。TegetmeierhasknownaBrahmatoweigh17pounds;afineMalaycock10pounds;whilstafirst—rateSebrightBantamweighshardlymorethan1pound。Duringthelast20yearsthesizeofsomeofourbreedshasbeenlargelyincreasedbymethodicalselection,whilstthatofotherbreedshasbeenmuchdiminished。Wehavealreadyseenhowgreatlycolourvariesevenwithinthesamebreed;weknowthatthewildG。bankivavariesslightlyincolour;weknowthatcolourisvariableinallourdomesticanimals;neverthelesssomeeminentfanciershavesolittlefaithinvariability,thattheyhaveactuallyarguedthatthechiefGamesub—breeds,whichdifferfromeachotherinnothingbutcolour,aredescendedfromdistinctwildspecies!Crossingoftencausesstrangemodificationofcolour。Mr。TegetmeierinformsmethatwhenbuffandwhiteCochinsarecrossed,someofthechickensarealmostinvariablyblack。

  AccordingtoMr。Brent,blackandwhiteCochinsoccasionallyproducechickensofaslaty—bluetint;andthissametintresults,asMr。

  Tegetmeiertellsme,fromcrossingwhiteCochinswithblackSpanishfowls,orwhiteDorkingswithblackMinorcas。(7/59。’CottageGardener’January3,1860page218。)Agoodobserver(7/60。Mr。WilliamsinapaperreadbeforetheDublinNat。Hist。Soc。quotedin’CottageGardener’1856page161。)

  statesthatafirst—ratesilver—spangledHamburghhengraduallylostthemostcharacteristicqualitiesofthebreed,fortheblacklacingtoherfeathersdisappeared,andherlegschangedfromleaden—bluetowhite:butwhatmakesthecaseremarkableis,thatthistendencyraninthebloodforhersisterchangedinasimilarbutlessstronglymarkedmanner;andchickensproducedfromthislatterhenwereatfirstalmostpurewhite,\"butonmoultingacquiredblackcoloursandsomespangledfeatherswithalmostobliteratedmarkings;\"sothatanewvarietyaroseinthissingularmanner。Theskininthedifferentbreedsdiffersmuchincolour,beingwhiteincommonkinds,yellowinMalaysandCochins,andblackinSilkfowls;thusmocking,asM。Godron(7/61。’Del’Espece’1859page442。Fortheoccurrenceofblack—bonedfowlsinSouthAmerica,seeRoulinin’Mem。

  del’Acad。desSciences’tome6page351;andAzara,’QuadrupedesduParaguay’tome2page324。AfrizzledfowlsenttomefromMadrashadblackbones。)remarksthethreeprincipaltypesofskininmankind。Thesameauthoraddsthat,asdifferentkindsoffowlslivingindistantandisolatedpartsoftheworldhaveblackskinandbones,thiscolourmusthaveappearedatvarioustimesandplaces。

  Theshapeandcarriageofthebody,andtheshapeoftheheaddiffermuch。

  Thebeakvariesslightlyinlengthandcurvature,butincomparablylessthanwithpigeons。Inmostcrestedfowlsthenostrilsofferaremarkablepeculiarityinbeingraisedwithacrescenticoutline。Theprimarywing—

  feathersareshortinCochins;inamale,whichmusthavebeenmorethantwiceasheavyasG。bankiva,thesefeatherswereinbothbirdsofthesamelength。Ihavecounted,withMr。Tegetmeier’said,theprimarywing—

  feathersinthirteencocksandhensofvariousbreeds;infourofthem,namelyintwoHamburghs,aCochin,andGamebantam,therewere10,insteadofthenormalnumber9;butincountingthesefeathersIhavefollowedthepracticeoffanciers,andhaveNOTincludedthefirstminuteprimaryfeather,barelythree—quartersofaninchinlength。Thesefeathersdifferconsiderablyinrelativelength,thefourth,orthefifth,orthesixth,beingthelongest;withthethirdeitherequalto,orconsiderablyshorterthanthefifth。Inwildgallinaceousspeciestherelativelengthandnumberofthemainwingandtail—feathersareextremelyconstant。

  Thetaildiffersmuchinerectnessandsize,beingsmallinMalaysandverysmallinCochins。InthirteenfowlsofvariousbreedswhichIhaveexamined,fivehadthenormalnumberof14feathers,includinginthisnumberthetwomiddlesickle—feathers;sixothers(viz。,aCaffrecock,Gold—spangledPolishcock,Cochinhen,Sultanhen,GamehenandMalayhenhad16;andtwo(anoldCochincockandMalayhen)had17feathers。TherumplessfowlhasnotailandinonewhichIpossessedtherewasnooil—

  gland;butthisbirdthoughtheoscoccygiswasextremelyimperfect,hadavestigeofatailwithtworatherlongfeathersinthepositionoftheoutercaudals。Thisbirdcamefromafamilywhere,asIwastold,thebreedhadkepttruefortwentyyears;butrumplessfowlsoftenproducechickenswithtails。(7/62。Mr。HewittinTegetmeier’PoultryBook’1866page231。)

  Aneminentphysiologist(7/63。Dr。BrocainBrown—Sequard’JournaldePhys。’tome2page361。)hasrecentlyspokenofthisbreedasadistinctspecies;hadheexaminedthedeformedstateoftheoscoccyxhewouldneverhavecometothisconclusion;hewasprobablymisledbythestatement,whichmaybefoundinsomeworks,thattaillessfowlsarewildinCeylon;

  butthisstatement,asIhavebeenassuredbyMr。LayardandDr。KellaertwhohavesocloselystudiedthebirdsofCeylon,isutterlyfalse。

  Thetarsivaryconsiderablyinlength,beingrelativelytothefemurconsiderablylongerintheSpanishandFrizzled,andshorterintheSilkandBantambreeds,thaninthewildG。bankiva;butinthelatter,aswehaveseen,thetarsivaryinlength。Thetarsiareoftenfeathered。Thefeetinmanybreedsarefurnishedwithadditionaltoes。Golden—spangledPolishfowlsaresaid(7/64。Dixon’OrnamentalPoultry’page325。)tohavetheskinbetweentheirtoesmuchdeveloped:Mr。Tegetmeierobservedthisinonebird,butitwasnotsoinonewhichIexamined。Prof。HoffmannhassentmeasketchofthefeetofafowlofthecommonbreedatGiessen,withawebextendingbetweenthethreetoes,foraboutathirdoftheirlength。

  InCochinsthemiddletoeissaid(7/65。’PoultryChronicle’volume1page485。Tegetmeier’PoultryBook’1866page41。OnCochinsgrazingibidpage46。)tobenearlydoublethelengthofthelateraltoes,andthereforemuchlongerthaninG。bankivaorinotherfowls;butthiswasnotthecaseintwowhichIexamined。Thenailofthemiddletoeinthissamebreedissurprisinglybroadandflat,butinavariabledegreeintwobirdswhichI

  examined;ofthisstructureinthenailthereisonlyatraceinG。

  bankiva。

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