THE INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 251 



this power of flight, and the impulse to wander connected therewith, 

 which made it impossible for man to draw the majority of fowls into 

 closer relations with himself, and to make them useful to him. He 

 was in reality able to domesticate only those which had lost more or 

 less the power to fly, or those which had in only a slight degree the 

 character of flying animals, and were not compelled to change their 

 dwelling-place in winter. Thus our presentation is limited to the few 

 which are now regarded as really domestic animals viz., to the goose, 

 duck, turkey, and peacock. 



Although the taming of the goose and the duck reaches back to a 

 very early period since neither of them was brought hither from 

 Asia, but both are descended from our native wild varieties the fowl, 

 or chicken, is of comparatively recent date in Europe. In the Old 

 Testament, and upon the Egyptian monuments, it is not to be found. 

 It appeared first in India, and gradually spread farther westward, 

 where it gained much respect, especially among the Persians. In the 

 religion of Zoroaster the cock was sacred, being regarded as the herald 

 of the morning and a symbol of light, because he drove away the evil 

 spirits of darkness. 



In Homer and Hesiod, and in general in the oldest Greek poets, we 

 find no trace of the fowl. It seems to have been first mentioned by 

 Theognis (about 600 b. c), and was universally known to the contem- 

 poraries of the Persian War. The comparison between the fights of 

 cocks and of men is a favorite one with the poets of that period. 



Themistocles is said to have once stirred the courage of his army 

 by pointing to two fighting cocks which staked their lives for the 

 glory of victory, and not for their hearths and gods. It agrees well 

 with its late introduction that the cock has attained to but little im- 

 portance in cultivated circles : he was sacred to Ares (Mars), and 

 people were accustomed, after recovery from sickness, to bring to 

 iEsculapius, the god of medicine, a cock as a sacrifice. 



From Greece the fowl quickly found its way into Sicily and Lower 

 Italy ; only the Sybarites, who were notorious gluttons, are said to 

 have admitted no fowl within their walls, so that they might not be 

 disturbed in their sleep. 



Among the Romans the fowl played a very important part : sacred 

 cocks accompanied the departing commanders to the scene of war, and 

 were used for taking the auspices. It was considered a favorable sign 

 if the fowls ate greedily ; but, on the other hand, it denoted a mis- 

 fortune if they refused food. It will thus be readily seen that the 

 attendant of these birds (jntllarius) exercised much influence in this 

 matter, according as he did, or did not, give the fowls food before the 

 taking of the augury. 



How widely the breeding of fowls spread and developed in Italy 

 may be learned from the writings of Yarro and of Columella. Fowls, 

 and especially fighting-cocks, were constantly imported from places 



