Chap. VII. THEIR PARENTAGE. 245 



growth ; from occasional reversions to old and long-lost 

 characters ; from the crossing of breeds, when more than 

 one had been formed ; but, above all, from unconscious 

 selection carried -on during many generations, there is no 

 insuperable difficulty, to the best of my judgment, in believ- 

 ing that all the breeds have descended from some one parent- 

 source. Can any single species be named from which we 

 may reasonably suppose that all are descended ? The Gallus 

 bankiva apparently fulfils every requirement. I have already 

 given as fair an account as I could of the arguments in 

 favour of the multiple origin of the several breeds ; and now 

 I will give those in favour of their common descent from 

 G. banlciva. 



But it will be convenient first briefly to describe all the known 

 species of Gallus. The G. sonneratii does not range into the northern 

 parts of India ; according to Colonel Sykes, 12 it presents at different 

 heights of the Ghauts, two strongly marked varieties, perhaps 

 deserving to be called species. It was at one time thought to be 

 the primitive stock of all our domestic breeds, and this shows that 

 it closely approaches the common fowl in general structure ; but its 

 hackles partially consist of highly peculiar, horny laminae, trans- 

 versely banded with three colours ; and I have met no authentic 

 account of any such character having been observed in any domestic 

 breed. 13 This species also differs greatly from the common fowl, in 

 the comb being finely serrated, and in the loins being destitute of 

 true hackles. Its voice is utterly different. It crosses readily in 

 India with domestic hens; and Mr Blyth 14 raised nearly 100 hybrid 

 chickens ; but they were tender and mostly died whilst young. 

 Those which were reared were absolutely sterile when crossed inter 

 se or with either parent. At the Zoological Gardens, however, some 

 hybrids of the same parentage were not quite so sterile : Mr. Dixon, 

 as he informed me, made, with Mr. Yarrell's aid, particular inquiries 

 on this subject, and was assured that out of 50 eggs only five or six 

 chickens were reared. Some, however, of these half-bred birds were 

 crossed with one of their parents, namely, a Bantam, and produced 

 a few extremely feeble chickens. Mr. Dixon also procured some of 

 these same birds and crossed them in several ways, but all were 



12 ' Proc. Zoolog. Soc' 1832, p. red game-hen, and they exhibited the 

 151. true character of those of G. sonne- 



13 These feathers have been de- ratii, except that the horny laminae 

 scribed by Dr. W. Marshall,' Der Zoolog. were much smaller. 



Garten,' April 1874, p. 124. I ex- M See also an excellent letter on 



amined the feathers of some hybrids the Poultry of India, by Mr. Blyth, 



raised in the Zoological Gardens in 'Gardiner's Chronicle,' 1851, p. 



between the male G. sonneratii and a 619. 



