334 Mr. F. E. Beddard oyi the 



two genera ; and since^ so far as I am aware, the only species 

 of Guinea-fowl wliicb is likely to be in a position to pair 

 Avitli the Common Fowl is Numida meleagris, the following 

 observations apply to that species. 



In 1865 the late Dr. v. Willemoes-Suhm^ described, but 

 only as regards external characters, a hybrid between these 

 two birds. Later, M. Trutat f directed attention to a similar 

 cross, figuring the bird itself and a few feathers. 



Another case is recorded by M. Malafosse in the same 

 publication as that which contains the last-quoted note (in 

 the vol. for 1873-74). 



In 1877 M. Barac again called attention to the subject :j:, 

 dealing, however, as did the last-quoted observers, entirely 

 with external characters and habits ; in this communication 

 is to be found a useful bibliography of the subject of hybrids 

 between the two birds. 



So far as I am aware, all these papers deal with external 

 characters only, and the general result appears to be that 

 the hybrids are intermediate in their appearance between 

 their two parents. 



I am also quite in harmony with these observers ; the 

 skeleton and the windpipe, which I have myself examined, 

 are perfectly intermediate in their characters between those 

 of Numida on the one hand and Gallus on the other. 



But, in order to indicate the features in which the hybrid 

 is intermediate, it will be necessary to compare with each 

 other the two genera Gallus and Numida. This has been 

 already done as regards certain points by Huxley §. I will 

 attempt, however, in the following pages a somewhat more 

 detailed comparison than is to be found in his memoir cited 

 below. I shall take the various regions of the skeleton 

 singly and in order. I commence with 



* " £in Bastard vou Numida meleayris unci Gal/us dompsticus coeJiin- 

 chinensis," J. f. O. 1865, p. 433. 



t Bull. Soc. d'llist. Nat. Toulouse, x. (1875). 



X "Bastarde vou Haushalin und Perlhenne," ^Fittli. orn. Ver. ^^'ien, 

 1877, pp. 35, 43. 



§ "Ou the Classification aud Distribution of the Alectoromorpha? and 

 HeteroniorphjB," P. Z. S. 1868, p. 294. 



