331 



CHAPTER XXI. 



MALAYS, ASEEL, AND INDIAN GAME. 



A1~>HE fowls treated in this chapter, though 

 I the relationship is probably not very 

 -*- recent, are obviously more or less allied, 

 and represent variations of another Asiatic race 

 as typical as the Cochin, and which in the branch 

 which first comes before us is also distinguished 

 by its gigantic size. It is perhaps most probable 

 on the whole that the Aseel represents the more 

 ancient as well as the most pure original stock ; 

 in which case the Malay would owe its origin to 

 crosses of that stock upon common local poultry 

 of various kinds, gaining thereby in size, and 

 losing somewhat in definite type, very much as 

 the Malay is found to exist in actual fact. But 

 there is strong ground for another hypothesis. 

 A large bird of this general type is the indigen- 

 ous or common fowl of a large part of India, as 

 well as of the peninsula whose name it bears, 

 and is in fact to this day more diffused than any 

 other through a very large part of Eastern 

 Asia. Upon this ground Temminck believed it 

 to be the domesticated descendant of some wild 

 Callus gigantcus now lost, but more or less re- 

 sembling it. This view has lately been over- 

 shadowed by the theory of Mr. Darwin that the 

 Callus bankiva is the origin of all races of poul- 

 try ; but when we consider how general and 

 widely spread is this Malay shape and type, and 

 how constantly merely domestic races revert to 

 more primitive types unless preserved with a 

 sedulous care which Eastern peoples never give, 

 except to the strains cherished for cock-fighting 

 purposes, the view of the older naturalist will be 

 seen to have more in its favour than is generally 

 supposed. If it were true, then the Malay would 

 be the more ancient stock of the breeds now to 

 be treated of, and the Aseel the cultivated aristo- 

 crat of the family, developed out of it by genera- 

 tions of careful breeding for one special purpose. 

 In any case, the occurrence of two totally 

 different races of poultry in the East, both dis- 

 tinguished by gigantic size, raises a rather 

 interesting question in regard to poultry feeding. 

 I'^owls are never fed in India or China with the 

 care given them in England or America, nor 

 with any study of nitrogenous " ratios " or any- 

 thing of that kind, yet there have come to us 



from thence several marked varieties of two 

 distinct races, both gigantic in size. The only 

 noticeable fact which appears upon inquiry into 

 the subject, is that the ordinary food of these 

 fowls in their own country is " paddy," or un- 

 husked rice. We know of this grain when husked 

 that it is the very poorest of food, unless supple- 

 mented by other elements : we actually give 

 it to Bantams to keep them small. But we 

 know in the West scarcely anything about the 

 husk of this grain, and no analysis of either the 

 husk or the whole grain has ever been made 

 that we know of; such facts as those before us 

 suggest that the analysis and food value of 

 uiihtisked rice is a question which might repay 

 investigation. 



Coming back to Malays, there is perhaps 

 hardly any breed with characteristics so distmct- 

 ive and well marked, which makes it the more sur- 

 prising that some of the " all-round " 

 Chajacteristica judges should appear still unable to 

 Malays. grasp them. The head of the cock 



is large, and particularly very broad, 

 with heavy overhanging eyebrows, which give 

 a cruel expression to the face by no means belied 

 by the character of the bird. Besides this, some 

 of the older writers describe the bird as " serpent- 

 headed," and observation will confirm the 

 singular aptness of the expression, quite differ- 

 ent from the snaky head sometimes spoken of in 

 Game. The beak is very stout and quite curved, 

 almost hooked in fact. The face is smooth and 

 skinny, with the throat rather bare, wattles and ear- 

 lobes small, and the comb unique, neither single, 

 nor rose, nor triple, but like half of a walnut 

 covered with very small projections. This should 

 be fairly small and set well forward ; but if two 

 small combs are bred together, it is significant 

 that pea-eombs are apt to result, showing clearly 

 the relationship with both breeds treated of in 

 the following sections. The neck is long, and 

 hackle full there, but short and scanty below, 

 which gives the entire neck somewhat the ap- 

 pearance of a pillar the same diameter all the 

 way down, and rising almost abruptly out of 

 the shoulders. The body is large round at the 

 shoulders, which are very prominent and carried 



