32 OUK DOMKSriC FOWLS. 



black colour with metallic reflections of green 

 and blue. The under parts are black. The naked 

 space round the eyes, the comb, and wattles are 

 scarlet. The heu closely resembles a brown heu 

 of the game breed, except in being very much 

 smaller. That this bird, or its continental ally, 

 is one of the sources — perhaps the main source 

 — of our domestic race, cannot be doubted. It 

 inter-breeds freely with our common poultry, 

 and the progeny is fertile. Most beautiful 

 cross-breeds between the Bankiva jungle-fowl 

 and bantam may be seen in the gardens of the 

 Zoological Society. 



3dly. Sonnerat's jungle-fowl, {Gallus Son- 

 neratii.) This is the common jungle-fowl of 

 continental India ; it inhabits the woods, and 

 is shy and vigilant. It exceeds in size the 

 Bankiva jungle- fowl, and in plumage and sym- 

 metry is very beautiful. For spirit and deter- 

 mination in combat it is highly celebrated, 

 insomuch that Mussulman natives of India, 

 who enter into the barbarous sport of cock 

 fighting with incredible eagerness, are anxious 

 to procure birds of this species, which they 

 will match against others of the ordinary game 

 breed, confident of the victory. It is easily 

 domesticated j and living specimens are gene- 



