CHAPTER IV. 

 THE BREEDS OF POULTRY. 



Owing to the large number of breeds of poultry and the great 

 variety of characteristics which they possess, it is necessary to 

 arrange them in a definite and logical fashion if they are to be 

 studied successfully. Two classifications — one based on place 

 of origin, and another on commercial possibilities — will best 

 serve to familiarize one with the various types and breeds. 



Fig. 37.— Pair of jungle fowl (Gallus bankiva), one of the ancestors of the present 

 domestic breeds. The light, active breeds resemble this ancestor. (Photos of Figs. 37 and 

 38 by the Station of Experimental Evolution, Cold Spring Harbor, L. I.) 



It is the purpose of this chapter to give a general discussion 

 of the breeds of poultry as we know them to-day, consider the 

 origin of the domestic breeds, and give a classification of them. 



Origin of the Domestic Fowl. — The domestic fowl belongs to 

 a group of scratching birds which includes turkeys, guinea-fowls, 

 pheasants, partridges, and others. The progenitors of the domes- 

 tic hen of to-day were wild species, and it is probable that it 

 originated from the crosses or mingling of the blood of two quite 

 different species, the most important one being the wild fowl 

 common in the jungles of India and Southern China, which is 

 known as Gallus hankiva (Fig. 37). 



The jungle fowl is about one-third the size of the domesticated 

 me, having a flattened tail, single comb, and wattles resembling 



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