Chap. VII. THEIK PARENTAGE. 249 



domestic iDreeds. But even if it bo admitted that G. hankiva 

 is the parent of the Game breed, yet it may be urged that 

 other wild species have been the parents of the other domestic 

 breeds ; and that these species still exist, though unknown, in 

 some country, or have become extinct. The extinction, how- 

 ever, of several species of fowls, is an improbable hypothesis, 

 seeing that the four known species have not become extinct 

 in the most ancient and thickl}^ peopled regions of the East. 

 There is, in fact, not one other kind of domesticated bird, 

 of which the wild parent-form is unknown, that is become 

 extinct. For the discovery of new, or the rediscovery of old 

 species of Gallus, we must not look, as fanciers often look, to 

 the whole world. The larger gallinaceoiis birds, as Mr. Blyth 

 has remarked,^'' generally have a restricted range : we see 

 this well illustrated in India, where the genus Gallus in- 

 habits the base of the Himalaya, and is succeeded higher up 

 bv Gallophasis, and still higher up by Phasiauus. Australia, 

 with its islands, is out of the question as the home for 

 unknown species of the genus. It is, also, as improbable 

 that Gallas should inhabit South America ^^ as that a 



"^^ 'Gardiner's Chronicle' 1851, p. formed him that they had escape() 



619. from a vessel wrecked there manj 



2' I have consulted an eminent years ago ; they were extremely wild 



authority, Mr. Sclater, on this subject, and had " a cry quite different to that 



and he thinks that I have not expressed of the domestic fowl," and their ap- 



myself too strongly. I am aware that pearance was somewhat changed, 



one ancient author, Acosta, speaks of Hence it is not a little doubtful, not- 



fowls as having inhabited S. America withstanding the statement of the 



at the period of its discovery ; and natives, whether these birds really 



more recently, about 1795, Olivier de were fowls. That the fowl has 



Serres .speaks of wild fowls in the become feral on several islands is 



forests of Guiana ; these were probably certain. Mr. Fry, a very capable 



feral birds. Dr. Daniell tells me, he judge, informed Mr. Layard, in a 



believes that fowls have become wild letter, that the fowls which have run 



on the west coast of Equatorial wild on Ascension " had nearly all got 



Africa ; they may, however, not be back to their primitive colours, red, 



true fowls, but gallinaceous birds and black cocks, and smoky-grey 



belonging to the genus Phasidus. hens." But unfortunately we do not 



The old voyager Barbut says that know the colour of the poultry which 



poulti-y are not natural to Guinea. were turned out. Fowls have become 



Capt. W. Allen ('Narrative of Niger feral on the Nicobar Islands (Blyth 



Expedition,' 1848, vol. ii. p. 42) de- in the 'Indian Field,' 1858, p. 62), 



scribes wild fowls on Ilha dos Rollas, and in the Ladrones (Anson's Voyage), 



an island near St. Thomas's on the Those found in the Pellew Islands 



west coast of Africa ; the natives in- Crawfurd) are believed to he feral 3 



