Chap. VII. SEXUAL DIFFERENCES, 263 



its full size until the second year. The Spanish cock is pre- 

 eminent for his magnificent comb, and this is developed at 

 an unusually early age ; so that the young males can be 

 distinguished from the females when only a few weeks old, 

 and therefore earlier than in other breeds ; they likewise 

 crow very early, namely, when about six weeks old. In the 

 Dutch sixb-breed of tiie Spanish fowl the white ear-lappets 

 are developed earlier than in the common Sf)auis]i breed.'^^ 

 Cochins are characterised by a small tail, and in the young 

 cocks the tail is developed at an unusually late period.*^ 

 Game fowls are notorious for their pugnacity ; and the young 

 cocks crow, clap their little wings, and fight obstinately with 

 each other, even whilst under their mother's care.*-^ " I have 

 often had," says one author,** "whole broods, scarcely 

 feathered, stone blind from fighting ; the rival couples mojnng 

 in corners, and renewing their battles on obtaining the first 

 ray of light." The weapons and pugnacity of all male gallina- 

 ceous birds evidently serve the purpose of gaining possession of 

 the females ; so that the tendency in our Game chickens to fight 

 at an extremely early age is not only useless, but injurious, 

 as they sufter much from their wounds. The training for 

 battle during an early age may be natural to the wild Gallus 

 hankiva ; but as man during many generations has gone on 

 selecting the most obstinately pugnacious cocks, it is more 

 probable that their pugnacity has been unnaturally increased, 

 and unnaturally transferred to the young male chickens. In 

 the same manner, it is probable that the extraordinary de- 

 velopment of the comb in the Spanish cock has been un- 

 intentionally transferred to the young cocks ; for fancicT s 

 would not care whether their young birds had large combs, 

 but would select for breeding the adults which had the finest 

 combs, whether or not developed at an early period. The 

 last point which need here be noticed is that, though the 

 chickens of Spanish and Malay fowls are well covered with 

 down, the true feathers are acquired at an unusually late age ; 



*' On these points, see ' Poultry tic Poultry,' p. 273. 



Chronicle,' vol. iii. p. 166 ; and Teget- ''^ Ferguson ou Rare and Prize 



meier's ' Poultry Book,' 1866, pp. 105 .""oultry, p. 261. 



and 121. ^^ Mowbray on Poultry, 7th edit, 



*2 Dixon, 'Ornamental and Domes- 1834, p. 13. 



