80 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



seems hopeless to determine the era, and still 

 more hopeless to ascertain the original species 

 with precision. 



The following lively statement on this sub- 

 ject is from " Excursions in India," by Captain 

 Thomas Skinner, published in 1832 : 



" In some parts of the forests we saw several 

 jungle fowl ; they have exactly the same habits 

 as the domestic poultry. The cock struts at the 

 head of his hens, and keeps a strict watch over 

 their safety. Whenever they were disturbed by 

 our attempts upon them, he flew to the high- 

 est branch of some tree beyond our reach, and 

 crowed with all his might, while his dames ran 

 into holes and corners to escape our attacks. 

 They are so cunning, that we found it impossi- 

 ble to get within shot of them with all the cau- 

 tion we could use. While intent upon captur- 

 ing at least one, as we were creeping after them 

 upon our breasts, lying occasionally like rifle- 

 men under cover of the unevenness of the ground 

 to catch them en passant, we came suddenly 

 upon an ambuscade that very soon put an end 

 to our sport. 



"We were about midway up the face of a 

 hill that was thickly covered with trees, and 

 much clogged by shrubs and creepers that wound 

 in all directions. On reaching the foot of the ene- 

 mies' position, still advancing upon our breasts, 

 and bending a keen eye upon the birds strutting 

 before us, up rose, with a growl that denoted an 

 offended spirit (for we had really touched his 

 tail), a huge black bear; and, turning round, 

 looked us in the face with the most undisguised 

 astonishment. It was the most unsought, as 

 well as the most unpromising introduction I had 

 ever met with. There was no time for parley, 

 and getting upon our legs, we at once stood 

 on the defensive. This sudden metamorphosis 

 completed his surprise, and yelling louder than 

 before, he set off as fast as he could shuffle from 

 the extraordinary animals that had so unac- 

 countably sprung up before him. We determ- 

 ined that ' discretion was the better part of 

 valor,' and began to retrace our steps, leaving 

 the jungle fowl to benefit by the interruption." 



It is seen by the foregoing description of the 

 Tvild cock and hen of India, that the most strik- 

 ing dissimilarity consists in the wild fowls hav- 



ing no comb on their head nor fleshy wattles 

 hanging beneath the throat ; but this difference 

 is not sufficient to make this tribe be considered 

 as other than that of the common fowl, in which, 

 as it is known, a very ancient subjugation, re- 

 movals and multiplications in opposite climates, 

 differences of food, have produced numberless va- 

 rieties, which, from all appearance, came origin- 

 ally from the wild fowl of the Ghauts. There 

 grew besides, among common fowls, and chiefly 

 in the tribe of tufted fowls, individuals whose 

 head is without a comb, and the bill beneath 

 without appendages. 



The reasons for believing the Bankiva fowl 

 is the wild stock from which our tame varieties 

 derive at least their main origin are, the hens, 

 the nature of the feathers, and the form and dis- 

 tribution of the barbs, which are absolutely the 

 same in our tame fowls ; and because it is in 

 this species alone that the females are provided 

 with a comb, and small wattles, characters not 

 found in any other of the wild species. 



"In point of size," say the authors of the 

 " Poultry Book," " no less than the remote pe- 

 riod at which we find reference to this bird, 

 comes the ' Kulm cock,' sometimes called ' St. 

 Jago cock.' The character of this inhabitant 

 of the islands of the Eastern Archipelago and 

 parts of the adjacent continent would seem to 

 be far more suited to a state of domestication 

 than we have reason to believe has been the 

 case with other of the 'Jungle fowl,' properly 

 so-called. It appears to have been reclaimed at 

 the earliest period to which our knowledge of 

 its native country extends, and in Europe, un- 

 der the name of ' Malay fowl,' it shares the 

 honor of a long pedigree with our oldest races. 

 We have never seen a specimen of the wild 

 bird, but all accounts unite in describing it as 

 closely resembling the brilliant combination of 

 chestnut, maroon, black, and yellow, that deco- 

 rate the well-known Malay. 



"This noble bird frequently measures more 

 than two feet in height, and Lieutenant-colonel 

 Sykes had one which was twenty-six inches. 

 The comb of the cock is single, but slightly ele- 

 vated, rounded at the top, and appears to term- 

 inate abruptly; the wattles are small, and the 

 throat bare, as in the Guinea-fowl. Plumage 



