Argumext from Shape of the Skull. 245 



doubted. When young he had been an ardent cock-fighter in India, and paid much special 

 attention to Indian fowls generally ; but his latter years Iiad been occupied solely witli tlie 

 duties of a Christian ministry, and he Hterally snatched a few moments from " preaching 

 the faith wliich once he destroyed," to assist as far as he could* an object he knew to be of 

 importance to a friend, though he himself had long ceased to feel much interest in it. The 

 least failing in truth would have been abhorrent to him ; yet this sentence, which he considered to 

 be contradictory of our own view, conclusively jstablished the only real point, that there was in 

 India, by whatever name there called, a pure breed of fowls resembling the Brahma. 



Another objection urged by Mr. Tegetmeier is strictly philosophic, and of far more force. 

 " It has been remarked," he says.t " that it is a fact universally recognised by comparative anato- 

 mists that the distinguishing characters of nearly-allied varieties are more strongly marked in the 

 bones of the skull than in any other part of the body. Now the skull of the Cochin is vaulted and 

 arched, both from before backwards and from side to side, and possesses a peculiarly-marked 

 groove, extending from before backwards on the frontal bone ; and — what every anatomist will 

 regard as a character of great value — the long axis of the aperture through which the spinal cord 

 issues from the skull is the perpendicular one. Now in these characters the skull of the Brahma is 



COCm.N. GALLL'S BANKIVA. 



Fig. 62. 



identical, whereas in all ordinary breeds of fowls the long axis of the occipital foramen is placed 

 transversely ; the skull wants the distinguishing frontal peculiarities, and the remarkable arched or 

 vaulted character found in both these breeds." In order that this argument may be fully under- 

 stood, we have had engraved, from examples given by Mr. Darwin, the occipital foramen of 

 a Cochin and of a Callus Bankiva (which may be taken as the ordinary or typical form), both 

 being of the natural size. It will be seen that not only is the vertical axis of the aperture longer 

 in proportion in the former, but it partakes of a triangular character, which is not seen in the 

 other bird. Here then is a formation which if unique would unquestionably be of great value in 

 deciding as to any great distinctness of race ; though in this case it is not meant to be denied 

 that the Brahma and Cochin are very closely-allied races, while not identical. But when we 

 examine further, Mr. Darwin himself tells us J that the skull of the Dorking not unfrequently 

 exhibits the peculiar Cochin shape of the foramen ; that in some v'arieties of Bantams the 

 character is almost constant, and that it occasionally occurs in other breeds. But are tlicse 

 therefore Cochins .'' To ask such a question is to see at once that, however imposing at first, 

 little or nothing can be based upon this argument. 



The very statement in its broadest form that the two varieties of Brahmas " had unquestionably 

 very distinct origins," is known to every breeder of the fowl to be untrue. In the first place, the 

 two varieties, however distinct in colour, are still to a great extent interchangeable. Miss Watts, 



* The plate of the Incliin Game Cock, with several others relating to fowls and cock-fighting in India, came to us from the 

 same liind hand. 



t "The Poultry-Book," p. 63. 



J "Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication." 



