RED JUNGLEFOWL 189 



and in their case combats are probably confined to encounters with trespassing strange 

 males. 



A fact of passing interest, which I shall touch upon in more detail elsewhere, is the 

 isolation and accentuation by breeders of the mental character of combativeness. The 

 mentality of the domestic game-cock is as much a product of artificial selection as is the 

 physical character of a crest in the Polish fowl and the physiological function of increased 

 fertility. 



In spite of many exceptions, I believe that the normal, or at least the much more 

 common state of mated life among Red Junglefowl is that of monogamy. Birds living 

 in open jungle, isolated from the fowls of natives, are almost invariably seen in pairs, 

 except when families are fiocked together, and several sportsmen who have hunted this 

 bird emphasize this fact. In more than one instance where I have found a single cock 

 associated with several hens, it has been in the immediate vicinity of villages, and I 

 credit this apparent polygamy to the influence of native fowl blood. Among domestic 

 birds polygamy is, of course, the rule. Just as the power of flight and speed has 

 degenerated in our barnyard fowls, so the normal pairing relation has been upset, and 

 mating is indiscriminate and all but lacking in courtship. 



The site chosen for the nest is again, to a certain extent, an index of the absolutely 

 feral nature of each respective pair of Junglefowls, or reveals the demoralizing effect of 

 crossing with native birds. Twice in widely separated countries I have discovered, 

 with the aid of expert native hunters, far from human habitation, the nests of wild hens. 

 They were hidden deep in thickets, and protected by a very dense growth of bamboo in 

 one case, and brake in the other. There would have been no possibility of discovery 

 except by the accidental flushing of the hen. In four instances of nests near villages, on 

 the other hand, none were thoroughly concealed, and in two cases it was impossible to 

 decide whether or not the nests were those of extremely wild native hens or rather tame 

 feral jungle birds. 



The nest is, of course, on the ground, usually well toward the centre or denser 

 portion of a thicket, usually of bamboo. It is variable as to character; sometimes 

 merely a hollow scratched out of the earth, without any lining ; again the leaves which 

 were already on the ground remain, and are matted down by the eggs and pressure of 

 the bird's body. More rarely a considerable heap of grass and leaves is collected, 

 forming a real nest, unlike the case of most of the pheasants. Another variation which 

 has been described is where the bird, beside making a nesting hollow, also scrapes up 

 the earth outside and around this nest, thus forming an appreciable rim, which protects 

 the contents, keeping the lining firm and the eggs secure. 



Hume speaks of finding a Junglefowl's nest almost every day during a month's 

 shooting in May along the southern slopes of the Siwaliks, with the aid of dogs and 

 men. Once six were found near the Bhing-ka-khol within a radius of two hundred 

 yards. 



The time of year of laying and the altitudinal range within which breeding takes 

 place have already been discussed. The number of eggs is not very constant, but five 

 to eight is the usual number. Eleven have been known to be deposited by a single hen 

 at one laying, but the record of a nestful of fourteen probably represents the joint efforts 

 of two birds. 



