4o8 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



Phita hr IP. p. Daridrj, F.Z i. 



BLACK-CHESTED CRESTED GUINEA-FOWL 



T/iis is a hlack bird, icth light blue spots 



The Hamburgs are of two kinds — the 

 Sl'ANGLEli, which is of EngHsh, and the 

 Pencilled, of Continejital origin. 



A very old breed is the POLISH. It figures 

 often in the pictures of the old Dutch 

 masters. One of its chief cliaracteristics is 

 the huge ci'est of feathers rising from the 

 crown of the head. The de\'elopmcnt of this 

 crest has had a ver}' e.xtraordiiiar_\' eft'ect upon 

 the conformation of the bones of the skull, 

 entirely altering the shape of the brain-case. 



Perhaps the most artificial of all breeds of 

 fowl are the SEBRIGHT Bantams. These are 

 diminutive birds, the result of a cross between 

 the Polish with " laced " feathers and a bantam. 

 The feathers of this cross are beautifully 

 " laced " — that is, the}' are \vhitc, edged with 

 black. Another interesting diminutive breed 

 is the Japanese Ban'I'anf. The cock carries its tail, which is long, remarkabl}- high, giving a 

 ^'cry quaint eftect. This breed is further interesting, since it furnishes us with an instance 

 of the breeder's power of lijcalising colour b)' selection. The tail is black and the body 

 white. Yet another interesting Japanese fowl is the remarkable long-tailed breed in which 

 the tail-coverts grow continuousl)-, attaining a length of from 9 feet to, it is said, 18 feet. 

 The birds are kept for show purposes. The greater part of their lives is passed tethered 

 on high perches. Once a day the}' are taken - " 



down for exercise, ^vhcn the long feathers arc , . , . ''-'''■ ' . -'3,m 



carefully rolled up and sccureh' fastened out 

 of harm's w'Ay. 



The Akgus-pheasant and Peacock and 



THEIR ALITES 



The Argus-I'HEASANI" most certainl}- 

 demands notice, on account of the extra- 

 ordinary development of the wing-quills, 

 which are nearly a . }'ard long, and the 

 wondrous beant}' of the pattern . thereon. 

 This pattern takes the furm of a number of 

 eyes, so shaded as to give the appeprance, 

 when fully displayed, of a number of balls 

 U'ing in a socket. These enormous quills 

 are borne onl\' by the male, and used, like 

 the ornamental feathers of its allies, in cap- 

 tivating the female. When full}' displa}'ed, 

 the tivo wings are spread nut to form one 

 huge fan, producing an effect which words 

 cannot adequately describe. The argus- 

 phcasants are found in the forests of Siam, 

 the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra, and are 

 excessively wary birds. 



The Peacik'K is tof) well known to need 

 a very long description, l^ut a word as to 

 the so-called " tail." This magnificent wealth 



^J^ 





P*olD by S,h„l.,sii< Hh.i,,. Co.] 



BLACK-CHESTED CRESTED GUINEA-FOWL 



^1 Durhjn these hirJs are often ha-ivtej by Kaffir hunters, the flesh 

 being I'ery delieate and niueh esteemed 



