270 



THE ANIMALS AND MAN 



seventy races of chickens now living, thirteen races of ducks, 

 ten of geese and eight of turkeys. Of pigeons there must 

 be nearly as many domestic races as there are of chickens. 

 And yet all of them, with all their extraordinary variety of 

 crests, and ruffs, and tails and plumage patterri, and all 

 their various' special manners such as tumbling, dancing, 



Fig. 14-4. Typical American Merino ewe, a highly specialized breed of 

 sheep, with fine, close-set wool. (After Shaw.) 



and the like, are descended from a single wild species, the 

 common rock dove, Columba livia, of Europe, Asia and 

 North Africa (fig. 136). 



The domestic races of chickens are by some naturalists 

 also held to be descended from a single wild species, the 

 jungle fowl, Gallus bankivus, which ranges from Hindukoosh 

 to the Chinese island of Hainau and through most of the 

 Indonesian islands. But other naturalists believe that one 

 or two other wild species of fowl are concerned in the an- 

 cestry of our barnyard hen. 



