Guinea Fowls and Turkeys. 



31 



uniciue bird in itself— I find at Calcutta visitors uni- 

 versally admire our bird — but it produces very beautiful 

 hybrids with domestic hens. Some of these appear to 

 be red with a violet haclcle, while in the Paris Museum 

 they have a splendid bronze bird, named as a species 

 Gallus cenciis (the Bronze cock), which is evidently a 

 cross from the green bird, probably with a black hen. 

 The hybrids would seem to be partly or occasionally 

 fertile. The Green Jungle-fowl is sometimes called the 

 Fork-tailed, but this arises from a mistake, as the tail 

 is no more forked in life than that of an ordinary 

 rooster. But if the skins of Jungle-fowl, or of Phea«ants 

 with similar folded tails, such as the Kaleeges, are 

 made up with the tail — unnaturally — flat, the top 

 feathers will necessarily diverge antl malie the tail 

 forked. And as this is often dpne the error is easily 

 accounted for in this way. 



Mr. Kutledge tells me these birds particularly need a 

 little raw animal food every day. A few earthworms 

 are best, but in default of these a little raw meat will 

 do. The species certainly ouglit to be taken into culti- 

 vation, and if a demand for it arose, could no doubt be 

 more easily procured. The beauty of the cock's delicately- 

 tinted and wax-like comb is remarkable, reminding one 

 of the petal of an orchid ; and its size could doubtless 

 soon be increased under domestication. The beautiful 

 glossy ruft' and gold laced saddle also are quite unique, 

 and require to be seen to be fully appreciated. All the 

 specimens I have seen have been very tame and steady, 

 and altogether I should say we have in this bird a very 

 desirable possible addition to the ranks of our fancy 

 poultry. From wliat has been said above it is very 

 probable that a fine bi onze breed could be raised by cross- 

 ing with black tame fowls, but single-combed varieties 

 should, of course, be chosen for the purpose. In any 

 case I fear the beautiful colours of the comb and dewlap 

 would be lost, but the plumage would well repay the 

 experiment ; indeed, the hybrids are known to be raised 

 in this bird's own country simply as fancy birds for their 

 1 ooks alone. 



CHAPTER X, 



GUINEA-FOWLS AND TUBKEYS. 



It may seem out of place to introduce such homely 

 birds as the above into the company of the aristocratic 

 Pheasants, but as I have already done this -ivith the 

 Jungle Fowl, I cannot very well keep them out now ; 

 and, besides, each of our farmyard acquaintance? has a 

 very magnificent relative under wliose patronage lie 

 may claim notice from us. 



1 he Guinea Fowls are essentially African birds, and 

 replace the Pheasants and Jungle Fowl in the " Dark 

 Continent"; they are nearly all marked with light 

 sjjots on a dark gTound, and they fall into three types, 

 the helmeted, the crested, and the plain-headed. O'f the 

 helmeted species by far the best known is 



The Common Gltinea Fowl. 



(Numida mcleagris. ) 



This has been a scarce fancy bird in its time, for no 

 longer ago than 1760 Edwards speaks of them as having 

 been shown as curiosities when he was a boy, but adds 

 that they had since become a common domestic fowl 

 with us. • This shows that our ancestors were more ready 

 to take up new poultry than we are, for we certainly 

 have not added anything to the poultry yard since the 

 above date, though, as I have pointed out, there are 

 several birds which are quite suitable for domestication 

 still available. Thus I mention this now familiar bird to 

 show what has been done in the^matter. Indeed, the 

 Guinea Fowl has been domesticated twice, for' the 

 Eojnans knew it, but it " went out of cultivation " in the 



middle ages. In Roman poultry yards another species 

 of Guinea Fowl, with blue wattles, appears to have been 

 kept ; this was no doubt the Abyssinian Guinea Fowl 

 (Numida PtUorhyncha), wliicli has them of tliis colour. 

 The latter seems to have been the true Mehagris of tlie 

 ancients, the common bird being known as the Gallina 

 Nmnidica, "the Numidian hen," «'hence the term 

 Galliuey or Gleauy, often applied to Guinea Fowls. 



Tlie wild stock of our Guinea Fowl comes from West 

 A f rica ; in this condition it resembles the ordinary speckled 

 tame bird, but it is lighter in make and has no white 

 about the neck and wattles, the neck being dull purjile 

 and the wattles red right up to the jaw ; and the legs are 

 black without any of the orange Ime found in so many 

 tame birds. The tame Guinea Fowl in India is coloured 

 just as it is in England and varies in the same way in 

 plumage : but it possesses a remarkable and handsome 

 peculiarity in the greater development of the naked 

 skin on tlie throat, which often forms a dewlaji an inch 

 deep and of the richest blue colour, contrasting well 

 with tlie ■v\iiite and red of the head and wattles. This 

 is a point which might well be looked to in judging 

 Guinea Fowls, as it certainly much enhances tlie 

 appearance of the birds, and could, no doubt, be secured 

 by getting Indian stock to cross with home-bred ones. 



Now that Africa is being opened up, both from the 

 ea^t and south, the crested Guinea Fowls may be 

 expected to become better known. They all have crests 

 of black feathers instead of a helmet, and the wattles 

 are usually very small and not noticeable. The 

 plumage is spotted mth pale blue, not with white as in 

 the helmeted birds. The naked skin of the neck forms 

 a pleat or fold behind. The best known species is 



Pucheean's Ceested Guinea Fowl. 



( Gitttera puchernni. ) 



This bird, wliich comes from East Africa, has tlie 

 blue spotting of the plumage continued right uj) to the 

 naked part of the neck. The naked neck itself is blue, 

 contrasting well with the .skin round the eyes and on 

 the throat, which is red. This is a very handsome laird, 

 as maybe seen by the specimens often in the London 

 Zoological Gardens. Years ago I saw it kept tame in 

 Zanzibar, where the natives called it Karoro, the local 

 helmeted species being known as Kartga. If kept well 

 sheltered in the winter this bird could doubtless be 

 allowed liberty in the summer, like the common Guinea- 

 fowl, though it might not be advisable to allow it the use 

 of its wings. 



The plain-headed Guinea-fowls only number three 

 species, not very nearly related either to each other or to 

 the more ordinary types. By far tlie best known and 

 the finest is 



The Vultueine Guinea Foavl. 

 (Acrylliam vulturinnm.) 



This beautiful bird is rather larger than the common 

 Guinea-fowl, longer in neck and leg, and more erect in 

 carriage. Its tail is also much longer than that bird's 

 and tapers rapidly to a fine point, but is carried drooping 

 in the ordinary Guinea-fowl style. The head has 

 neither helmet nor wattle, and is simply bare and plain 

 with the exception of a fur-like band of broAvn feathers 

 across the back. The neck and breast are covered with 

 hackles, and the legs of the cock have several blunt 

 knobs at the back, which serve to distinguish him from 

 the hen. 



The plumRge is black spotted with white much like 

 the common Guinea-fowl, but the sides of the belly 

 are most beautiful azure blue, which colour also 

 tinges the hackles at their edges, tlie rest of these 

 feathers being black with white central stripes The 

 first few secondary quills are also bordered with lilac 

 or mauve. The bare head is slate-coloured, and the 

 legs are black. 



This species seems to be widely spread over Central 

 Africa, but is best known from the Eastern side. I }iav§ 



