DOMESTIC GALLING. 371 



Domesticated Gallince. 



Amongst domestic Gallinae we must mention the fowl, of 

 which we have now so many varieties, the Turkeys, the Guinea- 

 fowl, and the Peacock. The first two of these domestic birds 

 have been so altered under domestication that at least in one, 

 the fowl, the origin is lost in obscurity, and even in the Turkey 

 and Guinea-fowl some diversity of opinion exists as to the 

 parent stock. Much light has been thrown upon this subject 

 by Darwin in his renowned work on ' The Variation of Animals 

 and Plants under Domestication.' 



The Fowls belong to the genus Gallus, the Turkeys to the 

 genus Meleagris, the Guinea-fowls to the genus Numida, and 

 the Peacock to the genus Pavo. 



The probable origin of the Domestic Fowls. — "Where the 

 original stock came from we cannot say with any degree of 

 certainty. Eemains of domestic fowls are found in the early 

 " cave-fauna " of France, pointing, it would seem, to a European 

 origin ; but we iind no traces in Europe of any wild Galli. The 

 most eminent authorities have come to the conclusion that all 

 our domestic varieties are descended from one species, the 

 Jungle Fowl {Gallus banlciva or G. ferrugineits), sometimes 

 called the Red Jungle Fowl, which is a native of continental 

 India. When such a master-mind as Darwin's comes to this 

 conclusion, the evidence must be satisfactory.^ 



There are four known wild Galli — viz., the Jungle Fowl 

 of continental India {G. bankiva), the Jungle Fowl of South 

 India (G. Sonneratii), the Jungle Fowl of Ceylon (G. Stanleyi), 

 and the Forked-tail Jungle Fowl of Java {G. furcatvs). 



The G. bankiva or G. ferrugin&us is found all over India 

 where thick jungle exists, and extends into the Madras Presi- 

 dency, where it meets Sonnerat's jungle fowl, and is said to 



^ The wild fowls of Fiji are descendants of the domestic poultry taken 

 there by the early voyagers. These fowls now resemble the Red Jungle 

 Fowl in appearance : they have reverted, that is, to the ancestral type. 



