272 WILD TRAITS IN TAME ANIMALS. 



many domestic birds has completely changed 

 their character. This is a subject which I shall 

 discuss more fully later on. There is little 

 alertness or cunning apparent about the ordin- 

 ary barndoor fowl, yet its wild cousin of the 

 jungle is said to be one of the most astute 

 and wary birds in existence. We shall see just 

 the same change in ducks and other domestic 

 birds when we come to deal with them. 



Civilisation has not interfered so much with 

 the matrimonial arrangements of the fowl as it 

 has done in the case of most domestic creatures. 

 Both in the wild state and after he has entered 

 civilisation the rooster is a confirmed polygamist. 

 A little knowledge of natural history enables 

 one to declare this fact after merely looking at 

 his plumage. Nature clothes her Turks and 

 Mormons with a distinctive and conspicuous 

 dress, so that their matrimonial propensities 

 can generally be inferred at a glance. Wher- 

 ever you find a male bird who displays more 

 gay and conspicuous clothing than the females 

 of his species, you may be sure that he has (or 

 would like to have) a plurality of wives. Even 

 as low down in the animal scale as this it is 

 not difficult to recognise some of the social and 



