DOMESTIC GALLING. 395 



male may be heard in March when they are fighting for the 

 hens. From 10 to 15 eggs are laid, generally in a slight nest on 

 the ground. When flying their pace is rapid for a gallinaceous 

 bird ; but they seldom cover great distances. The average 

 weight of a cock is from 3 to 3| lb. and a hen from 2 to 2| lb. 

 The pheasant as a game bird is most valuable, but to the farmer 

 it is very destructive at times. Nevertheless, it does much 

 good at others. The young feed on insects and small grain, 

 but especially upon ants and ant-cocoons ; but when adult they 

 devour quantities of grain, peas, beans, turnip, red clover, and 

 young wheat. They love, above all, buckwheat. Enormous 

 numbers of wireworm and other insects are destroyed by the 

 pheasant. 



Domesticated GalUnci\ 



Amongst domestic Galliuce 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 prohable oriijin 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 find 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 bankiva or G. ferrugineus), sometimes 



