THE BREEDS 49 



been brought about by the conditions of domestication, 

 particularly selection' and feeding. 



The bird which he selected as the probable ancestor of the 

 hen was the species of jungle fowl known as Gallus Bankiva 

 which is still to be found in the jungles of Burmah, Northern 

 India, the Philippine Islands, and several other countries. 



The Bankiva male very closely resembles the black- 

 breasted red game in color of plumage. The female [has 

 a salmon-colored breast, striped neck feathers, andstippled 



^ Jungle fowl (Gallus Bankiva) . 



body feathers almost identical with those of the modern brown 

 Leghorn female. In voice both male and female resemble 

 the common barnyard fowl. The crow of the wild male, 

 however, is not so prolonged as in the case of his domesti- 

 cated brother. In action they are quite similar to the 

 modern Leghorn. 



These birds cross readily with domestic breeds, producing 

 fertile offspring and are themselves easily domesticated. 



While these considerations seem to point toward the 

 Bankiva as one ancestor of the hen as we know her, they ' 

 4 



