250 FOWLS. chap, VIIi 



dark spots on the head and rump, with occasionally a longitudinal 

 stripe (Dixon) on the back of the neck. I have seen only one 

 chicken of the silver-spangled Hamburgh, and this, was obscurely striped 

 along the back. Gold-spangled Polish chickens (Tegetmeier) are of a 

 warm russet brown ; and silver-spangled Polish chickens are grey, some- 

 times (Dixon) with dashes of ochre on the head, wings, and breast. 

 Cuckoo and blue-dun fowls (Dixon) are grey in the down. The chickens 

 of Sebright Bantams (Dixon) are uniformly dark brown, whilst those of 

 the brown-breasted red Game Bantam are black, with some white on the 

 throat and breast. From these facts we see that the chickens of the 

 different breeds, and even of the same main breed, differ much in their 

 downy plumage ; and, although longitudinal stripes characterise the young 

 of all wild gallinaceous birds, they disappear in several domestic breeds. 

 Perhaps it may be accepted as a general rule that the more the adult 

 plumage differs from that of the adult G. bankiva, the more completely the 

 chickens have lost their proper stripes. 



With respect to the period of life at which the characters 

 proper to each breed first appear, it is obvious that such 

 structures as additional toes must be formed long before birth. 

 In Polish fowls, the extraordinary protuberance of the anterior 

 part of the skull is well developed before the chickens come 

 out of the egg ; 40 but the crest, which is supported on the pro- 

 tuberance, is at first feebly developed, nor does it attain its full 

 size until the second year. The Spanish cock is pre-eminent 

 for his magnificent comb, and this is developed at an unusually 

 early age ; so that the young males can be distinguished from 

 the females when only a few weeks old, and therefore earlier 

 than in other breeds ; they likewise crow very early, namely, 

 when about six weeks old. In the Dutch sub-breed of the 

 Spanish fowl the white ear-lappets are developed earlier than 

 in the common Spanish breed. 41 Cochins are characterised 

 by a small tail, and in the young cocks the tail is developed 

 at an unusually late period. 42 Game fowls are notorious for 

 their pugnacity ; and the young cocks crow, clap their little 

 wings, and obstinately fight with each other, even whilst 

 under their mother's care. 43 "I have often had," says one 



40 As I hear from Mr. Tegetmeier ; meier's ' Poultry Book/ 1866, pp. 105 

 see also ' Proc. Zoolog. Soe.' 1856, p. 366. and 121. 



On the late development of the crest, 42 Dixon, ■ Ornamental and Domestic 



see ' Poultry Chronicle,' vol. ii. p. 132. Poultry,' p. 273. 



41 On these points, see 'Poultry Chro- 43 Ferguson on Pare and Prize 

 nicle/ vol. iii. p. 166 ; and Teget- Poultry, p. 261. 



