Chap. VII. 



OSTEOLOGICAL DIFFEKENCES. 



265 



are well developed. In another Turkish breed, called Ghoondooks, the skull 

 is considerably protuberant and perforated ; the ascending branches of the 

 premaxillary are so much aborted that they project only y^th of an inch ; 

 and the inner processes of the nasal bone are so completely aborted, that 

 the surface where they should have projected is quite smooth. Here then 

 we see these two bones modified to an extreme degree. Of Sultans (another 

 Turkish breed) I examined two skulls ; in that of the female the protuber- 

 ance was much larger than in the male. In both skulls the ascending 

 branches of the premaxillary were very short, and in both the basal 

 portion of the inner processes of the nasal bones were ossified together. 

 These Sultan skulls differed from those of English Polish fowls in the 

 frontal bones, anteriorly to the protuberance, not being broad. 



The last skull which I need describe is a unique one, lent to me by Mr. 

 Tegetmeier : it resembles a Polish skull in most of its characters, but has 

 not the great frontal protuberance ; it has, however, two rounded knobs of 

 a different nature, which stand more in front, above the lachrymal bones. 



Fig. 36.— Skull of Horned Fowl, of natural size, viewed from above, a little obliquely. 

 (In the possession of Mr. Tegetmeier.) 



-These curious knobs, into which the brain does not enter, are sepa- 

 rated from each other by a deep medial furrow; and this is perforated 

 by a few minute pores. The nasal bones stand rather wide apart, with 

 their inner processes, and the ascending branches of the premaxillary, up- 

 turned and shortened. The two knobs no doubt supported the two great 

 horn-like projections of the comb. 



From the foregoing facts we see in how astonishing a manner some of the 

 bones of the skull vary in Crested fowls. The protuberance may certainly 

 be called in one sense a monstrosity, as being wholly unlike anything 

 observed in nature : but as in ordinary cases it is not injurious to the bird, 

 and as it is strictly inherited, it can hardly in another sense be called a 

 monstrosity. A series may be formed commencing with the black-boned 

 Silk fowl, which has a very small crest with the skull beneath penetrated 

 only by a few minute orifices, but with no other change in its structure ; and 

 from this first stage we may proceed to fowls with a moderately large crest, 

 which rests, according to Bechstein, on a fleshy mass, but without any pro- 



