248 FOWLS. Chap. VII 



Hntton, well known for his researches into the natural history of 

 India, informs me that he has seen several crossed fowls from the 

 wild species and the Chinese bantam ; these crossed fowls bred freely 

 with bantams, but unfortunately were not crossed inter se. Captain 

 Hutton reared chickens from the eggs of the Gallus bankiva; and 

 those, though at first very wild, afterwards became so tame that jjhey 

 would crowd round his feet. He did not succeed in rearing them 

 to maturity ; but as he remarks, " no wild gallinaceous bird thrives 

 well at first on hard grain." Mr. Bly th also found much difficulty in 

 keeping G. bankiva in confinement. In the Philippine Islands, 

 however, the natives must succeed better, as they keep wild cocks 

 to fight with their domestic game-birds. 22 Sir Walter Elliot informs 

 me that the hen of a native domestic breed of Pegu is undistinguish- 

 able from the hen of the wild G. bankiva ; and the natives constantly 

 catch wild cocks by taking tame cocks to fight with them in the 

 woods. 23 Mr. Crawfurd remarks that from etymology it might be 

 argued that the fowl was first domesticated by the Malays and 

 Javanese. 24 It is also a curious fact, of which I have been assured 

 by Mr. Blyth, that wild specimens of the Gallus bankiva, brought 

 from the countries east of the Bay of Bengal, are far more easily 

 tamed than those of India ; nor is this an unparalleled fact, for, as 

 Humboldt long ago remarked, the same species sometimes evinces a 

 more tameable disposition in one country than in another. If we 

 suppose that the G m b.mkiva was first tamed in Malaya and afterwards 

 imported into India, we can understand an observation made to me 

 by Mr. Blyth, that the domestic fowls of India do not resemble the 

 wild G. bankiva of India more closely than do those of Europe. 



From the extremely close resemblance in colour, general 

 structure, and especially in voice, between Gallus bankiva and 

 the Game fowl; from their fertility, as far as this has been 

 ascertained, when crossed ; from the possibility of the wild 

 species being tamed, and from its varying in the wild state, 

 we may confidently look at it as the parent of the most 

 typical of all the domestic breeds, namely, the Game fowl. 

 It is a significant fnct, that almost all the naturalists in 

 India, namely Sir W. Elliot. Mr. S. X. Ward, Mr. Layard, 

 Mr. J. C. Jerdon, and 31 r. Blyth, 25 who are familiar with 

 G. bankiva, believe that it is the parent of most or aU our 



22 Crawfurd. ' Dese. Diet, of Indian Juiirn. of Lit. and Science.' vol. xxii. 

 Islands,' 1856. p. 112. p. 2, speaking of G. bankiva, says, "un- 



23 In Burmah. as I hear from Mr. questionably the origin of most of the 

 Blyth, the wilJ and tame poultry con- varieties of our common fowls." For 

 stantly cross together, and irregular Mr. Blyth, see his excellent article in 

 transitional forms may be seen. 'Gardener's Chron.,' 1851, p. 619; 



24 Ibid. p. 113. and in 'Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.,' 

 86 Mr. Jerdon, in the ; Madras vul. xa., 1847, p. 388. 



