RED JUNGLEFOWL © | 207 
Strangest of all is the historical distribution of the cock in Egypt. The Egyptians, 
who reached far and wide through their dependencies for strange creatures and objects, 
whose artists crystallized in exquisite sculptured bas-relief and paintings even the 
separate species of ducks and geese, doves and quail with which they were familiar, 
could never have failed to depict the characteristic mien, or the comb, hackles or tail of 
the cock, had they known that bird. Yet before the Roman period there is no image 
on Egyptian monuments, nor word or sign for cock in their language. It is strange 
that no hint of chickens or casual fowls should have been brought by the Persians or 
the Grecian mercenaries of Psammetichus. However we may fail to explain the silence 
of all the dynasties, no cock or hen is known to have reached Egypt at an earlier date 
than 50 B.C. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
ADULT Marr.—As I have emphasized in the course of narration of this species, the 
constant interchange of blood, the continued crossing of the wild Red Junglefowl with 
native birds, has brought about an amount of variation in both habits and coloration 
which is unique among. pheasants. The following descriptions of the birds refer to 
specimens which appear to be pure-blooded, from birds which were secured at a 
considerable distance from human habitation. 
Top of the head, neck and upper mantle orange red or dark orange, the longer 
hackles paling posteriorly into orange or orange-yellow. This latter colour is confined 
to a very wide disintegrated border, the concealed central, solid portions of the vane 
varying from slightly darker to a smoky brown. These hackles are slender and greatly 
elongated, covering and concealing the real feathers of the mantle and upper back. Mid- 
mantle dull brown, sometimes showing a purplish sheen. Lower mantle and lesser 
coverts glossed with purplish blue or green. A line of feathers bordering the entire 
ventral border of the hackles, scapulars, central line of the lower back and median 
wing-coverts rich dark maroon red, shading into orange-red or orange on the long, soft, 
hackle-like feathers of the sides of the back, rump and upper tail-coverts. Most of the 
maroon feathers have a concealed zone of iridescent green. Greater primary coverts dull 
brown; secondary coverts black, strongly glossed with purplish green. Flight feathers 
brownish black, the outer margin of the primaries pale brownish buff and the outer half 
of the outer webs of the secondaries chestnut-buff anteriorly, deepening into tawny 
toward the tips of the feathers. This colour gradually disappears from the inner 
secondaries, and is replaced on the tertiaries by a gloss of green. Longer upper 
tail-coverts solidly glossed with green; the central tail-feathers lack this sheen along the 
shaft and toward the tip, while it dies out on the lateral rectrices, leaving them dull dark 
brown. There is no green gloss on the underside of any of the feathers. Ventral surface 
of the neck, breast and all the under parts uniform brownish black, faintly glossed with 
greenish. A fleshy, bare, deeply notched comb arises from the forehead and crown. 
There are two rounded gular wattles, and a large lappet growing just beneath the 
opening of each ear. 
The bill is dark brown, sometimes reddish toward the base in full-coloured males, 
and paler at the tip of the lower mandible. The legs and feet are lead-coloured or slaty, 
sometimes rather brown, purplish or tinged with greenish, while again they may be pale 
