The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
498 
such plates, the shaft of the feather contracting after the first and then again expanding. The 
breast and back are generally a rich grey, verging into black or blue dun ; the tail black, brilliantly 
glossed with green ; and the bill, legs, and feet yellow. Occasionally yellow is found in the 
hackles o.nd other plumage. The hen is generally of a brown or partridge-colour on the upper 
parts, and greyish white on the breast, passing into almost pure white under the throat. Traces of 
the peculiar horny plates have been found in the hen, but are not common. 
1 he crow of the cock is agreed by all to differ somewhat from that of the ordinary fowl. 
Colonel Sykes says it resembles the crow of the Bantam ; Jerdon says it “is very peculiar, being a 
bioken and imperfect kind of crow, impossible to describe;” and Mr. Darwin affirms that “its 
voice is utterly different. ” 
The Sonnerat Fowl has been more kept and bred in England than any other of the Jungle 
Fowls, owing no doubt to its attractive appearance. Mr. Jamrach has imported many of them ; but 
in many cases, from ignorance of its habits, or, as we believe, from “too much kindness,” they have 
not done well. We have, however, been kindly furnished in several instances with notes upon this 
beautiful bird, and the results of breeding it in confinement, which will be read with interest on 
account of the little practically known hitherto upon the subject. 
Mr. J. Charlton Parr, of Grappenhall Heyes, Warrington, writes us as follows: — 
“The only breed of Jungle Fowls I have kept is the Sonnerat, of which I bought a pair of 
imported birds from Mr. Jamrach. The hen laid twice — I mean two separate litters of four eggs 
each time — the first year, and showed a strong disposition to sit ; but I took the eggs each time 
and put them under Bantams : three or four were hatched, and one lived till about half-grov/n, but 
then sickened and died. The next year the hen laid three litters of four eggs (seemingly the 
invariable number, being never more and never less at a time), and I succeeding in rearing five 
birds, a cock and four hens. These were as tame as ordinary fowls, and came to the whistle. I 
gave two of the hens away (one of them to the Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, London), and 
one I think died by some accident. The cock was a very fine bird, but during the winter, just 
as he had attained his handsome plumage, a weasel killed him ; the old cock died soon after, and 
so my chances of further increase were at an end. The old hen lived a long time, seemed perfectly 
strong and healthy, and not to suffer at all from the severest weather. The old cock was looking 
‘seedy’ at one time, and I thought not likely to live, so byway of experiment I turned him 
loose in the depth of winter, with even snow on the ground ; he soon began to improve, and in a 
month’s time was quite recovered. 
“ The crow of the cock bird was very extraordinary, not like the crow of a cock, but more like 
the scream of a peacock ; and the hen’s voice, too, was unlike that of the domestic hen. I feel 
confident myself that the Sonnerat Fowl is not at all events the parent of any of our breeds of 
Game Fowl. I did not succeed in crossing with common fowl ; though I put a hen Game Bantam 
with the Sonnerat cock, he never seemed to take the least notice of her, except to drive her away. 
I was surprised to notice that the eggs always hatched in seventeen or eighteen days, instead of 
the time needed for the incubation of the Domestic Fowl.” 
Mr. G. Nevile, of Stubton, Newark, again, writes us as follows: — 
“ In answer to your questions, I bought a pair of Jungle Fowl [Sonnerat] in 1863, and for seven 
years continued to breed from them and one pair of their progeny, with more or less success; 
rearing sometimes one pair, once two pair, but frequently none, as I found that unless they were 
vety forward and healthy birds they could not stand the approach of winter, even though placed 
in warmed houses with yards for exercise. I never could rear enough to allow them to run wild. 
They had generally two months or so of run in an enclosed small paddock in the late summer, but 
