Probable Origin of the Domestic Fowl. 
507 
still known ; and developed through the Callus Bankiva into the Games, while other breeds were 
reached through collateral branches, now either extinct, or possibly still further modified into 
the present other three known races. It is no objection whatever to such a theory that “ the four 
known species have not become extinct,” as Mr. Darwin says; the simple fact being that such four 
are “ known ” merely because they are “ not extinct.” That one of these collateral branches was 
of great size, and in some points resembled the Brahma more than either Cochin or Malay, we 
think probable. We shall see that the turkey rather degenerated than increased in size by 
domestication ; and we shall also see that clever naturalists in that case resorted to the theory of 
an extinct breed on very far slighter grounds than those we have briefly sketched out. It is, there- 
fore, possible enough that some wild species or variety of greater size than any now known may 
have either disappeared or become degraded. At all events, we are compelled to see weighty and 
solid reasons for believing that at least some of the peculiarities of other existing wild races, 
besides that adopted by Mr. Darwin, are represented in some of the races of our domestic poultry. 
More positive conclusions than these, we do not feel at present that there are facts enough to enable 
us to frame. 
