278 
ORIGINAL ARTICLES. 
inter se. The experiments, however, disappointing as they were, 
gave physiological indications of interest and significance. 
The birds intended to be bred from were associated in this 
order:— 
I. Pure G. Sonneratii cock, with half-bred (Sonnerat-bankiva) 
hens: 
II. Half-bred Sonnerat-Bankiva cock, with similar hens : 
III. Half-bred furcatus-Bankiva cock, with hens i furcatus 
■f Bankiva. 
In all cases the mating of the birds appeared to be satisfactory, 
and the cocks performed their marital duties with vigour. An 
enormous number of eggs were obtained; but few chickens were 
hatched, and of those a very small proportion survived. Out of some 
500 eggs set under hens, only 12 chickens were reared, and of these 
only three were from hybrids breeding inter se , the other nine being 
the produce of a pure-species cock with hybrid hens. 
The nature of these failures was pretty much the same in all 
three combinations of cocks and hens above indicated, though the 
proportion differed somewhat. The character of the results may be 
stated summarily as follows :—The majority of the eggs showed that 
they had been fertilized. A large minority gave no such indication, 
being addled. A majority of the fertile eggs underwent partial 
development, nearly to maturity, and then aborted; or, being 
mature, the chickens failed to escape from the shell. Of the chickens 
hatched the very great majority (more than four-fifths) died within 
the first few days, or few w T eeks at latest, without any obvious cause , 
apparently from a mere inability to live. Yery many of the chickens 
were deformed : all such died early. 
266 eggs were set under hens at the Zoological Gardens : nearly 
the same number were sent to the country, and there incubated. 
The results at the Gardens were carefully noted, and were as follows 
-—the numbers I., II„ and III. corresponding with the combinations 
of the birds as before indicated :— 
Chickens Chickens Partly 
Eggs set. hatched, living. Dead. developed. 
I. 
228 
45 
9 
36 
43 
II. 
20 
1 
1 
0 
8 
III. 
18 
3 
2 
1 
5 
Eggs 
addled. 
95 
10 
7 
Prom the eggs sent to the country not one chicken was reared. 
In other respects the results were much the same as those at the 
Gardens. I only received numerical records of three settings, which 
consisted of all three kinds of eggs mixed promiscuously in about 
equal proportions. The following was the result:—• 
Eggs set. Chickens hatched. Chickens living. Dead. Partly developed. Eggs addled 
89 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 10 
I may mention that of the four chickens hatched one was furcatus- 
Bankiva, three were Sonnerat-Bankiva, 
