44 LOTSY AND KUIPER, A PRELIM. STATEMENT OF THE RESULTS OF MR. 
the branch of the tree on which he used to pass the night and very soon 
both were inseparable, but no copulation occurred. All eggs laid by the 
bankiva were sterile, so that there was reason to believe that no copu- 
lation had passed unnoticed either. To promote intercourse all small 
birds, up till now present in the aviary, were removed, different plants 
and shrubswere planted, a fountain erected, and a grassplot made. The 
cock, after this renovation, became much more lively; the pair evi- 
dently looked for a nestingplace, the cock executed — like a phea- 
sant — all kinds of gracefull movements, quite different from the 
courting of ordinary cocks, but still no pairing took place. 
Rather late in the summer, towards August, cock and hen became 
more intimate. Mr. HOUWINK from then on, watched the animals, eve- 
ry night after the evening-feeding, taking care not to be seen himself 
in the hope of observing the act of copulation. Finally he was success- 
full, although his first thought was, that the cock intended to kill the 
hen. After a number of courtshipmotions, during which the tail was 
dragged over the ground, the cock attacked the hen, drags her by the 
comb over the ground, picks and hits around him with the spurs, until 
the comb bled. Mr. H. was fully convinced that he would kill the hen. 
She resisted furiously, fought the cock, but finally tumbled down, pan- 
ting, more dead then alive. The cock now seized her at the head and 
flew with her on the branch on which they used to roost. The hen offe- 
red no longer any resistence grasped the branch firmly and the copu- 
lation took place. 
This was repeated nightly during a week. The hen, a few days later, 
began to make a nest on the ground in which she deposited 10 eggs, 
from which 3 chicks were hatched.” 
Of Gallus varius BEEBE gives the following detailed description. 
Adult Male: Comb, face, wattle and fore-neck bare of feathers. Ear- 
coverts dull brown ; top of head, back and sides of neck and upper part 
of the mantle, corresponding to the elongated hackles of our jungle- 
fowl, composed of short and square tipped feathers, with the visible 
portion raised into a convex transverse band, the vane itself being thus 
moulded into a rounded terminal ridge. This is exactly similar to the 
corresponding structure in the feathers of the pheasant-genera Lophura 
and Lobiophasis. The base of the feathers is a dull brownish black, part 
of this zone showing when the feathers lie naturally. Just before the dis- 
tal curved section, the black shows a very faint violet gloss, then sud- 
