HOUWINK’S EXPER. CONC. THE ORIGIN OF SOME DOMESTIC ANIMALS 43 
l’on doive à l’héridité de cette espèce tous les types de crête qui s’éloig- 
nent de la forme ordinaire en peigne, propre du G. bankiva, sonnerati et 
lafayetti. D'abord la race de Sumatra, pourrait être le produit d’une 
ségrégation exercée sur le recroisement des poules domestiques indien- 
nes avec Gallus temminckii: sa crête est basse, sans dent ni lobes, les 
barbillons sont rudimentaires, la peau de la gorge, rouge, forme un 
petit pli médian. La crête des Combattants indiens peut aussi se consi- 
dérer comme intermédiaire par la forme, entre celle du bankiva et celle 
du varius. Mais il y a une autre observation, qui confirme mon opinion 
là dessus. 
En 1920, j'ai trouvé dans une ferme près de Castel S. Pietro Emilia, 
un jeune coq ordinaire, qui avait le bord de la créte entier comme chez 
le G. varius. Je Vachetai, et le fis reproduire avec des poules normales: 
tous les produits de F1 furent normaux, mais chez F? il parut plusieurs 
coqs avec la crête non dentelée ou peu dentelée, et il y en eut un qui 
avait la crête bourgeonnée comme celle des Nègres à soie et des Com- 
battants indiens”. 
Gallus varius is not common in zoological gardens. Of eleven Javan 
jungle fowl which have been kept in the London Zoo, one lived for five 
years and two months, while the average length of life was about two 
years. 
The difficulty with which hybrids are produced in Java diminishes 
under other conditions. In the New York Zoological Park adult Javan 
variuscockshave mated readily with bantam hens,and as many as five 
out of a clutch of six eggs have proved fertile and the chicks raised to 
maturity. The only account of the act of pairing which is known to us 
was furnished by Mr. HOUwINK ; it is,as will be seen, a very curious one: 
„In the spring of 1915, the varius-cock received from Mr. DE Bas 
—a fancier at the Hague — was put with 3 bankiva-hens in an aviary, 
where the animals could stay, during the night, in a coop, heated bygas. 
During the day the cock walked about with the hens, each of which had 
a separate laying-place as bankiva’s never deposit their eggs in one ano- 
ther’s nests. These hens made many avances, but the cock refused to 
pair. Gradually he struck up a friendship with one of the hens, while he 
picked at the other ones (indication of monogamy!), but no pairing 
took place. The two rejected hens were now removed and the friend- 
ship with the other one increased daily. While previously the three ban- 
kiva hens roosted together, the remaining one now joined the cock on 
