Chapter VII: Fowls (3)

Judging from the habits of our European gallinaceous birds, _Gallus bankiva_ in its native haunts would use its legs and wings more than do our domestic fowls, which rarely fly except to their roosts. The Silk and the Frizzled fowls, from having imperfect wing-feathers, cannot fly at all; and there is reason to believe that both these breeds are ancient, so that their progenitors during many generations cannot have flown. The Cochins, also, from their short wings and heavy bodies, can hardly fly up to a low perch. Therefore in these breeds, especially in the two first, a considerable diminution in the wing-bones might have been expected, but this is not the case. In every specimen, after disarticulating and cleaning the bones, I carefully compared the relative length of the two main bones of the wing to each other, and of the two main bones of the leg to each other, with those of _G. bankiva_; and it was surprising to see (except in the case of the tarsi) how exactly the same relative length had been retained. This fact is curious, from showing how truly the proportions of an organ may be inherited, although not fully exercised during many generations. I then compared in several breeds the length of the femur and tibia with the humerus and ulna, and likewise these same bones with those of _G. bankiva_; the result was that the wing-bones in all the breeds (except the Burmese Jumper, which has unnaturally short legs, are slightly shortened relatively to the leg-bones; but the decrease is so slight that it may be due to the standard specimen of _G. bankiva_ having accidentally had wings of slightly greater length than usual; so that the measurements are not worth giving. But it deserves notice that the Silk and Frizzled fowls, which are quite incapable of flight, had their wings _less_ reduced relatively to their legs than in almost any other breed! We have seen with domesticated pigeons that the bones of the wings are somewhat reduced in length, whilst the primary feathers are rather increased in length, and it is just possible, though not probable, that in the Silk and Frizzled fowls any tendency to decrease in the length of the wing-bones from disuse may have been checked through the law of compensation, by the decreased growth of the wing-feathers, and consequent increased supply of nutriment. The wing-bones, however, in both these breeds, are found to be slightly reduced in length when judged by the standard of the length of the sternum or head, relatively to these same parts in _G. bankiva._

The actual weight of the main bones of the leg and wing in twelve breeds is given in the two first columns in Table I. The calculated weight of the wing-bones relatively to the leg-bones, in comparison with the leg and wing-bones of _G. bankiva,_ are given in the third column,—the weight of the wing-bones in _G. bankiva_ being called a hundred.[73]

Table I.

Names of Breeds. Actual
Weight
of
Femur
and
Tibia. Actual
Weight of
Humerus
and Ulna. Weight of Wing-
bones relatively to
the Leg-bones in
comparison with
these same bones
in _G. bankiva._ Grains. Grains. Gallus bankiva (wild
male) 86 54 100 1 Cochin
(male) 311 162 83 2 Dorking
(male) 557 248 70 3 Spanish (Minorca)
(male) 386 183 75 4 Gold-Spangled Polish
(male) 306 145 75 5 Game, black-breasted
(male) 293 143 77 6 Malay
(female) 231 116 80 7 Sultan (male) 189
94 79 8 Indian Frizzled (male) 206 88 67
9 Burmese Jumper (female) 53 36 108
10 Hamburgh (pencilled) (male) 157 104 106
11 Hamburgh (pencilled) (female) 114 77 108
12 Silk (black-boned) (female) 88 57 103

In the eight first birds, belonging to distinct breeds, in this table, we see a decided reduction in the weight of the bones of the wing.

In the Indian Frizzled fowl, which cannot fly, the reduction is carried to the greatest extent, namely, to thirty-three per cent of their proper proportional weight. In the next four birds, including the Silk hen, which is incapable of flight, we see that the wings, relatively to the legs, are slightly increased in weight; but it should be observed that, if in these birds the legs had become from any cause reduced in weight, this would give the false appearance of the wings having increased in relative weight. Now a reduction of this nature has certainly occurred with the Burmese Jumper, in which the legs are abnormally short, and in the two Hamburghs and Silk fowl, the legs, though not short, are formed of remarkably thin and light bones. I make these statements, not judging by mere eyesight, but after having calculated the weights of the leg-bones relatively to those of G. bankiva, according to the only two standards of comparison which I could use, namely, the relative lengths of the head and sternum; for I do not know the weight of the body in _G. bankiva,_ which would have been a better standard. According to these standards, the leg-bones in these four fowls are in a marked manner far lighter than in any other breed. It may therefore be concluded that in all cases in which the legs have not been through some unknown cause much reduced in weight, the wing-bones have become reduced in weight relatively to the leg-bones, in comparison with those of _G. bankiva._ And this reduction of weight may, I apprehend, safely be attributed to disuse.

To make Table I quite satisfactory, it ought to have been shown that in the eight first birds the leg-bones have not actually increased in weight out of due proportion with the rest of the body; this I cannot show, from not knowing, as already remarked, the weight of the wild Bankiva.[74] I am indeed inclined to suspect that the leg-bones in the Dorking, No. 2 in the table, are proportionally too heavy; but this bird was a very large one, weighing 7 pounds 2 ounces, though very thin. Its leg-bones were more than ten times as heavy as those of the Burmese Jumper! I tried to ascertain the length both of the leg-bones and wing-bones relatively to other parts of the body and skeleton: but the whole organisation in these birds, which have been so long domesticated, has become so variable, that no certain conclusions could be reached. For instance, the legs of the above Dorking cock were nearly three-quarters of an inch too short relatively to the length of the sternum, and more than three-quarters of an inch too long relatively to the length of the skull, in comparison with these same parts in _G. bankiva._

Table II.

Names of Breeds. Length
of
Sternum. Depth of
Crest of
Sternum Depth of Crest
relatively to the
length of the
Sternum, in
comparison with
_G. bankiva._ Inches. Inches Gallus bankiva
(male) 4·20 1·40 100 1 Cochin
(male) 5·83 1·55 78 2 Dorking
(male) 6·95 1·97 84 3 Spanish
(male) 6·10 1·83 90 4 Polish
(male) 5·07 1·50 87 5 Game
(male) 5·55 1·55 81 6 Malay
(female) 5·10 1·50 87 7 Sultan
(male) 4·47 1·36 90 8 Frizzled hen
(male) 4·25 1·20 84 9 Burmese Jumper
(female) 3·06 0·85 81 10 Hamburgh
(male) 5·08 1·40 81 11 Hamburgh
(female) 4·55 1·26 81 12 Silk fowl
(female) 4·49 1·01 66

In Table II in the two first columns we see in inches and decimals the length of the sternum, and the extreme depth of its crest to which the pectoral muscles are attached. In the third column we have the calculated depth of the crest, relatively to the length of the sternum, in comparison with these same parts in _G. bankiva._[75]

By looking to the third column we see that in every case the depth of the crest relatively to the length of the sternum, in comparison with _G. bankiva,_ is diminished, generally between 10 and 20 per cent. But the degree of reduction varies much, partly in consequence of the frequently deformed state of the sternum. In the Silk fowl, which cannot fly, the crest is 34 per cent less deep than what it ought to have been. This reduction of the crest in all the breeds probably accounts for the great variability, before referred to, in the curvature of the furculum, and in the shape of its sternal extremity. Medical men believe that the abnormal form of the spine so commonly observed in women of the higher ranks results from the attached muscles not being fully exercised. So it is with our domestic fowls, for they use their pectoral muscles but little, and, out of twenty-five sternums examined by me, three alone were perfectly symmetrical, ten were moderately crooked, and twelve were deformed to an extreme degree. Mr. Romanes, however, believes that the malformation is due to fowls whilst young resting their sternums on the sticks on which they roost.

Finally, we may conclude with respect to the various breeds of the fowl, that the main bones of the wing have probably been shortened in a very slight degree; that they have certainly become lighter relatively to the leg-bones in all the breeds in which these latter bones are not unnaturally short or delicate; and that the crest of the sternum, to which the pectoral muscles are attached, has invariably become less prominent, the whole sternum being also extremely liable to deformity. These results we may attribute to the lessened use of the wings.

_Correlation of Growth._—I will here sum up the few facts which I have collected on this obscure, but important, subject. In Cochin and Game fowls there is perhaps some relation between the colour of the plumage and the darkness of the egg-shell. In Sultans the additional sickle-feathers in the tail are apparently related to the general redundancy of the plumage, as shown by the feathered legs, large crest, and beard. In two tailless fowls which I examined the oil-gland was aborted. A large crest of feathers, as Mr. Tegetmeier has remarked, seems always accompanied by a great diminution or almost entire absence of the comb. A large beard is similarly accompanied by diminished or absent wattles. These latter cases apparently come under the law of compensation or balancement of growth. A large beard beneath the lower jaw and a large top-knot on the skull often go together. The comb when of any peculiar shape, as with Horned, Spanish, and Hamburgh fowls, affects in a corresponding manner the underlying skull; and we have seen how wonderfully this is the case with Crested fowls when the crest is largely developed. With the protuberance of the frontal bones the shape of the internal surface of the skull and of the brain is greatly modified. The presence of a crest influences in some unknown way the development of the ascending branches of the premaxillary bone, and of the inner processes of the nasal bones; and likewise the shape of the external orifice of the nostrils. There is a plain and curious correlation between a crest of feathers and the imperfectly ossified condition of the skull. Not only does this hold good with nearly all crested fowls, but likewise with tufted ducks, and as Dr. Gunther informs me with tufted geese in Germany.

Lastly, the feathers composing the crest in male Polish fowls resemble hackles, and differ greatly in shape from those in the crest of the female. The neck, wing-coverts, and loins in the male bird are properly covered with hackles, and it would appear that feathers of this shape have spread by correlation to the head of the male. This little fact is interesting; because, though both sexes of some wild gallinaceous birds have their heads similarly ornamented, yet there is often a difference in the size and shape of feathers forming their crests. Furthermore, there is in some cases, as in the male Gold and in the male Amherst pheasants (_P. pictus_ and _amherstiæ_), a close relation in colour, as well as in structure, between the plumes on the head and on the loins. It would therefore appear that the same law has regulated the state of the feathers on the head and body, both with species living under natural conditions, and with birds which have varied under domestication.

REFERENCES

[1] I have drawn up this brief synopsis from various sources, but chiefly from information given me by Mr. Tegetmeier. This gentleman has kindly looked through this chapter; and from his well-known knowledge, the statements here given may be fully trusted. Mr. Tegetmeier has likewise assisted me in every possible way in obtaining for me information and specimens. I must not let this opportunity pass without expressing my cordial thanks to Mr. B. P. Brent, a well-known writer on poultry, for continuous assistance and the gift of many specimens.

[2] The best account of Sultans is by Miss Watts in ‘The Poultry Yard,’ 1856, p. 79. I owe to Mr. Brent’s kindness the examination of some specimens of this breed.

[3] A good description, with figures, is given of this sub-breed in the ‘Journal of Horticulture,’ June 10, 1862, p. 206.

[4] A description, with figures, is given of this breed in ‘Journal of Horticulture,’ June 3, 1862, p. 186. Some writers describe the comb as two-horned.

[5] Mr. Crawfurd ‘Descript. Dict. of the Indian Islands,’ p. 113. Bantams are mentioned in an ancient native Japanese Encyclopædia, as I am informed by Mr. Birch of the British Museum.

[6] ‘Ornamental and Domestic Poultry,’ 1848.

[7] ‘Ornamental and Domestic Poultry,’ 1848.

[8] Ferguson’s ‘Illustrated Series of Rare and Prize Poultry,’ 1854, p. vi. Preface.

[9] Rev. E. S. Dixon in his ‘Ornamental Poultry,’ p. 203, gives an account of Columella’s work.

[10] Mr. Crawfurd ‘On the Relation of the Domesticated Animals to Civilization,’ separately printed, p. 6; first read before the Brit. Assoc. at Oxford 1860.

[11] ‘Quadrupèdes du Paraguay,’ tom. ii. p. 324.

[12] ‘Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,’ 1832, p. 151.

[13] These feathers have been described by Dr. W. Marshall ‘Der Zoolog. Garten,’ April 1874, p. 124. I examined the feathers of some hybrids raised in the Zoological Gardens between the male _G. sonneratii_ and a red game-hen, and they exhibited the true character of those of _G. sonneratii,_ except that the horny laminæe were much smaller.

[14] _See also_ an excellent letter on the Poultry of India, by Mr. Blyth, in ‘Gardener’s Chronicle,’ 1851, p. 619.

[15] Mr. S. J. Salter, in ‘Natural History Review,’ April 1863, p. 276.

[16] _See also_ Mr. Layard’s paper in ‘Annals and Mag. of Nat. History,’ 2nd series, vol. xiv. p. 62.

[17] _See also_ Mr. Crawfurd’s ‘Descriptive Dict. of the Indian Islands,’ 1856, p. 113.

[18] Described by Mr. G. R. Gray, ‘Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,’ 1849, p. 62.

[19] The passage from Marsden is given by Mr. Dixon in his ‘Poultry Book,’ p. 176. No ornithologist now ranks this bird as a distinct species.

[20] ‘Coup-d’œeil général sur l’Inde Archipélagique,’ tom. iii. (1849) p. 177; _see also_ Mr. Blyth in ‘Indian Sporting Review,’ vol. ii. p. 5, 1856.

[21] Mr. Blyth, in ‘Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.,’ 2nd ser., vol. i. (1848), p. 455.

[22] Crawfurd, ‘Desc. Dict. of Indian Islands,’ 1856, p. 112.

[23] In Burmah, as I hear from Mr. Blyth, the wild and tame poultry constantly cross together, and irregular transitional forms may be seen.

[24] Ibid. p. 113.

[25] Mr. Jerdon, in the ‘Madras Journ. of Lit. and Science,’ vol. xxii. p. 2, speaking of _G. bankiva,_ says, “unquestionably the origin of most of the varieties of our common fowls.” For Mr. Blyth _see_ his excellent article in ‘Gardener’s Chron.,’ 1851, p. 619; and in ‘Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.,’ vol. xx., 1847, p. 388.

[26] ‘Gardener’s Chronicle,’ 1851, p. 619.

[27] I have consulted an eminent authority, Mr. Sclater, on this subject, and he thinks that I have not expressed myself too strongly. I am aware that one ancient author, Acosta, speaks of fowls as having inhabited S. America at the period of its discovery; and more recently, about 1795, Olivier de Serres speaks of wild fowls in the forests of Guiana; these were probably feral birds. Dr. Daniell tells me, he believes that fowls have become wild on the west coast of Equatorial Africa; they may, however, not be true fowls, but gallinaceous birds belonging to the genus Phasidus. The old voyager Barbut says that poultry are not natural to Guinea. Capt. W. Allen (‘Narrative of Niger Expedition,’ 1848, vol. ii. p. 42) describes wild fowls on Ilha dos Rollas, an island near St. Thomas’s on the west coast of Africa; the natives informed him that they had escaped from a vessel wrecked there many years ago; they were extremely wild and had “a cry quite different to that of the domestic fowl,” and their appearance was somewhat changed. Hence it is not a little doubtful, notwithstanding the statement of the natives, whether these birds really were fowls. That the fowl has become feral on several islands is certain. Mr. Fry, a very capable judge, informed Mr. Layard, in a letter, that the fowls which have run wild on Ascension “had nearly all got back to their primitive colours, red, and black cocks, and smoky-grey hens.” But unfortunately we do not know the colour of the poultry which were turned out. Fowls have become feral on the Nicobar Islands (Blyth in the ‘Indian Field,’ 1858, p. 62), and in the Ladrones (Anson’s Voyage). Those found in the Pellew Islands (Crawfurd) are believed to be feral; and lastly, it is asserted that they have become feral in New Zealand, but whether this is correct I know not.

[28] Mr. Hewitt, in ‘The Poultry Book,’ by W. B. Tegetmeier, 1866, p. 248.

[29] ‘Journal of Horticulture,’ Jan. 14th, 1862, p. 325.

[30] ‘Die Hühner- und Pfauenzucht,’ Ulm, 1827, s. 17. For Mr. Hewitt’s statement with respect to the white Silk fowl _see_ the ‘Poultry Book,’ by W. B. Tegetmeier, 1866, p. 222. I am indebted to Mr. Orton for a letter on the same subject.

[31] Dixon ‘Ornamental and Domestic Poultry,’ p. 253, 324, 335. For game fowls, _see_ Ferguson on ‘Prize Poultry,’ p. 260.

[32] ‘Poultry Chronicle,’ vol. ii. p. 71.

[33] ‘Die vorgeschichtlichen Alterthümer,’ II. Theil, 1872, p. 5. Dr. Pickering, in his ‘Races of Man,’ 1850, p. 374, says that the head and neck of a fowl is carried in a Tribute-procession to Thoutmousis III. (1445 B.C.); but Mr. Birch of the British Museum doubts whether the figure can be identified as the head of a fowl. Some caution is necessary with reference to the absence of figures of the fowl on the ancient Egyptian monuments, on account of the strong and widely prevalent prejudice against this bird. I am informed by the Rev. S. Erhardt that on the east coast of Africa, from 4° to 6° south of the equator, most of the pagan tribes at the present day hold the fowl in aversion. The natives of the Pellew Islands would not eat the fowl nor will the Indians in some parts of S. America. For the ancient history of the fowl _ see also_ Volz ‘Beiträge zur Culturgeschichte,’ 1852, s. 77; and Isid. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, ‘Hist. Nat. Gén.,’ tom. iii. p. 61. Mr. Crawfurd has given an admirable history of the fowl in his paper ‘On the Relation of Domesticated Animals to Civilisation,’ read before the Brit. Assoc. at Oxford in 1860, and since printed separately. I quote from him on the Greek poet Theognis, and on the Harpy Tomb described by Sir C. Fellowes. I quote from a letter of Mr. Blyth’s with respect to the Institutes of Manu.

[34] ‘Ornamental and Domestic Poultry,’ 1847, p. 185; for passages translated from Columella, _see_ p. 312. For Golden Hamburghs _see_ Albin’s ‘Natural History of Birds,’ 3 vols., with plates 1731-38.

[35] ‘Ornamental and Domestic Poultry,’ p. 152.

[36] Ferguson on ‘Rare Prize Poultry,’ p. 297. This writer, I am informed, cannot generally be trusted. He gives, however, figures and much information on eggs. _See_ pp. 34 and 235 on the eggs of the Game fowl.

[37] _See_ ‘Poultry Book,’ by Mr. Tegetmeier, 1866, pp. 81 and 78.

[38] ‘The Cottage Gardener,’ Oct. 1855, p. 13. On the thinness of the eggs of Game-fowls _see_ Mowbray on Poultry, 7th edit., p. 13.

[39] My information, which is very far from perfect, on chickens in the down, is derived chiefly from Mr. Dixon’s ‘Ornamental and Domestic Poultry.’ Mr. B. P. Brent has also communicated to me many facts by letter, as has Mr. Tegetmeier. I will in each case mark my authority by the name within brackets. For the chickens of white Silk-fowls _see_ Tegetmeier’s ‘Poultry Book,’ 1866, p. 221.

[40] As I hear from Mr. Tegetmeier; _see also_ ‘Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,’ 1856, p. 366. On the late development of the crest _ see_ ‘Poultry Chronicle,’ vol. ii. p. 132.

[41] On these points, _see_ ‘Poultry Chronicle,’ vol. iii. p. 166; and Tegetmeier’s ‘Poultry Book,’ 1866, pp. 105 and 121.

[42] Dixon, ‘Ornamental and Domestic Poultry,’ p. 273.

[43] Ferguson on ‘Rare and Prize Poultry,’ p. 261.

[44] Mowbray on Poultry, 7th edit., 1834, p. 13.

[45] _See_ the full description of the varieties of the Game-breed in Tegetmeier’s ‘Poultry Book,’ 1866, p. 131. For Cuckoo Dorkings, p. 97.

[46] Mr. Hewitt in Tegetmeier’s ‘Poultry Book,’ 1866, pp. 246 and 156. For hen-tailed game-cocks, _see_ p. 131.

[47] ‘The Field,’ April 20th, 1861. The writer says he has seen half-a-dozen cocks thus sacrificed.

[48] ‘Proceedings of Zoolog. Soc.,’ March 1861, p. 102. The engraving of the hen-tailed cock just alluded to was exhibited before the Society.

[49] ‘The Field,’ April 20th, 1861.

[50] I am much indebted to Mr. Brent for an account, with sketches, of all the variations of the comb known to him, and likewise with respect to the tail as presently to be given.

[51] The ‘Poultry Book,’ by Tegetmeier, 1866, p. 234.

[52] ‘Die Hühner-und Pfauenzucht,’ 1827, s. 11.

[53] ‘Poultry Chronicle,’ vol. i. p. 595. Mr. Brent has informed me of the same fact. With respect to the position of the spurs in Dorkings _see_ ‘Cottage Gardener,’ Sept. 18th, 1860, p. 380.

[54] Dixon, ‘Ornamental and Domestic Poultry,’ p. 320.

[55] Mr. Tegetmeier informs me that Game hens have been found so combative, that it is now generally the practice to exhibit each hen in a separate pen.

[56] ‘Naturgeschichte Deutschlands,’ Band iii. (1793), s. 339, 407.

[57] On the Ornithology of Ceylon in ‘Annals and Mag. of Nat. History,’ 2nd series, vol. xiv. (1854), p. 63.

[58] ‘Handbuch der vergleich. Anatomie,’ 1805, p. 85, note. Mr. Tegetmeier, who gives in ‘Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,’ Nov. 25th, 1856, a very interesting account of the skulls of Polish fowls, not knowing of Bechstein’s account, has disputed the accuracy of Blumenbach’s statement. For Bechstein _see_ ‘Naturgeschichte Deutschlands,’ Band iii. (1793), s. 399, note. I may add that at the first exhibition of Poultry at the Zoological Gardens in May, 1845, I saw some fowls, called Friezland fowls, of which the hens were crested, and the cocks furnished with a comb.

[59] ‘Cottage Gardener,’ Jan. 3rd, 1860, p. 218.

[60] Mr. Williams, in a paper read before the Dublin Nat. Hist. Soc., quoted in ‘Cottage Gardener,’ 1856, p. 161.

[61] ‘De l’Espèce,’ 1859, p. 442. For the occurrence of black-boned fowls in South America, _see_ Roulin in ‘Mém. de l’Acad. des Sciences,’ tom. vi. p. 351; and Azara, ‘Quadrupèdes du Paraguay,’ tom. ii. p. 324. A frizzled fowl sent to me from Madras had black bones.

[62] Mr. Hewitt, in Tegetmeier’s ‘Poultry Book,’ 1866, p. 231.

[63] Dr. Broca, in Brown-Séquard’s ‘Journal de Phys.,’ tom. ii. p. 361.

[64] Dixon’s ‘Ornamental Poultry,’ p. 325.

[65] ‘Poultry Chronicle,’ vol. i. p. 485. Tegetmeier’s ‘Poultry Book,’ 1866, p. 41. On Cochins grazing, ibid., p. 46.

[66] Ferguson on ‘Prize Poultry,’ p. 87.

[67] Col. Sykes in ‘Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,’ 1832, p. 151. Dr. Hooker’s ‘Himalayan Journals,’ vol. i. p. 314.

[68] _See_ Mr. Tegetmeier’s account with woodcuts of the skull of Polish fowls in ‘Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,’ Nov. 25th, 1856. For other references, _see_ Isid. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, ‘Hist. Gén. des Anomalies,’ tom. i. p. 287. M. C. Dareste suspects (‘Recherches sur les Conditions de la Vie,’ etc., Lille 1863, p. 36) that the protuberance is not formed by the frontal bones, but by the ossification of the dura mater.

[69] ‘Naturgeschichte Deutschlands,’ Band iii. (1793), s. 400.

[70] The ‘Field,’ May 11th, 1861. I have received communications to a similar effect from Messrs. Brent and Tegetmeier.

[71] It appears that I have not correctly designated the several groups of vertebræ, for a great authority, Mr. W. K. Parker (‘Transact. Zoolog. Soc.,’ vol. v. p. 198), specifies 16 cervical, 4 dorsal, 15 lumbar, and 6 caudal vertebræ in this genus. But I have used the same terms in all the following descriptions.

[72] Macgillivray, ‘British Birds,’ vol. i. p. 25.

[73] It may be well to explain how the calculation has been made for the third column. In _G. bankiva_ the leg-bones are to the wing-bones as 86 : 54, or as (neglecting decimals) 100 : 62;—in Cochins as 311 : 162, or as 100 : 52;—in Dorkings as 557 : 248, or as 100 : 44; and so on for the other breeds. We thus get the series of 62, 52, 44 for the relative weights of the wing-bones in _G. bankiva,_ Cochins, Dorkings, etc. And now taking 100, instead of 62, for the weight of the wing-bones in _G. bankiva,_ we get, by another rule of three, 83 as the weight of the wing-bones in Cochins; 70 in the Dorkings; and so on for the remainder of the third column in the table.

[74] Mr. Blyth (in ‘Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.,’ 2nd series, vol. i., 1848, p. 456) gives 3¼ pounds as the weight of a full-grown male _G. bankiva_; but from what I have seen of the skins and skeletons of various breeds, I cannot believe that my two specimens of _G. bankiva_ could have weighed so much.

[75] The third column is calculated on the same principle as explained in footnote 73 above.