The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-09-02

the individuals which correspond most closely to their ideals and mating these, process which Is continued generation after generation until new type has become fixed.
 This, of course, is all there is to it, a simple, easy, demonstrable principle, although most people outside the fra rernity of breeders of poultry, horses, stock and other human assistants have no conception of the remarkable re- suits that have been achieved. some times within a very few years. The improvement of the game cock-one of doubtful value to humanity-is in direct illustration. In some parts of this country, and particularly in sev- eral of the Southern States, process prevails of farming out large number Of roosters together and allowing the better fighters among them to triumph over the feeble. The strong perpetuate their kind so that generation after generation an increasingly doughty class of fighting cocks is evolved. The men in this nefarious business, having a certain end in view, are able to pro duce varieties which have the abbre- viated comb. sharp spurs, and general lack of appendages easily fastened upon, which are desirable in fighting fowl. In exactly the same way the more useful types. the great layers and good broilers, have been established by fanciers working slowly, patiently, toward a given end.
 Far as many of the varieties of the present day have travelled from the GalIus bankiva, or original jungle fowl. which is now on exhibition In | the nucleus of what is expected to be- come Boston's big zoo. the preservation | through all courses of experimentation | of some of the primeval characterize tics is very apparent. The jungle fowl looks like a little hen. When it and | the red-breasted game bantam are ex- 1 hibited in the same cage the layman IS puzzled to tell which is which. They | beha alike. They do not fight with | one another more than would be ex- pected of any two scions of different breeds.
 Comparison Is usually made with a | bantam rather than with full sized rooster or hen. That is only fair, since the smaller variety Is necessarily more of a size with the original jungle fowl than are the great creatures fattened for the market The bantam, of course, it should be explained. is not any separate variety. but represents con I dition that can be established in any variety Did you ever think how these little fellows are produced? They can
 be created from almost any type oi
 fowl by selecting the matching that
 come late in the season, taking the
 smallest of the resultant chicks, feed
 ing them scantily through the winter and continuing this process for severa generations until a race of hardy
 dwarfs has been produced In the cast l of the red d-breasted fowl a bantam i: reached which looks surprisingly like
 the little fowl that is the great grand father of the whole clucking family
 The difference is mainly one in thu
 feathers of the tail. though the clos
 observer will also see that the pri
 mary feathers of the jungle fowl ar'
 a little longer than those of his do
 mesticated cousin. He Is. in fact
 somewhat nearer to the aboriginal birC
 which flew: and indeed. in his nativ'
 habitat he does lift himself very read
 ily to a roasting place out of dange
 from foxes and other sly creatures o1
 the ground One is the natural pro
 duct of the East Indian wild; the
 other represents no one knows how
 many centuries of human interference
 with the workings of natural selection
 The jungle fowl experience in th'
 Boston park has shown, thrives sur
 prisingly well In the climate of the | northern United States. He is wide l spread In northern India. and lives UT ] to a height of about 4,0O0 feet in the | Hinalayas. A detailed description
 shows a similarity Of his appearance l to many of our barnyard varieties l His comb Ia ample, with an irregular | outline and with narrow strengtheneo l Iobes arising from the crown. Th' l head hack and sides of the neck ar' | oovered with long hackles of clear | trtlyfant golden orange color, Below