Arizona republican., 1906-09-13
THE oRlelNAL ROOSTER.
Habits of the Jungle Fowl Being
 Studied in a Boston Park.

The answer to the celebrated ques- tion Why is a hen?'' may be discov- cred this summer by those who visit a modest collection of fowls maintained as part of a miniature zoo in the Mid dlesex Fells reservation of the metro politan park system of Boston From the beautiful little jungle fowl of the East Indian wilds to the useful bird of our barnyards it is. so to speak. far cackle in point of time. although the outward differences between the original and some of our ordinary ban tams are so slight as almost to defy de- tectiOn by the ordinary layman.
 Not so many of these bright colored bantams-as they appear to behave ever been brought to this country. it IS said, and the sight of half a dozen in the Tells picking up grain. grass hoppers and maggots along with de- rived varieties representing no one knows how many centuries of cultiva- tion. is one to suggest speculation as to the long course by which leghorns. Plymouth Rocks and all the other in- numberable chickens which lay several hundred million eggs annually in the United States, ever came to be.
 Countless generation of poultry breeders have had practical though never until recent years scientifically accurate knowledge of the laws gov erning the establishment Of distinct varieties. Most of the breeding. that is to say, has been done instinetively Some men in every community readily note differences in points among fowls of the same brood. and are quick to de- eide what points they want to empha- size Without any fine spun theories they breed for those points by choosing the individuals which correspond most closely to their ideals and mating these. a process which s continued genera ton after generation until a new type has become fixed.
 Far as many of the varieties of ths present day have travelled from the Gallus bankiva. or original jungle fowl, which is now on exhibition in the nu- cleus of what is expected to become Boston's big zoo, the preservation through all courses of experimentation O fsOme of the primeval characteristics is very apparent. The jungle fowl looks like little hen. When it ana the red breasted game bantam are ex- hibited in the same cage the layman is puzzled to tell which is which. They behave alike They do not fight with one another more than would be ex- pected of any two scions of different breeds.
 The jungle fowl. experience in the Boston park has shown, thrives sur prisingly well in the climate of the northern United States. He is wide spread in northern India, and lives up to a height of about 4.000 feet in the Himalayas. A detailed description shows a similarity of his appearance to many of our barnyard varieties. His comb is ample, with all irregular out line, and with narrow strengthened lObes arising from the crown. The head back and sides of the neck are covered with long hackles of a clear. brilliant, golden orange color Below the hackles the upper part of the back is bluish- black. and the center of the lesser wing coverts are of a deep rich chestnut. The quills are brownish black, edged with pale. reddish yellow The tail is black with rich green and blue reflections.
 The habits of the jungle fowl in cap tivity are not so different from those of other hens The males have voices which are heard in the gray dawn, giv- ing thanks for deliverance from the dangers of Renard the fox, Pussy the feline. and other providers of the thick ct. It Is noted, however. that the last note of the jungle cocks crow is rather less prolonged.
 Interesting though an American col Ony of jungle fowls is by reason of the history unwritten. but not unimpOrtant. which it's presence suggests, he Is at best only a curiosity Commercial use fitness cannot be claimed. The eggs are small and would command nc great even in the season when tubs of lime-water are giving up their con tents. There would be no especial val ue in using him to cross with later va rieties without crossing. Natural evo- lution is rarely repeated and artificial evolution hardly more frequently But as a spectacle in a little cage Of his own he is quite the cock of the walk