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Show 2GG FOWLS. CIIAI'. VII. del ] t I h . a similar fleshy or tnboranco in tho skull. I ma.y a t 1a th avo soon 1 d 1 d 1 d ftho •ruftoc uc c; an ftbrous mass beneath tho tuft of feathers on o lea o 1 b t ·t h d . . 1 , t b . co in tho sku 1 ' u 1 a m tlus ca c thoro was no n.ctua pro n orhan omo to "1 ow1 s w1' tl 1 a become a little more globular. Lastly, w c_n wo 0 t d .. U b 1 . ely protuboran an J, pcr- 1:1rgol·"' dcvolo})Cd crest, tllo sku ccomos arg Tl 1 t· b t 0 close ro a 1on ween foru.tod by a multitude of irr gular open spaces. . 1 . other wa . tho cr ·st anJ tl1o size of tho bony protuberance JR shown man Y' for Mr Togotmoior informs roo tl1at if chi ·kens lately hatched be soloctctd · - d lt tl y will hn.vo a largo eros . with a largo bony lwotnboranco, when a u 10 d f p 1' h f J 'rJlOI'O cnn be llO doubt that in former times the bl'OO orO ~ lfl O~ S ,. · tl less by mcroasmg [LttondoJ solely to tho crest, and not to tho skull ; never 10 , ' ·ntontio~all . the crest in which he has wonderfully succocdcd, he ]las uru 1 < 1) ' ' ' · bi d · o · and throng 1 cone a-mado the skull JWotubcrant to an astorns ng ogre ' d . 1 t' tion of growth, he has at the same time aftcctod tho formf ~~ ro~ 1 vo fc~~noxion of tho premaxillary and nasal bonos, tho shaJ. o 0 0 or 0~ 0 , 0 nose, tho breadth of tho frontal bones, tho shape ~f th? pos~latoral ?rocosHcs of tho frontal and squamosal bones, tho dixoctiOn of t~o ax:s of tho bony cavity of the car, anJ lastly tho i~tornal configuratiOn of the whole skull together with tho .·hapo of tho bram. . . Ve?·tebra-.-In 0. bcmlciva, there arc fourteen corvwal, so Yen dorsal" With ribs, apparently fifteen lumbar and sacral, and six caudal vortebrro; ' 1 • but. tho lumbar and sacral arc so much anchylosod that I am not sure of their number, and this makes tho comparison of tho .t~tal number of vortobrro in tho several breeds difficult. I have spoken of SJX c~udal vOTtobi:ro, because tho basal one is almost completely anch_ylosod w1th tho p~lvJs; but if we consider tho number a. seven, tho c~udal vortobr?J agree m all tho skeletons. Tho cervical vortcbrro arc, as JUSt stated, m app~ara~co fourteen; but out of twcnty-thToo skeletons in a ~t state for oxammabo~, in ftvo of them, namely, in two Games, in two penCilled IIambm·ghs, and m a Polish tho fomteonth vertebra bore ribs, which, though smal~, were ~orfeatly d~volopod with a double articulation_. Tho proso.nco of those h~tlc ribs cannot be consiclorod a.s a frwt of much Importance, ior all ~he cor:JCal vortohrro boar roprosontativos of ribs; but their d~volopmont m tho iourt onth vertebra reduces tho size of tho passage. m tho tmnsvorso processes, and makes this vortobm exactly like tho first dor al vorto~ra. The addition of those little ribs docs not affect tho fourteenth cerviCal alone, for properly tho rib.· of tho fir t trno dorsal vertebra arc clostitut~ of FDc :sofl; but in some of tho skeletons in which tho fourteenth corv10al bore little ribfl, tho first pair of true ribs had woll-dovolopod processes. When we know that tho sparrow has only nino, and tho swan twenty-three cervical vortobrro,72 we n eel fool no surprise at tho number of the cervical vortobrro in tho fowl being, as it appears, variable. Thoro a1·e seven Jorsal vortobrro boarino- ribs; tho first dorsal is never it U nppen.rs that I hrwe nut conccLly tlcsignated the several groups of vertcbrm. f<u· a grc:tL aull10rity, l\'tr. W. K. Parker (' 'l'ran<mct. Zoolog. , '1JC.,' vol. v. 108), specifics I Q cervical, •.1- dorsal, • 15 lumbar, unJ G cautlnl vert brro iu thi o-cnus. llut I have uscu th same term~ in all tho following descriptions. i2 1\'Iacgilllvray, 'llriti~h 13in.ls,' vol. i. p. 25. CIIAI'. VII. OS'I'EOLOGlCAL DIFFERENCES. 267 anchyloscd with tho succeeding four, which arc generally ancbylosod together. In one Sultan fowl, however, the two fust dorsal vertobrro were free. In two skeletons, the fifth dorsal was free ; generally tho sixth is Cree (as in G. ba?llciva), but sometimes only at its posterior end, whore in contact with tho seventh. Tho seventh dorsal vertebra, in every case excepting in one Spanish cock, was anchylosod with tho lumbar vertobrro. So that tho degree to which these middle dorsal vertobrro arc anchylosod together is vaTiablo. Seven is the normal number of true ribs, but in two skeletons of tho Sultan {owl (in which tho fomtoonth cervical vertebra was not furnished with little Tib ') thoro wore eight pairs; tho eighth pair seemed to be Jovolopod on a vertebra COITOBponding with tho ftrst lumbar in G. bnnlciva; tho sternal portion of both the seventh and eighth ribs did not roach tho sternum. In fom skeletons in which ribs wore developed on tho fomtoonth cervical veTtobra, thoTo wore, when these corvicalTibs a1·o included eight pairs; but in one Game-cock, in which tho four-teenth cervical wa~ furnished with ribs, there wore only six pairs of true dorsal ribs ; tho sixth pair in this case did not have processes, and thus resembled tho seventh pair in other skeletons; in this game-cock, as far aH could be judged from tho appearance of tho lumbar vertcbrro, a whole dorsal vertebra with its ribs was missing. We thus sec that tho ribs (whether or not tho little pair attached to tho fourteenth cervical veTtobra bo counted) vary from six to eight pair. Tho sixth pair is frequently not furnished with processes. Tho sternal portion of tho seventh pair is extremely broad in C?chins, and is completely ossified. As previously stated, it is scarcely possible to count the lumbo-sacral vortobrro; but they certainly do not correspond in shape or number in tho several skeletons. Tho caudal vortcbrro arc closely similar in all tho skeletons, tho only difference being, whether or not tho basal one is anchylosod to tho pelvis; they hardly vary oven in length, not being shoTtor in Cochins, with their short tailfoathoTs, than in other broods; in a Spanish cock, however, tho caudal vertobrro wore a little elongated. In throe rump loss fowls the candal vortobrro wore few in number, and anchylosccl together into a misformoJ mass. In tho indivillual vortobTro tllo difioroncos in structure n.To very sbght. In tho atlas the cavity for tho occipital condyle is either ossified into a ring, or is, as in Bankiva, open on its upper margin. Tho upper arc of tho spinal canal is a little more aTchod in Cochins, in conformity with tho shape of occipital foramen, than in a. bunlciva. In several skeletons a difforcnco, but not of much importance, may be observed, which commences at tho fomth cervical vertebra, and is greatest at about tho sixth, seventh, or eighth vertebra· this con- . ' Fig. 37.-Sixth Cervical Yer- Slfl~S in tho hromal descending pi'OCOSSOS being tcbm, or naturnl size, viewed urutod to tho body of the vertebra by a sort of Iatcmlly. A. Wild Callus buttress. This strnctm·o may be obs rvod in IJankivc~. n. Cochin Cock. Cochins, Polish, some Hamburghs, ancl probably othoT broods; but is absent, or barely Jovclopod, in Game, Dorking, Spanish, Bantam, ~nd |