The KASINTU, or RED JUNGLE FOWL (_Gallus Bankiva_), is a most gorgeous
bird, having its head, throat, and the flowing feathers on the nape of
glossy golden yellow, those on the back are purplish brown, with bright
orange-red centre, and yellowish brown edges; the long feathers of the
upper tail-covers are golden yellow, those of the middle wing-covers
chestnut brown, shaded with blackish green; the breast-feathers are
black, with a golden green lustre; the dark, blackish grey primaries have
light borders, the secondaries are rust-red on the outer and black on the
inner web; the black tail is glossy at its centre and quite lustreless at
its sides. The eye is orange-red, the comb red, the back brownish, and
the foot slate-grey. This species is twenty-five inches long; the wing
measures eight inches and a half and the tail fourteen inches. The female
is smaller than her mate, and carries her tail lower, and in her the comb
and fleshy wattles are only indicated. The long neck-feathers are black,
edged with whitish yellow, and those of the mantle dotted with brownish
black; the under portions of the body are creamy yellow, and the quills
and tail brownish black. This beautiful and well-known species, which
is generally supposed to be the original stock of our domestic poultry,
closely resembles some of the British Dunghill Cocks in plumage, but is
considerably less in size. This bird appears to have been domesticated in
the East at a very early date, and must have been introduced into Europe
in very ancient times. It was well known to the Greeks and Romans, who,
like our own people at a very recent period, and many Eastern nations at
the present day, delighted in the cruel spectacle of a cock-fight. The Red
Jungle Fowl is found from the Himalayas southwards, on the western side
of India, at any rate as far as the Vindhean range. On the east it extends
through Central India and the Northern Circars, almost to the northern
branch of the Godavery. In Central India this fowl is rare, especially
towards the west, but it is abundant towards the east, particularly in
the Northern Circars. It is found in the Raimahal Hills, as far as the
southern bank of the Ganges; but is seldom seen in the range of hills
south of Cashmere, and from thence across the Himalayas to Assam, Silhet,
Chittagong, and Burmah.
The Jungle Fowls are partial to bamboo jungle, but also inhabit lofty
forests and dense thickets. "In travelling through a forest country," says
Jerdon, "many are always found near the roads, to which they resort to
pick up the grain from the droppings of cattle, &c.; dogs often put them
up, when they at once fly on to the nearest trees. When cultivated land
is near their haunts they may be seen morning and evening in the fields,
often in straggling parties of from ten to twenty."
The breeding season is from January to July, according to the locality.
Their eggs, eight in number, are creamy white, and are often laid in a
dense thicket, or under a bamboo clump, the hen occasionally scraping
together a few leaves or dried grass to form a nest. After the end of the
period of incubation, the hackles fall off the neck of the male, and are
replaced by short blackish grey feathers.
Jerdon tells us that young birds, if kept for a few days, are very
excellent for the table, having a considerable game flavour.