FOWL, originally used to mean any bird, this term has now become (except in combination, as sea-fowl, wildfowl) almost re stricted to Gallus gallus, its domestic races and its wild allies. (For domestic fowls, see POULTRY.) The wild G. gallus inhabits N. India, Burma, Cochin China, the Malay peninsula and neigh bouring islands. It resembles in plumage the domestic "black breasted game" breed. It inhabits forests, thickets and bamboo jungles, dwelling in small parties. The crow of the cock is like that of a bantam. The creamy-white eggs, eight to 12 in number, are laid on the ground.
The grey jungle-fowl (G. sonnerati) occupies much the same habitat ; it is found in western, central and southern India. The cock has the shaft of the neck-hackles dilated and his crow is more like a cackle. The Sinhalese species (G. lafayetti) is pe culiar to Ceylon ; the cock has a yellow comb with a red edge and is red beneath. The fourth species (G. varius) inhabits the Malay islands from Java to Flores. It does not possess hackles and the cock has a large unserrated comb. All the species will interbreed with domestic poultry and with the wild G. gallus, but the hybrids are sterile.