FOWL PLAY: A HISTORY OF THE CHICKEN (HB)

Earth is home to 23 billion chickens, ten times more than any other bird. This book probes every aspect of the genus Gallus from dinosaur to dinner plate: the evolution and domestication of the chicken; its social life and startling variety, from tiny Bantams to gigantic Buff Orpintons, prolific egg-layers to pampered show birds; the hen and the cockerel's importance in ancient Roman augury, medieval superstition and Christian theology; its starring role as a symbol of rustic life; and the dark reality of modern poultry farming.