Cocldn- Chinas, 97 



them will attest that a little careful breeding would per- 

 petuate white-legged Cochins. Exhibitions are generally 

 excellent ; but to this fowl they certainly have only been 

 injurious, by exaggerating useless and fancy qualities at 

 the expense of those which are solid and useful. Who 

 would favour, or even sanction, a Dorking in which size 

 and shape, and every property we value in them, was 

 sacrificed to an endeavour to breed to a particular colour ? 

 and this is what we have been doing with the Cochin- 

 China. Many breeders say, eat Cochins while very young; 

 but we have found them much better for the table as fowls 

 than as chickens. A tine Cochin, from five to seven months 

 old, is like a turkey, and very juicy and fine in flavour." 



A peculiar characteristic of these birds, technically called 

 ''fluff," is a quantity of beautifully soft, long feathers, 

 covering the thighs till they project considerably, and 

 garnishing all the hinder parts of the bird in the same 

 manner, so that the broadest part of the bird is behind. 

 Its quality is a good indication of the breed ; if fine and 

 downy the birds are probably well-bred, but if rank and 

 coarse they are inferior. The cocks are frequently some- 

 what scanty in '' fluff,'' ^^^^^ should be chosen with as much 

 as possible ; but vulture-hocks which often accompany the 

 heaviest feathered birds should be avoided, as they now 

 disqualify at the best shows. '' The fluff," says a good 

 authority, '' in the hen especially, should so cover the tail 

 feathers as to give the appearance of a very short back, the 

 line taking an upward direction from within an inch or so 

 of the point of junction with the hackle.'' The last joint 

 of the wings folds up, so that the ends of the flight feathers 

 are concealed by the middle feathers, and their extremities 

 are again covered by the copious saddle, which peculiarity 

 has caused them to be also called the ostrich-fowl. 



A good Cochin cock should be compact, large, and 

 square built ; broad across the loins and hind-quarters ; 

 with a deep keel ; broad, short back ; short neck ; small, 

 delicately-shaped, well-arched head ; short, strong, curved 

 beak ; rather small, finely and evenly serrated, straight, 

 single, erect comb, wholly fi-ee from reduplications and 



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