264 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



being Chinese, and trace the " Queen " section 

 of Burnham's stock, at least, to their proper 

 source of the Cornish-Chamberlain blood from 

 Rhode Island, the evidence is stronger than 

 ever of the entire race tracing back, through 

 one importation or another, to the Chittagong 

 district of India, save only as it may have been 

 contaminated by crosses with Burnham's or 

 other Shanghaes. 



If this origin of the Brahma be borne in 



but more or less cropping up in all Indian 

 races. In such a composite race there are 

 always the two types contending for the 

 mastery, and yielding to man's selection ; 

 and it is instructive to see the Shanghae and 

 Indian types (or in that case Indian archipelago 

 type) similarly contending for emergence in the 

 fowl treated of in our next chapter. How 

 different from the first Cochin type the earliest 

 Dark Brahmas were, can be seen from the 



The First Darl: Brahmas sent to England. 



mind, it will be easy to understand how it has 

 varied in model according to the selection of 

 The feather-legged Chittagong fowl 

 was obviously a mixture gradually 

 formed to some rough type, of the 

 single-combed, more fluffy, feather- 

 legged, indolent Shanghae fowl, 

 with a far more tight-feathered, active, and 

 agile Indian stock, whose signs are found in 

 the longer tail, tighter plumage, and that 

 pea-comb, found most perfect in the Aseel, 



breeders. 



Variation 

 in Type. 



accompanying illustration, reproduced from the 

 Field oi December 24, 1853, of the first sent by 

 Mr. Burnham to Mr. John Baily, of which a pair 

 were speedily re-sold for ;^ioo. It will be 

 noticed at once that the birds are far more bold 

 and active-looking, have far more tail, quite 

 different carriage, (upright instead of forward) 

 and in particular, far more length of body. 



In what a noble form the Indian type some- 

 times came out, may be seen from the con- 

 temporary portrait of our own old " Favourite 



