STANDARD FOR BRAHMAS. 



277 



matter which this breed well illustrates, and 

 which we need not further mention again. 

 While it is perfectly true, as explained at 

 length in Chapter X., that the "standard" of 

 judging at any show must always be and can 

 only be a " fancy " standard, and that fanciers 

 alone preserve breeds in their entirety, the fact 

 remains good on the other hand, that fancy 

 alone never keeps a breed widely popular. 

 There must be a utility basis also for this ; and 

 if ever the utility basis is really deteriorated or 

 bred actually away from, winners may still sell 

 at high prices, but general demand is gone. 

 We see pure " fancy," as divorced from any 

 utility, in pigeons, some of which attract many 

 entries and sell at high prices ; but at any large 

 show the comparative attendance is far less 

 than in the poultry division, which has also a 

 utility interest. It will also be observed that 

 all the new "breeds" which have been lately 

 introduced, and achieved such popularity, 

 have based their claims upon being " utility " 

 breeds, either as layers or table-fowls. From 

 this point of view, the relative popularity of 

 Brahmas at a time when the breed was and 

 could be described without hesitation as one of 

 the most generally useful in existence, and, 

 since it has been bred away from a type that 

 could be broadly and generally so described, 

 is very instructive. 



The Poultry Club Standard of Perfection 

 for Brahmas is as follows : 



GEXERAI, CHARACTERISTICS 



Head. — Skull : Small, rather short, of medium 

 breadth, well rounded, with a shght prominence 

 over the eyes. Beak : Short, curved, and very 

 strong. Eyes : Large and fairly prominent. Comb : 

 Triple, or " pea," as small as possible, fitting very 

 closely to and drooping behind to follow the Une 

 of the head. Face : As smooth and as free from 

 feathers or hairs as possible. Ear-lobes : Long, of 

 fine texture, and free from feathers. Wattles : Small 

 and well rounded, of fine texture, and free from 

 feathers. 



Neck. — Long, well covered with flowing hackles 

 reaching well down to the shoulders, and free from 

 twisted feathers. A depression should be apparent 

 at the back of the skuU between the head feathers 

 and the upper hackle feathers. 



Body. — Broad and square, with great depth. 

 Breast : Full and carried well forward with the 

 breast-bone horizontally. Back : Short, either flat or 

 slightly hollow between the shoulders, the saddle to 

 rise about half-way between the hackle and the 

 tail, and to continue to rise until it reaches the tail 

 coverts. Wings : Of medium size, with the lower 

 line carried horizontally, free from twisted or slipped 

 feathers, and tucked up under the saddle feathers, 

 which should be of ample length. 



Tail. — Of medium length, rising from the line 

 of the saddle and carried nearly upright, with the 

 quill feathers spreading well out, and the tail coverts 

 broad and abundant, weU curved, and nearly cover- 

 ing the quill feathers. 



Legs and Feet. — Legs : Of medium length (not 

 too short), powerful, well apart, and feathered ; the 

 thighs large, and so set that the lower feathers of 

 the breast cover them in front ; fluff soft and abun- 

 dant, covering the hind parts and standing well 

 out behind the thighs ; hocks amply covered with 

 soft rounded feathers, or with quill feathers pro- 

 vided they are accompanied with proportionately 

 heavy shank and foot feathering ; shank feather as 

 profuse as possible, standing well out from the legs 

 and toes, extending under the hock feathers and 

 to the extremity of the middle and outer toes, pro- 

 fuse leg and foot feather without vulture hock 

 being desirable. Toes : Four, straight, long, and 

 spreading. 



Carriage.- — Sedate but fairly active. 



Weight. — From 10 lb. to 12 lb. 



Plumage. — Profuse, but hard and close com- 

 pared with that of the Cochin. 



With the exception of the Neck, which is rather 

 short, and the Legs, which are short in proportion 

 to the size of the bird, the general characteristics 

 are similar to those of the cock, allowing for the 

 natural sexual differences. 



Weight. — From 7 lb. to 9 lb. 



COLOUR 

 Beak : Yellow, or yellow and black. Eyes ; 

 Orange red, pearl, or grey, orange red preferred, 

 since pearl or grey eyes are generally signs of weak 

 constitution, and have a tendency to blindness. 

 Comb, Face, Ear-lobes, and Wattles : Bright red. 

 Legs and Feet : Orange yellow, or yellow ; the legs 

 often show a deep red tinge between the scales and 

 at the back of the hock joint. 



THE DARK 



Plumage of the Cock. — Head : Silvery white. 



Neck-hackle : Silvery white, with a sharp stripe of 

 brilhant black in the centre of each feather tapering 

 to a point near its extremity and free from white 

 shaft. Breast, under-part of Body, Thighs, and 



Fluff : Intense glossy black. Back : Silvery white, 

 except between the shoulders, where the feathers 

 should be glossy black, laced with white. Saddle : 

 Similar to neck-hackle. Wings : Bows, silvery white ; 

 primaries, black, mixed with occasional feathers 

 having a narrow white edge on outside of web ; 

 secondaries, part of outer web forming "bay" 

 white, remainder of feathers forming " butt " black ; 

 coverts, glossy black, forming a distinct bar across 

 the wing when folded. Tail : Black, or coverts 

 laced or edged with white. Leg-feathers : Black, 

 or black slightly mixed with white, but black 

 preferred. 



Plumage of the Hen. — Head : Silvery white, or 

 white striped with black or grey. Neck-hackle : 

 Similar to that of the cock, or the centres showing 

 pencilling as on the body. Tail : Black, or black 



