334 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



" Between 1883 and 18S7 circumstances pre- 

 vented my seeing Malays other than my own, 

 and when at the latter date I again looked upon 

 classes of the variety, it seemed to have reached 

 the lowest ebb within my experience. The fowls 

 were of fair size, but their good points, if they 

 had any, were shrouded in feathers, their carri- 

 age approached the horizontal rather than the 

 perpendicular, they mostly stood upon wretched 

 feet, while the typical old-time heads were 

 conspicuous by their absence. Indeed, at this 

 period one old breeder told me he thought the 

 beetle-brows gone past redemption. Happily, 

 he was mistaken ; and we have them back in 

 great perfection, and not only them, but points 

 which to my mind are of equal value, such as 

 correct outline and carriage, broad shoulders, 

 big bone, sound feet, great stature, with short- 

 ness and narrowness of feather ; although in 

 this latter particular we cannot yet rival our 

 Australian cousins ; witness the birds shown by 

 Mr. Ravenhill at the Palace in 1893. ' Size in 

 Malays,' very truly wrote Mr. Wright in 1874, 

 'should be greatly judged by height,' and I do 

 not hesitate to affirm that the average length 

 from beak to toenail of birds seen in the show- 

 pen during the decade just brought to a close, 

 exceeded by five inches that of those exhibited 

 in the preceding twenty years. Truly gigantic 

 were some of the chickens produced in the early 

 'nineties, and as good as they were big. About 

 that time Mr. Brooke wrote me, ' I have just 

 been looking at the best pullet I ever saw in my 

 life.' Just lately, perhaps, there may have been 

 a little falling off again in the quality of the 

 youngsters, but the grand class of cocks and 

 useful level lot of hens at the last Palace show, 

 preclude any idea of deterioration. 



" I have never recommended Malays for 

 utility purposes, though nothing can beat a six 

 months' pullet for the table. But to the true 

 fancier, asking what breed he should take up, I 

 would most certainly advocate their claims. Let 

 such a one turn to the appended standard, noting 

 the saliency of the features therG described. 

 The greatest tyro cannot fail to see wliat is 

 wanted. Moreover, with few breeds will he find 

 his desideratum so easy of attainment. Well- 

 bred Malays will breed nearly as true to type 

 as sparrows. The neophyte need not fear their 

 ' reverting ' to Cochin China or Cuckoo Dorking ; 

 and this fixity of type tends to help him in 

 another way, inasmuch that in the show arena 

 the scale is usually turned by size and bone, so 

 that if he can only rear a bigger bird than more 

 experienced competitors, a cup may grace his 

 sideboard very early in his career. 



"A good breeding-pen may consist of a March 



hatched cockerel, measuring 38 inches and 

 weighing about 10 lbs. He should stand upon 

 sound feet and straight legs, and be good in 

 points ; for given health and vigour. 

 Breeding the best show bird is the best for stock 



Malays. purposes, though the less he has been 



shown the better. If red Malays 

 are the fancier's choice, the stag, whether of the 

 old maroon or the bright red shade, should have 

 a black breast and be quite free from white 

 feathers. His mates should consist of from three 

 to six adult hens measuring 33 inches, and weigh- 

 ing as much over ji lbs. as they can be obtained. 

 In colour they may be any shade of cinnamon, 

 wheaten, or partridge marked, but any signs of 

 lacing or spangling should go far to disqualify. 

 Minor faults in colouring, such as red feathers 

 on breasts and fluff of cocks, or smutty ones 

 similarly situated on cinnamon hens, are regarded 

 by good judges with lenient eyes. Indeed the 

 axiom that a good Malay cannot be a bad 

 colour, appeals strongly to most real lovers of 

 the variety. In choosing stock birds, every 

 effort should be made to obtain them hard, short, 

 and narrow in feather, otherwise their good 

 points are completely hidden. Light eyes should 

 also be insisted on. When Mr. Wright wrote in 

 1S74, ' There never was a Malay with a red eye,' 

 he and I were in agreement, but since that date 

 the horrid thing has crept in, probably in this 

 wise. Towards the end of the 'seventies Malays 

 were undoubtedly crossed with their own 

 illegitimate offspring, Indian or Cornish Game, 

 with a view to regaining size. Now though the 

 Indians have now, and indeed usually had then, 

 pearl or daw eyes, owing to the potency of 

 their Asiatic ancestors, yet their veins also 

 contain the blood of the old red-eyed English 

 fighting Game, and hence the occasional rever- 

 sion in our favourites to those fiery optics. 



" It should be noted that though I have 

 advised the mating of a cockerel with hens, very 

 good chickens may be reared from pullets 

 running with an adult cock ; still personally 1 

 find cockerels more reliable for breeding in the 

 cold springs with which we have to contend 

 in our eastern counties. It is also a fact that 

 my own best youngsters have been the 

 produce of three and four year old hens. It 

 will be found that the age of the latter is 

 not so important as might be thought. The 

 question is, will they produce a quota of eggs 

 sufficiently early in the season .' and some will 

 do so for several consecutive seasons, while 

 others prove failures even from pullet-hood. 

 In most cases the male and female birds should 

 be procured from different sources, as at present 

 our Malays are almost all more or less related. 



