344 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



coloured in tint, but sometimes with a pinky 

 shade. They were not persistent sitters during 

 the warm weatiier, like many Asiatics, and 

 moulted fairly early. The breed had also ex- 

 cellent table qualities. The skin was white, 

 and the flesh both abundant and of fine grain 

 and flavour. 



" To many people, however, the breed had 

 one bad fault. Both cocks and hens were 

 incurably pugnacious. Many of the cock- 

 chickens fought each other to the very death 

 when about three months old. That is to say, 

 they would scalp each other, knock an eye out 

 with the beak, and so tear and mutilate each 

 other about the head that if not quickly 

 sepaiated they frequently never recovered, but 

 died m a day or two after their battles. The 

 adults were as bad, every bit. I was greatly 

 pestered by cock-fighters for specimens of the 

 breed. (Pray, do not imagine there are no cock- 

 fighters now ; there are at least a couple of 

 hundred in this county alone, to my certain 

 knowledge.) One old fellow, well up in his 

 sixties, who had followed the pastime all his 

 life, told me that he recognised the breed 

 from a pair which a Glasgow ship-captain had 

 brought from India to a friend of his more 

 than thirty years ago. The cock of this pair 

 won several battles, and after breeding from 

 him they ' cut him down,' to test the probable 

 quality of his chickens. That is to say, 

 they cut his spurs off, and matched him 

 to a strong cock with naked heels (not 

 armed wich steel gaffs, however), to test his 

 endurance and courage to the death. It took 

 more than one strong bird to finish him, but he 

 died without a flinch, with his face to the foe. 

 It was and is a cruel proceeding, but it satisfies 

 a cock-fighter whether a bird of a particular 

 strain is ' dead game ' or not. 



" I have w-ritten in the past tense, but hope 

 that some specimens of the breed may still exist 

 in this country. At any rate, it is still possible 

 to make them ' come again.' " 



The following are the Standards of Perfec- 

 tion for the foregoing breeds, as adopted by 

 both the Poultry Club and, in all but the 

 exact form, by the specialist Clubs of the 

 breeds concerned. 



MALAYS (SITTERS) 

 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 



Head. — Skull : Very broad, witli deep-set ej-es 

 and beetle or overhanging eyebrows, giving a cruel 

 and morose expression. Beak : Short and strong, and 

 well curved. The profile of the skull and beak 



approaches the shape of a segment of a circle. Eyes : 

 Deep-set. Comb : Shaped Uke a half walnut, small, 

 set well fonvard, and as free as possible from irregu- 

 larities. Fac3 : Smooth. Ear-lobes and Wattles .- 

 SmaU. 



Neck. — -Long and upright, tliick through from 

 back of skull to gullet, the bare skin of the throat 

 running some way down the neck, hackle full at the 

 base of the skull, elsewhere very short and scanty. 



Body. — Very wide and square at shoulders, 

 tapering to tail, the wing butts and shoulders promi- 

 nent and carried well up, and usually bare of feathers 

 at the point. Back : Short, very sloping, and of 

 convex outline, the saddle narrow and drooping. 

 Breast : Deep and full, generally bare of feathers 

 at the breast-bone, and the chest inclined to flatness. 

 Wings : Of medium length, large, and strong, carried 

 high and closely to the sides ; the feathers should 

 be hard, short, and scanty. All the Unes of the 

 bird should present a hard, clean, cut-up appear- 

 ance. 



Tail. — Of moderate length, drooping, not wliipped, 

 the sickles narrow and only slightlv curved, and 

 the side-hangers rather full, also slightly curved 

 and finisliing to a point. The outline of the neck- 



Fig. III.— The Three Curves. 



hackle, back, and upper tail feathers should form 

 a succession of curves at nearly equal angles. 



Legs and Feet. — Legs : Set well on the front of 

 the body, long and muscular thighs, wdth very httle 

 feather on them, and leaving the hock perfectly 

 exposed, shanks long and beautifully scaled, flat 

 at hocks, and gradually rounding to setting on of 

 spur, a downward curve in spur to be preferred. 

 Toes : Four on each foot, long and straight and 

 with powerful talons, the back toe lying close to 

 the ground. 



Carriage. — Very erect, high in front and drooping 

 behind, standing straight at the hock, fierce and 

 gaunt. 



Weight.— II lb. 



Plumage. — Very close, scanty, narrow, and lus- 

 trous. 



Handling. — Extremely firm and muscular. 



Except that the Tail is rather short and square, 

 neither whipped nor fanned, carried sUghtly above 

 the horizontal line, and well played, as if flexible 

 at the joint or insertion, the general characteristics 

 of the hen are similar to those of the cock, allowing 

 for the natural sexual differences. 



Weight.— 9 lb. 



