THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



undoubtedly, as an ideal, correct. In classes 

 where all colours compete, it should be re- 

 membered that Whites of equal weight and 

 real size will generally appear a pound smaller 

 than darker colours, and this should be allowed 

 for. Good condition, or any appearance of 

 being jaded from over-showing, should receive 

 special attention. 



THE SUSSEX 



In the first impression of this work a hope 

 was expressed that before it was too late some 

 effort might be made to preserve 

 Sussex from extinction the genuine old 



Surrey and Sussex fowl, which 

 for years had furnished the very best table 

 fowls to the London market, and which 



is absolutely beyond doubt. The late Mr. 

 Harrison Weir took another view, but it is 

 based upon statements and personal memories 

 of men, each of whom thinks his own stock the 

 only true one ; whereas Bonington Moubray's 

 evidence in 1815, and Nolan's in 1850, is con- 

 temporary and conclusive. It was of many 

 colours, including speckles, browns, reds, and 

 lighter plumage. From these the Club has 

 selected for its standard colours a red, 

 speckled, and light ; the latter being marked 

 like the Light Brahma. There is also a Brown 

 Sussex Club, which supports that colour. The 

 Whites, first bred by Mr. Godfrey Shaw as 

 Albions, have been abandoned to the all- 

 devouring Orpington interest ; but it is a 

 pleasure to observe that the speckled (which 

 that interest also claims to appropriate) has 



White Dorkings. 



was really an ancient race, quite different from 

 the various mongrels now prevalent in the dis- 

 trict. We were glad to see that hope realised, 

 and in July, 1903, steps were taken to form the 

 " Sussex Poultry Club " for the breeding, exhi- 

 bition, and standardising of this super-excellent 

 old breed. By May, 191 1, the Club included 

 nearly 300 members. The birds were first 

 exhibited under their proper name at the Royal 

 Agricultural Society's Show in June, 1904, but, 

 as might have been expected, were at that early 

 date very irregular both in type and marking. 

 But later, at the Lewes Show in November, 

 1904, the entries reached 163, and excited 

 something like a mild sensation. The hon. 

 secretary of the Club is Mr. S. C. Sharpe, 

 Brookside, Ringmer, Sussex. 



That this old four-toed Sussex breed was 

 one of the ancestors of the Coloured Dorking 



been retained for the true type, and the count}' 

 of its origin. 



As regards type, the most distinctive charac- 

 teristic of the Sussex fowl is the width and 

 flatness of shoulders and back, in which it 

 stands out from all other breeds. In shortness 

 of leg, length and depth of body, and fulness 

 of breast, it resembles the Dorking ; but in this 

 width and flatness of back it stands alone, and 

 this feature makes the body appear almost 

 short when viewed from above, though the 

 breast is really long. This character is laid 

 down in the Standard, and we are glad to ob- 

 serve that twenty points are allotted for true 

 type, and twenty-five for size, as the breed is 

 one for the table above all. The other main 

 points are short white legs with only four toes, 

 thin skin, and juiciness of flesh. 



The Sussex fowl is hardy, both as a chick 



