422 



IHE BOOK OF lOULTKY. 



at the other a red tinge, the colour to be perfectly 

 uniform, allowing for greater lustre on the hackle 

 and saddle feathers, and of the wing-bow in the 

 case of the cock only. 



THE CUCKOO 



Head points. Legs and Feel : As in the Brown. 



Plumage. — Light blue-grey ground, each feather 

 barred across with bands of dark grey or blue, the 

 markings to be uniform, and the colours shading 

 into each other so that no distinct line or separation 

 of the colours is peixeptible. 



THE DUCKWING 



Head points, Legs and Feet : As in the Brown. 



Plumage of the Gold Cock. — Neck - hackle : A 

 rather light yellow or straw colour, a few shades 

 deeper at the front below the wattles, the longer 

 feathers striped with black. Back : Deep rich gold. 

 Saddle and Saddle-hackle : Deep gold, shading in 

 hackle to pale gold. Shoulder-coverts : Bright gold 

 or orange, solid colour (an admixture of lighter 

 feathers is very objectionable). Wings : Bow, the 

 same as the shoulder-coverts ; coverts, metallic blue 

 (blue violet), forming an even bar across the wing, 

 which should be sharp, cleanly cut, and not too 

 broad ; primaries, black, with white edging on the 

 outer web ; secondaries, white outer web, which is 

 all that is seen when the wing is closed, forming the 

 wing-bay, black inner web and end of feather. Breast : 

 Black, with green lustre. Under-parts : Black. Tail : 

 Black, richly glossed with green, grey fluff at the 

 base. 



Plumage of the Gold Hen. — Head: Grey (a 

 brown cap very objectionable). Hackle : White, 

 each feather sharply striped with black or dark 

 grey (a slight tinge of yellow in the ground colour 

 admitted). Breast and Under-colour : Bright salmon 

 red (this point is very important), darker on throat 

 and shaded off to ash grey or fawn colour on the 

 under-parts. Back, Wings, Sides, and Saddle : Dark 

 slate grey, finely pencilled with darker grey or black 

 Tail : Grey, sUghtly darker than the body colour 

 inside feathers a dull black or dark grey. 



Plumage of the Silver Cock. — Neck - hackle 

 Silver white, the long feathers striped with black. 

 Back, Saddle, and Hackle : Silver white. Shoulders 

 and Wing-bom : Silver white, as solid as possible 

 (any admixture of red or rusty feathers very objection- 

 able). Wings : Coverts, metallic blue (blue violet), 

 forming an even bar across the wing, which should 

 be sharp, clearly cut, and not too broad ; primaries, 

 black with white edging on outer part ; secondaries 

 white outer edge, which is all that is visible when 

 the wing is closed, forming the wdng-bay, black inner 

 web and end of feathers. Thighs and Under-parts : 

 Black. Tail : Black, richly glossed with green, grey 

 fluff at the base. 



Plumage of the Silver Hen. — Head : Silver white. 

 Hackle : Silver white, each feather sharply striped 

 with black or dark grey. Breast and Under-parts : 

 Light salmon or fawn, darker on throat and shaded 

 off to ash grey on the under-parts. Back, Wings, 

 Sides, and Saddle : Clear delicate silver grey or 

 French grey, without any shade of red or brown, 

 finely pencilled with dark grey or black (purity of 



colour very important). Tail : Grey, shghtly darker 

 than the body colour, with the inside feathers a dull 

 black or dark grey. 



THE PILE 



Head points : As in the Brown. Legs, Feet, and 

 Toe-nails : Yellow. 



Plumage of the Cock. — Neck - hackle : Bright 

 orange. Back and Saddle : Rich maroon. Shoulders : 

 Dark red. Wings : Bows, dark red ; secondaries, 

 dark chestnut outer web, which is all that is seen 

 when the wing is closed, and white inner web. 

 Remainder of Plumage : White. 



Plumage of the Hen. — Neck - hackle : White, 

 tinged with gold. Breast : Deep salmon red shading 

 into white thighs. Remainder of Plumage : White. 



THE WHITE 



Head points. Legs and Feet : As in the Black. 

 Plumage. — Pure white, straw tinge to be avoided. 



SCALE OF POINTS 



25 



Colour 

 Ear-lobes 

 Size . . 

 Shape 

 Comb. . 

 Condition 

 Legs . . 



Serious defects : Cock's comb twisted or falUng 

 to either side, or hen's erect ; red ear-lobes ; any 

 white in face ; legs other than yellow or orange ; 

 any bodily dcformit\- ; and in Rose-combed Blacks, 

 comb other than rose, or such as to obstruct the 

 sight. 



ANCONAS 



One of the most popular additions to this 

 group of fowls is known as the Ancona ; but 

 there can be no doubt at all that it should be 



classed with the Leghorns, and is a 

 Anoonaa. variety of that family. The only 



distinction which could possibly be 

 drawn, would lie in the characteristic activity 

 and wildness of the original breed but that is 

 shared fully by the Black Leghorn, which in 

 all probability is one of the Ancona's ances- 

 tors, and all the " points " are in conformity 

 with the Leghorn type. It is curious that 

 from time to time several fowls have appeared 

 under this name, but all showing a mixture of 

 black and white blood. The earliest we re- 

 member (about 1864) were cuckoo-coloured, 

 and dusky or leaden in the shanks. Un- 

 acquainted with the Leghorns, which arrived 

 years later, we naturally put these birds down 

 to probable crossing of black and white 

 Minorcas, in harmony with what we knew of 

 colour production : but there can be little doubt 



