THE SPANGLING OF HAMBURGHS. 



435 



tendency is seen in the " pear-shaped " spangle 

 (G, Fig. 126). The pointed kind of spangle is 

 at present the favourite in America, and a great 

 many English birds are selected to go to 

 America for this reason, both hemispheres being 

 thus suited. In America the spangling is how- 

 ever mostly smaller than in England, and the 

 effect of the pear-shape in making the bird look 

 much blacker for the size of spangle, can be 





slightest touch of Mooney in his birds " ; and of 

 any modern crossing this was no doubt correct. 

 But every spot in the hackle and saddle and 

 back, and the roundness of every spangle, in 

 every one of his winners, came from the Mooney 

 alone ; as did every trace of black fluff at the 

 base of any of the feathers. Conversely, the 

 same may be said of the supposed " pure " 

 Mooney. We never bred any Hamburghs, 

 except once Gold Pencils ; but we had the very 

 unusual advantage of studying actual specimens 

 of the old pure Mooneys and Pheasants, under 

 the guidance of Mr. Beldon, and they were 



# 

 ^C^ 



Fig. 126. — Feathers of Silver-spangled Hamburghs. 



seen at a glance. Before leaving the subject 

 of spangles it will be interesting also to give 

 (h. Fig. 126) a feather of the more crescentic 

 spangling which formerly marked the old York- 

 shire Pheasant, but is now rarely to be found, 

 that old breed having practically disappeared. 



This leads finally to a k\v words about the 

 amount of distinctness between cock-breeding 

 strains and the " pure " Mooneys as now bred. 

 Distinctness of strain there is ; of breed there is 

 not so much as many suppose. A well-known 

 exhibitor and judge wrote in 1S9S that he had 

 bred cocks for years, and " never had the 



different from the present, 

 he wrote to us as follows : 



In the year 1873 



Nearly all the so-called pure Mooneys now have 

 white ear-lobes, showing they have been modified by 

 breeding. Hen-feathering is no sign of absolutely pure 

 blood, being very easily produced. In Yorkshire also, 

 though I live there, I should have some difficulty now 

 in finding a pure-bred Pheasant, our Mooney hens 

 having a dash of the Pheasant, and our so-called 

 Pheasants a lot of the Mooney. At the last Birming- 

 ham Show (i8;z) there was not one absolutely pure 

 Mooney hen, though there were some splendid birds. 

 Some ten or twelve years ago I came into possession of 

 a lot of Silver Mooney hens, the really pure old stamp, 

 picked up from all parts of Lancashire by old Jack 



