THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



pullets should be about the colour of gold, as rich 

 and bright as possible ; the pencilling being ex- 

 actly like that of the preceding variety, as distinct 

 and yet as fine as can be got ; that is, 

 P°^''u? d ^^ many bars as possible across each 



Hamburghs. feather, provided they are distinct, 

 straight, and of a good rich black 

 colour. The neck-hackle, like the Silver birds', 

 should be clear. The cock is of a deeper tint, his 

 colour being somewhat between that of his own 

 hens and of a Red Game cock ; it is described in 

 the Standard as a red bay, while the pullets are 

 termed golden bay ; it must be neither too red 

 nor too pale, but what might be called very rich 

 in effect. His proper tail-feathers are black ; 

 the sickles and side hangers rich black edged 

 with bronze or gold, the edging being usually 

 rather wider than in the Silver-pencilled bird, 

 but a fine narrow edging is much the best for a 

 breeding bird, though not so showy in the pen. 

 Sickles all black, or bronzed all over, with 

 scarcely any black in them, are now out of the 

 question, though at one time they were tolerated. 

 Besides the quality of the black pencilling, one 

 of the points in this variety is the evenness and 

 richness of the ground-colour. Some pullets, 

 otherwise good, are uneven in this point, the 

 ends of the feathers being a lighter colour than 

 the other parts. As summer advances most 

 birds fade in colour from the effects of the sun ; 

 but some pullets of a good rich ground retain 

 this much better than others, which is, of course, 

 a great point in their favour. In the cocks the 

 same fault is commonly seen, appearing in the 

 shape of a lighter shade on the tips of the feathers 

 on the breast and under-parts. This fault is to 

 be particularly avoided. 



The breedingof Golden-pencilled Hamburghs 

 is much the same as for Silver Pencils, putting 

 a cock or cockerel of exhibition type, of as good 

 a colour as possible, with neat head. 

 Breeding comb, and lobes, and sharp narroiv 



PenciUed edging to his sickles,with hens of 



Hamburghs. the same Strain. Patches of dull 

 brown or clay-colour are especially 

 to be avoided in a brood cock. The hens will be 

 of a reddish gold, and usually pencilled coarsely all 

 over ; but the known pedigree, or relationship to 

 good exhibition birds, is the chief thing. Pullets 

 are almost always bred from cockerels or cocks 

 more resembling the full-tailed Silver-pencilled 

 pullet-breeders mentioned above ; in fact we 

 have heard of very few hen-tailed pullet-marked 

 cockerels appearing in this variety ; and when 

 they did there was much suspicion of a Silver 

 cross. They are usually full-tailed, with very 

 dull and dirty lacing on the sickles instead of the 

 bright bay of exhibition birds, but have a good 



deal of pencilling on the wing, and often touches 

 on the rest of the body : the ground-colour 

 (except lacing of the tail) is generally very dark, 

 almost maroon. Again pedigree is the main 

 point with the breeder ; next to this he looks to 

 the fineness of the pencilling on the cock's wing. 

 As to the pullets, they speak for themselves. 



Golden-pencilled Hamburghs last better than 

 the Silvers, good moulted hens being seen 

 occasionally, and such being especially valuable. 

 There have been curious variations at times in 

 the ground-colour of the pullets, from very deep 

 indeed, almost pale mahogany, to quite pale 

 yellow. In some of the latter birds we have 

 seen patches of almost white, and suspect a cross 

 with Silvers. The Standard description of 

 golden bay, generally understood to denote the 

 colour of a new sovereign, should terminate such 

 variations, and this moderately rich ground- 

 colour is usually pencilled with the richest green- 

 black. In the full summer sun this colour will 

 fade somewhat, especially at the tips of the 

 feathers, and must be watched over if deemed 

 necessary, as in buff fowls. But this is at a 

 cost, since the best stock can only be bred 

 in the open. A piece of wood or shrubbery 

 on light soil answers all purposes. 



Under the name of Black Pheasants, the 

 Black Hamburgh was known and exhibited a 

 hundred years ago at the Lancashire village 



shows already alluded to. In those 

 Black days it was of unmixed Hamburgh 



Hamburghs. blood, and the opinion of the late 



Mr. Teebay and some other olo 

 breeders was, that it was originally bred from 

 the full-tailed Silver Mooney, many chickens of 

 the latter coming almost black. The birds of 

 that day were shorter in the leg than now, 

 and of the same shorter formation generally 

 as the older Mooneys, and with ear-Sobes much 

 smaller and coarser than now. This old breed 

 was undoubtedly crossed with the Spanish, in 

 order to improve the size and quality of the 

 ear-lobes ; and the size of the fowl and of its 

 egg were both improved at the same time, while 

 it likewise became more suitable in disposition 

 for small runs. Unfortunately, the cross also 

 introduced a considerable tendency to white in 

 face, and some coarseness about the head, which 

 have required a great deal of breeding out ; the 

 form of the bird also became somewhat taller, 

 though anything like the stilty carriage of the 

 Spanish is most objectionable, and the usual 

 Hamburgh carriage should be sought as far 

 as possible. 



The Black Hamburgh of the present day 

 is a most striking bird, the combination of 



