502 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



in the case of Siimatras the sheen is ver\- much 

 greater), the notes on breeding for colour con- 

 tained in the chapter on Haraburghs will 

 apply, and need not be here repeated. 



" I have found that the variety breeds won- 

 derfully true, the proportion of ' wasters ' being 

 very small, while the cocks and hens being so 

 alike in characteristics, exhibition males and 

 females can easily be bred from the same pen. 

 Up to the present time all the birds I have bred 

 have had the pea-comb, except three or four 

 chickens bred from a pen headed by a cock 

 having a specially small comb. The serrations 

 to these single combs were not like those seen 

 upon an ordinary single comb, but quite small, 

 and very similar to the serrations upon the 

 comb of Sonnerat's Jungle Fowl. 



" The chicks are hardy and easy to rear, 

 and, provided the stock birds are in good con- 

 dition and not overfed, the percentage of un- 

 fertile eggs is small. The hens have proved 

 themselves very good layers of white-shelled 

 eggs, though the eggs are not large, but by 

 selection the size could no doubt be increased. 

 They are also excellent sitters and mothers, 

 decidedly beyond the average, and, being 

 careful and light in their movements, are par- 

 ticularly valuable for hatching Bantam eggs. 



" Although not large, the breed is useful as 

 a table fowl, being plump, and the meat juicy 

 and of a delicious flavour." 



Regarding the question of type mentioned 

 above, some tendency is already perceptible in 

 certain quarters to seek approach to the type 

 of the Aseel, as regards especially a more up- 

 standing or sloping carriage, and the broader 

 eyebrow. It is much to be hoped this may be 

 resisted. The head should be fine and the back 

 horizontal, and to lose these points is to lose 

 real characteristics of the breed. The Standard 

 is as follows : — 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 



Head. — Shull : Small, rather short, and some- 

 what rounded. Beak : Strong, of medium length, 

 and shghtly curved. Eyes : Large and verj' bright, 

 with a quick and fearless expression. Comb : Pea, 

 lo in front fitting closely to the head, the smaller 

 the better. Face : Smooth and of fine texture. 

 Ear-lobes and Watties : As small as possible, and 

 fitting very closely. 



Neck. — Rather long, and covered with very long 

 and flowing haclde. 



Body. — Breast : Broad, full, and rounded, \vith 

 straight breast-bone. Back : Of medium length, 

 broad at the shoulders, and very shghtly tapering 

 to tail ; saddle hackle very long and flowing. Sleru : 

 Narrower than shoulders, but firm and compact. 

 Wings : Strong, long, and large, carried \vith the 



fronts shghtly raised, the feathers folded very closely 

 together, not carried drooping nor over the back. 



Tail. — Long and drooping, with a large quantitj' 

 of sickles and coverts, rising shghtly above the stern 

 and falUng streaming behind, nearl}- to the ground, 

 and the sickle and covert feathers not too broad. 



Legs and Feet. — Legs : Of strictly medium length, 

 strong, and set w-ell apart, the thighs thick and 

 muscular, the shanks straight and covered wdth 

 smooth, even scales, not flat nor thin. Toes : Four 

 on each foot, long and straight, well spread, the 

 back toe standing w-ell out and flat on the ground, 

 and the nails strong. (Note. — There is no objection 

 to two or more spurs on each shank, it being a 

 pecuUarity of the breed for this to occur.) 



Carriage. — Pheasant-hke, straight and upright in 

 front, and with a proud and stately action. 



Weight.— 5 lb. to 6 lb. 



Plumage. — \'ery full and flowing, but neither soft 

 nor flufty. 



Handling. — Very firm and muscular. 



The general characteristics of the hen are similar 

 to those of the cock, allowing for the natural sexual 

 differences. 



Weight.— 4 lb. to 5 lb, 



COLOUR 



Beak : Dark ohve or black, olive preferred. 

 Eyes : Very dark red, dark brown, or black, dark 

 red preferred. Comb, Face, Wattles, and Ear-lobes : 

 Black or very dark red, " gipsy " face preferred. 

 Legs and Feet : The same as the beak. 



Plumage. — Black, with a beetle-green sheen. 



SCALE OF POINTS 

 Type and carriage . . . . . . . . . . 20 



Head : comb, face, lobes, and wattles, 10 ; beak, 



S ; eyes, 5 



Colour . . . . . . . . . . • • 15 



Feather, quantity of .. .. .. • • 15 



Condition 

 Legs and feet 

 Neck . . 



Serious defects : Other than four toes ; single or 

 rose comb ; dubbing ; any deformity. 



A few brief paragraphs will suffice for 

 certain fowls only seen on very rare occasions, 

 which can hardly be said to be systematically 

 bred, and which have no qualities likely to 

 bring tliem into greater popularity, though one 

 or two of those produced in America have 

 shown good points, and might have attained 

 greater recognition but for the appearance of 

 other types with more to appeal to popular 

 favour. 



A very strongly marked race without tails, 

 known as Rumpless fowls, has been known 

 for centuries, and is spoken of as such by 



