452 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTIOULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. [ December 12, 1887. 



So fixed IS the type of my birds, that I will imdertiilio to 

 provide eggs to produce two to tbree Iiimdred cliickens, and 

 every one shall prove a true Silver-Grey. 



The climate and scil where I live are hostile to rearing 

 chickens ; had I resided in a more favourable locality I should 

 not fear competition in weight witli the more bulky-looking 

 Colonred Horking, as the tight-feathered Silver-Grey both 

 handles and weighs a larger bird than he looks in the show 

 pens of Birmingham.— Tuos. O'Grady. 



JUDGING GAME FOWLS BY COLOUR. 

 After good shape and pood feather, correct colour of feathers 

 IS of importance, and then the correct colours of the eye-! 

 beaks, legs, and nails. The red eye denotes fiercenes.? and 

 *>§*{ «0"™ge, and the black or dark full eve is the boldest eye 

 of all. All other colours of eyes are inferior to these two ; and 

 the yellow or daw eye generally, though not always, denotes 

 inferiority of courage. Other colours of eyes are produced by 

 crossing, such as bay eyes, red-brown eves, and orange eyes. 

 Ihe silver pearl-grey eye is not to be obtained by crossing, and 

 IS an exception. 



Red eyes are the match for Reds, Greys, and Whites, and no 

 others ; b ack or dark eyes for those sorts that " cut out " very 

 dark ; yellow eyes for all with yellow or birchen feathering 

 iied eyes are proper for Black-breasted Reds, most Duckwiug- 

 Greys, Ginner Reds, Red Piles, Bed Duns, and White Game 

 fowls,- black or dark eyes for Brown Reds, Dork Birchens 

 Dark Greys, and for the Black Game fowls (the large globular 

 eye) ; yellow or daw eyes for Yellow Diickwings, Blue Duns 

 Gingers, Yellow Birchens, Ginger Duns, Birchen Duns, Yellow 

 Biles, and yellow-feathered Black-breasted Reds with yellow 

 legs and benks ; and light brown eyes and bay eves fir the 

 mongrel breeds. The silver pearl-grey eves are proper for the 

 Sliver Mealy Greys and Silver Mealy Duckwings with the white 

 legs, but sucli birds as these are now very rarely to be met 1 



As to the colours of the legs, the following are correct •— ' 

 Willow legs for Black-breasted Beds and Duckwings only for 

 exhibition birds ; but some Orange Piles, and Gingers and 

 Ginger Reds, have the yellowish-willow legs, but are rare 

 Black legs or blackish-bronze legs are proper to Brown Reds, 

 Dark Greys, Dark Birchens, and Black Game fowls, and to a 

 lew Mealy Greys, Duckwings, and Black-brensted Reds as well 

 when dark l)irds. White legs are proper to Wliites, most Piles' 

 some Bed Duns, some Ginger Reds, some Black-breasted Reds' 

 some Silver Duckwings, and to some Mealy Greys. The beaks 

 and nails should correspond with the colour of the ]p£rs as nearly 

 as possible. Yellow legs are correct for Yellow Pile<; Yellow 

 Duckwings, Ginger Duns, Blue Duns, some Black- breasted 

 Reds, some Ginger Reds, and Gingers, and to the Yellow 

 Birchens. (The upper mandible of the beak darker than the 

 lower onej. Blue legs are proper to some Red Duns and Blue 

 Duns, some Black-breasted Beds, a few Red Piles, and some 

 Grey Duckwings. Carp-brown legs to those Black-breasted Reds 

 only, with the fawn-breasted Dark Brown hens. Beaks and 

 nails of the same colour always. 



The chief defects in the exhibition sorts are the following ■— 

 Brown-Reds should never be too light in colour, or have their 

 eyes too light-coloured ; nor light beaks, legs, or nails, or any 

 hght-coloured points, or white markings. Any black markings 

 m the cock's breast are not correct, as the cock's breast should 

 be clear reddish brown, or reddish brown streaked with darker 

 brown, but not with any black. Hens being too light or too 

 black IS also wrong, they should be dark brown with streaked 

 breasts, and the bodies pencilled. 



In Black-breasted Reds too light or pale, or too dark or dull 

 a red is wrong, or any red not bright, clear, vivid red is wrong, 

 and any eye not red is also wrong ; but any colour of leg is 

 quite correct, as in fowls of this colour 'there are various 

 colours of legs, and all, when there are good red eyes, are 

 correct. Any white feathers are wrong. The nails should match 

 the legs, as should the beak. Dark nails should accompany 

 black, willow, blue, and carp-brown legs in all Game fowls- 

 yellowish-white or yell„wish-browu nails, vellow legs in all the 

 sorts; and whitish nails, white legs in all the sorts also. Any 

 spot on the cock's breast is wrong. In the hens pale breast's 

 are wrong. Red Partridge hens only for prize birds, and willow 

 legs always most popular for this sort. The brown and wheaten 

 hens are never prize birds as a rule. 



In Duckwings the cock bird being too red anywhere, or the 



hen too brown is wrong. lien's breasts of too deep a fawn- 

 oolour, or too red, are also not correct. 



Silver-Grey Duckwings must exhibit no red or yellow, and 

 Yellow Duokwing cocks neither red nor grey anywhere. The 

 cocks must never be spot-breasted. The willow-legged dark 

 red-eyed Grey Birchen breed are the prize cocks with the 

 Silver-Grey hens, and these are the common standard birds. 



In Red Piles, any colour not bright red with white is wrong. ■ 

 Any leg not white is inferior ; yellow legs are the next best 

 match ; yellowish-willow legs the" third. Red eyes are essential. 

 In Whites, yellow eyes are bad, any colour of leg except 

 white is also undesirable, the red-eye'd white-legged Whites 

 being the true Whites. The yellow-legged Whites are too yellow 

 in the feather to be good. 



In Blacks, yellow eyes are bad, also any colour of leg but 

 bluish-black. Brassy-winged cocks are the most popular. All 

 points should be as black as possible. Bed combs are more 

 popular than the gipsy dark combs in Blacks. 



In judging the two red sorts, the Brown Reds and the Black- 

 breasted Reds, the Brown Beds should be the dark reds, and 

 the Black-breasted Reds the bright red birds, as all the points 

 m the Brown Red are darker, if a good dark bird, except the 

 breast of the cock. Por example, the hen is darker and hatches 

 darker chickens. They " cut out " much darker than any other 

 red breed. The comb, face, and gills are darker. Many, however, 

 prefer orange-backed Brown Red cocks to any of the old true- 

 bred Dark Brown Red cocks. In the Black-breasted Reds the 

 colour is redder, being a true red. The hen is redder and lighter, 

 and hatches lighter chickens. They " cut out '' much lighter than 

 the Brown Reds, and have the red combs, faces, and gills, and if 

 red-eyed are of red blood, while the Brown Red is of the dark 

 gipsy blood, and should always have the dark comb, face, and 

 gills. All red-combed Brown Reds are mongrels. Many say 

 they prefer dark Black-breasted Reds, but these are slower 

 birds and less fiery and active than the bright red birds. Pale, 

 dull, light-coloured Black-breasted Reds are too weak in general, 

 the bright reds being the best birds. Brown Beds with orange- 

 red backs and shoulders iu the cocks are, perhaps, the quickest 

 Brown Reds. — Kewjuiiket. 



BIRMINGHAM POULTRY SHOW. 



It is hard to saj wheii Doi!iir,i/s mil stop in size, bnt a contem- 

 porary who Fays in his report tliey are judged by weight is mis- 

 infornied, and writes iit rniulom. There is' a wide difference between 

 .indging by weight, and ascertaining that of selected birds of a breed 

 in which size and coiisci|aeut weight are essential elements. They 

 are never, to the best of onr belief, fattened for exhiljition. Those 

 who tned that plan some years ago, found to their cost that it led 

 only to defeat. A competent judge will always detect it. 



The Silver-Grey Dorkings cannot make ' satisfactory classes for 

 cocks. It seems tb j fate of some breeds to rescn-e perfection for hens 

 .ind pullets, while they deny it to cocks. It is so in this breed ; while 

 the former made classes of unusual merit, the latter were weak, and 

 among the adults it was difficult to iind worthy prize-takers. The 

 White Dorkings, as exhibited at Bingley Hall, we're hardly stationary. 

 V\ e think we have seen the classes stronger iu every respect. 



The adult VocJiins were beautiful and shown m'excellent condition. 

 We were glad to find in nearly all the Buff pens the vulture hock was 

 not to be seen. Why cannot the appendage be got rid of in the 

 Whites ? It causes many an otherwise good bh-d or pen to be excluded 

 from the prize list. The Grouse and Partridge Cochins were o.xceed- 

 in.gly meritorious, and many of them of unusual size. As a proof 

 how carefully they are now bred, we noticed but vcrv few cocks with 

 iaulty-coloured breasts. It would be well to get rid of the yellow 

 tinge visible in the plumage of some of the pullets. Throughout the 

 Cocliin classes the combs were good, straight, and well seiTated, 

 adding considerably to the laliour of the Judges. 



The Ay.dHis/t were beautiful, the faces, as 'a whole, showing less of 

 the cauliflower- surface than usual. We never recollect seeing this 

 breed shown in such general good condition as tliis year. 



In the Gohlen-spangled Ilnmhtiryh cocks there were more dark 

 breasts tliau we have seen of late years. Is the old question about to 

 be revived ? We thought it was at rest. 



The young Bralimm will not surpass the old ones, and, aa a whole, 

 were not iu onr opinion equal to classes we liave someiimes seen. 



•The French breeds having had classes to themselves, ask for especial 

 notice. Vrr<\- Ccrurs were jieitect ; the cocks superior to auvthing we 

 have seen. In this breed there is dilEcnlty in choosing tliem"free from 

 any colonred feathers ; but it was here the rule, almost without excep- 

 tion. We can speak equally well of the Jhiiilmin, good, square-bnift, 

 Dorking-looking birds, short on the legs, and with warranted constitu- 

 tion ; bnt the At? FUrhf were very weak iu numbers and quality. We 

 know not from what cause, but they cannot hold then- own m England. 

 Their friends are giving them up. 



Silver Poluiu'i increase, but the Golden are at a stand-stiU. We 



