476 



JOUBNAL OP HOKTIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ Juao 11, 1874. 



that had hatched the whole of her nine eggs ; and, before pro- 

 ceeding farther, I may state that on the 21st of January ten out 

 of the eleven were hatched. Of the twenty-four chickens 

 hatched on the Ist of January, twenty-three were reared. The 

 twelve cockerels have long since come to table, and the eleven 

 pullets have produced me nearly two hundred eggs. The first, 

 a pure Dark Brahma, commenced to lay on the 25th of April. 

 The two hens that reared them were layiug again in the first 

 week in February, and both had hatched new broods by the first 

 week in April. 



The history of the little hen that hatched nine chickens on the 

 1st, and ten on the 21st of January, was that when she was but a 

 few days old, through an accident she became an orphan. A 

 Silver-pencilled Hamburgh, so lame that she could not roost, 

 and that had never laid, voluntarily adopted and reared the 

 chick, clucking and brooding as though she had hatched it. — 

 An Amateuk. 



THE POULTRY-KEEPEE.— No. G. 



THE HOUDAN HEN. 

 PROPORTIONS AND GENERAL CnARACTER. 



Body. — Compact, almost more bulky in appearance than the 

 cock, firmly set on strong feet. Breast, thighs, legs, and wings 

 well developed. Head large, half or whole-crested. Whiskers 

 and cravat very full. Comb and gills very small. Five toes on 

 each foot. Feathers of the abdomen spread out, pendant, and 



I1^%^s^_ 



Fig. 12.— Hondan Hen. 



abundant, the other feathers of an ordinary length. Plumage 

 spangled black and white, with violet and green iridescence 

 (see jig. 12). 



WEIGHT, SIZE, AND CHARACTEKISTICS. 



Weight. — When full-gron n from 5 lbs. 8j ozs. to G lbs. 10 ozs. 

 I Size. — From the upper part of the crest to the feet in an 

 ordinary position, 15J inches ; from the back to the feet, 



11,8 inches. 



Head. — Large (see 

 fig. 13). 



Coiiih. — Small. 



Ears. — Small. 



Gills.— Small. 



Beak. — Strong, 

 dark grey and yel- 

 low. 



Eije. — Iris, red dish 

 yellow. Pupil, black. 



Crest or Half- 

 crest. — Sometimes 

 the crest entirely 

 envelopes the head, 

 and rises from close 

 behind the beak. It 

 is composed in that 

 case of large fea- 

 thers superposed like 

 the others in a glo- 

 bular form, and is 

 as handsome as the 

 crests of other varie- 

 ties. At other times 

 Fig. 18.— Hoadan Hen's Head. the crest is not so 



large, and composed of irregularly-placed feathers, pointed and 

 bent Either of these forms equally characterises the variety. 

 Whiskers. — Small. 



Cravat. — Abundant, thick, but not coming down very low. 



Physiognomy of the Head. — When the creat is fully developed 



the hen can neither see at the side nor in front, but ouly on the 



ground, because the feathers which occupy the eyebrows cover 



the whole eye, giviug the hen a 



restless character on hearing the 



least sound ; and it is not without 



particular attention, and looking 



well beneath the crest, that the 



eyes can be seen. 



Foot and Sole of Foot (fig. 14). 

 — Strong, fleshy, and provided with 

 five toes, like that of the cock, 

 similarly arranged. 



Colour of Foot. — Like that of 

 the cock. 



Laying. — Precocious and abun- 

 dant in producing fine eggs. 

 Inciihation — Time, three weeks. 



Fig. 1-1. — Houdan Hen's Foot. 



DESCRIPTION OF FEATHERS. 



The entire plumage, composed of feathers of ordinary size, 

 is spangled — that is, mixed with feathers sometimes black, 

 sometimes white, and sometimes black and white ; sometimea 

 black at the beginning and white at the tip, and vice versa, but 

 on the back, shoulders, the sides of the breast, and the feathers 

 covering the great tail feathers, showing generally spots more 

 decided, less mixed at the sides, the belly, and the crest. The 

 large tail feathers and those of the flight are equally mixed 

 with black, white, or spotted feathers; but it is better when 

 they are all white. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 



The Houdan is one of the most beautiful varieties of fowls, 

 and nothing is more imposing than a yard full of Himdans, but 

 its merits far exceed its beauty. Besides the lightness of its 

 bones and the quantity and delicacy of its flesh, it is a variety 

 to be admired for its early productiveness and fecundity. The 

 chi('k.-ns in four months can be fattened and acquire great size. 



The hen produces very fine chickens, and of all the varieties 

 the hen approaches in weight nearest to that of the cock. They 

 are precocious and abundant layers of a fine, white, consider- 

 able-sized egg. The pullets begin to lay in the month of 

 January. 



The variety is a farmer's fowl, and is more easily raised than 

 any of the French indigenous varieties. It is also less roaming, 

 less plundering than many of the others. 



It is only an ordinary-brooding hen, like all hens which lay 

 long and abundantly; but she sits fairly and brings-up the 

 chickens carefully. 



BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND SOCIETY'S 

 BEISTOL POULTRY SHOW. 



Noted as have been the meetings of the Bath and West of 

 England Society for the excellence of the poultry for a long 

 series of years, it is most gratifying to announce that the col- 

 lection now on view at Clifton far surpasses in numbers any 

 of its predecessors, and in not a few of the classes the supe- 

 riority of the competition is certainly not less manifest. In 

 speaking of the general arrangements, we need only say that the 

 same diligent care and forethought that have caused the prior 

 meetings to become so popular were again fully shown by 

 Messrs. Bush & Edwards, the Stewards of this department. 

 The poultry tent was one of the largest we can bring to recol- 

 lection, and the exhibition pens were such as lo call forth 

 general approval. The weather, too, was such as lends a charm 

 to all out-of-door pursuits, and the local beauty of Clifton it 

 would be needless to recapitulate. With such advantages the 

 meeting of the present year will hold favourable contrast with 

 every one preceding it; and as regards the attendauce, the 

 poultry tent proved the most attractive and popular spot in the 

 whole area of thirteen acres, as occupied this year by the widely- 

 different exhibits of the Bath and West of England Agricul- 

 tural Society. 



Spanish fowls have always found their home among the 

 poultry fanciers of Bristol, and certainly this year's collection 

 is well calculated to support the notoriety of Bristol as to this 

 popular breed of poultry. Mr. Edward Jones, of Berkeley 

 Place, Clifton, held his own in a very severe competition, and 

 with two pens (one of either sex) was successful in obtaining 

 not only two first prizes and two silver cups, but also the 

 champion cup for the best cock of any breed in the whole Exhi- 

 bition. Perhaps the history of events in all poultry exhibitions 

 fails to record such a singular amount of success, and the 

 triumph was well deserved; for, considering the lateness of the 

 season, rarely, if ever, have Spanish fowls been shown in so 

 thoroughly creditable condition as those by Mr. Jones, of which 

 we are now speaking. The quality of the face of all this gentle- 



