448 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS, 



THE following glossary of the various technical terms used by poultry fanciers, together 

 with the illustration representing the points of poultry on a following page, may be 

 of value to those not already familiar with them, in understanding the description 

 of the different breeds of fowls: 



Beard. A bunch of feathers under the throat of some breeds of chickens, such as Houdans or 

 Polish. 



Breed. Any variety of fowl presenting distinctive characteristics. 



Brood. The family of chicks belonging to a single mother. 



Broody. Desiring to sit or incubate. 



Carriage. The attitude or &quot; style &quot; of a bird. 



Carunculated. Covered with small fleshy protuberances, as on the head and neck of a turkey- 

 cock. 



Chicle. A newly -hatched fowl. 



Chicken. This word applies, indefinitely, to any age under one year old. 



Clutch. This term is applied both to the batch of eggs sat upon by a fowl, and to the brood of 

 chickens hatched therefrom. 



Cockerel. A young cock. 



Comb. The fleshy protuberance growing on the top of a fowl s head. 



Condition. The state of the fowl as regards health and beauty of plumage. 



Crest. A crown or tuft of feathers on the head, of the same significance as top-knot. 



Crop. The receptacle in which a fowl s food is stored before passing into the gizzard for digestion. 



Cushion. The mass of feathers over the rump of a hen, covering the tail, chiefly developed in 

 Cochins. 



Dubbing. Cutting off the comb, wattles, and ear-lobes, so as to leave head smooth and clean. 



Ear-lobes. The folds of bare skin hanging just below the ears, by many called deaf-ears. They 

 vary in color, being red, white, blue, and cream-colored. 



Face. The bare skin around the eye. 



Flights. The primary feathers of the wings used in flying, but tucked under the wings, out of 

 sight, when at rest. 



Fluff. Soft, downy feathers about the thighs, chiefly developed in Asiatics. 



Furnished. When a cockerel has obtained his full tail, comb, hackles, etc., he is said to be 

 furnished. 



Gill s. This term is often applied to the wattles. 



Hackles. The peculiar, narrow, long feathers on the neck of fowls. 



Henny or hen-feathered. Resembling a hen from the absence of hackles and sickle-feathers, and in 

 plumage generally. 



Hock. The joint between the thigh and shank. 



Keel. A word sometimes used to denote the breast-bone. 



Leg. In a living fowl, this is the scaly part, usually denominated the shank. In a dressed bird 

 the term refers to the joint above. 



Leg-feathers. Feathers growing from the outer sides of the shanks, as in Cochins. 



Mossy. Confused or indistinct marking in the plumage. 



Pea-comb. A triple comb, resembling three small combs in one, the middle being the highest ; such, 

 for instance, as may be seen in the illustration on page 476. 



Penciling. Small markings or stripes over a feather. These may run straight across, as in Ham- 

 burgs, or in crescent-like form, as in Partridge Cochins. 



Poult. A young turkey. 



Primaries. The flight-feathers of the wings, hidden when the wing is closed, being tucked under 

 the visible wing, composed of the &quot;secondary&quot; feathers. Usually the primaries contain the deepest 

 color belonging to the fowl, except the tail, and great importance is attached to their color by breeders. 



Pullet. A young hen. The term is not properly applicable after a bird is a year old. 



Rooster. An American term for a cock chicken. 



Saddle. The posterior part of the back, reaching to the tail in a cock and answering to the cushion 



