POULTRY. 509 



Silver-Gray Dorkings. This variety of the Dorking family is a truly beautiful 

 fowl, as will be seen from the following description by a noted English breeder, Mr. 0. E. 

 Cresswell, who has been very successful and has had extended experience in breeding them. 

 &quot;The chief distinctive exhibition points of Silver-Grays are as follows: The cock should 

 have a pure silvery white neck-hackle, back, saddle-hackle, and upper wing-coverts; the 

 black under-feathering of the back being entirely covered by the silvery white feathers of 

 the neck, and the wing-coverts entirely free from chestnut patches. The tail, thighs, and 

 breast, on the contrary, should be perfectly black. Perfection in the latter point is becoming 

 very difficult of attainment, the extremely light shades now sought in the hen having, in my 

 opinion, injuriously affected that great beauty in the cock, a pure, glossy black breast. 



After the second or third moult, the best cocks will show some grizzling on the thighs, 

 but will not, on that account, breed any worse chickens. The hen should have body, back, 

 and wings of a soft, silvery gray, perfectly free from red or reddish tinge; breast of a robin- 

 red or salmon color; the neck-hackle as silvery as possible, with a fine distinct black stripe 

 down the centre of the longer feathers. The most common faults in the hen are either dis 

 tinctly reddish feathers in the wing or a slight brownish tinge all over the body. It may be 

 observed that the latter of these faults seems to increase with age, while the former, on the 

 contrary, decreases; and I have had birds very faulty in this respect as pullets, which, in the 

 second moult, entirely lost the reddish feathers, and became perfectly silvery. The breast- 

 color of the hen may vary from robin-red to pale salmon color; the latter is generally found 

 with the most silvery general coloring; but I believe that the largest birds are almost always 

 of the deeper color. The color of the Silver-gray Dorking hen, when anywhere near perfec 

 tion, is of very great beauty. The light-gray ground is closely covered over by a minute 

 penciling of darker gray, which gives that peculiar silvery appearance so attractive, both 

 in this case and that of the Duckwing Game hen.&quot; 



The comb, ear-lobes, and wattles of this variety are bright red; the first may be either 

 single or rose; when single it is large, upright, and evenly serrated. If it be a rose comb, it 

 ^hould be rather broad at the base, square in front, fiat at the top, and covered with small 

 projections or points, and terminate in a spike behind that is rather long and pointing slightly 

 upward. The wing-coverts of the cock are a greenish-black, forming a wide bar across the 

 wings; all the black feathers of the plumage having a beautiful gloss, with metallic or green 

 reflections. 



The tail is full, and in color a rich, greenish black, while the lesser tail-coverts have 

 usually a narrow edging of white, giving a beautiful contrast with the black. The legs, with 

 the highly -prized &quot;fifth toe,&quot; that breeders are so careful to perpetuate, are flesh-color or 

 white. The beak is also of the same color. The appearance of the hen is quite matronly, 

 and they do, in fact, make the best of mothers when inclined to sit. 



Colored Dorkings. With regard to this variety we will say that in general charac 

 teristics, and all points except color of plumage, our previous description of Silver Gray 

 Dorkings applies to this. We take the following with regard to them from the Standard of 

 Excellence, which is what the judges at poultry shows abide by: 



&quot;Inasmuch as Colored Dorkings are of diverse colors or shadings, any of which are 

 recognized, no extended or critical description of the colors of these will be attempted. It 

 will be sufficient to say that the general characteristics of Colored and Silver-gray Dorkings 

 are the same; the chief, if not the only difference between them, being in the color of their 

 plumage. The numerical value of the &quot;points&quot; of Colored and other Dorkings is the same: 

 when, therefore, Colored birds are shown, the first pre-requisite will be that they match in the 

 color of their plumage and other points. &quot; 



We are unable to give a definite description, owing to the variety of colors and shades 

 recognized. The darker plumaged birds are, however, considered the most beautiful and 



