EUROPEAH BREEDS. 165 



peculiar crest, beard, and muffling, and the lively mark- 

 ings of their plumage, which, when perfect, is of a 

 mixed "pebbly" black-and-white. They have the fifth 

 toe, a useless, objectionable member, which they inherit 

 from the Dorking strain in their ancestry, although 

 along with it they have the fine-flavored flesh and plump 

 breast of that race. Their legs are gray and their bones 

 remarkably light They are egg- producers rather than 

 breeders; and if properly fed, the hens will lay on with- 

 out stopping to " sit." They will thrive in confinement, 

 when properly kept, as well as when roaming at large; 

 and when allowed to range, exercise the liberty now and 

 then with greater freedom than is convenient upon the 

 farm. The standard of excellence of the poultry-fan- 

 ciers for the Houdan is subject to some variation as to 

 minor points, such as the shape of the comb; the fifth 

 toe, however, is insisted upon; the feathering should be 

 of black and white, evenly mixed, and not patchy; the 

 saddle of the cock is tipped with straw yellow; the crest 

 is of black and white feathers, evenly mixed, and thrown 

 back so as to show the comb, which is double, evenly 

 toothed upon each side, and with both sides alike in 

 shape; the hackle is black and while, the beard and 

 muffle almost hide the face, and the wattles are long and 

 evenly rounded at the ends. The hen is square-bodied, 

 and low-framed, with plumage like that of the cock; 

 the crest is full and round and not loose and struggling 

 or shaggy. The fifth claw is large and turned upwards, 

 as with the cock. If good birds are procured to start 

 with, they should breed very true to the marks; but if 

 long closely bred* they will in time become mixed in ap- 

 pearance. 



The Crevecceur, like the Houdan, is named from the 

 village in France in the neighborhood of which it has 

 long been largely brod for market. These birds are re- 

 markably stately and handsome, although somber in 



