22 DOMESTIC FOWL. 



I have written to more than one correspondent in Germany, to 

 procure them for me, at any cost, but without success ; so that I 

 must presume they are not now to be had, even there. 



My applications to my continental friends, procured me some 

 splendid specimens of 



THE SPANGLED POLISH FOWL, 



Which are, at present, very rare, and always very beautiful; 

 when purely bred, they present the finest possible contrast of 

 colours ground of the feathers bright orange, tipped with white, 

 with an occasional sprinkling of green, black, and brown, with 

 splendid white top-knot. The weight of the oock about 6 Ibs., 

 and the hen about 5 Ibs. ; height of the cock about 20 inches, and 

 of the hen about 18 inches. They cannot be described as having 

 a comb, being so diminutive as scarcely to be called one ; wattles 

 small, top-knot beautifully white, hackles spangled, as the rest of 

 the plumage, tail well plumed, legs blue, flesh white and delicate, 

 eggs abundant, chickens easily reared. Part of the lot I imported 

 were purchased by John Augustus O'Neill, Esq., of William's- 

 park, Rathmines, who highly appreciated them; he afterwards 

 imported some duplicate birds, from the same locality from which 

 I had mine they both, precisely corresponded. The distinguish 

 ing characters from the Spangled Hamburgh are, the white top- 

 knot, and the absence of the ruff under the beak, which cannot 

 be wanted in a well-bred Hamburgh fowl. Both cock and hen 

 have a superior quiet elegance. I cannot say too much for their 

 beauty. 



THE SPANGLED HAMBURGH FOWL, 



Another very beautiful variety of poultry, distinguishable from 

 the preceding, by their large top-knot, being coloured instead of 

 white, and their black and conspicuous ruff, on their throat and 

 under their beak ; they approach so nearly to the preceding that 

 they are frequently confounded with each other, and even bred 

 together, as the same, which has caused the Hamburgh so fre- 

 quently to show the white feathers in their top-knot, and the 

 Spangled Polish the dark colouring in theirs ; but still the ruff, at 

 the throat, distinguishes the fowl ; the chickens, though of the 

 same clutch, sometimes have the ruff at the throat, and some of 



