THE LEGHORNS 



able, but not a disqualification): fluff and thighs more or 

 less brown-tinged; wings, reddish-brown; tails large, full 

 sickles (well curved in "Standard" — I say tolerably well 

 curved), the whole tail carried upright. It is not an un- 

 common thing to see a good cock, when strutting about, 

 have his comb and tail meet above his back. The back 

 should be wide and short, and of deep red or mahogany 

 color; hackle and saddle same as in Black-Red Game; 

 head and face small, as in "Standard;" and I am afraid 

 judges are attaching too much importance to this, and like 

 the Black Spanish, they will sacrifice the whole merit to 

 this one requirement. I fear that in time we shall see, as 

 in the Spanish, degenerate sons of noble sires, feebly con- 

 tending for prizes, and striving to sustain a race whose 

 glory is found in the past. In or about 1858 we had the 

 White Leghorn with white legs, which was known as the 

 Lord importation. Later, in 1863, we had what was known 

 as the Stetson importation, which was white in plumage, 

 with yellow beak and legs. In weight, like the brown va- 

 riety, the hens average 354 pounds, the cocks from 4^/^ to 

 S pounds, the latter, however, being seldom reached. 

 These fowls as egg producers, in their original perfection, 

 were truly marvelous. I have known of a hen of this last 

 importation that laid 159 days in succession, and have the 

 assertion of a friend that one laid 275 eggs in one year; 

 but the largest number which I know of personally and 

 which I deem very extraordinary, was 250. An average, 

 in my experience, has been from 175 to 200 eggs. With 

 good care 200 eggs need not be despaired of. 



The combs of all three of these varieties were the 

 same, and not at all like the Black Spanish. In many cuts 

 published of late, one sees them with combs of a Spanish 

 shape. This is wrong in itself, and leads many an amateur 

 astray. A Leghorn has rarely but five points to his comb, 

 — two double-pointed serratures and three single ones, 

 and cut very deep down into it. The shape, once seen, 

 cannot be mistaken, and therefore needs no fuller descrip- 

 tion by me. In the early importations these combs grew 

 to an enormous size. I have seen young cocks with such 

 combs and wattles that they were unable to hold up their 

 heads. I killed a cock so troubled, his whole live weight 

 being Syi pounds, and his head, comb and wattles weigh- 

 ing 19 ounces — as nearly one-third his weight as could 

 well be. They have smaller combs now, which I cannot 

 but hail for the better. 



The Brown Leghorn Standard referred to by Mr. 

 Felch above, gives the following description of the breed: 



The Cock 



Comb — bright red, large, erect, single, straight, and 

 free from twists or falling over to either side, deeply ser- 

 rated, extending well back over the head and free from 

 side sprigs or excrescences. Legs — bright yellow. Breast 

 — Black, splashed with brown. Wings — Reddish brown. 

 Tail — large, full, sickle well curved. Face — bright red, 

 free from wrinkles or folds. Ear-lobes — Pure opaque, 

 white, rather pendant, thin, and close fitting to the head, 

 smooth and free from wrinkles. 



The Hen 



Head — brown. Neck — light yellowish brown, striped 

 with black. Back and shoulder coverts — brown. Wing 

 bow, shoulder primaries and secondaries — ^brown. Tail — 

 dark brown, approaching black. Breast, deep salmon, 

 shading off to ashy brown toward the thighs. Thighs — 

 ashy brown. Legs — to match those of cock. 



Points in Brown Leghorns 



Size IS 



Comb 20 



Face and Ear-lobe 20 



Color of Plumage 20 



Symmetry 15 



Condition 10 



Disqualifications in Brown Leghorns 

 Legs, other than yellow; comb lopping over in cock; 

 prick-comb on hen; red deaf-ear; white feathers in any 

 part of the plumage. 



This Standard was about as crude and incomplete as 

 the breed itself at that time. The first official American 

 Standard of Excellence issued by the American Poultry 

 Association in 1874, howevtr, gives a far better and more 



complete description of Brown Leghorns; also giving the 

 first scale of points based upon the 100-point system, 

 adopted by the Association at its annual meeting held at 

 Buffalo, New York, January 15th to 18th, 1874. 



Not long after Mr. Felch A^rote his introductory Leg- 

 horn article, other writers began to air their knowledge 

 on the subject and dispute the Felch claims. In the No- 

 vember "Poultry World," 1873, a correspondent who 

 signed himself "B. Leghorn" remarked: 



I cannot agree with Mr. Felch in regard to the Leg- 

 horns. In the first place, I cannot agree with him that so 

 long ago as 1855 they were known or recognized as a dis- 

 tinct breed. I am well aware that fowls of all shades 

 have been imported into this country under the name of 

 Leghorns, which had no title whatever to the designation, 

 except the bare fact that they came from the vicinity of 

 the city bearing, that name. 



I'hey do not appear to have been recognized by any 

 of the poultry authorities of Europe as a distinct breed, 

 until long after they had been bred and perfected in this 

 country; since which time they have only been recognized 

 as an American breed. It would appear to be a very re-- 

 markable oversight on the part of those who have brought 

 poultry fancying to its present status in England, to have 

 passed by so valuable a variety, or to be ignorant of its 

 existence. Some years ago, Mr. Brent, a celebrated 

 poultry breeder and judge, now deceased, wrote as fol- 

 lows in relation to the Spanish fowl: "I am at a loss to 

 understand why only one variety of this breed is patron- 

 ized, seeing there are others. I think it but justice that 

 this breed should have as many classes as any other breed. 

 I would give them four classes, — Black Spanish, White 

 Spanish, Blue Spanish, and any other variety of Spanish." 

 If this means anything, it most assuredly recognizes a 

 large class of fowls of various colors which would be 

 classed under the name of Spanish. There is no doubt 

 that the White Leghorns now so celebrated in this coun- 

 try, were originally identical with the White Spanish 

 which have been known in England. 



Mr. Tegetmeier also says: "The geographical names 

 by which the majority of the different breeds of our do- 

 mestic poultry are at present known to us are un- 

 questionably erroneous. But with Spanish the case 

 appears somewhat different. All along the Mediterranean, 

 from Gibraltar to Syria, the countries that border on that 

 vast inland sea abound with fowls that bear so close a 

 resemblance to the Spanish race as may warrant our as- 

 signing them to one common stock. Purity of breed, 

 however, is but little esteemed; nevertheless, with those 

 who have examined with any care the natural history of 

 this section of gallinaceous birds, little hesitation would 

 be felt as to the extreme probability of a common 

 descent." 



It seems to me that statements like these from gentle- 

 men who are recognized authorities in poultry matters, 

 ought to set at rest any claim to the Leghorns as a 

 distinct European breed. The birds mentioned by Mr. 

 Felch as having been imported in 1855 and 1858, were 

 undoubtedly selected from these mongrels spot en of by 

 Mr. Tegetmeier, and from them has arisen tho Brown 

 Leghorn of our day, so widely known as an /vmerican 

 breed. 



So much for the history of this variety. Now let us 

 follow Mr. Felch in his description of this breed. In the 

 opening of his oaper he says: "The nice pure brown of 

 their breasts (speaking of the hen) being very peculiar;" 

 and again; "The hens in color generally present teddish 

 brown, running in some cases to pure brown." This may 

 possibly answer for the early importations, but the learer 

 the color of both cock and hen approaches the color of 

 Black-Red Games, the more highly are they prized ly our 

 best breeders. In regard to the comb of the hen, he says: 

 "Hens, whose combs stand upright are, to my mind 

 preferable, as it is these which generally produce the most 

 perfect cocks." Believing, as I have always believec, that 

 the Leghorns, both Brown and White, are Spanish in their 

 origin, I entertain the opinion that the same rule which 

 would apply in judging Spanish, would apply also to them 

 (the Leghorns). 



Mr. Hewett, the best known poultry judge, says: "In 

 Spanish hens the combs should lap in front, and fall over 

 sideways." The erect comb, called a prick-comb, which 



