20 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 
are splendid all-purpose fowls and so aristocratic in 
manner that they make a strong appeal to many 
beginners. They are a trifle larger than the Amer- 
ican breeds and doubtless would speedily come into 
great favor if it were not for the fact that their 
flesh is white. They lay brown-shelled eggs and 
produce them in generous numbers. The meat is 
excellent and a bird which is well cared for carries 
a lot of it, especially on the breast, so that for home 
use, the black Orpington is highly satisfactory, par- 
ticularly when it is desirable to have a breed with 
plumage which will not show stain or dirt. 
The Houdan is the French fowl best known in 
this country and is an excellent breed for the ama- 
teur, as the birds are tame, unusually attractive, 
contented in confinement and good layers. The 
eggs are white and the meat is too dark for market 
poultry, but exceptionally fine in texture and flavor. 
There is not so much meat on the carcass as is fur- 
nished by birds of the American and other larger 
breeds, but more than the Leghorns offer. The 
flesh of Houdans is highly prized in France, where 
dark-meated fowls have the preference. The Hou- 
dans have crests or top-knots and are mottled black 
and white in color. They are hardy and non-sit- 
