THE MALAY FOWL. 165 



and Guinea Fowls, when plucked for the spit, are much more 

 uninviting in their appearance. It will be a pity if the Ma- 

 lays go out of fashion altogether, and become lost to the 

 country, like the Shackbags, in consequence of the introduction 

 of the more bepraised, and, it must be confessed, much more 

 generally useful, Cochin Chinas. The Poultry Shows, how- 

 ever, in which their striking appearance is so valuable, promise 

 again to bring them perhaps into undue favour. They are 

 certainly a very distinct race of Fowls. 



The Malay Hen lays Eggs of a good size, and of a rich buff 

 or brown colour, which are much prized by the numerous epi- 

 cures who believe that this hue indicates richness of flavour 

 a fact which has not yet been made sensible to my own palate. 

 The Chicks are at first very strong, with yellow legs, and are 

 thickly covered with light-brown down ; but, by the time they 

 are one-third grown, the increase of their bodies has so far out- 

 stripped that of their feathers, that they are half naked about 

 the back and shoulders, and extremely susceptible of cold and 

 wet. The grand secret of rearing them, is to have them 

 hatched very early indeed, so that they may have got through 

 this period of unclothed adolescence during the dry, sunny 

 part of May and June, and reached nearly their full stature 

 before the midsummer rains descend. 



The disposition of Malay Hens is very variously described : 

 doubtlessly with truth in the different cases. One set " long 

 in the leg, creamy brown with darker necks, were very ill- 

 tempered ; another individual, of a rich creamy brown and 

 grey neck, and very broad on the back, was an invaluable sit- 

 ter and mother. They are much used by some to hatch the 

 eggs of Turkeys, a task for which they are well adapted in 

 every respect but one, which is, that they will follow their na- 

 tural instinct in turning off their Chicks at the usual time, in - 

 stead of retaining charge of them as long as the mother Turkey 



