"THE SPANISH FOWL. 211 



speckled black and white, in shape and carriage very much 

 like the spangled Polish, (except being much longer in the leg,) 

 having top-knots, and a tuft of feathers hanging under the 

 throat, and white legs. The others are pure white, in shape 

 and carriage exactly like the black Spanish, only wanting the 

 white cheek-patch. They are much larger and broader than 

 any of the black I have ever seen, and they are very fine in 

 the neighbourhood of London. The Cock that came with the 

 first lot is entirely black, and long in the legs, but without the 

 white cheek-patch. In my opinion, they are the most useful 

 and ornamental breed of Fowls both for the breeder and ama- 

 teur. Their Eggs are equal in size and number to those of 

 the black Spanish. Some of mine last year weighed three, 

 and some four ounces each. They appear very healthy and 

 hardy. My Fowls came from the neighbourhood of Xeres de 

 la Frontera, in Andalusia, about twenty-five miles from Cadiz. 

 They have cost me about ten shillings each, including freight, 

 duty, and expense of clearing." 



Another gentleman says, " I have a few Chickens out, from 

 Mr. Barber's Andalusian Hens, some of which seem to be the 

 true old black Spanish, and others of a grisly white, one of 

 which has evident signs of a large future muff, but not the 

 slightest semblance of a top-knot at present. They are with- 

 out exception the very largest and finest Chicks I ever saw, 

 coming, as they do, out of Eggs, fine certainly, but which do not 

 exceed many of my own." H. H. 



Some of these birds are of a blue, or gray, or slaty colour. 

 Their growth is so rapid, and their eventual size so large, that 

 they are remarkably slow in obtaining their feathers. Although 

 well covered with down when first hatched, they look almost 

 naked when half-grown, and should therefore be hatched as 

 early in the spring as possible. 



The cross between the Pheasant-Malay and the Spanish pro- 



