GAME FOWLS, AND OTHER RARE BREEDS. 



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fact, it would seem not difficult to breed off the tail feathers of any 

 fowls. None of the rumpless breeds, however, have particular value 

 except as curiosities. 



RUMPLESS FOWLS. 

 XII. Silky Fowls. 



This is also a breed more curious than useful. Its chief peculiarity 

 is, that the feathers are filamentous and lack cohesion, giving the 

 plumage a silky appearance. They are sometimes called negro-fowls, 

 from the fact that the skin is of a dark violet color, or almost black, and 

 the wattles and low, flat comb often dark purple, and covered with wart- 

 like excrescences. The bones are also covered with a dark membrane, so 

 that taken altogether they may be regarded as the most singular of the 



