70 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION 



and they were produced first by a cross between a common hawk- 

 colored (so-called) single comb Dunghill cock, with pure black 

 Cochin hens, not Java hens (which invariably have smooth legs, 

 entirely free from feathers). From this cross a large majority 

 of the progeny were cockerels, very large and fine symmetrical 

 birds, many of them of the same plumage as their sire, some 

 with legs heavily feathered, a few with legs entirely free from 

 feathers. 



"The pullets, a large percentage, were black, legs heavily 

 feathered, a few were very handsomely marked, black and white, 

 with legs entirely free from feathers, others' legs slightly 

 feathered. 



"In the Fall of 1866 my attention was called to these chicks 

 by a friend, and we started to see them, and found them in the 

 yards of one Mr. Spaulding, who then lived in Putnam, Connec- 

 ticut. Mr. Spaulding bred fowls for market purposes only, and 

 was noted for producing the very best early and late chicks of 

 any farmer around, always obtaining higher prices than his 

 neighbors for his choice poultry. We selected and purchased a 

 cockerel and two pullets, which had clean, yellow legs and of the 

 desired plumage we wished to produce, and bred them. About 

 one-half of their chicks were of the desired plumage. I then 

 selected the best pullets and bred them to a cock of my own 

 raising, of the same plumage, a descendant from stock which 

 originated from eggs purchased of G. P. Burnham, about twenty- 

 five years ago, said to be Brahma Pootras, or what some fanciers 

 called Gray Chittagongs in those days, which were very large, 

 noble fowls ; but with me this variety was crossed with Cochins 

 and English Gray Dorkings, but the cockerels always retained 

 the original steel-gray plumage. 



"The second cross from this strain produced very satisfac- 

 tory results. Most of their chicks were of the desired color in 

 both sexes ; very few black, and most of them with legs free 

 from feathers, and bright yellow in color. From this cross I 

 have selected and bred from the very best specimens, and by 

 judicious mating have, for the past three years, succeeded in 

 breeding them as true to feather and points, and a greater num- 

 ber of fine exhibition birds from a clutch of eggs, than from any 

 other variety we ever bred. They are now very large, fine in 

 shape, and very handsome plumaged birds. They fledge quite 

 young, grow rapidly, mature earlier than any other fowl of their 

 size, are very hardy and easy to rear, and for early marketing 

 there is no breed to be compared with them ; are fully equal to 



