FOWLS 



47 



FIG. 33. White-Crested Black Polish cock 1 



were bred in all parts 

 of the kingdom, but the 

 Dorkings were a local 

 breed developed by the 

 people in the vicinity of 

 the town of Dorking, 

 where from very early 

 times the growing of 

 poultry for the London 

 market was an important 

 local industry. Each in 

 its way, these two breeds 

 represent the highest 

 skill in breeding. In the 

 Old English Game Fowl, 

 symmetry, strength, en- 

 durance, and courage were combined to perfection. The Dorking 

 is the finest type of table fowl 

 that has ever been produced. 



German and Dutch races. 

 The breeds now known as Ham- 

 burgs and Polish are of peculiar 

 interest to a student of the evo- 

 lution of races of fowls, because 

 they present some characters 

 not readily derived from the 

 primitive type of the fowl. The 

 feather markings of some vari- 

 eties of both these breeds are 

 unlike those of other races, and 

 are markings which would not 



be likely to become established unless the fowls were bred sys- 

 tematically for that purpose. So, too, with the large crest of the 



1 Photograph from Charles L. Seely, Afton, New York. 



FIG. 34. White-Crested Black 

 Polish hen i 



