ESSEX SOCIETY. 93 



Daniel Buxton, Jr., Danvers, Black Spanish hens, gra- 

 tuity, - - - - |1 00 



Andrew Dodge, Wenham, variety of mixed breeds, gra- 

 tuity, --------- 1 00 



Stephen Osborn, Jr., Danvers, a large variety of fowls, 



gratuity, --.-----2 00 



Hiram L. Roberts, Beverly, Malay and Chinese breeds, 



crossed, gratuity, - - - - - -150 



The committee were much gratified by the exhibition of so 

 large a variety, and such good specimens of the different breeds 

 of fowls. Within a few years past, much attention has been 

 paid to this subject throughout the county, and the improve- 

 ment of the various breeds is beginning to assume the impor- 

 tance it deserves. 



The domestic cock was formerly considered by ornitholo- 

 gists, to be a species of the pheasant ; they now, however, 

 separate it from that tribe, and make a distinct genus, under the 

 name of Gallus, the Latin word for cock. Writers describe 

 many varieties of the domestic fowl, but we shall confine our 

 remarks to some of the well known breeds, and those which 

 we think will be the most profitable for the farmer to keep. 



The Malaij Fowl — In a valuable treatise on domestic fowls, 

 by H. D. Richardson, published in Dublin, in 1849, the author 

 says : — " The Malay fowl has, as its name implies, been 

 brought, originally, from the peninsula of that name, at the 

 southern point of the continent of India. He stands very high 

 on his legs, is long necked, serpent-headed, and is in color, 

 usually a dark brown, streaked with yellow, sometimes, how- 

 ever, white ; his form and appearance are grand and striking in 

 the extreme. This fowl is also, frequently called the Chitta- 

 gong. The Malay fowl that were originally imported, were by 

 no means, such birds as I could recommend to the notice of the 

 breeder, their size possessing too much offal, as neck, legs, and 

 thighs, and the flesh, moreover, being dark colored and oily. 

 Another variety, that has been since introduced, is well worthy 

 of attention. As a cross, this Malay has indeed proved a most 

 valuable addition to our poultry-yard, the cross-breed possessing 



