THE DOMESTIC FOWL. 31 



intervals they manifest a desire to sit, in which they 

 often most strenuously persevere. In this respect, 

 they are steady and good mothers when the little ones 

 appear. They are better adapted than any other fowl, 

 except the great Malay, to hatch superabundant tur 

 key's eggs. Their size and bulk enable them to afford 

 warmth and shelter to the turkey poults for a long 

 time. For the same reason, spare goose eggs may 

 safely be entrusted to their motherly care. Their 

 young, in this country, have thus far proved very 

 hardy and easy to rear. The chicks are generally 

 brownish-yellow, with a broad, brown stripe down the 

 middle of the back, and a narrow one on each side. 



Although pure-bred Dorkings are still deservedly in 

 high repute, a cross is generally regarded more profit- 

 able than the true breed. A showy, energetic game 

 cock, with Dorking hens, produces chickens, in size 

 and beauty little inferior to their maternal parentage, 

 and more robust. This race has the peculiarity in hav- 

 ing a supernumerary toe on each foot, and, as has 

 already been said, often one or more toe-like protrusions 

 above their heels resembling claws. These charac- 

 teristics almost always disappear with the first or 

 second cross ; and as they are points that can well be 

 spared without any disadvantage, it is now a common 

 practice, in England, thus to breed them off. The 

 first cross produces a fine bird, which is large, though 

 less prolific ; but if the mongrel progeny be crossed 

 with each other, they soon dwindle to nothing. There- 

 fore, one has no further guarantee of the cross breed 

 being good further than the first result. 



The Dorking breed, more or less crossed, or at least 

 a race nearly allied to them, is to be found in Sussex, 

 England, the bodies of which are more elongated than 

 in the Dorkings, and many of them have five toes. 

 They are represented as very fine, and worthy of a 

 trial in the United States. The " Old Sussex," or 

 Kent variety, is closely related to these, if not abso- 

 lutely identical. 



