•WHITE FOWL.] 



POULTKY. 



[COCUIN-CIIINA FOWLS. 



to keep the breads p\ire, and thoy are found 

 with or without beards, as tho caso nmy be. 

 A warmer and drier cliinato than that of Great 

 Britain secma to bo nioro congenial to the 

 Polish fowl. Tho chickens are very slow in 

 •^rowing, and it is dilhcult to distinguish the 

 sexes at an early period of their life. Still 

 they are exceedingly pretty objects, as they 

 carry their little downy top-knots on tho very 

 day of their entrance into existence. 



In referenco to this fowl, one, who seems 

 to have studied its nature and qualities, says, 

 that in judging of tho jjoints of this kind of 

 fowl, he would suggest the following as a good 

 basis to go upon : — 



Fowls with Crests. 



Improperly calUd Poland or Polish ; nc record to 



be found of fowl so named. 



White-crested Black. 



Tin; Cock. 



Head. — Surmounted with a globular, floating crest, 

 in two parts ; smallest amount of black on fore- 

 head, and fullest and clearest white falling equally 

 on all sides. — The comb rudimentary, in two 

 small spicula. — The ears fullest and clearest 

 wliite. — The beak, horn colotn-. — Wattles full. 



JN'ec/;. — Best brilliant shining L...k, free from white 

 or any other colour. 



B.)f/v.— Ditto. 



Wings. — Ditto. 



T(;j7.— Ditto. 



Legs. — Blackish grey. 



The Hex. 



Similar in all respects to the cock, the crest ap- 

 pearing more globular on account of a difference 

 of shape of feather. 



Black-crestkd White. 



The reverse of the foregoing, believed to be extinct ; 



the greatest desideratum of the poultry fancy. 



Chest i;d White Fowl. 



Description as to form of crest the same ; the colour 



best and purest white. 



The Sultan fowl, or Serai Tii-ook, is, by 

 Eonie, supposed to belong to the Poland species. 



"In fulfilment of a promise of long stand- 

 ing, to Mr. Tegetmeir," says an intelligent 

 writer, " to send him the first Sultan 

 fowl which should die, for the purpose of as- 

 certaining whether these fowls are possessed 

 of the peculiar conformation of head of the 

 Polands, I lately sent a hen for post-mortem 

 examination ; and he stated, ' tlie structure is 



of that very ri'inarkablo kind, found in the 

 Polands. ' When tho young chickens aro 

 hatched, the embryo crest shows itself as in 

 tho chickens of other Polands ; and, in all their 

 habits, they pronounce themselves of that 

 variety. So much for their kind. 



" Tho SuUan is a short-legged, plump, com- 

 pact fowl of medium size. Tho tuft on tho 

 head is large, compact and globular ; it has a 

 mull", whi.skers, and gravel eye. Tho plumago 

 is abundant, and of a pure white. The legs 

 are well booted and vulture-hocked; there aro 

 five toes on each foot. It is a brisk, active 

 fowl, and exceedingly ornamental. 



" In their own country, Turkey, they are 

 known by the name Serai of Til-ook ; literally 

 translated, ' Sultan's Palace Fowls,' or ' FowU 

 of the Sultan's Palace.' The first fowls re- 

 sembling the kinds which attracted my notice, 

 were Dr. Burney's Ptarmigans ; but they 

 were very inferior to those imported in 

 ISoi (which, with their progeny, have taken 

 so many prizes since that time), being very 

 poor in the crest, leas compact in form, un- 

 mufted, and without the fifth toe. But, like 

 the handsomer Sultans, they were good layers 

 of large eggs, and non-sitters." 



COCHIN-CHINA FOWLS. 



The Cochin-China fowl is of great weight; 

 very prolific of eggs and young ; a good incu- 

 bator, but not of a decidedly good quality for 

 the table. 



This species of fowl, on its appearance 

 amongst us, produced a perfect mania in the 

 poultry world ; and we are principally indebted 

 to her Majesty and the late Prince Albert 

 (who, in April, 1846, sent two fine specimens 

 to the cattle-show of the Eoyal Dublin Society) 

 for having first made them knowii to our 

 poultry-yard. 



Since that time the breed has been exten- 

 sively cultivated ; and new, whenever there ia 

 a poultry exhibition, the representatives of the 

 celestial empire are suro of having a place. 

 The large prizes awarded for these fowls, and 

 the extraordinary prices they realise at public 

 sales, show the excess to which a passion may 

 be carried. At Kensington, a collection, con- 

 sisting of a lew birds (with their young 

 chickens) which had obtained the prize and the 

 extra medal at the Birmingham Exhibition in 



Sl'3 



