THE MAI AT TO 



AVL.] 



POULTRY. 



[Tin; MALAY FOWL. 



from Singapore — that generally seen in the 

 English poultry ."^howa — is a smaller ami more 

 lep^v bri't'd. Tlio third, cultivatod in Crylon 

 for lighting, is about tho sizo of our game-fowl. 

 In this the comb is of tiio same character, bul 

 scarcely above the level of tho skull ; no wat- 

 tles ; neck naked; tail very long, carried on a 

 level with tho back ; feathers very narrow, 

 drooping, almost sweeping tho ground ; pri- 

 maries turning outwards — almost leading ono 

 to suppose it indebted, for these peculiarities, to 

 G all us f (treat us, found wild in Ceylon. Tail of 

 hen drooping in like manner ; colour and mark- 

 ings, same as in description. This last kind is 

 rare. 



Another, who has observed the bird in India, 

 thus gives his opinion : — 



*' T/<e Cock. — General carriage and appear- 

 ance, restless, independent, and commanding ; 

 head largely developed, and somewhat eagle- 

 shaped ; tho bone above the eye projecting 

 and overhanging it, giving it a fiery, savage 

 expression ; iris of the eye, pale straw colour ; 

 beak very strong, particularly the upper man- 

 dible, which is thick, and curves downwards to 

 the apex; neck long and snake-like; the comb 

 a low, double, warty excrescence — the points oi 

 papillae on its surface being very close and 

 minute ; fiice nearly devoid of feathers, the 

 t-kin being of a bright blood-red colour; throat 

 also nearly naked, and red, extending from be- 

 hind the ears to a point three or four inches 

 down the front of the neck ; wattles and ear- 

 lobes rudimentary ; hackle feathers of neck 

 rising as a thick mane from its upper third, and 

 falling in to the neck at its lower part in front 

 of the shoulders, not spreading over them as 

 in the game-cock. Shoulders of the wings 

 greatly developed, standing out prominently 

 from the body ; body broad in front, tapering 

 off, and descending to the rump ; breast round 

 and full ; skin covering the crop in the centre 

 of the chest, naked, and of a livid red colour, 

 particularly remarkable when the craw is full ; 

 tail close, somewhat pheasant-formed, and but 

 slightly elevated ; legs rather long ; feathers of 

 the thigh very close; leg, or shank, strong, 

 clean, and of an olive-yellow tinge ; foot large 

 and strong; spur thick, not sharply pointed. 

 Colour — general hue of the neck, back, and 

 rump, a deep glossy chesnut-red ; the neck 

 hackles being browniah-red in the centre, and 



of a brilliant chesnut-red at the edges; rump 

 hackles entirely of a very deep and beautiful 

 glossy cheanut-red ; lesser wing-coverts, a rich 

 glossy lake-red colour; greater wing-covt-rts 

 •)f a deep metallic Hteel-blue, with green reflec- 

 tions; primary llight-featliers a dull black, 

 edged, on tho outer web, with chesnut or bay ; 

 secondary flight-feathers also dull black on 

 their iinier webs, and alight bay on their outer 

 webs, those feathers of the flight nearest tho 

 body being tipped with metallic steel-blue; 

 tail-coverts of a metallic blue-black ; tail- 

 feathers of a dull black, showing somo metallic 

 lustre on their outer webs ; general colour of 

 the breast, under part of the body and thighs, 

 a dull black, tinged and blotched with brown. 



" lien. — Shape of head, neck, and body, much 

 as in the cock ; tail close, and carried generally 

 more elevated ; comb of the same general cha- 

 racter as the cock's, but nearly rudimentary. 

 Colour — head and neck a dark chesnut-browu, 

 with brighter edging to each feather ; back and 

 body generally a clouded chesnut ; tail — inner 

 webs, dull black ; outer webs, chesnut ; wing- 

 flights, a light chesnut, edged with black ; inner 

 webs nearly black ; feathers of the throat 

 scanty and short. Somo hens, in colour, ap- 

 proach more to the grouse character of body 

 feather, and some are spangled with white. 

 The feathers of the Malay fowl sit exceedingly 

 close to the body of the bird, and are more 

 scanty than in any other variety of poultry." 



At poultry shows the Makjs are not 

 favourites, as may generally be inferred from 

 the following remarks, made by one of the com- 

 mittee of the Annerley show: — "In arranging 

 the prize-list, and deciding upon tho regula- 

 tions for the next meeting at Annerley, the 

 committee have been actuated by a desire to 

 conciliate all parties. How far they are jus- 

 tified in doing so, depends upon the co-opera- 

 tion of those who are interested in the rivalry 

 and emulation which properly-conducted ex- 

 hibitions usually excite. Yet there are, doubt- 

 less, some in the poultry world who have still 

 reason to complain. The first cause is tho 

 omission of the ' Malay' in the prize-list, 

 Now, this omission has not arisen from any 

 neglect to, or want of appreciation of this 

 class of birds ; for its merits are at once 

 acknowledged, and have been fully discussed ; 

 but the onus rests entirely with the owners 



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