1837.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



6G1 



Th« brcel of crested linvls is much esteemed 

 by the curious, and is bred with <;reat care. 

 Those who an^. desirous of" propairatiiirr any siu- 

 <rular varietii's, separate and conliiie tiie imhvidu- 

 a!s, and do not sillier tlieni to mingle with such as 

 hiu-e tlie colors dilli^rcnt. Tliose varii'tios are 

 more esteemed in proportion as the colors are 

 more rare, or as the tufi of the crest contrasts with 

 the rest of the plumage; but, tliouirh the ditier- 

 ences of piumaire may thus be preserved pretty 

 constant, they s(<em to owe tiieir origin to the 

 same breed, and cannot be reproduced pure with- 

 out careful superintendence. These cocks are 

 much esteemed in Egypt, in consequence of the 

 excellence of their flesh, and are so common that 

 tliev are sold for the value of twopence or three 

 halfpence each. They are equally abundant at 

 the Cape of Good Hope, where their legs also are 

 feathered. Some travellers assert that the Mexi- 

 can poultry are crested, but these, as well as all 

 the rest on the continent of Anierica, have been 

 introduced from the old world. 



There can be little doubt that all the varieties 

 of crested fowls have originated from the inter- 

 crossin<r of uncrested breeds with the Poland and 

 or Paduan. 



9. Hamburgh Cock. 

 Das Hamburgischehuhn, Bcchstein. 



Tills is a variety of the preceding, distinguished 

 by the thi<rhs and belly being of a velveiy-black 

 color. The deportment of this breed is grave and 

 stalely ; its iris is yellow: and its eyes are encir- 

 cled with a ring of brown feathers, from which 

 arises a black tuft that covers the ears. There are 

 other feathers nearly like those behind the cond) 

 and beneath the wattles, and broad roimd black 

 spots on the breast. The legs and feet are of a 

 lead color, excepting the sole of the foot which is 

 yellowish. 



10. Spanish Cock. 



This is a large breed, in which the prevailinir 

 color is black, with irndescent green, while the 

 combs and wattles even of the females are more 

 than usually large, the top of the comb lor the 

 most part flapping over on one side. The caps of 

 the ears are large, and of a bluish-white color. 

 It is evidently of a variety of the Poland, in 

 which the nourishment expended in that to form 

 a crest of feathers, goes to enlarge the combs and 

 wattles. The Spanish hens lay very large eggs, 

 and, like the Poland, is esteemed for fine flesh. 



11. Malay or Chittagong Cock. 



This is similar in size to the Spanish, differing 

 in the color, not being so unifbrudy black, but 

 brown streaked with yellow. The hens are said 

 to be good layers, and the eggs are larcje, but 

 their flesh is coarse in the fibre, and of a dark co- 

 lor. Hybrids between the dunghill breed and the 

 common pheasant are sometimes also termed Ma- 

 lays. 



12. Bantam Cock. 



Char. Spec — Gallus Baidciva (G.) pusillus, Tern, 

 minck. Male and female variegated with elegant 

 colors ; comb toothed, compressed. In all respects 



agrees with the common Bankiva Cock. — Gallus 

 Branliciis, Brixson, Orn. i 172, var. b. Idem, 8vo, i. 

 47. — Gallus plumipc^, Rom. Orn. (Jl ; Brixson, 

 Orn. i. 172, var. a ; IrJcm. 8vo, i. 47. Gallus et 

 Gallina minor, Frisch, Tab. 136 arid 137. — Pha- 

 sianus Gallus pusillus et pluiiupc.';. Lath. Ind. 

 Orn. ii. 627; Gmcl. 738.— Le Coq ih Bantam, 

 Bvjfon, Ois. ii. 11!) ; Sonnini, v. 1!S5 ; Tvmm. Pig. 

 et Galiin ; Bonat. Tab. Encycl. Orn. 182 ; Gmcl. 

 Trad. Fran(^. ii. 409; IVi.sc/i, Vog. Tab. 12i).— Los 

 Poufs de Camboge et de I'lsthmc de Darien, i?i/_^(/;i 

 piir Sonnini, v. 184, and 183. Bantam and Rough- 

 footed Cock, Lath. Synopsjv. 706 and 707. — jRhin. 

 Birds, iii. tab. 33 ami M.—Hmics, Brit. Birds, tab. 

 23. Das Ba^tamhuhn, £ft7(sL Nat. Ucut. iii. 128!), 

 var. e. Some with the feet feathered to the toe-s, 

 others with the toes feathered, others with the feath- 

 ers elongated behind. Temm. ut supra, iii. 658. 



Description. — This is a small variety with short 

 lejjs, most frequently feathered to the toes, so as 

 sometimes to obstruct the f<)wls in walking, but 

 booted legs are not exclusively peculiar to ban- 

 tams ; so far from this, that bantam fiuiciers, wilh 

 Sir John Sebright at their head, prefi^r those 

 which have clean, bright legs, without any ves- 

 tige of feathers. 



The full bred cock should have a rose comb, a 

 well feathered tail, fiill hackles, a proud lively car- 

 riage, and oughl not to weiirh more than one 

 pound. The nankeen-colored and the black are 

 the greatest favorites. If of the hitler color, the 

 bird should have no feathers of any other sort in 

 his plumage. The nankeen bird slioidd have his 

 feathers edired with black, his wings barred with 

 |)urple, his tail-feaihers black, his hackles slightly 

 studded with purple, and his breast black, with 

 white edges to the feathers. The hens should be 

 small, clean legged, and match in plumage with 

 the cock. 



About two hundred j'ears ago, Aldrovand de- 

 scribed the bantam cock to have the neck and 

 back of a chestnut color, the wings at first black 

 with whitish spots, afterwards black, the quill- 

 fi^>athers being while on the outer, and black on 

 the inner sides; the throat, breast, belly, thighs, 

 and legs, black with whitish spots ; the feet yel- 

 low ; the comb double and not very large; the 

 i beak yellow; the wattles large ; the tail-leathers 

 partly white and partly black. 



The female bantam is described by Aldrovand 

 to be of a yellowish color, and everywhere except 

 the neck marked with oblong black spots ; the 

 wattles and comb are small ; the beak and feet are 

 yellow. 



. 13. Turkish Cock. 



Synonym. — Gallus Turcicus. Brisson, Orn. i. 170, var. 

 d ; Idem, 8vo, i. 46. Aldrovand.. Av. ii. tab. p. 314- 

 16. Willugh. 110. Borowsk. Nat. ii. 180. Phasi- 

 anus Turcicus, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 627 Gmel. 738. 

 Le Coq de Turquie, Bonat. t ab. Encyc. Orn. 182. 

 Das Turkischehuhn, Bechst. Nat. Deut. iii. 1829, 

 var. b. Turkish Cock, Lath. Syn. iv. 707. 



Description. — This is generally considered to be 

 a variety of the Bantam cock by M. Temminck 

 and other writers, distinguished chiefly by the 

 beauty and* variety of its colors. 



The Italian naturalist, Aldrovand, describes the 

 Turkish cock as having the whole body whitish, 

 except the wing-feathers and belly, which are 

 black ; the tail black, tinged with iridescen t green, 



