



VARIETIES OF DOMESTIC FOWL. 59 



Charles Burton's, Plymouth, or at Mr. E. T. Packard's, East 

 Bridge water, which he purchased in New York as " Malays." 

 The pair is now one year old, and the cock weighs ten pounds, 

 the pullet nine pounds and a quarter. These, like all other 

 pure Java fowls, are of a black or dark auburn color, with very 

 large black legs, single comb and wattles. They are good lay- 

 ers, and their eggs are very large and well-flavored. Their gait 

 is slow and majestic. They are, in fact, amongst the most 

 valuable fowls in the country, and are frequently described in 

 the books as " Spanish fowls," than which nothing is more 

 erroneous. They are as distinctly an original breed as the 

 pure-blooded Great Malay, and possess about the same quali- 

 ties as to excellence, but falling rather short of them as to 

 beauty. This, however, is a matter of taste, and some con- 

 sider the pure Java superior to all other large fowls, so far as 

 beauty is concerned. Their plumage is decidedly rich. 



Mr. C. N. Bement, a distinguished breeder, and writer on the 

 subject of poultry, says of this fowl : 



" This is a singular breed, which partakes of the common 

 fowl and the India fowl, peculiar to the island of Java, where 

 they are seldom reared but for fighting ; and are said to be so 

 furious, that they sometimes fight together till the death of one 

 or the other separates them. According to Willoughby, it 

 carries its tail nearly like the turkey. The Sieur Feurnier 

 informs us, that one of this species was kept in Paris ; it has, 

 according to him, neither comb nor wattles ; the head is 

 smooth, like that of a pheasant. This fowl is very high on 

 its legs ; its tail is long and pointed, and the feathers of une- 

 qual length ; and, in general, the color of the feathers is auburn, 

 like the vulture. It is generally supposed the English game 

 cock originated in, or is a cross of, this variety." The above" 

 quotation is descriptive of the Wild Indian Game, and not of 

 the Java, except in color. 



