78 THE POULTRY-BOOK. 



same age of the chickens, as in those of the pure bloods of pri- 

 mary races. The demand for this breed has exceeded all oth- 

 ers, during this season, and they have been sent into most of 

 the New England States and Western New York. 



Mr. Burnham, in a communication to the Massachusetts 

 Ploughman, thus describes his fowls, and bears his valuable 

 testimony to the excellence of the breed : 



" The cock here represented weighs nine pounds and a quar- 

 ter, and the two pullets thirteen pounds. The stock came from 

 Dr. Bennett, and I am daily more and more pleased with this 

 fine species. I have the ' Plymouth Rocks ' at all ages, now 

 from a few days, up to about eight months old ; and my 

 specimens embrace five or six different broods. The color of 

 all of them is peculiarly uniform, and I am satisfied that the 

 variety (or breed) is now well established. The body plumage 

 on the pullets is a rich deep brown, speckled with golden-tipt 

 feathers ; the under down is black, (or a deep blue-black,) and 

 the tail is brown, black and gold. 



The legs of the pullets are very dark colored, and one half 

 of them, or more, are five toed ; but some of them do not come 

 so. The comb is single, and the wattles thin and small. The 

 head and neck are well formed, the legs are shorter than the 

 average of fowls, and the hens are not only deep and broad- 

 chested, but the bodies are proportionally very long as you 

 will observe in the drawing. 



The roosters are noble birds among the finest I have 

 ever met with. I have two well-grown crowers, very similar in 

 their appearance, carriage, color, size and general points ; the 

 above is a true and life-like drawing of the male birds, which, 

 for their age, will compare favorably so far as my experi- 

 ence goes with any known breed of domestic fowl. 



I am satisfied that the Plymouth Rock fowl, carefully bred, 

 will become a most valuable one to the poulterer or the agri- 



