1 66 THE PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPER. 



were from them " to learn kind and gentle manners," and 

 thenceforward to live in peace. 



Such a state of things, of course, could not last, and the 

 breed is now perhaps as unjustly depreciated by many as it 

 was then exalted ; for Cochins still have real merits. They 

 might have stood much higher if a rather different type had 

 been adopted, for many of the early birds had very good 

 breasts ; but unfortunately early fanciers adopted the con- 

 trary model, and so spoilt the breed as a table fowl. 



As now bred for the show-pen, the breed presents the 

 following characteristics : The cock ought not to weigh 

 less than 10 or n lb., and a very fine one will reach 13 lb.; 

 the hens from 8 to 9 or 10 lb. The larger the better, if 

 form and general make be good. The neck is rather short, 

 the hackle flowing widely at the bottom over a very short 

 and broad back, which should rise at once into a broad 

 saddle in the cock, and an ample " cushion " in the hen, 

 whose tail is nearly buried in it ; there should appear 

 almost no actual back at all. The body is correspondingly 

 short, but very deep down to the setting on of the thighs ; 

 the legs being short and set widely apart. The breast 

 should be as broad and full as possible consistent with these 

 requirements, but must necessarily appear high and little 

 developed, and this want of breast is the greatest defect in 

 the Cochin formation from a table point of view. The 

 shanks are to be most heavily feathered down the outside 

 to the ends of the outer and middle toes, the thighs well 

 furnished with soft downy fluff, standing out in a sort of 

 globular mass, and the hocks well covered. The fashion in 

 hocks has varied much. When this book was first written, 

 any sign of vulture-hocks (stiff feathers projecting from the 

 hock) was rigidly disqualified at all shows. This led to 

 fraudulent plucking ; and to avoid this some approach to 

 vulture-hock was gradually allowed j later on a rage for 



