LANGSHANS. 173 



crossed with Game. And the protesting parties being also 

 desirous of recognising blue and white varieties, which the 

 original Society refused to acknowledge, an Association was 

 formed, which encourages a more moderate proportion, 

 Miss Croad herself has given in her adhesion to this school, 

 and the engraving illustrates a pair of her birds. No fixed 

 type can thus be given ; but in a breed so useful for the 

 table it is a matter for regret that a legginess which is 

 so prejudicial to this should have been accepted, with the 

 result that the shorter-legged model is chiefly found now 

 amongst the " Orpingtons." The leggy birds are also 

 extraordinarily subject to leg weakness, and this defect 

 needs to be specially guarded against in breeding-stock, 

 and in chicken-rearing. Purity of race is chiefly to be 

 found in the comb, which is fuller in front and less arched 

 in the middle than a Cochin's ; in the black and crimson 

 shanks and feet ; and in the full dark eye. 



The merits of the breed are great as a producer of 

 delicate white meat, a hardy fowl and good forager, and 

 a prolific layer. Some lay small eggs, but this can be re- 

 medied by good selection of breeders. The only particular 

 drawback is prevalent leg weakness in the leggy type. The 

 best cross is with the Minorca, which produces one of the 

 best layers, known, winter and summer, and a very hand- 

 some bird besides. 



There have lately appeared white and blue Langshans. 

 The white is, of course, a sport, such as occurs in all black 

 breeds. Its points are the same, except that the shanks 

 become more a lightish slate-colour than black. The blue 

 colour is the blue-dun of the Andalusian, and may be 

 either a sport or more probably due to some mixture of the 

 white and the black. Economic qualities and general 

 characteristics should be similar to the black original 



