DOMINIQUES AND R OCX'S. 22Q 



from America ; but this happening so long ago, and during 

 the first burst of the poultry enthusiasm, that fine stock 

 became, as it were, absorbed into the general catalogue, and 

 is scarcely thought of as American now, though no other or 

 really Eastern stock has, from that day to this, been ever 

 added to the original strain, whatever that was. During 

 more recent years, however, several other races have also 

 been introduced, which can most conveniently be described 

 in a chapter by themselves, with the exception of Leghorns, 

 which have been already detailed amongst their proper 

 relatives of the great Mediterranean race. They are all of 

 the useful class. 



DOMINIQUES. This was the first of the series to reach 

 this country, but has since been eclipsed by the superior 

 size of the next to be described. The name represents the 

 plumage ; the " Cuckoo-colour," as we call it in England, 

 viz. a dark blue grey banding on a light grey ground, being 

 called " Dominique " marking in the States. This fowl was 

 at one time very widely distributed, especially amongst the 

 Southern States and in the West Indies. It has a rose 

 comb like the Hamburgh, the blue cuckoo marking all over, 

 and yellow legs, thus resembling, in all but comb and legs, 

 the Scotch Grey, to be hereafter described. 



PLYMOUTH ROCKS. In the poultry mania period, Dr. 

 Bennett gave this name to a fowl he compounded out of 

 four breeds crossed together, and which naturally became 

 extinct soon after. Years afterwards the name was revived 

 and given to a much finer breed, which has become very 

 popular both in America and this country, where it now 

 has large classes at shows. There is no doubt that it was 

 produced by crossing the American Dominique, just de- 

 scribed, with some breed of Cochins, and the Black Java, 



