118 Ilamburgs. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



IIAMBURGS. 



THIS breed is medium-sized, and should have a brillianf 

 red, finely-serrated rose-comb, terminating in a spike at 

 the back, taper blue legs, ample tail, exact markings, a 

 well-developed white deaf-ear, and a quick, spirited bear- 

 ing. They are classed in three varieties, the Pencilled, 

 Spangled, and Black varieties, with the sub-varieties of 

 Gold and Silver in the two former. 



The Pencilled Hamburg is of two ground colours, gold 

 and silver, that is, of a brown yellow or white, and very 

 minutely marked. The hens of both colours should have 

 the body clearly pencilled across with several bars of 

 black. The hackle in both sexes should be free from dark 

 marks. In the Golden-pencilled variety the cock should 

 be of one uniform red all over his body without any pen- 

 cilling whatever, and his tail copper colour; but many 

 first-class birds have pure black tails and the sickle feathers 

 should be shaded with a rich bronze or copper. In the 

 Silver-pencilled variety the cock is often nearly white, with 

 yellowish wing-coverts, and a brown or chestnut patch on 

 the flight feathers of his wing. The tail should be black 

 and the sickle feathers tinged with a reddish white. 



The Speckled or Spangled Hamburg, also called Phea- 

 sant Fowl, from the false idea that the pheasant was one 

 of its parents, is of two kinds, the Golden-speckled and 

 Silver-speckled, according to their ground colour, the mark- 

 ing taking the form of a spot upon each feather. They 

 have very full double and firmly fixed combs, the point at 

 the end turning upwards, a dark rim round the eyes, blue 

 legs, and mixed hackle. They were also called Moss 

 Fowls, and Mooneys, the latter probably because the end 

 of every feather should have a black rim on the yellow or 



