84: COCHIN CHINA FOWLS. 



Shanghaes, and in truth, they all ought to l>e classed under one 

 and the same name. 



My own candid opinion in regard to the " Cochin China " 

 fowls is, that they do not equal the best Shanghaes in the 

 valuable qualities that constitute a good fowl. They are gene- 

 rally less compact in form, have longer legs, and lay smaller 

 eggs. Such is my experience, and the opinions of breeders 

 with whom I have conversed on the subject, or from whom I 

 have received written correspondence. I have none of the 

 warm, enthusiastic eulogy that appears in favor of Shanghaes, 

 to offer my readers in praise of " Cochin Chinas," for the reason, 

 that it has not been sent to me, and has not appeared in the 

 public journals, anywhere, to my knowledge; and I have 

 access to about all of an agricultural character, and many 

 besides. It is true, that glowing accounts of these birds have 

 appeared in some of our late works on domestic poultry, but 

 these descriptions are mere echoes of foreign authors; and 

 when our works on domestic poultry were written, the 

 "Cochin China" fowls were almost entirely unknown in this 

 country ; consequently, the descriptions given in those works 

 could not have been from any actual experience of their authors ; 

 but they were compelled to resort to foreign authorities, which 

 are incorrect in many particulars, as has been demonstrated. 



Nolan, an Irish fancier, thus speaks of this breed, in his 

 treatise on ornamental and aquatic fowls : 



"Full-grown cocks, from one and a half to two years old, average 

 a weight of from ten to twelve pounds; the hens, from eight to nine 

 pounds. The male bird stands about two feet high ; the female, about 

 twenty-two inches. The plumage of the cock is black-breasted red ; 

 they are brown-breasted, and sometimes of a lighter color; the hens 

 are generally of a I'ufus yellow, or incline to a rufus bro;vn, some- 

 times speckled, and are wide on the breast and back ; the cock's 

 comb is usually single, serrated, and erect, of a brilliant scarlet, but 

 not always single ; I have had both single and double combs in the 

 Bame clutch ; the wattles are large ; they are quite free from top-knot ; 

 the hackles on the neck and hips, yellowish brown; the tail, black, 

 with metalic luster, and when fully furnished, presents the usual 

 cock's plume ; the legs vary from a flesh-color to an orange yellow, 

 and are not so long as in the Malay ; the eggs are generally buff-col- 

 ored, of large size, and blunt at the ends ; the chickens progress rap- 

 idly in size, but feather slowly, so that an early clutch would be most 

 valuable, as passing through the milder summer months. I cannot 

 discover the doubling of the wings, or horse-shoe markings, described 

 by some writers, in any of my stock ; I think, if it did "exist, it was 

 purely accidental." 



