GAiLE FOWLS. 107 



poultry, either in the United States or in Europe. Cavillers 

 may say, that the descriptions often given of particular breeds 

 of fowls, are mere advertisements of them got up to sell them. 

 Very well, suppose that they are. How are we to get desciip- 

 tions of fowls unless we get them from those, who have bred 

 them ? Every work on poultry hitherto published, is filled with 

 descriptions by interested parties, in a great degree; -yet it 

 should be the duty of authors to state their own views and 

 opinions, when they are in contradiction to the opinions and 

 descriptions furnished for their works, and I shall do so. The 

 most authentic information an author can produce, is the opinions 

 of various parties not exclusively his own, however well 

 informed or experienced he may be. It is presumed that gen- 

 tlemen of reputation and honor will adhere to the truth, giving 

 the bright side, of course, being interested, and the public must 

 be the jury to give a verdict after hearing the testimony. 



As to my friend, Dr. Bennett, he is an enthusiastic admirer 

 of the feathered tribes. Breeding them is his element, and he 

 is just the man to detect their faults, and to discover their good 

 qualities. He may use superlatives, on some occasions, rather 

 freely, but not for the purpose of gain, for the Doctor does not 

 breed fowls for profit for filthy lucre ; it is a passion with him ; 

 and when be has a fine breed, he oftener presents them to his 

 friends than sells them to his customers, and if the truth were 

 known, we believe he has given away more .valuable fowls 

 within the last five years, than all other fanciers in the United 

 States together. 



Hear what he says of these Games : 



The portrait at the head of this article, was delineated and engraved 

 by J. C. Thompson, Jr., of Providence, B. I., and is an accurate like- 

 ness. 



These fowls were imported direct from the Island of Sumatra, and 

 are materially different from any other variety of Game fowl ever 

 introduced into this country. 



The Sumatra Ebon Games answer to the following description : 

 Head, very broad, with a powerful beak ; eyes, small, fiery, and snaky, 

 with a red iris, and jet black pupil; comb, very large, single, deeply 

 serrated, and erect, extending much farther back on the head thau 

 that of the Pheasant Games, and much resembling that of the Black 

 Spanish ; wattles, large and pendulous ; hackles of the loins and 

 neck, very long, and exceedingly brittle * tail, very long and flowing, 

 with abundant plume and sickle feathers sweeping the ground, and in 

 this respect more closely resembling the Bird of Paradise than any 

 other of the gallinaceous race ; body, compact, and unusually sym- 

 metrical ; color, black, or a greenish black, of a metal luster ; legs, 



