604 



THE COMPLETE GRAZIEK. 



BOOK VII. 



table fowl. The breeds in this section do not excel as layers, in which 

 respect some are decidedly poor. 



Dorkings. This well known old English breed has for centuries been 

 regarded as one of the finest of all table fowls. Its origin is lost in the 

 distant past, but it would appear as if we owe the breed to the Romans 

 when they invaded Britain, for at that time there existed in Italy a 

 breed with very similar characteristics. During more recent years it 

 has been largely bred on the hills and in the valleys of Surrey and 

 Sussex, where it is produced in great numbers for the supply of the 

 London markets. But it has spread widely, and under the conditions 

 already named it is found a most profitable breed, growing rapidly and to 

 a large size. The original type seems to have been a speckled fowl, 

 similar to the four-toed Sussex, which has now been re-introduced. Of 



that there are three colours, 

 but of the Dorking there 

 are four colours, the dark or 

 coloured, the cuckoo, the 

 silver grey, and the white. 

 Placing the cuckoo last, as 

 it is a variety not much 

 bred, the others are popular 

 in the order here named, 

 the darks being the largest 

 in size of body. The true 

 Dorking shape is that of 

 an almost oblong square, 

 the back being the upper 

 side, the breast and the 

 rump the respective ends 

 (fig. 159). In all real 

 Dorkings there is an enor- 

 mous breast development ; 

 the keel being both deep 

 and long, carrying a large 

 amount of flesh. The neck 



is somewhat short, and the shape of combs varies, the darks and 

 the silver greys having single combs, and the other two varieties rose 

 combs. The legs are rather short, and should be pure white ; the 

 feet are also white, and carry five toes, which is a distinctive feature 

 of the Dorking. 



French. The feeding and fattening of poultry have been brought to 

 a fine art in France, and the display of dead poultry annually made at 

 the Mardi Gras show in Paris is the most wonderful sight of this kind to 

 be met with anywhere. Their large size, delicacy of skin, and whiteness 

 of flesh make these fowls a wonder to behold. But the same thing, 

 though perhaps not to the same degree of perfection, can daily be met 

 with in the markets of Paris and other large French cities. Nor is it 

 only a question of fattening, though this has undoubtedly much to do 



Fig. 159. Dark Dorkings. 



