100 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



The weight of the prize cock, figured, was 

 pounds. A cock raised in Dublin, is stated to 

 have weighed alive, without being fattened, 13 

 pounds. 



The disposition of both cocks and hens is stat- 

 ed, by some writers, to be very pugnacious ; and 

 some have ceased keeping them, because, among 

 other causes, they found the cock excessively 

 quarrelsome, and cruelly disposed toward his 

 chicks. Other writers represent him as pro- 

 fessing but little spirit and courage ; yet a vari- 

 ety of the race is game. 



Dickson thinks it very probable that the Dork- 

 ing originated by a cross between the Malay and 

 game fowl. A writer in the " Scottish Quarterly 

 Journal of Agriculture," is of the same opin- 

 ion. 



A breed was established in England about 

 seventy years ago by the Duke of Leeds, called 

 the " Shake-bag" breed, which obtained great 

 celebrity for the strength and prowess of the 

 cocks. Martin observes that this breed was 

 probably formed by a cross with the game-cock ; 

 the male frequently weighing over ten pounds, 

 and to his great strength is added spirit and de- 

 termination. This breed is now thought to be 

 extinct. It was sometimes called by authors 

 " Shack-back," or " Shag-bag" breed ; but Mar- 

 tin says that it was formerly the practice in cock- 

 fighting to challenge all comers with the cock 

 concealed in a bag the tremendous power of the 

 Duke of Leeds fowl proved so superior to those 

 of all competitors, usually securing conquest, it 

 eventually attained the name, par excellence, of 

 " Shake-bag," which was corrupted to the other 

 terms. 



Varieties and Crosses. The varieties differ 

 chiefly in the color of their plumage, with some 

 deviation in height. The most worthy of notice 

 is the white Malay. The plumage, both in cock 

 and hen, is purely white, but the neck-hackle 

 and saddle-feathers are tinged with yellow. They 

 are smaller than the brown variety. 



There is a light brown variety, in which the 

 cock is light chestnut, spangled with black and 

 dark chestnut ; the neck-hackle, rump, and sad- 

 dle-feathers are of a light reddish-brown ; the 

 tail feathers not finely tapering as in the dark 

 variety, but broad and very long. The hen's 



plumage inclines to uniform buff, but rather 

 darker on the back. 



Of the cross breeds there is the pheasant 

 Malay, which is supposed to be a cross with the 

 Malay and Golden Hamburgh, or some other 

 of the small varieties of domestic fowl. The 

 cock resembles closely the pure Malay in its 

 head, but the neck-hackle is black with green 

 metallic lustre ; breast and rump black ; tail not 

 strongly sickled, and legs white. The hen has 

 bluish ear-lobes ; neck-hackles black with me- 

 tallic lustre ; rump feathers partridge colored, 

 spangled with dark brown, and the shaft of each 

 feather yellowish ; legs white ; tail dark brown, 

 and held upright ; breast light brown, spangled 

 with black or very dark brown. 



The marking in the breast of the hen, from 

 somewhat resembling those on the plumage of 

 the cock pheasant, occasioned the suggestion 

 that they are a cross between this bird and the 

 Malay hen. It is, however, an error, and the 

 best mode of defacing the mistake would be to 

 change the name to Spangled Malay. 



The Chittagong fowl is strongly suspected 

 to be a cross between the Malay and the Dork- 

 ing. They are usually penciled or spangled 

 gray in plumage ; but they have occasionally 

 been seen with a mixture of yellow or brown 

 upon the feathers ; they have the Malay head 

 and " expression of countenance," but with more 

 of the ample breast of the Dorking; and their 

 legs are somewhat white but not rarely yellow. 

 A mistake is sometimes made by the owners 

 of light-brown Malays, who from the spangled 

 breast of the cock have thought them not pure 

 Malays, and have thence been induced to call 

 them Chittagongs. 



Character as Layers. The hen lays a moderate- 

 sized egg, averaging about 2^- ounces in weight. 

 The shells usually are slightly colored a pale 

 chocolate. The size and color, however, vary, 

 pullets of last year laying eggs equal in size to 

 those of any description of duck ; and hens two 

 or three years old laying an egg very little 

 larger than a good-sized bantam's egg. Another 

 writer observes, " The eggs are of good size, and 

 of a rich buff or brown color, and are much 

 prized by the numerous epicures who believe 

 that this hue indicates richness of flavor a faot 



