ASIATIC FOWLS. 



107 



mealy appearance by no means pleasing. The 

 hackles are of a bright golden yellow ; the sad- 

 dle and outside of the wings a shade darker, but 

 still yellow ; and the rest of the body a beauti- 

 ful uniform light buff, except the tail, which is 

 black. Black markings in the hackles are by 

 some judges thought to be equally objectionable 

 in each. The buff hens vary from a dark fawn 

 to a light color, almost a canary color ; and the 

 nearer they approach the latter shade the more 

 they are esteemed. The color should be as uni- 

 form as possible ; but we do not object to a slight 

 necklace or dark marking in the neck hackle, 

 and the tail is usually black. We may hint to 

 breeders that it is from the yellow cocks, rather 

 than from the reds, that they may expect to 

 breed of the light or canary shades. 



"CINNAMON SHANGHAI. 

 "The Cinnamons, ranging from a sort of very 

 pale reddish-brown to a dark chocolate, form 

 the next class of shade. The cocks of this va- 

 riety are usually by no means so handsome in 

 their plumage as the Buffs ; the greater portion 

 of the feathers of their wing-coverts being of a 

 plum color light or darker, as may be and 

 the hackles of a duller yellow; but we have 

 seen some most beautiful birds, varying from a 

 Vandyke-brown to orange-madder. The hens 

 are much prettier, some of those of a uniform 

 light cinnamon hue being as neat in their ap- 

 pearance, and matching as well, as the Buffs. 

 They are, however, for the most part wanting 

 in that fineness and gloss of feather, known to 

 amateurs as ' quality,' which usually distinguish- 

 es the Buffs from all their competitors. 



" PARTRIDGE-COLORED SHANGHAI. 



" Some of the partridge and grouse colored 

 sub-varieties, which follow next in order, and 

 with which Mr. Punchard has carried off, and 

 deservedly, many prizes, are extremely pretty, 

 and match well in shade aiid general appear- 

 ance. The cocks are what are called black- 

 reds that is, they have a black body with red 

 or yellow hackles (each hackle-feather being 

 marked with black down its centre), and crim- 

 son back and wing-coverts. The hens are beau- 

 tifully and very uniformly penciled, and ap- 



proach, we think, when well bred, nearest in 

 ' quality' of feathering to the Buffs. 



"BLACK SHANGHAIS. 



" Besides these, are the Blacks, of which so 

 few have been exhibited that we believe them 

 to be as yet scarce. Several have been im- 

 ported ; but we have reason to suppose that a 

 large majority of those now in England have 

 been bred between the White and Buff varie- 

 ties. Some of the best that we have seen have 

 their sires of the former color, while their moth- 

 er was a buff bird. From thirteen eggs ten 

 dusky chickens were produced, which in due 

 time severally assumed the following garb : Two 

 pullets were wholly black ; two pullets and three 

 cockerels with more or less golden hackle, and 

 markings on the wings ; while the remaining 

 three were very darkly penciled birds altogether 

 dissimilar to any Shanghai that we had previ- 

 ously seen. The hatching of subsequent nests 

 of eggs gave a very similar proportion of col- 

 ors. 



" A curious variety of the Shanghai race is oc- 

 casionally met with, of which the plumage re- 

 sembles that of the Silk fowl in texture, while 

 the colors are buff and fawn. It is usually of 

 smaller size, and from this singularity has ob- 

 tained the name of the ' Emeu fowl,' from its 

 similarity to the 'wooly' coat of that Austra- 

 lian bird. We are not aware of its possessing 

 any points of merit or excellence beyond its rela- 

 tives, and we therefore leave it, with the mere 

 mention of the strange garb that has obtained 

 for it its present name. 



" Model Shanghai. A Shanghai to please us 

 must have a stout curved and yellow beak, with 

 plenty of substance at the base, and the shorter 

 the better. The outline of the head should seem 

 to be round in the hens when looked at from 

 the side, and when the eye catches the comb 

 and wattles ; and we like just so much comb of 

 a fine quality as will stand up and give that ap- 

 pearance of roundness. In the cock the comb 

 will be larger; but the most careless observer 

 will easily note the great difference of quality- 

 some races showing a close and smooth texture 

 delicate as a lady's hand, and others a roughness 

 which might more properly be compared to the 



