ASIATIC FOWLS. 



115 



the Shanghai ; but on the contrary, every oth- 

 er feature, plumage excepted, was perfectly re- 

 tained. 



The Emeu Shanghai, noticed above, "has 

 plumage much resembling those of the true Silk 

 fowls. The feathers have their web separated 

 from the point of junction with the shaft, so that 

 their covering seems of fur rather than that which 

 is ordinarily allotted to birds. The tail feathers, 

 if it can be called a tail, it is little more devel- 

 oped, in fact, than the Rumpless fowl, resemble 

 tine gauze or fur, for here the texture is closer 

 than on any part of the body." 



This fowl was obtained as follows : A gentle- 

 man in England was presented with six Shang- 

 hai eggs from a yard where none other than 

 Shanghais were kept, excepting, perhaps, one 

 or two common hens ; but, however, there 

 were only Shanghai cocks, and the eggs which 

 were given were laid by Shanghai hens. From 

 these six eggs three chicks were hatched ; two 



turned out very handsome Shanghai cocks, and 

 the third egg turned out, to all appearance, a 

 thorough-bred Emeu hen. From her eggs no 

 such fowls were ever hatched; they were also 

 the sort of brute you would imagine would be 

 the consequence of a cross between the Emeu 

 hen and a Shanghai cock ; but at the same time 

 the Emeu hen, while differing entirely in appear- 

 ance from her brothers, and, in fact, from all 

 her relatives, possesses all the moral and domes- 

 tic traits of a Shanghai the same gentle tracta- 

 bility of temper, the same proneness to sitting, 

 the same fecundity in laying eggs. 



Some chickens bred from this hen By a Shang- 

 hai cock were not apparently different from buff 

 Shanghai chickens, with black hackle and feath- 

 ered legs. 



We are not aware of its possessing any points 

 of excellence beyond its relatives, and we there- 

 fore leave it with the mere mention of the strange 

 garb that has obtained for it its present name. 



