144: 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



may also be applied to their color ; their mark- 

 ings, however, are decidedly different, one spot or 

 spangle of clear black taking the place of the 

 lines on the penciled birds. 



The Golden-spangled Hamburg is also locally 

 known as the Golden Pheasant, from the re- 

 semblance of its spangled feathers, especially in 

 the case of some of the hens, to those of the cock 

 pheasant. They are generally of a larger size 

 than the Silver-spangled. 



The comb of the cock is a very full-developed 

 rose, about two inches broad, and running into 

 A pike behind ; wattles large, rounded, and, like 

 the comb, of an intense red; ear-lobes white 

 and large ; hackle a rich copper, with black mark- 

 ings, though in some of the best specimens both 

 hackle and saddle feathers are rounded, and have 

 the perfect spangle at their extremity; wings 

 barred by the spangle of their coverts ; breast 

 and back of the same bright coppery hue, deeply 

 spangled; thighs and lower part of the body 

 nearly black ; tail full, erect, and bronzed 

 throughout ; legs and feet clean, and of darker 

 color than in the penciled birds. They stand 

 about nineteen inches high ; and weigh on an 

 average 5 pounds. 



The hen has a small rose-comb, shaped like 

 that of the cock ; ear-lobes white ; with her 

 body, the lower part alone excepted, spangled as 

 in the cock. Her tail is full, and should be tipped 

 black, like that of the Sebright Bantam. Height 

 about sixteen inches, and weighs about 4i 

 pounds. 



Such in particular are the colors of the Gold- 

 en-spangled Hamburgs ; but we must not pass 

 them by without some farther encomium on the 

 extreme brilliancy of their feather, from its rich 

 combination of glossy hues. Their plumage is 

 also compact and close, and in good specimens 

 of the female bird attains a depth of tone seldom 

 surpassed throughout the poultry-yard. The 

 only comparison that does it justice may be 

 Found in the bloom of a thorough-bred bay horse 

 in racing condition. 



THE GOLDEN-PENCILED HAMBURG. 



The Golden-penciled Hamburg varies chiefly 

 from the Silver-penciled in having a yellowish 

 buff or yellowish bay ground color in its plu- 



mage, where the latter has white, and in bein^ 

 rather larger. " This is the only variety of Ham - 

 burgs," says Mr. Bond, " that has not been ex- 

 tensively bred among the Yorkshire fanciers." 

 This is the more unaccountable, because we nev- 

 er heard that they are inferior in useful proper- 

 ties to their Silver relatives, and to most tastes 

 are at least their equals in beauty. In one dis- 

 trict of Lancashire both of them are kept to an 

 extent which procured for them the names of 

 Bolton Bays and Bolton Grays, as we have no- 

 ticed of the Silver. The Golden-penciled have 

 also been known as Dutch every-day Layers. 



The cock has a rose-comb about an inch and 

 a half broad with points of uniform height, and 

 Avith a pike reaching far back ; face well crim- 

 soned round the eye ; ear-lobe white ; neck-hack- 

 le ginger or reddish yellow ; upper wing-cov- 

 erts, saddle-feathers, and breast light Vandyke 

 brown ; thighs brown ; tail black, with a bronzed 

 tint upon the feathers, well sickled and very 

 ample for the size of the bird. In good speci- 

 mens, when placed in a strong light, a succession 

 of parallel transverse markings of a penciled 

 character are distinctly visible on the tail-feath- 

 ers ; legs blue. About eighteen inches in height, 

 and about five pounds in weight. 



The hen has a rose-comb rather larger than in 

 the Silver-penciled ; face paler than in the cock ; 

 ear-lobe as in the cock ; neck-hackle yellow buff, 

 but not so free from stains as the Silver-penciled : 

 breast, wings, and back, brownish buff, accurately 

 penciled with black ; legs blue. Height about 

 fifteen inches, and weight about four pounds. 



There is a variety called "The Hen-feath- 

 ered," and the cocks are marked very similar to 

 the hen ; no sickle-feathers in the tail ; the 

 spangles being larger and the colors more brill- 

 iant. They are a bright yellow-black and pale- 

 bright red-brown. The markings in this variety 

 extend all over the body, wings, and breast. 

 Those with the hackle-feathers are never so dis- 

 tinctly barred or spotted on the wings; some 

 have the breast wholly black, but are not con- 

 sidered so perfect. 



SILVER-SPANGLED HAMBURG. 



These are rather larger and altogether more 

 stoutly framed than the Silver-penciled. The 



