160 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



J.W.Orr sc. 



BLACK POLAND FOWL. 



progenitor of the Polish race ; but the red spot 

 encircling the eyes, and the yellow bill and feet 

 assigned to the former bird, would create doubt 

 as to any such relationship, and the portraits 

 referred to are very unintelligible. Mr. Moffat, 

 in the " Poultry-keeper's Guide," speaks of the 

 Paduan as domesticated in the town of that 

 name in Italy, and then treats of the Polands 

 separately, under the title of the "Crested 

 Cock." 



The authors of "The Poultry Book," in ref- 

 erence to the origin of the Poland fowl, say : 

 " Among other localities, St. Jago is spoken of 

 as their native country ; but this expression, we 

 may remark, is very indefinite, since the Geo- 

 graphical Gazetteer under this name enumer- 

 ates above twenty different places in various 

 quarters of the globe. Thus, among others, we 

 have St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verd Islands ; 

 a town in St. Domingo ; a city of the Buenos 

 Ayrean territory ; also of Mexico, Gautemala, 

 Honduras, and of Chili, in South America. Our 

 investigations, therefore, are thus but little aid- 

 ed. Which of these is to be considered as the 

 Poland's birth-place we are not specially in- 



formed, nor does it appear probable that any in- 

 quiries, however carefully conducted, are now 

 likely to settle the question. If we are content 

 to trace the countries through which we have 

 received these fowls, it appears highly probable 

 that they were introduced into the Netherlands 

 by the Spaniards during their occupation of the 

 Low Countries ; and from Germany, Holland, 

 Belgium, and latterly Marseilles, we have been 

 in the habit of receiving our best specimens. To 

 all who are acquainted with the pictures of the 

 Dutch school, the bearded Poland is known as 

 a frequent feature. Whence the Spaniards ob- 

 tained them is a point we can not pretend to 

 decide, though the possessions and commerce 

 of that kingdom would direct our inquiries to 

 the western rather than to the eastern hemis- 

 phere. 



"With Poland, we certainly have nothing 

 to connect these birds ; the supposed overland 

 journey, which has been suggested as account- 

 ing for their presence in that country, and their 

 consequent name, is hardly probable. Nor do we 

 think more favorably of the derivation from the 

 disease known as 'Plica Polonica,' in which the 



