Breeding Bufi^ Cochins. 215 



most beautiful, the hackle being a bright lemon-colour, falling gracefully from the head and round 

 the neck, spreading out until the two edges meet below the wattles ; then gradually opening out in 

 beautiful curves, covering the shoulder-blades, and falling well on to the back. The flat of the wings 

 and the saddle-hackle must be of the same bright colour as the neck-hackle, the saddle-hackle 

 covering the wing-points and falling on to the side fluff, where it merges into the tail-coverts ; the 

 tail gradually rising for two or three inches in a sloping direction, and then drooping over in a half 

 circle. The tail-coverts should be long and soft, being broad at the base and tapering to a fine 

 point ; both these and the streamers should be a deep copper-colour, the inside feathers of the tail, 

 or what are called fan-feathers, will be more or less black in the cocks. The wings must be quite 

 free from any approach to mealiness or checquered appearance ; the colour must be quite sound and 

 unbroken, and match the hacklo and saddle ; the flight-feathers must be pure buff, well clipped up, 

 the points sinking in the soft projecting fluff, and overhung with the saddle-feathers, the shoulders 

 of the wings being covered with the breast-feathers. The breast, thighs, and fluff must be pure 

 lemon-colour. The thighs must be very thickly feathered, the hock-joint being completely covered 

 with soft curling feathers ; the fluff on the sides must be densely thick and long, projecting over 

 the thighs, the longest feathers being almost as deep in colour as the neck-hackle ; the fluff on the 

 hind part must be very abundant, forming a complete circle of a lighter shade then the side fluff, 

 and completely covering the back of the thighs ; the shank must be bright yellow, the inside of 

 shank and toes being a deep flesh-colour, the outside of shank being profusely feathered from the 

 hock-joint, with long buff feathers spreading farther out as they reach the foot, the feathers 

 extending to the end of the middle toe. 



" The hen to match must be one uniform lemon-colour throughout, being the exact colour of 

 the cock's breast ; the hackle must be a light lemon-colour, falling in a neat curve on the shoulder ; 

 there must be no black or stained feathers in the hackle, and no signs of twist in the hackle. The 

 cushion must be well developed, the wings folding tightly up, the joints being covered with the 

 overhanging cushion and the side fluff, the latter very abundant, and of a soft silky tatture ; the 

 flight-feathers of the wings must be lemon-buff, free from black or white, the wings and rest of 

 body must be one shade of colour quite free from mottling ; the shanks from the hock-joint to 

 the end of middle toe must be profusely feathered. 



" Having described the most fashionable winning colour, we will now endeavour to show how 

 it may be bred. Mating lemon cocks with lemon hens will not do ; the cockerels from such parents 

 would be much too light in colour, and mealy on the wing, while the pullets would also be very 

 light and mottled. Of course T do not mean to assert that good chickens cannot be bred from 

 such mating^but the number will be very small. Experience has taught me to select a rich deep 

 orange-coloured cock, the front edges of the hackle being almost red, and the rest of hackle and 

 saddle being a beautiful golden colour ; the back and flat of wings a shade or two deeper, and the 

 streamers in the tail being a rich bronze ; the breast and thighs deep buff, and the side fluff under 

 the edge of the saddle-feathers a shade darker in colour. Such a bird should be mated with pure 

 lemon-coloured hens, and the result will prove the correctness of these remarks. 



" In breeding for size I would advise two-year old birds; at this age they are fully matured, 

 and neither before nor after will they produce better stock. The chickens are no trouble to rear, 

 and if properly fed grow amazingly fast, and invariably into large birds." 



In Cinnamon Cochins the general body-colour is dark or cinnamon, the hackle of the hen 

 being darker, and that of the cock, with his wings and saddle, being darker still. Silver-Cinnamons 

 much resemble Silver-Buffs, and are often confounded, the only difference being a darker coloured 

 hackle. At one show we remember, in which a special class for Silver-Buffs was provided, there 



