246 The Illustrated Book of Poultry 



whose strain is probably the only British one which has never been crossed, assured us in the most 

 distinct manner that she never had but one stock, from which by selection she has bred both Dark 

 and Light. Mr. Joseph Hinton, another breeder, who has lately given up Brahmas, but whose 

 experience also goes back to their earlier days, informs us that his birds were originally Light, 

 being obtained from Dr. Gwynne, Mr. Garbanati, and others. Later he obtained a medium- 

 coloured or somewhat darker cock from Mr. J. K. Fowler (also an early breeder), from which and 

 the darkest of his Light hens he bred a most beautiful Dark cock, and hens so densely marked as 

 to be nearly black ; and from this progeny again were bred his well-known Dark cock, "Champion," 

 and hens as we see them now. Thus he had transformed his strain from Light to Dark within 

 a space of three years. We have found in our own yard that we could soon breed black Brahmas 

 if such were desired, or, on the other hand, that in about three seasons, by choosing the lightest 

 birds, we could produce almost clear white ; and as the original birds were somewhat darker than 

 the Light birds now shown, either colour would have been bred from them with still greater 

 rapidity and ease. 



Another conclusive proof of the original unity of the strain is found in the peculiar white 

 lacing or border to the upper pair of feathers in the cock's tail. The first to point this out as a 

 characteristic of the best strains of Light Brahmas was undoubtedly Mr. F. Crook, but he appears 

 (not being a Dark Brahma breeder) to have had no suspicion that the same peculiarity was often 

 found in the Dark breed ; and this discovery was, we believe, first made by ourselves. It is now 

 not uncommon, and the beautiful Dark cockerel selected for portraiture in this work possessed this 

 very peculiar feature in perfection, though " as black as a coal " in all the under parts of his body. 

 The common possession of such a very characteristic and peculiar point as this is about as strong 

 evidence of a common origin as could well be. The feature would be far more frequent in Dark 

 birds but that for many years all breeders endeavoured to banish it, confounding it with the 

 ordinary blemish of "white in the tail." We have been expressly told this by themselves ; and 

 it is confirmed by the fact that since we pointed it out as rather a beauty to be cultivated, it has 

 become comparatively usual again. 



We may add that Burnham published a letter in September, 1870, apparently (though not 

 confessedly) on account of the statement of facts and arguments we had issued in the beginning of 

 the same year, in which he affirms the black-breasted cocks, now admired by fanciers, to be a tliird 

 variety or cross. " I am firmly of opinion," he says, " that this recently-marked, dark-breasted 

 Brahma strain of fowls, which is so greatly admired among some fanciers, and of which several 

 trios have of late come out from England, are skilfully bred in Ireland and England from the dark 

 China hens they have had there, with the dark-plumed Grey Dorking cock, producing this variety 

 (so closely resembling the latter in many points), and upon some of the first of which there not 

 unfrequently appeared the notable fifth toe of the Dorking, now bred off again by cautious 



selections I shall not change my opinion in this matter until I can learn or unlearn 



more than I noiv know of the ' Dark Brahma ' strains of tl.e present time." To every breeder of the 

 fowl, it will be at once evident that the amount of knowledge here hinted at is not great ; in fact, 

 nothing could better show Burnham's ignorance of tlie fowl itself than this opinion. The reference 

 to " Ireland " would appear to be pointed at Mr. R. Boyle, who certainly was the first breeder who 

 made the black breast fashionable ; but none of his birds ever showed the Dorking toe, or any 

 other evidence of the black breast being so derived. We further on speak of the Dorking cross as 

 now and then met with, and we had done so years before any other writer* detected it — indeed, we 



• We say any other "writer," because Mr. Teebay liaJ pointed out the cross to us verbally years before. 



