Silver-Grey Duckwi.yg Game. 



289^ 



" To breed Duckwing cocks and hens, and to get the rich colours, you must have a cross from 

 the Black-red each way. Sometimes you may get them by breeding together, but rarely cocks ; 

 hens you can. It is always best to put a pure-bred Duckwing hen to a really fine, bright Black-red 

 to get the cocks ; all our best birds are bred this way, and the purer-feathered Black-red the cock 

 is, the brighter you get your Duckwing. In breeding for hens, either Duckwing cock and 

 Duckwing hens put together, or a very hard, good partridge-coloured Black-red hen, will bring 

 what you want ; but if you get too much Duckwing by itself, you will have soft, mossy-feathered 

 birds. The way to obviate this is every second year to breed a pure Duckwing hen or two, and put 

 her to one of the clear bright Black-red cocks. The reason we see so few really good Duckwings, 

 either in hens or cocks, is that it takes so great an amount of care in the crossing to keep it any 

 way up to the standard ; but when got, there is nothing more beautiful in the Game fowl. 



Hackle. Breast. Flat of ^Ving. 



Fig- 73.--Fe.^.thers of Silver-grey Duckwing Hen. 



Saddle. 



"A bright brass-winged Duckwing cock crossed with Weedon hens will also throw grand 

 cockerels, but no good pullets ; these last being too light in the breast and with ruddy wings, with 

 a mealy appearance in the back-feathers. But here again you must not cross too much, or you 

 will get mealy and indistinct colours, as well as softness of feather ; hence it is bad for a novice 

 to go too much into crossing, but he should buy the purest-feathered fowls he can get, and 

 breed till he finds out a little by experience. 



"The Silver-grey Duck-wing is a most handsome fowl, so is the Silver-grey hen to match. At 

 one time, say fifteen years ago, we used to have some pens of them exhibited, and they were very 

 much admired by Game breeders : but, unfortunately, most shows of Game at that time were judged 

 by men that really did not know Game, and believed they were a cross of Silver-grey Dorkings ; 

 therefore they were passed over, and breeders got discouraged, and gave up the breed solely 

 on that account. The face was red ; hackle right from the crown of the head a pure white, without 

 the least dark streak ; back and shoulder-coverts a nice silvery white, running into a black, with 

 blueish cast at butts of shoulders ; saddle the colour of hackle, with a beautiful well-defined bar 

 37 



