. jg The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



hardy ; rarely sits ; has a round and prominent breast, and is consequently a good table fowl. As 

 an exhibition variety it is inferior, and only occasionally takes prizes in the "Any Variety" class. 



The breed is really one, but of various colours ; the name Gueldres being applied to that of a 

 cuckoo or Dominique marking, while another variety, all black, is termed Breda. White fowls 

 are also, but rarely, seen, which are probably sports from the black, and are also called Bredas. 

 The general shape is Polish, but the crest, though just perceptible, is only so, being nearly absent ; 

 what there is of it is the same colour as the body-feathers. The greatest peculiarity is however in 

 the comb, which is absent altogether, only a depression in the red skin being visible, just over the 

 cavernous nostrils, which thus become peculiarly conspicuous, and show, in spite of the deficient 

 crest, the close relationship to the Polish family. Fig. 92, copied from M. Jacques' drawing in Le 

 Pojilaillcr, shows these points and the entire head of the Breda cock with great fidelity, and will 

 spare the necessity for further description. The shanks are (rather scantily) feathered, the birds 

 being, in addition, vulture-hocked. 



In America this breed is more extensively kept and widely known than in England, and, we 

 have some reason to think, may have entered into the composition of some of Brother Jonathan's 

 new creations. We can thoroughly recommend it as a good and useful fowl, but have not seen a 

 good specimen now for some years ; in fact, not since the dissolution of the National Poultry Com- 

 pany, with whose last manager the Cuckoo or Gueldres variety was rather a favourite. We cannot 

 in this case even attempt a Scale of Points, since there is not a sufficiently definite opinion as to 

 the characteristics to which the fowl should be bred. We need only add, in addition to the remarks 

 already made, and the cut of the head which we have given, that the legs, as in the other varieties, 

 should be dark or slaty blue. 



LA BRESSE.— These fowls also were imported largely by the National Poultry Company, 

 and are very highly spoken of by M. Lavergne in the paper from which we have already quoted 

 at page 93. They appear, however, to have no distinguishing characteristics whatever, but to be 

 simply a fine, large, and delicate-fleshed race of barn-door or mongrel fowls formed by judicious 

 breeding. Large and fine they certainly are,* but they vary in colour, combs, and many other 

 points. At our last visit to the Company's establishment at Bromley, not very long before its final 

 winding-up, Mr. Schroder pointed out to us with pride a fine pen of La Bresse fowls, of which we 

 took special note on account of all we had heard. We have never but once since seen as good. 

 The cock weighed just on ten pounds as he ran in the pen, but we do not remember the weight of 

 the hen. The cock exactly resembled a single-combed, red-breasted Dorking, with four toes, and 



« We are aware Mr. Tegetmeier affirms the La Bresse to be " vtuch smaller" fowls than the preceding; and in a very 

 hostile review of the first edition of "The Practical Poultry Keeper," in the Field (of the poultry department of which Mr. Teget- 

 meier publicly announces that he is editor), it was argued, as proof of our gross "ignorance of French fowls," that we had termed 

 these birds large, whereas they were really "the smallest" of tlie French breeds. It may therefore be well to point out, in addition 

 to the proof afforded by the birds mentioned above, that in both editions of Mr. Tegetmeier's own " Poultry Book " there is printed 

 a table of the average weights of chickens of the various breeds, shown at the exhibition of dead poultry at Pans m 1S64, to 

 which we have before alluded. These weights, then, are given by Mr. Tegetmeier himself as follows : — 



Unprepared 



Prepared for the cook ... 



Cooked ... 



Hence it appears that, on an average of five specimens each, the La Bresse were much the heaviest ; and a reference to his own 

 figures, which we had not seen when the "Practical Poultry Keeper" was written, might have otherwise directed the charge so 

 recklessly brought against that work. From various specimens seen since, we adhere deliberately to our description of these fowls. 



