4^4 ^^'^ Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



easily reared. They are slow in feathering, and therefore require to run long with the hen, but, on 

 the other hand, there is no harbour for vermin." . 



Mr. Eutrene ToUemache, late captain in the 22nd Foot, and who was quartered at the 

 Mauritius with that regiment from 1865 to 1867, adds the following, which will explain the 

 reference to him by the writer of the above : — 



" The Hurricane Fowls, as they are there called, are very common in the Mauritius, especially 

 in the hut camps of the Malabars. The name arose from the happy idea of their progenitors being 

 caught in a hurricane, and so having their feathers all blown the wrong way. They are natives of 

 that part of the African coast opposite Madagascar, hence I should say the proper name would be 

 the Mozambique fowl. Their colour is generally brown, but I have seen them in much brighter 

 colours, each feather being barred with brown and yellow, giving the appearance of shot silk. I 

 never saw them white. I have bred them myself, but am sorry to say that I did not then observe 

 their habits and peculiarities very closely. I can, however, say that they were very good layers, 

 laying a nice tg%, and also very good eating. They are also very careful and excellent bringers-up 

 of a young family." 



Temminck states that the Frizzled fowl is found throughout Southern Asia, Java, Sumatra, 

 and the Philippines. It is also common in Ceylon (where it is said, however, to have been brought 

 from Batavia), and we have heard of it in the West Indies, to which it is scarcely likely to have been 

 exported. In some old descriptions it is evidently confounded with the Silky fowl, with which it 

 has, however, no connection whatever, the two breeds being quite different and distinct, as may be 

 seen at a glance by comparing the two plates. 



We have heard Frizzled fowls called ugly, but cannot ourselves join in such a verdict. We 

 have seen ugly specimens certainly, not only frizzled, but " ragged," which the fowl should by no 

 means be. Birds on which every feather is properly and neatly curled, however, though singular 

 enough in appearance, have a beauty of their own, which will we think be admitted even on the 

 strength of Mr. Ludlow's very faithful representation. 



In breeding these fowls perfection and neatness in the frizzled plumage must of course be the 

 chief point in choosing stock birds, colour being preserved or modified in the ordinary way. 



PTARMIGANS. — It is almost certain that these fowls, rather commonly shown some years 

 ago, but scarcely ever seen now, were degenerate descendants from some former importation of 

 Sultans. Like them, they were pure white, crested, bearded, feather-legged, and vulture-hocked ; 

 but, unlike them, stood remarkably high on the leg, which gave them a different carriage and 

 appearance altogether. They were small in body — if anything, rather smaller than Sultans — and 

 very delicate in constitution. It is probably to this cause their disappearance — for we have not 

 seen any ourselves for several years now — is due. Our description of Sultans, with the differences 

 we have pointed out, will serve all purposes for these fowls. 



RUMPLESS FOWLS.— A race of fowls without tails, and which breeds thus with great 

 certainty, has been known for some hundreds of years. Messrs. Wingfield and Johnson's original 

 edition of the "Poultry Book," published in 1853, gives the following excellent summary of the 

 accounts by the older naturalists : — 



" This is the Gallus eeaitdatus, or Tailless Fowl, of the naturalist Temminck, and the Gallina 

 cazidd sell urcpygio eareiis, or Fowl without a Tail or Rump, of Linnaeus. It is the Rnmpless or 

 Persian Cock of Latham, and the Rumpkin of others. This variety was known to Aldrovandus 

 two centuries and a half ago, and he calls it the Persian fowl. His specimens only appear to have 



