522 



The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



as it is, however, bears the marks of careful compilation, and of a general correctness which will be 

 sufficient for all practical purposes, and we trust that its dissemination among English breeders 

 may be the means of making better known this splendid bird, and arousing something of the 

 emulation of the true fancier among English turkey breeders. We only wish to add one criticism 

 sent to us by Mr. W. Simpson, than whom there could hardly be higher authority. "The scale is, 

 I think," he says, " quite correct, except in describing the legs ; in respect to these I think nothing 

 should be said about colour. The principal progenitor was the wild bird with its pink legs, and 

 the best birds have legs of various colours. I have some with pink legs, like the wild ; others with 

 dark slate-coloured legs, and some spotted pink and black. If they match in a pen I think that 

 should be sufficient." We cordially endorse this view, and with this remark give the American 

 scale as it stands. 



SCHEDULE FOR JUDGING AMERICAN BRONZE TURKEYS. 



(From the American "Standard of Excellence.") 



The Cock. — Face, Ear-hhes, Wattles, and yaws — Rich red ; in adult birds the wattles are canincul.ited, and sometimes edged 

 with white. Head — Long and broad. Bill — Curved, strong, and well set in the head, liglit horn-colour at tip, dark at base. 

 JVeck, Breast, and Back — Black, beautifully shaded with bronze, which glistens like gold in the sunlight ; each feather ending in a 

 narrow glossy black band extending entirely across the feather. Under Part of Body and Thighs — Black, similarly marked to the 

 breast, but colours not so decided or rich. Wiug-bcau — Black, with a brilliant greenish or brown lustre. Wing Piimaries — Black, 

 barred across with white or grey, the more even and regular the better, with a narrow edging of white on the outer web. Wing 

 iiccondaries — Quills black, outside web grey, narrowly edged with white ; inside web dark lirown, mossed or shaded with grey ; the 

 whole of the flight-feathers may be edged with white, but this is rather o1ijection.abIe. IFing-coferts — Rich beautiful bronze, the 

 feathers terminating in a wide black band ; the wing when folded having a broad bronze band across it, divided from the flight- 

 feather by a glossy black ribbon-like mark formed by the ends of the coverts. Tail — Black, each feather pencilled irregidarly with 

 narrow bands of brown, and ending in a broad greyish-bronze band. Tail-coverts — Dull grey, where overlapped, shading into a 

 brilliant metallic blue-black, and ending in a wide brown band, extending entirely across the end of the feather ; the black part 

 being crossed by two or more very narrow pencillings of brown, and a distinct narrow pencilling of glossy jet black between the 

 blue ad brown ends ; the more distinct the colours throughout the whole plumage the better. /%{^— Abundant and soft, but well 

 covered by hard body-feathers, l^cgs — Long and strong ; colour dark, nearly black. 



The Hen. — The entire plumage similar to the cock, save that the colours are not so bright nor distinct, and the edging of the 

 leathers is more frequently white, or rather pale buff, than black. On the back the edging is very narrow between the wings, and 

 increases in width towards the tail, being about three-eighths of an inch on the coverts. On the breast the body of the feather is 

 brown, ending with a nairow edging of white buff, divided from the brown by a narrow glossy black band. 



POINTS IN BRONZE TURKEYS. 



Size 35 



Richness and Pcrfectness of Plumage ...... 3^ 



Legs 10 



Symmetry ........... 15 



Condition ...,,..,.... 10 



Disqualifications. — White in any part of the plumage of the cock, except in the wings ; crooked breasts ; deformity of any 

 kind : adult cocks weighing less than thirty pounds, and hens less than eighteen pounds. 



