56 



THE ASIATICS. 



to keel presents a fuller profile than in the male. The color 

 in both, while having less sheen, is generally a pure shade 

 of ocher and more free from any discoloration by false color 

 for the reason that it is protected from the direct rays of 

 the sun, there being generally but little difference between 

 surface and under-color. 



Defects. In males if very flat in front, or flat in females, 

 quarters not being prominent, thus giving pronounced wide 

 shape viewed from the front, the color mottled, faded to 

 drab, or too brown, a shade of surface color too light or 

 white in under-color; each of these to be punished by a cut 

 of one-half to one and one-half according to the degree of 

 defect in each. 



BODY AND FLUFF, 



Keel in this breed is carried low, its muscle full and 

 firm to the touch. This large muscle and full plumage give 

 great apparent width to body, and with well rounded wings, 

 come well rounded sides. Fluff well developed, especially 

 the thigh fluff, which together give a broad appearance from 

 rear. 



This feature in the female causes great apparent fullness. 

 The' upper thigh fluff should be very full between wing bay 

 and hock, for to this feature are we dependent for that full, 

 Cochin appearance so desired. The loose fluffy condition of 

 this feature robs it of the sheen seen in other sections, but 

 in color it must retain the rich ocherous shade described 

 above. 



Defects. Keel so crooked as to mar shape and depth of 

 body merits a cut of one-half to one and one-half points. It 

 is not so much for the fact that the keel is .crooked as when 

 it affects the shape as a whole; the fluff may be shrunken, 

 or the thigh fluff not standing out. Failure of con vexed out- 

 line in all these, too light in shade or positive white in 

 under-color, surface color faded to drab, should be dis- 

 counted one-half to one point each. 



THE WINGS. 



Wings are small compared to weight of specimen, 

 strong and heavy in muscle, front buried in breast plumage, 

 rose well cupped, which, with full quarters, secures a circu- 

 lar line from back to point of keel. Primaries smoothly 

 folded under secondaries, the whole wing presenting a 

 smooth, sheeny surface of rich orange ocherous color, 

 reaching its deepest shade in the rose of the wing, where it 

 may be a reddish orange shade in the male and not a defect, 

 as it is sure to be accompanied by a perfect colored back, 

 such being grand mates for hens having lost color by age. 



In the female the evener the shade and more pure the 

 color throughout the entire plumage, the better. Wing- 

 bays a rich deep ocherous shade with no mottling of other 

 ■color. (See neck section.) 



Defects. Failure to fold primaries completely under 

 secondaries, the rose shading to red or brown shades outside 

 of ocherous; white or black in primaries or secondaries, 

 mottled or faded surface color, white quills or white fibre in 

 under-color. The rose flat, losing its cupped form, the whole 

 carried so low as to give an oval shape to cape. For those 

 cut one-half to one and one-half points, according to degree. 

 Twisted feather one-half to two points. Primaries folded 

 outside secondaries pass as unworthy specimens. 



A single broken feather, the mate being perfect, is not 

 a defect, for it does not cover a chance to disqualify, but 

 a general disturbance and breaking which is really condition 

 will receive a more just punishment by checking condition 

 thus, X, and cutting the defect in the wing where effect is 

 apparent. 



TAIL. 



The tail proper is short and nearly enveloped in an 

 abundance of tail coverts and lesser coverts which secures 

 the rolled tail, so called, and the carriage of tail proper. It 

 is the abundance of saddle and tail coverts that gives the 

 drooping appearance in the female, although as a matter of 

 fact it does not exist. The sickles and lesser sickles are so 

 Short and small as to appear like enlarged coverts; these 

 whole upper tail furnishings should be a rich orange ocher- 

 ous color, the under-color admitted at a lighter shade; tail 

 proper a dark chestnut, shading to a light shade in such 

 portion as shows to surface. That of the female may be of 

 chestnut at quill, but surface color should be pure orange 

 ocher and nicely folded into a round point just beyond the 

 coverts. 



Defects. Showing end of feathers in a lateral spread 

 affecting Brahma shape; the whole section too large or ir- 

 regular in the combing with sickles too long and prominent; 

 positive black or white in any part. For these cut one-half 

 to one and one-half according to degree. If tail be carried 

 to one side or twenty-five per cent white, withhold score 

 card. 



There has been the demand by many judges for pure 

 buff, as they have termed the color in this section. This 

 we believe will prove a grave mistake, for if none but such 

 males are used we may look for an increased amount of 

 white in primaries and tail proper, with a decided light 

 shade of surface color with white in under-color in our fe- 

 males and with the culls vastly increased in the breed. 



In all breeds, no matter what their color, there is the 

 tendency to become light and for absolute white to appear; 

 why cause in a greater degree this danger by a requirement 

 advocated by the few, when to do so is to oppose nature in 

 her effort to do her best for the breeders, as a whole. What 

 we propose as the proper color is, at the best, all we can 

 demand of nature; the word buff is surely a misnomer as 

 applied, for scientifically there is no buff in Cochin fowls. 



LEGS AND TOES. 



The lower thigh and shanks should be apparently 

 short, heavy in bone; thigh muscle large; plumage long, 

 soft and profus%, hanging in front of hock two-fifths the 

 way to foot plumage, curving about the hock free from stiff 

 vulture hocks; shanks heavily feathered; meeting without 

 a break in an outward and forward sweep, with foot plumage 

 covering outer and middle toes, all of which in surface and 

 quill should be a rich orange ocherous color. Toes should 

 be stout in bone, well spread and with shanks in scale and 

 skin yellow, permitting straw color with age. 



Defects. Scant covering of hock joints, feathers not 

 hanging below and filling the space between hock and shank 

 plumage; apparently bare middle toes; for these cut one- 

 half to one and one-half points for each, according to de- 

 gree; turning inward at hocks with shanks too long or being 

 cow-hocked one-half to two points. For actual knocked 

 knees; exposed hock joints; middle toes actually bare to 

 instep, debar as an unworthy specimen. 



The act of the bureau of judges to protect from dis- 

 qualification superior specimens that had feathers upon 

 middle toe from instep to edge of web, and not to blindlr 

 disqualify such, because middle toe from web to point was 

 bare, was a just dissension. All law should be applied with 

 equity and common sense. Technical application to save or 

 to destroy is not the intention of the standard law. The 

 judge should protect the good and destroy the bad. The 

 a p A. demand to disqualify all Cochins having bare mid- 

 dle toes, we believe 'a mistake.- For no disqualification 

 should apply to one variety and not to all of its class, and 



