64 



THE ASIATICS. 



that of breast, is well worded; in fact, there is no better 

 description given in all the book than the one describing 

 this breed. The body should be from point of breast to 

 abdomen broad, deep and well rounded; medium in length. 

 The abdomen well let down between the legs, broad and well 

 rounded up from breast bone to tail, depending more for its 

 fullness on the length of feathers than upon muscular de- 

 velopment. 



In Fig. 5 will be found three feathers that were taken 

 from a male that showed fairly dark in breast and body. 

 Feather No. 1 is red on outside, with a tracing along the 

 shaft. A section showing feathers like this should be dis- 

 counted one and one-half points. Feathers Nos. 2 and 3 

 show a lacing of red on the outside and should be discounted 

 one point. Feathers 2 and 3 are quite common on pullet 

 breeding males and quite often this lacing of red will run 

 down on thighs and feet. The cuts of one and one-half 

 seem slight as compared to other discounts, but it must be 

 remembered there are only three points allowed for color in 

 this section. 



WINGS. 



This section in a Partridge Cochin male is usually good. 

 Broken feathers sometimes mar the shape, and occasionally 

 a trace of white will show in nights, but as a rule the wing 

 is good, and quite often passes without discount in either 

 shape or color. Where feathers are broken the cut is from 

 one-half to one, as in degree. If white shows in primaries 

 or secondaries, the cut is from one-half to one and one-half, 

 as in degree. 



TAIL. 



This section has quite a bearing on the shape of a 

 Cochin male, and it seldom passes as perfect. In fact, there 

 is undoubtedly as much tinkering with this section as any 

 one on the bird, including the hock. The nice short tail, 

 well furnished with long, soft coverts, doesn't grow on every 

 Cochin male. 



In the Chart Fig. 1 is shown a tail that is slightly over- 

 drawn; in fact, the stiff feathers are entirely out of sight. 

 This bird shows a tail nicely filled in underneath and just 

 such a one as our Cochin breeders are striving for, and one 

 I hope soon to see common with this breed, without the aid 

 of artificial help. So much trimming has been indulged in 

 by some of our breeders that when I see a good, well bal- 

 anced tail I am the least bit skeptical about it. But the rad- 

 ical improvement that has been made in this section within 

 the past fivo years encourages one to the belief that it is 

 only a matter of a short time until we may expect to find 

 many of our best specimens with such tails as illustrated 

 in the chart. There is a color disqualification in tails of 

 Partridge Cochin cockerels that some of the breeders seem 

 to overlook, and should white creep in the web of main tail 

 feathers or sickles, the bird is disqualified. When under 

 color is allowed to run too light, one may look for this de- 

 fect, and it is well at all times to keep a watchful eye in this 

 direction. 



LEGS AND TOES. 



In Fig. 1 is shown a male bird that has sufficient plum- 

 age on legs and thighs to please the most fastidious. It 

 was this extra heavy feathering that put so many of our 

 Cochin breeders at variance, and in many cases caused the 

 old-time breeders to give up the Cochins altogether. The 

 claim made by them that the heavy feathered bird was not 

 so good an egg producer was in some cases exaggerated. 

 Some strains may have been affected by this introduction 

 of the longer feathers, but breeders to whom I have talked 

 who at first were radically opposed to the change, have ad- 

 mitted that they see no difference in the laying qualities of 

 their birds. There have been some radical views taken on 



the leg and toe feathering, many seeming to think the stiff 

 vulture hocks were being called for, and the birds exhibited 

 in the full feathered class some eight years ago were abom- 

 inable looking scrubs, and it is really wonderful that the 

 breeders came to adopt the full feathered ones at all. Care- 

 ful mating along intelligent lines soon eliminated the stiff 

 hocks and produced in their place a profusion of long soft 

 feathers, covering the thighs completely and curling as 

 much in front as behind the leg. A careful study of the 

 chart will show the readers that a Cochin male when prop- 

 erly feathered comes pretty near filling a perfect triangle. 

 They will also note the entire absence of stiff feathers on 

 hocks. Such birds as pictured in the chart are rare, but 

 only from such may we expect to breed the ideal Cochin. 



COCHIN FEMALE. 



Perhaps of all the Standard varieties there is no female 

 of the heavy weight breeds so strikingly handsome as a well 

 bred Partridge Cochin. Their beautiful color, with well 

 rounded shape, is surely a pleasing picture; add to this their 

 gentle disposition and we have something well worth out 

 time to study and care for. In my opinion the two hand- 

 somest females recognized by the Standard are the Partridge 

 Cochins and Dark Brahmas. The Cochins, with their grand 

 penciling and their rich mahogany red ground color, the 

 Brahma, with its graceful tracings of white on the steel 

 gray, make a study for an artist. 



The lacing is the same in both breeds, being a distinct 

 triple in back, breast, body and wing bows. 



In Fig. 6 is shown a chart that represents an ideal 

 Cochin female. So far as shape goes there is little chance 

 for improvement, and shpuld any Partridge Cochin breeder 

 get one as good in color as the tracings on this chart, he is 

 pretty certain of a place in close competition. With the 

 chart as a guide there is no great amount of explanation 

 necessary for a clear understanding of shape, and it is this 

 ease of demonstrating by outlines that convinces the writer 

 that an illustrated Standard is not only valuable, but a real 

 necessity if we wish to educate the breeders to a better un- 

 derstanding of the different varieties. With the chart as 

 our guide for perfect shape and color, I will call attention to 

 some defective feathers, and place a discount on them sim- 

 ilar to the male. 



NECK. 



This section is seldom good in color if other sections of 

 the bird are nicely penciled. Instead of a black feather with 

 golden lacing, we are quite likely to find the feather laced 

 like the back and wing bows. The Standard says in describ- 

 ing color of neck: Bright red or dark orange red, with a dis- 

 tinct black stripe extending down each feather, running 

 nearly parallel with the edge and tapering to a point near 

 its extremity. The black stripe may be slightly penciled. 

 In my opinion the wording should be changed to read lower 

 part of hackle penciled similarly to the back, then we can 

 breed without asking nature to reverse her markings in two 

 sections that join each other. 



BACK. 

 In Fig. 7 are shown some defective feathers taken from 

 che back of a female that possessed remarkable color in 

 breast and body. The back had a good shade of ground 

 color, but was almost entirely void of lacing. Feather No. 

 3 shows a faint irace of lacing, but is badly mixed 

 up and should be discounted one and one-half points. 

 Feather No. 2 in the same group is entirely devoid of 

 lacing and should be cut two points. Feather No. 1 is 

 not only devoid of lacing, but has a shading of gray on edge 

 of feather, which gives the surface a faded out appearance. 



