56 



THE ORPINGTONS 



the very name Jubilee has tended in no small measure to 

 prevent the variety becoming as popular as its good qual- 

 ities merit. It is a difficult title for the public to grasp; 

 and, moreover, it does not convey the slightest notion as 

 to the color. Had it been christened the spangled, or 

 even the speckled, it would undoubtedly have had a much 

 greater vogue, since it is a really handsome fowl, and 

 one which will provide the true fancier with ample scope 

 for his talent. 



"For some years after its introduction the Jubilee was 

 practically unknown to the general fancier, and it was not 

 much exhibited until the Variety Orpington Club was 

 started in 1903. It was said to have been extensively bred 

 prior to the latter year; but this is very questionable — if 

 the extensive breeding refers to the variety under itf 

 new name. 



"As a matter of fact, the early specimens exhibited as 

 Diamond Jubilee Orpingtons greatly resembled a some- 

 what nondescript race of 

 fowls which was common 

 in the old days in the 

 southeastern counties of 

 England, and which has re- 

 cently been evolved into 

 the Speckled Sussex. To 

 put it in plainer lauguage, 

 the Jubilee is merely an 

 'improvement' — if I may be 

 permitted to use the word 

 without in any way wishing 

 to disparage the beauties of 

 our ancient races of poultry 

 —-of the speckled farm-yard 

 fowl indigenous to the 

 country of Sussex. And to- 

 day, since the Sussex Poul- 

 try Club has taken its own 

 breed in hand for exhi- 

 bition purposes, it is very 

 difficult for the general 

 public — aye, and the ordi- 

 nary poultry fancier — to 

 distinguish between the two 

 varieties. 



"As has been stated, 

 its name does not give 

 one any idea as to the 

 color of the Jubilee; it 

 is a parti-colored va- 

 riety. The ideal aims at a 

 combination of black, white 



and mahogany — bright mahogany, not a dark or maroon 

 shade. The cock's neck and saddle hackles, back and wing 

 bows, should be of the desired mahogany shade, with black 

 center striping and a white tip to each feather. The wing 

 bars should be black, the secondaries and flights of the three 

 colors, the sickles and true tail feathers white, or black and 

 white, or the three colors, the coverts black edged with 

 mahogany and tipped with white. The remainder of the. 

 plumage is mahogany with black spangles and white tips, 

 the three colors showing in equal proportions, avoiding a 

 ticked effect on the one hand and a blotchy effect on the 

 other. The hen is of similar colors, allowing for the usual 

 sexual difference. The Standard notwithstanding, it is a 

 great mistake to insist on the equality of the three colors 

 in the hen and on the cock's breast, since it has a decided 

 blotchy effect." 



SPANGLED ORPINGTON COCK 

 Reproduced from "Feathered World," England 



Spangled Orpingtons 



Of the new variety W. H. Cook in "The Orpington 

 and Its Varieties" writes as follows: 



"This variety of the Orpington family was placed be- 

 fore the public early in 1900, and owing to the plumage be- 

 ing made up of but two colors, viz., black and white (a 

 well-known brand), they immediately appealed to the 

 buying public and soon made great headway, particularly 

 in the exhibition world, as poultry people at once saw in 

 them a very fine fowl, handsome in appearance and easy 

 to breed true to their respective markings. 



"They are somewhat larger than the Jubil,ee Orping- 

 tons, being quite their equal as layers and table birds, ex- 

 tremely hardy and most vigorous. The pullets forage 

 well, and a flock of them running in a field have the ap- 

 pearance of Anconas, but are double their size, without the 

 objectionable yellow in the legs. 



"They are perhaps not quite so cobby in build as the 

 Jubilees , having rather a 

 longer body, therefore car- 

 rying a good long breast 

 and pure white flesh, which 

 has made them popular for 

 utility purposes. Their red 

 comb, face and wattles, 

 make a striking contrast to 

 their black plumage ticked 

 with white, and although 

 there are many varieties of 

 black and white fowls on 

 the market, none are sim- 

 ilar in markings to the 

 Spangled Orpingtons. 



"Considering the short 

 space of time that has 

 elapsed since their first in- 

 troduction, it is surprising 

 how many persons are to 

 be found keeping this va- 

 riety, and each year they 

 are certainly becoming 

 more widely known and 

 popular, so much so that 

 a separate club called the 

 "Spangled Orpington Club" 

 has been formed and is 

 now on a very promising ' 

 footing, with some sixty 

 members. 



"The Spangled Orping- 

 tons were first thought of by 

 their originator in saving sports that came pure black 

 and white from the Jubilee Orpingtons. These were divi- 

 ded, part being mated to very dark colored Dark Dork- 

 ing cocks, and the others to large Black Orpington cocks; 

 the results of this mating were then re-mated together, and 

 their progeny produced the present-day Spangles. The 

 ground color is a beautiful beetle black, each feather be- 

 ing tipped or spangled with white, the tail in the cock 

 corresponding to the body color, whereas in the hens it is 

 almost all black, only occasionally showing a little white. 

 The legs and feet are mottled with black and white, and 

 the darker the coloring of the bird, the more black is 

 produced in the legs, and though a black-legged bird is 

 often placed in the money at shows, if all were bred with 

 a pure white leg, as was the originator's intention, the 

 contrast of same is more pleasing to the eye, and certainly 



