BIRDS OF THE FARM AND THE FARM- YARD. 311 



with spurs with which he is expected to fight for the 

 possession of as many females as he can procure by 

 slaying his rivals. He knows ■ no such feeling as an 

 exclusive attachment to a single mate. He is a bird 

 neither of sentiment nor pririciple. His crowing is but 

 sound of triumph and exultation which is designed to 

 notify all his brood of wives of his presence and of his 

 power to defend them, and his defiance to other males 

 who should venture to claim any one of the numerous 

 members of his harem. His example has always been 

 copied by the kings and sultans of the East. There is 

 only this difference, — that the Cock obtains by his 

 prowess what the sultan obtains by wealth and political 

 authority, aided and countenanced by the deity whom he 

 worships. But if Solomon was like Chanticleer in his 

 customs, we might apply to him a quotation from the 

 N"ew Testament: "That even Solomon in all his glory 

 was not arrayed like one of these." 



The variety of plumage which is displayed by this bird 

 in his domesticated state surpasses that of any known 

 species. It is remarkable, however, that he has very few 

 pure colors. He has no pure yellow, nor blue, nor crim- 

 son, nor scarlet, nor vermilion. But there is a brilliancy 

 about these neutralized colors and there are fine contrasts 

 in their arrangement giving splendor to certain varieties 

 of this bird that cannot be surpassed. There are some 

 which are pure white and others pure black. In these 

 varieties the male and female differ but slightly in color. 

 In other varieties, if the female is brown, the male is red ; 

 if the female is black, with neck-feathers grayish striped, 

 the male is black, with neck and saddle feathers of a 

 bright buff color. If the female is all gray, the male is 

 gray, with neck and saddle white and tail black. Several 

 of these contrasts are very beautiful. The long silken 

 feathers of the neck and saddle distinguish the Cock from 



