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tution, while they have a singular appearance. They are chiefly 

 bred in Cumberland and in the North, and are usually excellent 

 layers and good game birds. 



TASSELLS. 



Some of the very best birds we have in England are known as 

 " tassells ; " that is, they have a small tassell or tuft of feathers on 

 the top of the head behind the comb. In the cock it varies from a- 

 few long feathers, extending straight back, to a small tuft. The 

 hens have a more pronounced topknot, sometimes as large as a 

 walnut, of round shape, and the feathers standing nearly upright, 

 but bending over towards the back and giving them an animated 

 and spirited appearance. An old writer on game fowls, from whose 

 book most of the more modern ones were taken, and who wrote 

 some two centuries and a-half ago, says, " The best hennes are the 

 tufte hennes." Ealph Benson's famous reds were of this breed. 

 By a few they were called red-duns, but they were really brown 

 reds, with less black than the more modern stamp. They were 

 strong-boned, good birds, and noted for their game qualities; 

 indeed, all the tassells now kept are noted birds in the pit, getting 

 more savage and revengeful on being struck. The best known 

 strains are black and brown breasted reds with dark eyes, beaks 

 and legs. They are generally excellent layers. 



