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varieties of breast colour, some prefering the copper breasted, others 

 streaky, and others, again, the laced breasted birds, but these all 

 differ from the true brown breasted brown red. The hen dark 

 brown, or blackish throughout, except the hackle, which is dark 

 golden, striped with black ; gipsy or dark red faces, and dark legs, 

 eyes and beaks are necessary in this breed. The late Mr. W. 

 Cobden's birds were of this colour, and I know of one, a hen, now 

 preserved in a glass case, that moulted a spangle, throwing back 

 to the original piles, and then became white and the legs turned 

 yellow after she had moulted two or three times, which was of 

 course a sport liable to occur in all breeds of animals and birds. 



THE BLACK BREASTED DAEK GEEYS 



Closely resemble the true blackred, saving that the red gives 

 place to a dark steely grey; sometimes they are striped in the 

 hackle, the hens to match them are very dark, with grey striped 

 hackles. 



THE MEALY-BEEASTED MEALY GEEY. 



The author of the " Cocker " describes these birds as follows, 

 " A clear mealy grey, nearly white breasted, without spot or streak, 

 4 lbs. 6 oz. to 4 lbs. 8 oz., high standing, bony and black legs, close 

 feathered, short hackled, small snake head and full dark eye, their 

 walk easy, firm, and majestic, their breasts gracefully prominent, 

 shoulders broad and up, their bodies gradually tapering to the tail ; 

 their actions were in unison with their shapes." 



BLACK-BEEASTED BIRCHEN DUCKWING. 



Many of our readers are no doubt acquainted with the two 

 prints by Marshall of a cock in full feather and one trimmed for the 

 pit of this breed. It is supposed they were bred from the black- 

 breasted red, the yellow birchen and the grey duckwing hens. They 

 are beautiful and good birds and have usually very good strong con- 

 stitutions ; yellow legs and red eyes and a dark birchen colour across 

 the shoulders and back are necessary in the cock ; in other respects 

 he much resembles the yellow or golden duckwings. 



BLACK-BEEASTED SILVEE DUCKWING. 



This handsome strain was known many years ago as Lord Hill's ; 

 it was these birds that were crossed with the Dorking, producing the 



