29 



Earl's death, he found partridge hens and also some wheatens, 

 which were the produce of the grey cross, introduced about 1827. 

 Breeders now use the wheaten hens, very much. They must be 

 considered as useful for breeding bright coloured cocks, and, in my 

 opinion, their proper place is in the breeding pen. But so long as 

 judges persist in giving them prizes, to the exclusion of partridge 

 coloured ones, they will of course be shown. 



In an article written on the breed by Mr. Weir, last year, he 

 says he knows of no breed he would keep in preference, since they 

 fulfil so many excellent conditions — fine in form, graceful in carriage, 

 beautiful in colour, small in bone, plenty of meat of fine quality, 

 white skin and fat, absence of offal, good layers of excellent 

 flavoured eggs of pretty colour, and seeking their own living far 

 and wide. A wheaten hen, mated with a bright-coloured cock with 

 a blacli breast, will produce bright coloured cocks and wheaten 

 hens; but if partridge coloured hens are wanted they must of 

 course be used to breed from, and the chickens as a rule comev 

 more uniform ; although the cocks are apt to come a trifle dark 

 but sounder in colour, and the wheatens, if used too much, produce 

 mealy breasted cocks. 



Judges object to white feathers in the tail, and although there is 

 no objection on the score of purity of blood, a cock with much white 

 in his tail is somewhat handicapped in the show pen, although a few 

 of our best judges do not lay too much stress on this point, as they 

 know that the best birds will often show it, and I think it ought not 

 to count more than a point or two against a bird good in other 

 respects. The legs should of course be white with a nice pink shade 

 down the sides, the nails white, and any black on the feet objection- 

 able, the beak white, or striped with horn colour, and for the show 

 pen a red eye is preferred, which should be bright and fiery. 



BLACK-BEBASTED BEDS WITH YELLOW LEGS. 



This was a very usual colour in game fowls from eighty to a hun- 

 dred years since, and several very celebrated strains had legs of this 

 colour. When good they are very hands^ome in appearance. At 

 the present time a red eye is necessary, a pale one being objection- 

 able and a fault ; the cock's breast should be black up to the throat, 

 and the colours bright. They are usually of strong constitution, 

 and run to larger weights than the white-legged birds ; most of the 

 hens are good layers of large eggs. This colour is a favourite in 



