THE CAMPINES 



29 



find the East Frisian penciled fowls, which are again 

 like the above described penciled Bresse fowls, how- 

 ever a little smaller in size and longer in body, both be- 

 longing to the light penciled class. 



This is in short the history of the Campine fowl 

 which shows that it is one of the members of that fam- 

 ily of penciled fowls which differ from each other only 

 in color and shape, on account of the fashion and local 

 condition every one of these sub-breeds had to meet 

 with, but which are all of the same make-up. 



Campines are not very popular right now in Bel- 

 gium, Holland and Germany because the breeders in 



their native location are hardy fowls, with a good egg 

 production, that thrive well when even common care 

 is taken of them. Those who are of the opinion that 

 there is a great difference between Braekels and Cam- 

 pines in their native country are far mistaken, because 

 I often found myself at a loss to distinguish them. 

 When one reads through the two different Standards of 

 the Braekels and the Campines, the difference is easy 

 to see, but when in the show room, one cannot help but 

 think, when one looks at the birds as they are entered 

 in the different classes or rather under the different 

 names, that some Braekels surely do look more like 



The ideal Silver Campine male and female of the Utility Poultry Standard, published by the "V. P. N.' 

 Poultry Association of Holland. — C. S. Theo. VanGink. 



Utility 



these countries stick to the white topped males. But 

 let us say that this brings with it the mussy penciling 

 in the females. There are, however, a handful of breed- 

 ers that have taken up the hen-colored types of males 

 and cross them with their females to improve their 

 strain. In Belgium they fill the classes pretty well. Be- 

 sides the penciled varieties one sees in Belgium once 

 in a while pure white and pure black Campines, as well 

 as unicolored blues with black hackle and saddle in the 

 males and a dark neck in the females. The Campines 

 of these three colors often lack the dark eye, but it 

 would not be hard to get it. Furthermore one finds 

 the short legged Campines, which look like the Scottish 

 Dumpies or Creepers. 



Where in America and England only two distinct 

 penciled varieties are known, there is a third penciled 

 color to be found in Belgium and Holland. When 

 crossing Silver and Golden Campines sometimes some 

 chicks come reddish buff, but instead of the black pen- 

 ciling they have white penciling, the narrower the white 

 the better the bird is. Only last week I saw a beau- 

 tiful specimen of this color at the Utility Poultry Ex- 

 position at the Hague. Campines as they are found in 



a Campine than some Campines do themselves. Sev- 

 eral times I saw a big Campine hen entered in the 

 Braekel class, the judge falling for it and giving the 

 bird a first prize on account of its better penciling. 



While at times hen-colored males cropped out in 

 Belgium at several places, to the English breeders be- 

 longs the credit of having made use of this type and 

 thus making the modern type of Campine males, which 

 they made in comparatively few years with their fine 

 knowledge of color breeding. A lot has been written 

 and said about the supposed cross which was made be- 

 tween the Campine and the Hamburg and just as much 

 has been denied and while the different breeders and 

 authorities, as well as a bunch of born knockers were 

 mixed in a red hot controversy with plenty of local 

 color, the breeders went on and brought out their Cam- 

 pines better and better every year, while the breed pretty 

 soon was enjoying a boom such as very few breeds ever 

 before have had in England, with possibly the exception 

 of the Black Wyandotte. The Campine as it is now- 

 adays when in show condition is a treat to the eye 'and 

 a first class show bird. I can hardly im'agine anything 

 more beautiful than a fine colored Campine, with its 



