32 THE DOMESTIC FOWL. 



It is a question how the variety known in England 

 under the name of " speckled Dorkings," was first 

 produced. Some maintain that -the pure-white Dork- 

 ings are the original breed with five toes, and that the 

 speckled Dorking is a recent and improved cross, by 

 which the size was much increased, between the ori- 

 ginal white breed and the Malay, or some other large 

 fowl. From this opinion, I must entirely dissent, on 

 the ground of strong, though not absolutely conclusive, 

 evidence to the contrary. It seems to me that Colu- 

 mella's favorite sort of hen could not differ much from 

 the speckled Dorkings, as they at present exist. He 

 says : " Let them be of a reddish or dark plumage, 

 and with black wings. ***** j,^ the 

 breeding hens, therefore, be of a choice color, a robust 

 body, square-built, full-breasted, with large heads, with 

 upright and bright-red combs. ***** Those 

 are believed to be the best bred which have five toes." 

 Except that there is no mention of speckles, (and he 

 never describes minute markings,) the whole descrip- 

 tion almost exactly tallies with our birds of the present 

 day. Pliny's account, also, agrees with this : " Supe- 

 riority of breed in hens is denoted by an upright comb, 

 sometimes double, black wings, ruddy visage, and an 

 odd number of toes." It appears that Columella had 

 the white sort, but he rejected them ; for he advises : 

 " Let the white ones be avoided, for they are generally 

 both tender and less vivacious, and also are not found 

 to be prolific," faults which are still attributed to them 

 by some. I cannot, therefore, avoid believing, that, from 

 the robust dark-colored, five-toed fowl, white indivi- 

 duals have been from time to time produced and propa- 

 gated, exactly as we see in other species of gallinaceous 

 birds that have long been in domestication — pea fowls, 

 turkeys, and Guinea fowls, for instance. I think, 

 also, that there is no instance of any white species of 

 cocks and hens having been found wild ; which is some 

 argument that dark and gaudy colors are the hues 

 originally charaoteristio of the genus. 



