30 THE DOMESTIC FOWL. 



large quantity of good profitable flesh, the flavor and 

 appearance of which is inferior to none. 



The cooks are magnificent. The most gorgeous 

 hues are frequently lavished upon Ihern, which their 

 large size and peculiarly square-built form display to 

 great advantage. The original Dorkings are said to 

 have been white, but such are now seldom to be seen. 

 During all my rambles, in various parts of the country, 

 only on one or two occasions did I meet with pure- 

 white birds. In all, however, as far as my knowledge 

 extended, when pure-blooded, more or less white pre- 

 vailed ; but the cloudings, and markings of the plumage 

 were unlimited. Many were marked with bands, or 

 bars, of ashy-grey, running into each other at their 

 paler margins. Some had the hackles of the neok 

 white, with a tinge of yellow, and the body of a darker 

 or brownish-red, intermixed irregularly with white ; 

 while" others were beautifully variegated with white, 

 black, green, and brown, or were nearly uniform in 

 their shades fr,pm a light-cream color to almost black. 



Both the cocks and the hens are usually short- 

 legged, thickly-feathered, having fine, delicate heads, 

 with single, double, or large, flat rose-like combs, 

 which, when they are in high health, adds very much 

 to. their appearance, particularly if seen in the bright 

 rays of the sun. Their legs aro invariably white, or 

 flesh-colored, each often armed with one or more toe-like 

 claws ; and, instead of four toes to each foot, a fifth 

 one protrudes from the same root as the heel toe in 

 the common varieties, which is generally regarded as 

 a distinguishing mark of the breed. 



The weight of the Dorkings, at maturity, varies 

 from five to eight pounds, and full-grown capons have 

 been known to weigh ten or twelve. Their eggs are 

 usually of a clear white, but sometimes of an ashy- 

 grey oolor, rather large in size, very much rounded 

 at both ends, and of an excellent flavor. The hens 

 are not "everlasting layers," although they produce 

 eggs in reasonable abundance, but at due or convenient 



