STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE. 
51 
THE HEN. 
Head: Gray, long, slender, tapering and very neat in ap- 
pearance: — Beak, willow, olive or blue, slightly curved, sharp 
at the point, and stout at the base. 
Comb, Wattles and Ear-lobes: Comb, bright red, single, 
small and thin, low in front, evenly serrated, and perfectly 
erect and straight: — Wattles, briglit red, small, thin, and 
neatly rounded on tlie edges:— Ear-lobes, bright red, very 
small, and close to the face. 
Eyes: Red or deep bay, large, prominent, and bright, with 
a quick and hery expression, and perfectly alike in color. 
Neck: White, striped with black, long, the feathers very 
short, giving the neck a slender and graceful appearance. 
Back: Bluish or slaty-gray, the shafts of feathers white, of 
moderate length, flat, broad across the shoulders, and narrow- 
ing to the tail. 
Breast and Body: Breast, salmon-red, shading off toashy- 
grsij toward the thighs, broad, roiind, and prominent: — Body, 
very firm and muscular, broadest at the shoulders, and taper- 
ing to the tail. 
Wings: Of medium length and powerful, the butts and 
shoulders carried somewhat high, so as to cause a flat back, the 
points not drooping, but carried compactly against the sides; 
primaries and secondaries, a slaty or bluish-gray; wing-bows 
and wing-coverts, a slaty or bluish-gray, the shafts of the feath- 
ers being white; red or brown on the wing very objectionable. 
Tail: Dark gray, the inside approaching black, moderate in 
length, not carried over the back, but extending backwards, 
the feathers not spread out, but held neatly together. 
Legs: Thighs, ashy-gray, stout and round, and the feathers 
short and close: — Shanks, long, bony, clean and tapering, the 
scales narrow, smooth and close, and to match the coclv^s, in 
color, when placed on exhibition:— Feet, broad, flat and thin 
