50 
THE AMERICAN 
Eyes: Red, or deep bay, large, prominent and bright, with 
a quick and fearless expression, and perfectly alike in color. 
Neck: Rather long and nicely arched, the hackle a clear 
straw-color, free from black stripes. 
Back: Rather short, flat, broad across the shoulders, and 
narrowing to the tail, the plumage a rich, uniform, bright cop- 
per or maroon, the more even, clear and unmixed in color the 
better, — the stern slender and neat, and the saddle-feathers 
very short and close, and of a straw-color. 
Breast and Body: Breast, rich black, broad, full and 
round: — Body, very firm and muscular, not soft or hollow on 
the sides, broadest at the shoulders, and tapering to the tail 
— the underpart of the body a rich black. 
Wings: Of medium length and powerful, the butts and 
shoulders slightly raised, as if for a sudden spring: the re- 
mainder not drooping, but carried compactly against the sides, 
the points resting under the saddle-feathers:— primaries, straw- 
white on the outside web, dark on the inside web, — the second- 
aries white on the outside web, dark on the inside, and, also, at 
the ends of the feathers : wing-butts, black: wing-coverts, steel 
blue or metallic black, forming a wide bar across the wings. 
Tail: Black, of medium length, carried well together, and 
at a moderate elevation — sickle-feathers and tail-coverts, a rich 
metallic or greenish-black. 
Legs: Thighs, rich black, rather long, round, stout, hard 
and firm, and placed well forward on the body: — Shanks, wil- 
low, olive, yellow or blue, rather long, clean, bony and strong, 
and standing well and evenly apart; the scales smooth and 
close, and the spurs set on low: — Feet, broad, thin and flat; the 
toes long, straight and spreading, and well furnished with 
strong nails; the hind-toes set low on the feet, standing well 
backwards, and flat on the ground, and not merely touching 
with the points, or duck-footed. 
Hardness of Feather: Body-feathers, short, hard and 
firm, — quills, very hard and strong. 
